Mangelli frowns down into his glass. “Shit. I’ve never been on this side of it.”
“This side of what?”
“I’m only ever friends with women. Usually I feel like I understand you perfectly.” He cocks his head and offers me a sad smile. “I’ve never been in an argument with one before.”
I cross my arms. “We’re arguing?”
“Aren’t we? You’re not pleased with what I said, but you won’t tell me why.”
It amuses and annoys me that he’s getting right to the point like this. I need to get to the point, too.
“I like you, Mangelli,” I finally say, keeping my eyes pinned on the table so I don’t have to look at him. “So I don’t want to get my hopes up, you know? I don’t want to get hurt. You’re married, and you only want to do this because of your hormones.”
“‘Only’?” Mangelli narrows his eyes. “I get it. You think that’s the reason I want you—the rut.”
I nod, clenching my glass.
“Maybe.” He leans forward on the table, all amusement faded from his face. “I’ve always looked at you, Bree. Always been curious about you. Now, all I know is I want to make you come like that again. I want to make you scream while I do my best to put a fawn in you. If we haven’t already.”
My body responds immediately to this suggestion, to the memory of him on the breeding bench. How he had worked me so expertly, finding my pleasure and chasing it with abandon. How he’d pumped everything inside me, and even now, his baby could be growing there.
Mangelli’s nostrils flare, and he gets up from his chair. He walks around the table until he’s standing in front of me and I’m looking up his chest.
“You unlocked something in me,” he says, stroking my hair as he kneels in front of me. “And I want to explore it. I want to understand it. I’ve never been attracted to a woman before.”
That takes me by surprise. How is that possible when he handled me like that on the table?
“What? Never?”
“Never. But I want to experience you again.” He runs his fingers through my curls, and already, I can tell he’s growing hard under his shorts. “And if you’re the mother of our fawn, wouldn’t it be better if we had a relationship?”
I didn’t consider this. We aren’t the usual DreamTogether case, given I know Mangelli outside the clinic. And hell if I don’t want him inside me again, the way he was in the breeding room.
Slowly, I rise to my feet. He wraps his arms around my waist, drawing me in closer until I can feel his erection against my thigh. I rub my pelvis against his, and Mangelli’s breath stutters. Hands wander down to my ass, which he grabs to keep me in place while he grinds his hips.
“Fuck,” he mutters, biting his lip with his blunt teeth. “You smell so good. I just want to rip your clothes off, right now.”
I glance into the kitchen at the clock. It’ll be time for me to stream soon, and I don’t want to miss it. A girl’s gotta pay her bills and all.
Then I’m hit by an idea.
“Hey,” I whisper, rising to my tiptoes to get closer to Mangelli’s floppy ear. “I want to show you something.”
He tilts his head. “What is it?”
I grab his hand in mine and tug him out of the kitchen, and he eagerly follows as I lead him down the hall to my cam room. When I flip on the light, Mangelli comes to a halt in the doorway.
“Whoa,” he says, looking around at the stage lights set up all around the bed. “What… what is this?”
“My studio.” I step into the room and put one hand on top of my webcam where it’s positioned in front of the bed. “This is my job.”
He blinks. “And that job is?”
I head to the desk to flip open my computer and turn the screen to show him the camera feed. Then I get on the comforter, positioning myself in front of the webcam. I can tell the moment Mangelli figures it out because his brows rise nearly to his horns.
“You’re a cam girl?” he asks in a hoarse voice. “Really?”
I nod and lean back on the bed, propping myself up against the pillows while I spread my legs. His eyes grow even bigger.
