“I’ve waited all day for this,” I confessed, hooking my ankles behind him.
“I’ve been counting the seconds since you left my bed this morning. It drove me crazy not being able to touch you, but now I can do whatever I want. You said so.”
“I did say that, didn’t I?” My grin mirrored his. All I wanted to do was melt into him, to stay right here, locked in this moment for as long as we could. He pressed against me, and while I wanted him to just take me, I had to be smart. “There was one caveat to what I told you. I’m game for whatever you want except having sex without a condom.”
“That’s the only stipulation?” he asked, the mischievous look in his eyes making me rethink my statement.
“Are you referring to anal?” I asked.
“It did cross my mind.”
“Well, get rid of that thought because that’s not happening anytime soon.”
“So, you’re saying there is a possibility in the future?” A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
“I’m not saying anything.”
He leaned down and pressed his mouth against mine. “Tease.” He hopped off the bed and redressed. “I’ll grab a condom. Be right back.”
“I’ll be right here waiting.”
Jackson briefly stopped by the door and looked back at me; the peaceful expression he wore was a sight I longed to see more of.
Two minutes later, he poked his head into my bedroom. “I don’t have any left, so I have to run to the store. It’s only a few blocks away, so I won’t be long. Is there anything you want me to pick up for you while I’m there?”
“Can you grab me some vanilla ice cream?”
“Sure. Anything else?” His gaze traveled the length of my body, the heat from his stare setting me ablaze.
I trailed my fingers from my breasts to my belly, dipping lower the longer he stared at me. “No, that’s all.”
His eyes were fixated between my legs. “Are you… you sure?”
“Yes.” I removed my hand, snapped my legs together and flashed him a bold grin. “Hurry back.”
I didn’t believe I’d ever seen anyone move as quickly as he did, disappearing from the doorway faster than I could form a thought.
As I lay on the bed, I couldn’t help but be grateful for how my life was turning out, especially after everything I’d been through. I felt alive for the first time in years, truly optimistic for what my future held. I had a job I really enjoyed with a man who was quickly becoming more than a simple attraction.
Before I’d gone back down to the gym, I’d turned on the air-conditioning in my bedroom, and it was getting a little chilly. I used the restroom, and after I freshened up, I threw on my white silk robe. The prospect of Jackson slowly pulling apart the belt aroused me all over again, and I glanced at the clock, counting down the minutes until he was in front of me once more. It’d only been five minutes, yet the time apart felt like an hour.
The click of the front door alerted me he’d returned, and, in my haste to seductively position myself back on the bed, I tripped over my feet and almost fell on my face. Luckily, I caught myself and had just enough time to move to the center of the mattress just as he reentered my bedroom.
Only it wasn’t Jackson who stood before me.
All my deep-seated fears bubbled into hallucinations. There was no other excuse as to why Mitch had suddenly appeared in the doorway of my bedroom.
I blinked once.
Twice.
But he was still there.
“Expecting someone else?” he asked, the familiar tenor of his voice solidifying the reality that the man I’d run away from was really standing in front of me.
The sound of the door closing behind him echoed in the small space. Terror reached up from the deepest parts of me and strangled the breath from my lungs.
His hate-filled gaze combed the length of me, and the second I came out of my horrified and surprised trancelike state, I scrambled to get away from him. But he rushed toward me and jumped on top of me, spreading my legs, which caused the sides of my robe to separate. I wore nothing underneath, a blend of mortification and dread battling for the win. He pinned both of my wrists above my head with his right hand, immobilizing me.
