Ocean scooted his chair back and turned in his seat. “Come here. Come to me.”
I shifted to hide the fact that I almost sprang to my feet in a knee-jerk reaction. “I can hear you just fine right here.”
“But I cantouch youmuch better if you were over here.” My fingers curled around the arms of my chair to keep from embarrassing myself again. Nothing ever seemed to get past Ocean, though, his gaze briefly dropping to my hands. I quickly loosened my grip, which seemed to frustrate him. “You don’t need to hide from me,” he said with a slight growl. “I have no intention of using your feelings against you, and nothing will happen that you don’t want. You have my word.”
“I believe you. I mean…” It felt like a betrayal of my brother, but it was for him that I purposely lowered my lashes in a show of bashfulness and said softly. “I don’t think you’ll hurt me.”
“What a good fucking girl you are.”
Something burst inside of me, like a long-dormant volcano finally waking up. Silence fell between us again while Ocean watched me squirm and patiently waited for me to make a decision. I didn’t have to fake the uncertainty in my movements as I rose from my seat or the shaky steps I took toward him until I was in grabbing distance. Despite his teasing, Ocean made no move to touch me, and it took me a few agonizing seconds to understand why.
He was proving that I was safe with him, but I also had a point to prove—to myself.
I could play the game and win.
Inhaling deeply, I lowered myself into his lap.
I was still wearing the robe and nothing else, so there was almost nothing keeping him from discovering my hot, dripping pussy.
The possessive hand he immediately placed on my thigh once I was settled told me he wasn’t unaware of my aroused state.This close, I could feel how tightly coiled he was, and something in me purred knowing he wasn’t unaffected either. My fingers idly toyed with the terry-cloth sash while I waited for him to do what he promised.
I waited for him to touch me.
“Ocean,” I whimpered when he seemed to be taking his sweet fucking time.
“What’s up?” he asked, his deep voice an erotic rumble.
“You said you were going to touch me.”
“Did I?”
I hit him.
I punched the heir to theFola’s arm because I was sick of Ocean amusing himself at my expense. “Yes,” I growled.
Ocean chuckled and kissed my shoulder before sobering. The immediate shift made me nervous as he regarded me with a serious expression. “Maybe I want you to kiss me.”
“What? Why?”
I was no blushing, fainting virgin, but this fine specimen of a man staring me down and telling me to perform for him had me losing a few G points,
“Because last night took a turn I hadn’t planned on and I need to know that when I fuck you, it’s because you want it.”
“Oh.” I guess he had a point.
“Yeah…oh.”
I frowned as my mind immediately began jumping two or three steps ahead. “And after I kiss you? What then?”
“Then I’ll tell you how we turn this hostage situation into a business arrangement that benefits us both.”
My hesitation made no sense and at the same time made perfect sense. I’d fantasized about this man for years, and now that I had him, I was falling back. In my defense, none of my fantasies had started with Ocean nearly killing my brother and trapping me. It sort of shattered the romantic view I had of him.
I’m not naive.
I’d known Ocean was a menace, but I’d chosen to ignore that fatal flaw until the danger hit a little too close to home. Now I was forced to face it, but Ocean wasn’t giving me any space or time to process it.
Unlike my brother and Hunter, I was a straight-up square. All of my exes were, too, which was probably what made it so easy for Hunter to run them off. Keeping it a buck, I had no fucking clue how to handle a man like Ocean.
