I probably would have toppled Sunny over in my bid to get to Max if she hadn’t dug her heels into the ground and used all her weight to keep me from moving forward.
“Cole, no. I’ll go with you, okay? Please ignore him.” She lowered her voice to plead,“Just get in the car, or you’ll ruin everything. If Nora hears about this…”
She was right. I had to get myself under control.
I breathed and breathed some more until the red faded from my vision and I was left with nothing but ice-cold. A welcome black ice numbness that filled me up from head to toe.
I held the door open for Sunny and repeated,"Get in."
Sunny got in—with the most miserable expression on her pretty face as she slid into the passenger seat.
I drove us back to the Benton in complete silence, staring dead ahead. It was too dangerous to talk to her. Too dangerous to look at her.
Control, control, control,I chanted all the way home.
"Cole?"she said when we got in the elevator.
I jabbed my thumb into the round PH button.
"Cole,"she repeated, her voice becoming a lot firmer."Talk to me, or I can't go into that penthouse with you. Because right now, you are acting like the beginning of a true crime podcast, and you know my best friend moonlights as a private investigator."
I expelled a breath through my nose. Like a bull."I wouldn't hurt you."
"I know."
"What Max said?—"
"Yeah, like I said,hurt people hurt people," she agreed without me even having to finish. "Max is a welcoming example of that."
"I need..."
I trailed off, expelling more bull breaths.
"What?"Her hand came up, hovering but not quite touching my arm. "What do you need?"
"I need your consent,"I bit out.
"To punish me?"
"To reclaim you."
"Reclaim me?"she repeated.
"Fuck you,"I clarified."Right now. Without a condom. I need to spill inside you, no barriers."
"Oh."Her eyes went to the elevator buttons, most of which would take her to a floor that would allow her to exit this conversation.
I knew from the medical background she gave the concierge nurse that she had an IUD installed three years ago, and both our panels came back clean. But we hadn't talked about this, and the use of protection at all times was a cardinal condition of all my relationship contracts.
"Okay,"she said carefully."You have my consent?—"
I was on her before the words were fully out, pushing her into a wall with my kiss. Devouring the mouth that had spoken to him. Reaching under her shirt to palm the breasts Max had openly admired at the CEO of the Year dinner. Lifting the skirt he'd probably love to take off her. Curling my fingers into the slit he probably planned to add to his international list of conquests.
"You're already wet."My forehead fell to her shoulder, and I squeezed my eyes shut.Control. Control. Control. But I had to ask,"Because of him. Or because of me?"
"Because of you."There was no hesitation in her answer. “There's something wrong with me. You pulled me out of the restaurant. You are jealous and wantto reclaim me as yours. I don't know why it's flipping switches, but Cole, it is. I'm so turned on."
How did she know how to do that? Enflame me and soothe me at the same time?Reclaim, reclaim, reclaim.
