The events of the last few days had left me feeling off balance. Seeing all my friends tonight with their men drove home the fact that I was the odd man out. Phantom had Adam, GQ had Dominick, and now Daredevil was married to Greer. While I was more than happy for them, it was becoming clear that my previous life plan to avoid intimate relationships might blow up in my face. All my avoidance was going to leave me lonely. And alone.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
I’d given up trying to stop John from using that term of endearment. He was going to do what he wanted to do and nothing would stop him. Not even me.
“Nothing,” I said, looking out the window as we drove toward the condo.
John sighed. “You forget that I know you. You can’t lie to me.”
“You don’t know me. You only know what I allow you to see.”
There was something wrong with me. Three days in, and I was already pushing him away when I wanted to pull him closer. How could I go from an evening surrounded by my friends to feeling lost?
John reached over and placed his hand on my thigh. His warmth was a life preserver that I wanted to cling to in order to escape my cluttered mind. So instinct took over, and I placed my hand on top of his.
We rode the rest of the way in silence until he parked the car. When I reached for the door handle, John spoke.
“I can imagine how you’re processing all that love and happiness back there. And I bet you’re rolling everything around in your brain and it has you tied in knots.”
Turning to look at him, I found that warm expression again that I was growing accustomed to. I felt myself letting him in. “What makes you think that?”
He smiled knowingly at me. “I can read you pretty easily, sweetheart, because we’re more alike than you know.”
John reached up and cupped my face. “I’m a good listener if you want to talk about it.”
I laughed sardonically. “That’s the last thing I want to do. I just want to get out of my head and stop thinking for once. Maybe I’ll go run.”
Shifting to get out of the car, he reached for my arm. I turned back to look at him. “I can help get you out of your head if you’d like.”
I could see where this was going. But I couldn’t take him being sweet to me like he’d been all week. “With your dick? I could be down for that.”
He shrugged. “You like it when I’m in control.”
I stared at him for a long moment. “What do I have to do?”
John trailed his fingers down my face. “You just have to let me take care of you and trust that it will be okay. Can you let me do that for you?”
Nodding slowly, I turned and got out of the car. My curiosity was piqued by what he might have in store. And the more I thought about it, the more aroused I became.
I wanted to ask questions but didn’t know what to ask, and in the end, it didn’t matter. John took control of the situation the minute the door closed behind us in the condo.
Standing in the middle of the floor, I heard the door locks engage and his soft footfalls as he crossed the room. My breathing became a little more labored at the thought of him touching me, but that’s not what I got.
John came to a stop behind me. I could feel his heat radiate from his chest, even though he wasn’t touching me. My body was tense and every muscle was taut in anticipation. I closed my eyes and waited for his words. When his warm breath skirted along my neck, chill bumps blanketed my skin.
My head tilted to the left, pulling my eyes closed when John’s lips found their way to my neck. Releasing a weighted sigh, I savored the feel of his lips on me as he left soft kisses under my jaw and along the tendon of my neck.
I stepped back against him, needing to be closer. For him to blanket my body with his. He kissed the sensitive skin under my ear and wrapped his arms around me.
Wrapped in his warmth, he spoke softly. “Go to your room and get undressed. I’ll be there in a moment. Okay?”
Reluctantly, I pulled out of his embrace. I nodded and stepped away. His hands slipped away from my body, leaving me to miss his touch. I unbuttoned my dress shirt as I walked toward my room. When I got to the door, I turned to find John watching me, still standing in the place I’d just vacated. The prideful expression he had on his face accompanied by his smileand the soft look in his eyes released some of the apprehension I’d been feeling.
I wanted to please him, and putting that look on his face made me happy. I’d done that, and it was a heady feeling. And I wanted more.
I walked in and crossed the room to the wingback chair that sat in the corner of the room. Carefully, I removed my clothes and folded them with practiced military precision. When he entered the room, I was completely naked, just as he asked. But he was not.
I frowned. “It’s going to be difficult to do this with you dressed.”
