“Just keep her here until the end of the week and then drop her off with me as planned. I’ll send you an address when I have it. I’ll take everything from there.”
I nodded my head slowly, trying to think of a way that I could keep Iris safe while still abiding by Parker’s wishes.
“I understand,” I said calmly, but I was anything but. In fact, the longer I stayed in Parker’s presence, the more pissed I became.
We spoke about several other matters, but I barely paid attention. The only thing that I could think about was the impending deadline in regard to Iris and what I needed to do to stop it.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Parker got up from his chair.
“I’ll be in touch,” he said as he stood up, and I followed suit. We both walked to the door, and he opened it.
I followed him out of my office, continuing to try and maintain my composure. I led him to the foyer of my home, where he and his sister, Aria, were reunited. I glanced upstairs briefly before I turned back to the two people in front of me. Thankfully, it seemed as if Iris was nowhere in the area, keeping our secret between us. I walked them to the front door, and before I knew it, the two of them were getting in Parker’s car and pulling off.
Once I confirmed they were gone, I closed the door and walked upstairs to Iris’s room. I paused in front of her door in an effort to maintain my composure behind the mask I was wearing, but my adrenaline was threatening to boil over. Without another thought, I twisted the doorknob and opened Iris’s door.
When I entered, Iris glanced up from her journal that she’d been busy writing in at the desk in the room. The expression on her face confused me because I couldn’t figure out what it meant.
I scrutinized her face for much longer than I’d planned. “What’s wrong, Iris? Are you keeping something from me?”
Shock registered first before she made her face expressionless. Her lips twitched, and a bitter smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes appeared on her face. “No more than usual.”
I didn’t know what game she was playing, but I couldn’t deny that the thought excited me. I stalked toward her before caging her between my arms. She shrank back for a moment before straightening her posture in order to not appear intimidated even as color rose in her cheeks. “Careful, petal. You don’t want to piss me off.”
“I don’t appreciate being threatened.”
“Then tell me what you’re hiding.”
This time, she had no tells that showed me that she was lying. “I’m not hiding a thing.”
I lunged forward and grabbed her wrist, pulling her so that she ended up against me. Watching her blue eyes stare into mine was like staring into the ocean. If she was lying to me, she was hiding it well. From what I knew about her, she wasn’t the best liar. Still, I couldn’t ignore the doubt in my mind.
But there was something else between us, something that I couldn’t deny. She’d had this pull on me that I didn’t think I could describe, and it wasn’t something I ever wanted to walk away from.
I stared down at her and kissed her hard. Her lips were soft against mine and reminded me of the differences in our bodies. Where she was soft, I was hard. Our differences brought us together in ways I never expected, and it only made me want to explore whatever this was that we were doing further.
I felt her body go lax in my arms as she melted into me. It was like the world around us had stopped spinning and all that mattered was us.
The kiss intensified as I deepened it, exploring her mouth with my tongue. Her hands tangled in my hair, and I pulled her closer to me. She gasped into my mouth, and I could feel every inch of her body pressing against mine, igniting something inside of me that released the primal desire that I had for her.
She was mine.
I let my hands wander down her body, exploring every inch of her. She shivered under my touch as my hands roamed over her skin, sending a thrill through me that made my heart race.
I could feel the heat radiating from her skin and it only made me want more of her. My primal need for her was too strong to ignore, and I fucking needed her now.
It pained me to pull away from her for even a moment, but it was time to step things up a notch.
“What’s your safe word?”
Her mouth opened and then shut before she opened it to speak again. “Diary.”
“Do you understand when you’re supposed to use it?”
She nodded. “If I want to stop any activity or action that we are doing, all I have to do is use it and everything ends.”
“Good job, petal. Keep that in mind as I tell you what’s coming next. I want you to listen to me closely. Change into some of the lingerie pieces that I bought for you, and then come into my bedroom. You’ll close the door and then get on your knees, where you’ll wait for my next command.”
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