He raises an eyebrow. “About the auction?”
I nod, sinking into one of the suite’s club chairs. “Do you really think it’s a good idea?”
The big male moves toward me, slow and unhurried. He sits across from me, knees spread, elbows on his thighs. The pose is pure alpha, and I can feel my pulse thudding everywhere.
“I think it could change your life,” he says. “But only if you want it to.”
I look away, embarrassed. “I don’t even know who I am, Hunter. I don’t know if I can do something like that.”
He’s quiet for a long time, just watching me.
“Would it help,” he asks, “if you knew what the other girls say?”
I shrug, but I want to know.
He leans in, voice low. “They say it’s the best experience of their lives. The men are rough and dominant, to be sure, but they treat you like you’re made of gold. Most girls enjoy it. And the money—” He makes a noise. “It’s enough to wipe your slate clean. Start over. Get out from under whoever you were before.”
The words are logical. They make sense. But there’s still a panic clawing at my insides.
“What if I don’t like it?” I whisper.
His lips curve in a slow, devastating smile. “You will. Because you’ll be the one in control.”
He stands and comes to me, kneeling down until his face is level with mine. “Say you want it, Daisy. Say you want to be chosen. And I’ll make sure it’s exactly what you need.”
I tremble. “Are you serious? You’d let me do that?”
His eyes hold mine, and something in my chest goes hot and liquid. “You can do anything you want, Daisy.”
He cups my jaw, thumb brushing my cheek. The touch is light, almost reverent, but I can feel the strength in his fingers. I don’t pull away. Instead, I lean into him, breath quickening.
His mouth finds mine, slow and exploratory at first. The kiss is nothing like the ones from my half-remembered past—this is hungry, desperate, all teeth and tongue. I open for him, let him taste me, and the heat spikes so fast I’m dizzy.
His hands drop to my shoulders, then down my arms, tracing the line of my body until they rest on my hips. He pulls me closer, so close I feel the hard line of his cock through his jeans. It scares me, how much I want him.
He kisses me again, deeper this time, then breaks away and looks at me.
“The choice is yours,” he murmurs. “But I want you. Right here, right now.”
He presses a palm against my breast, slow and deliberate, thumb circling until the nipple pebbles under the thin silk of my nightgown. My breath comes in ragged gasps. I should say no. I should push him off and run, but I can’t. Every part of me aches to be claimed.
He kneads the flesh, then leans in and bites my lower lip, soft enough to tease, hard enough to promise what he’d do if given the chance. My hands are on his arms, gripping hard, but I still don’t pull away.
His voice is hoarse when he speaks. “You don’t have to wait for the auction. If you want, you can have me now.”
My brain short-circuits at the offer. I try to laugh, but it comes out as a whimper. “I don’t know what I want.”
He presses his forehead to mine. “That’s okay. You don’t have to know. You just have to feel.”
He slips his hand under my nightgown, palm warm on my bare thigh. My legs part without thinking. His fingers inch higher, teasing the sensitive skin, and I arch into him, desperate.
“Fuck you’re wet,” he rasps, skimming his fingers over my drenched folds. “Goddamn.”
“Mmm,” I moan, tilting my head back with bliss. “Oh, that feels good.”
Hunter’s slow, patient. He explores every inch of me with his hands, then his mouth, leaving marks that make me wild. He never rushes, never forces. He’s everything I should fear, but the only thing that makes me feel safe.
I lose track of time. At some point, we end up on the bed, Hunter’s body pinning me in place as he worships me with his tongue, his teeth, his clever, clever fingers. I’m so delirious I think I might drown. I want to beg, but I don’t have to. He knows what I need before I even ask.
