Her eyes widen and she licks her lips as she takes me in.
“You’ve lost your mind,” I growl.
“Maybe.” She swims closer. “Or maybe I’ve finally found it.”
Her body gravitates toward me like a magnet, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to repel her.
“You shouldn’t provoke me,” I warn, my voice rough with restraint I’m worried is about to break.
“Why not? Afraid you might enjoy it?” Her words are sweet poison, making me lose focus.
In an instant, my instincts kick in.
I close the space between us, pulling her against my chest.
She loops her arms around my neck, her tits pressing against my chest.
The heat radiating off her skin sends my mind spiraling.
“Kiss me,” she dares. “You know you want to.”
I fight against the primal urge to taste her. “This isn't what you truly want.”
I should push her away, but I don’t.
The moment stretches and stretches.
I see the yearning in her eyes, the same desire burning in my veins.
“Don't tell me what I want.” She grips my hair, and the sensation sends a shudder through me. “I'm tired of men deciding that for me.”
Her words are clear.
She’s made a decision and it’s to have me.
I should be honored, and in a way, I am.
And she deserves to have some agency in her life.
My grip on her tightens.
My gaze drops to her lips.
Just one kiss…
No! This can’t happen.
In one fluid motion, I shift my grip, tossing her over my shoulder.
I’m frustrated, angry.
Not as much at her as the world we live in that says she can’t have what she wants.
That I can’t give it to her.
“I won’t be another man who takes your choices away,” I state firmly, carrying her out of the pool while she squirms against me.
When I set her down, I can’t shake the feeling of loss that clings to me.
