He didn’t respond.
My eyes fell on the tea-stained documents on his table. “She told me what she did. She said it was an accident, and I’m sure she apologized. So, why did you have to be mean to her?”
Slowly, he rose to his feet and walked around the table. “You avoided me for what? Four days? Then all of a sudden you barge into my study, playing defense attorney?”
My heart skipped as he inched closer, the intoxicating scent of his cologne filling the air around me.
“Don’t change the subject,” I said, my voice lower than before. “Why were you so mean to her?”
“Is that really why you came here…?” he asked, those cold eyes boring into mine. “…to ask why a monster acts the way he does?”
I swallowed hard, uncomfortable by this proximity and the familiar feeling stirring up within me. “Yes,” I answered.
“Lies.” His lips curled into a faint grin. “You care about the girl, sure, but that’s not really why you’re here.”
I didn’t realize it, but I was already backing away from him, slowly. “Oh, yeah? If you know me so well, maybe you can tell me why I’m here.” My back hit the bookshelf behind me.
He stopped, his gaze unwavering. “You’re here because a part of you wants to rekindle the fire from the other night.”
His words were blunt, harshly accurate. It was almost as though he could see right through me. Like I was an open book he read so easily.
Fuck.
“Tell me I’m wrong,” he dared, his husky voice low and even.
My heart was racing, hammering against my ribs. Yet I managed to hold his gaze as though I were still in control. “You’re wrong.” I swallowed hard.
His eyes dropped to my lips. “Then why are you shaking?” he whispered, his breath fresh and warm.
“Because I don’t like people in my space,” I lied.
“Then tell me to back off.”
Go ahead. Tell him now. Push him away before things spiral out of control.
My lips parted as a cold shiver sprinted down my spine. What if I told him to back off and he actually did? As much as it pained me to admit it, he was right. Deep down, I came here hoping to feel that spark again.
He was so close to me now, and in his eyes was the same desire from the other night. He wanted me too. The feeling was mutual.
This was torture, and I was losing my mind.
“Back off,” I said, my voice weak and barely audible.
He leaned in. “Say it like you mean it.”
My breath hitched when his hand began crawling up my skirt. His fingers teased my inner thighs, his eyes still locked on my face as if savoring the change in my expression.
“Karik…” I murmured, trembling beneath his electric touch.
Telling him to stop was a risk I wasn’t willing to take.
His hands climbed higher and higher, drawing air from my lungs. “Stop fighting it. I know you want me.”
You’re right. I want you so badly.
“Oh…” I exclaimed softly, flinching at his fingers on my underpants. “This is wrong. You should stop,” I whimpered, trembling.
My panties were soaked already, and I was embarrassed that he’d find out.
