“That’s the thing about this place,” I say as we soak. “Yes, there’s tourist stuff because Instagram made the whole area explode. But it’s also based on what’s already here. The culture. The landscape. This place is amazing.”
“No, it’s great. I do really like it.” He side-eyes me. “I don’t know if it’s the best place on Earth.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Well, in order to win in order to convince me, I’m going to have to show you my favorite city.”
I groan. “No, no. I was claiming this is the best. You wanted evidence.”
“Yeah,” he says. “And now I have to show you why Kyoto is the correct answer.”
“We don’t have time,” I blurt. “You only have two weeks, Grae. And now you’re down to twelve days because of travel. We simply do not have time to fly out to Kyoto.”
“You’re the one with the power to adjust the timeline,” he says.
“Yeah, no. We’re going to claim I’m the best and I win.”
“I don’t know,” he smirks. “I think you’re afraid you’re going to lose if you go to another city.”
“Shut up,” I retort, and I splash him. He splashes back.
“Ok, you can stick to this timeline that you arbitrarily picked, or you can win our little contest. But you can’t have both.”
“Now you’re assuming that I’d agree this place isn’t as good as Kyoto. And that’s bullshit." He glides closer to me, hooks his fingers on the side of my bikini bottoms and yanks me against his chest.
“You’re in charge here, Alana. It’s your game, your rules, and your time.” I hold his gaze, it’s earnest and kind.
“And if you had your choice, what would you want?” I ask.
“No games.” His lips press against my neck as we float in the water. “No rules.” His fingers slide into my bikini bottoms and stroke my clit. I blame the hot water for my flushed, wet skin. His other hand snakes around my body and slithers through my hairline, pulling me into a deep kiss and whispering, “And infinite time.”
“Let's go back to the hotel,” I murmur. “But you're still in your free trial experience. I haven’t decided if I’m signing up for the full service.”
CHAPTER 14
Alana
Day 2
The change in Grae is almost instant. When we arrived at the hotel, he still carried that eager-to-please energy. But now the man standing in front of me is fully dressed, eyes burning with a lustful rage that has devoured every trace of puppy-dog softness. A cinnamon roll turned alpha with a single threat.
There’re a million reasons for me to run. They keep creeping into my thoughts, but it’s been so long since I felt anything like this.
When men look at me, they see ways that I can make them more powerful. Or something to restrain and crush because they’re afraid. But Grae, he wants me to feel desired.
“Tonight you’re mine.”
Three words, and I melt. All my logical senses have been shot and buried. You’re mine. He’s the only one who has ever said that to me, and I want it to be true.
“Tonight.” One and done. Let him please you and get it out of your system. This is just a Reykjavik event, no spilling over to my real life. Then tomorrow I can keep him out of the line of fire.
I can do this. Easy.
“Take off your clothes.” He motions to the chair by the bed. Then clears his throat and slips back into command. “Brace your hands on the arms of the chair and wait for me.”
When other men try to dom me, it doesn’t work. I fight it, push back, because Alana can never show weakness. But for tonight, I can be Kinsley and let my brain check out for a little while. I shed every layer of my clothes and let the cool air of the hotel room bite at my skin.
He places my hands where he wants them, bracing my weight on my arms. Then spreads my legs around the base of the chair and steps away, leaving my ass hanging in the air.
