In a short timeframe, she’d become a drug that I required, an addict hungering for a fix. All I could think about was pressing her body against mine, enjoying the quiet time shared. Two lost souls. There were no other thoughts, no other necessities that held any credence.
She was right to ignore me, even if I was annoyed by her doing so. I was used to getting what I wanted, even if in doing so I’d chipped away at portions of my soul.
She’d unearthed the man I’d once been, shattering the chains with a single searing touch.
After checking on my daughter, I headed into the bedroom, closing and locking the door behind me. The bathroom door was partially cracked, much like I’d found my daughter’s door moments before. Lainey was trying to ensure Nina didn’t wake up in the middle of the night horrified after a terrible dream.
She didn’t know my daughter. She had her mother’s strong resolve. Much like the stubbornness I’d seen in Lainey.
The talented singer was right. She wasn’t Selena. I wasn’t trying to replace something I’d lost. I was hoping to return to a joy lost in the shadows, another reason to get up every morning after a sleepless night.
Guilt was a destructive weapon.
I pulled off my shirt, kicking off my shoes at the same time. I didn’t care where my clothes landed or what her objections might be. I was at the point where ‘no’ wasn’t in my vocabulary. The need was that intense.
Using a single finger, I opened the door, breathing in the scent of citrus and strawberry body wash, a dangerous combination. I could see her silhouette behind the frosted glass where she stood with her palms on the granite in front of the showerhead, her head lowered under the spray of water.
Very quietly I undressed.
My hesitation was short lived. As soon as I opened the shower door, she lifted her head. Her expression wasn’t one of shock as I would have anticipated. The look was laced with pure hunger, the same sweltering need that we’d tiptoed around for months.
“Sasha.” My name was whispered as if she was moaning while deep in sleep, driven to full arousal by a dark fantasy.
My hunger knew no bounds.
Yes, I’d meant what I’d said.
After tonight, there was no turning back.
Lainey
“Sasha.”Just saying his name brought such an intense set of emotions and desires that losing myself in him was all I could think about.
Ordinarily when a man laid claim to a woman, it was done in a ridiculously overacted movie. I’d seen plenty of those. I’d even had Damien try a version of that, only while using his fists to make a point.
This was entirely different.
This was everything I’d wanted yet feared admitting. To myself. To my friends. To every man who’d touched me.
Now, no one else would be allowed.
His gaze was relentless, full of unbridled hunger, his chest rising and falling as he crowded my space. When he dragged his tongue across his lower lip, I almost lost control of everything, becoming completely undone. He had to know what he was doing to me, tearing apart what was left of my resolve, shattering my inhibitions.
I shifted so my back was against the cool granite tile, uncertain how I’d survive such a powerful man whose needs were never satisfied.
My breathing remained shallow while his chest was heaving. With such tenderness I barely noticed him moving, he pressed his knuckles against my face just under my eyes. Rage embroiled him, his entire face reflecting the anger that he’d yet been able to fully control.
“Etot ublyudok budet stradat’.” The words were gritted out, guttural.
“What did you say?” I whispered.
“I said the bastard would suffer. No man is allowed to harm a woman.”
I took his hand into mine, slowly turning it and pressing kisses against his palm. The water cascaded over us both, but it didn’t matter. As much as something inside me said this wasn’t a good decision, I just didn’t care. Not right now. Not when he was exposing the man inside.
“I’m fine, Sasha. He did suffer the worse end of the stick.”
His laugh was subtle. “Yes, he did. You’re a fascinating woman. All the twists and turns within you are highly intriguing.”
