“Miller,” I called out after him. He turned and gave me a look. “You have an outstanding ass. And the front’s not bad either. But aren’t you forgetting something?” Neil frowned, confused, and I pointed at his boxers abandoned on the floor. He rolled his eyes at me.
“Afraid you won’t be able to resist the urge to jump my bones?” He shot me an enigmatic smile as he clutched his boxers in one hand, still continuing to display his entire body with all its power and allure.
“Well, I am now that I’m aware of your enormous…potential,” I admitted with a shrug. “By the way, congrats on the royal scepter, your majesty.”
He shook his head and went back to the door.
“Thanks, Head Case. You can check out its magnificence any time you like.” He winked before exiting the room and leaving me alone.
I hadn’t expected him to stay and sleep through the night with me, nor did he seem like the type to cuddle in the afterglow.
That wasn’t Neil.
I collapsed back on my pillow, thinking about what had just happened.
I could smell both of us on the rumpled blankets, his warmth and mine, his clean smell mixed with my own. But the little half-smile faded from my lips when I thought back on the moment when Neil’s face had darkened at hearing Selene’s name.
I never asked him about her. We never spoke of her because every time I’d so much as alluded to her, he’d broken something. I wasn’t entirely sure that he wasn’t thinking about her during sex. In fact, I was sure that’s what he was doing with the other girls. Why else would they all look like photocopies of Selene?
I didn’t look like her, though.
I mused on that for a long time: I bore no resemblance to the girl.
Did that mean that he hadn’t been thinking of her when he was with me?
I huffed and decided to go to sleep. Thinking too much would only get me keyed up and anxious. I pulled the sheet over myself, putting off showering until the morning. Oddly enough, it didn’t bother me to have a man’s smell on my skin or even traces of his semen on my stomach.
Unsettled by the new things I apparently accepted now, I shut my eyes and drifted off to sleep.
* * *
The sun’s rays filtered through the room’s large windows to touch my skin. I opened my eyes slowly, remembering what had happened the night before. The experience felt almost dreamlike, but when I looked down at my naked body and caught a whiff of Neil’s scent still on me, I knew it had all been real.
I got out of bed slowly, lowering my feet to the floor and grimacing in pain when I felt the ghost of his presence between my legs.
I dragged myself to the bathroom like a plane crash survivor and skipped right by my reflection in favor of a relaxing shower.
My muscles were sore. Even some I hadn’t known I had.
I babied my body, gently massaging all the aching parts.
I spent about half an hour under the warm spray of the shower, hoping to claw back some of my physical strength and mental clarity, which Neil had apparently completely drained from me in one night. I hadn’t realized getting it on with him would be such a singular experience. My stomach tightened and my legs went wobbly at the memory of having him, even if it was only once. I’d held out against his charm, his predator’s smile, his ruthless seduction, and his teasing moves for months, but finally, I succumbed. And I couldn’t find it in me to regret it.
After my shower, I put on a pair of black leggings and a matching top and went to the kitchen. My heart did a little flip and landed in my stomach when I saw him there. He was sitting at the kitchen island in just his sweatpants, smoking a cigarette.
His golden eyes, which had been immersed in the phone he had clasped in one hand, looked up to scrutinize my face. The grim glint in his eye took my breath away. He looked confused but also furious. The flickers of rage I saw in his gaze cut into my like fiery blades.
“What’s up?” I asked, moving toward him. “As you can see, I’m not wearing any of your clothes today, so no need to bust my chops about it,” I offered.
“Sit down,” he demanded, exhaling cigarette smoke. His voice had never sounded so hard or intense as it did in that moment. I’d seen him raging and furious before and though I had always been a strong woman, the feeling of impending danger put me on my guard.
“Are you freaking out? Is this about last night? Look, nothing happened for me, it was just—” He chuckled low, searing me with his gaze. Truthfully, it hadn’t been just sex for me; it had been a lot more. But I couldn’t tell him that.
“You’re still in touch with Dr. Keller, apparently. I’d like to know why he’s asking you about me, and, more importantly…” He paused, forcibly grinding out his butt in the black ashtray on the kitchen island. Then hestood up, revealing himself in all his glory, and my breath caught. “How long has he been ordering you to manipulate me?” he asked with a derisive sneer. Neil looked deep into my eyes, like he was trying to probe my soul and draw forth all my insecurities. A chill ran down my spine.
Shit.
“Di-did you read my text messages? That’s a violation of my privacy, you know?” was all I could manage; I couldn’t think clearly. Neil stalked toward me, and my body went up in flames; I trembled with every step he took.
