It's torturous.
The doors slide open, revealing the silent, darkened hallway that leads into my apartment, and my muscles relax slightly when I hear no movement from inside.
Hopefully, that means she's asleep.
Kicking off my trainers, I walk through to the living room, stopping just inside the doorway as my eyes sweep across the room, pausing on the sofas when images of the scene from earlier play in my mind like a movie.
My heart rate kicks up as I think about the touch of her body against mine, and then my mind drifts, thinking about how it would feel if it was my tongue swiping across her lips instead of hers.
Huffing, I pinch the bridge of my nose and shake my head as I move over to the sofa.
I need to stop allowing her to distract me.
I was confident after my conversation with my father that I'd be able to keep her out of my head, and focus on the shit I need to do, but it's near on impossible.
Instead of being at the office, dealing with the legitimate side of business, and meeting with the exporter for a shipment that's going out in a couple of days, I've been sat at home pretending to work when realistically, I've been distracted by Alicia and her skimpy little pyjama sets.
I have paperwork to go through for Jericho's clubs, something my father has been hassling me about since yesterday, and although I've been flicking through the contracts, I can't remember a single word that was written on them.
When she's around, I can't focus on anything else.
She draws me in, completely clouds my vision.
That's exactly why I pushed her away earlier before I was tempted into going any further.
I didn't want to push her away, though, but I had to remind myself to get a grip on things before they spiral too far out of control.
I regret it, but I have business to handle, and I need to help Jaylen figure out the details of the illegitimate shipment we have coming into the marina next week.
If it was up to me, I'd stay here with her every day so I knew she wouldn't be getting into trouble and causing mischief, but the longer I stay here with her, the more infatuated I become. I can't have her knowing that I'm interested in her in any way because she'd use it against me to get what she wants.
Thinking back to our conversation earlier, during the heated moment we shared, I frown.
I know she was riling me up on purpose, wanting a reaction from me, but then I did the unexpected and told her I'd go back to leaving the apartment and give her a sliver of freedom.
She agreed too easily, and I have a feeling it's exactly what she wanted to happen.
Can I really trust her to follow the rules?
Or is she going to twist things once I'm not here, like she did last time?
Realising I have no faith in her actually following through with not leaving the apartment other than to walk the dog, I get up from the sofa and quietly make my way upstairs.
Heading straight into my room, I grab the handcuffs from my wardrobe—which I'm glad were put back here for me—and then I carefully make my way back down the hall towards her room.
Pressing my ear against the door, I wait a moment before twisting the handle and opening it, silently stepping inside and closing the door behind me.
My gaze swims across the room, taking in the lamps she's placed on either side of her bed, one of which is switched on, casting a warm glow across the room.
Glancing at the mess of hair products scattered across the dressing table beside me and the small pile of clothes by the bathroom door has me wrinkling my nose.
I'm glad to see she hasn't changed too much of this room. It still looks familiar to how it did before she moved in.
A soft sigh echoing through the room has my eyes darting to her sleeping form, and when I spot her bare legs resting on top of the covers, I gulp.
She's lying on top of her duvet, on her side with her smooth, short legs spread apart slightly, one stretched out straight as the other is curled up to the side.
My burning gaze drifts up her legs to the apex of her thighs, and I sink my teeth into my bottom lip to contain the growl rumbling through my chest as I stare at the lacy red material that's barely covering her pussy.
