Pushing onto her elbows, she regarded him. “I can pay for a membership.”
“To play in a suite, you’d need to purchase an L3 membership. That entitles you to everything on all floors. It’s seventy-five grand a year.”
Her mouth dropped open, then she laughed. “How much are they, for real?”
He hitched a brow.
“Oh, wow.”
“I’m not saying you can’t afford a membership,” he said. “But why pay when I own the club? Let me do this for you.”
“That’s too much,” she said.
“Emerson, I like you…a lot. I like working with you. I love our intimacy and how you tell me what you want, what you need. If you want to play in a suite, I can make that happen.”
“Thank you. I just didn’t want you to feel like you had to—”
He kissed her. “You’re fine.”
On the way home, he wrapped his hand around her thigh and she threaded her fingers over his. This constant need to connect with her, to touch her, to be near her, struck him as odd. Despite being around people all the damn time, he considered himself a loner. He valued his independence and the feeling of being unfettered, but there was something compelling and necessary about being with Emerson. It didn’t feel like he was losing his freedom, it felt like he had found something he didn’t realize had been missing.
Her.
“I’ll set up your club account tomorrow before I head to Heather and Gordon’s. You wanna join me?”
“I’m spending the day with my mom and dad. It’s hard without Doug, but we’re finding our way.”
As he pulled into his garage, he said, “Stay with me, tonight.”
“As much as I want to, I’ve gotta get home. I’ve got a ton of things to do in the morning before I head to my parents’. Thank you for tonight. I had a great time.”
He walked her to her car, drew her into his arms, and kissed her goodnight. She tightened her hold around him, then broke away.
“Should I follow you home again?” he asked.
“I’ll text you when I get there.” She slipped into her car and drove away.
Maybe I should slow things down—way the hell down—before this relationship gets away from me and we both end up wrecked over it.
15
Sunday Funday
As much as Emerson wanted to stay with Stryker, she needed time alone. She’d never acted out a fantasy with anyone and she needed to process what had happened. She entered her house, turned off the security system, and waited until the garage door closed before locking up and reactivating the alarm. Pima was waiting.
Meow, meeeeeooooow.
“Hi, sweet boy.” She rubbed his soft coat before heading upstairs to shower. She didn’t feel depressed, per se, but she was struggling with how she felt.Maybe I should have talked to him about this.
After a quick shower, she crawled into bed and texted Stryker. “You awake?”
“You okay?” he texted back.
“I’m not sure how I feel about tonight.”
Her phone rang. “Hey,” she answered.
“I had a feeling this might happen,” Stryker said.
