North is the same dick as always.
Even though I think I saw more of what’s underneath, and the more I see, the more it intrigues me. Which, again, can’t happen.I can’t let anyone in.
And even if I did,fourguys?
Brothers?
Fuck.
“Why can’t I do both?” I mutter, bending down to pick up the screw that just fell.
“Because I only pay you for one of those things,” he tells me, his tone cold.
How come every time it feels like we can talk like normal people, he’s back to being a dick the next instance?
“If you listen closely, you can hear me not caring,” I whisper, grabbing another screw.
Maybe I should just be done with his hot-cold act. It’s unnerving, and I have enough problems as it is.
The boat I’m working on has a malfunctioning crane, which shouldn’t be too difficult to fix. I just have to figure out how the damn thing works in the first place.
“Well, you should care, or I might stop caring about getting your paycheck to you.”
I want to throw something at him.
A tool.
Myself.
“Yes,sir,” I reply when I turn to look at him, and there’s that mix in his eyes again—desire and anger.
What is wrong with him?
And what is wrong with me that I think this is the hottest thing ever?
Before he can answer, there’s a sudden jolt. The boat’s crane we are standing next to starts to groan and shudder, its steel arm swaying dangerously. My heart races as I see it tilting toward North, who has his back to it and is too close to avoid it.
Without thinking, I rush forward, my adrenaline pumping. I push North aside with all my might, and the next thing I know, there’s a searing pain in my shoulder. We both tumble to the ground, landing in a heap.
I wince and grit my teeth as throbbing pain rises in my shoulder, but I can’t help but be relieved that North is safe. I’m sitting on top of him, straddling his waist while he sits up, our eyes locked for a moment, both of us breathing heavily. The crane hangs ominously overhead, still malfunctioning.
“Are you okay?” I finally manage to gasp out, my concern for North overpowering my own pain.
But instead of gratitude, anger flashes in his eyes. “What the hell were you thinking, Blue?” he snaps, his voice laced with frustration. “You could have been hurt! You shouldn’t have done that! Are youcrazy?” The word echoes inside me, and I lean away from him, but the movement sends a jolt of pain throughme, and I wince. “Youarehurt,” he grumbles, his hands coming up to my hips.
I glance down at my shoulder and see that there is a little blood staining my white shirt. “It’s not bad,” I assure him, though my voice is strained.
His fingers clench around me as he scrutinizes my shirt, a protective reflex that sends a jolt through my frazzled nerves. “You’re bleeding,” he says, his voice laced with a concern that sounds almost foreign coming from him.
I can’t help the bitter laugh that escapes me. “As if you care.”
But then he’s on me, his hand at my throat, not just holding but claiming, pulling me toward him. Our lips collide in an unexpected kiss, leaving me momentarily stunned. I freeze for a second, but when he applies gentle pressure to my throat and his tongue traces over my bottom lip, I surrender and open up for him, letting him kiss me, finding myself melting into him.
A deep growl rumbles from him as he seems to devour me. My heart is racing, my hands come up to his hair, gripping his strands. His hands descend to grasp my thighs, and in one fluid motion, he stands, lifting me off the ground with him, holding me close to his chest as my legs wrap around his waist.
He carries me over to the tool table, where he pauses only for a moment to sweep all the tools onto the floor with a loud clatter. He sets me down on the table, and I untangle my legs from his waist, only for him to push my thighs even farther apart, coming to stand between them.
The table is cold under me, a stark contrast to the heat of his body. His lips crash against mine once more, and a moan vibrates deep within my chest. He’s hungry, devouring, and I’m lost in the taste of him, in the pressure and the promise. I clutch at his suit, the fine material bunching under my desperate grip, pulling him closer, sealing the space between us until there’snothing left but the sound of our mingled breaths and the racing of my pulse begging for more.
