Page 29 of Addicted

He didn’t say anything. Just stood there staring at me with those dark, unreadable eyes.

I kept going, my voice rising with every word.

“Ishmael ain’t gonna have nowhere to live if I can’t pay my bills at the condo. You got me locked up in here like I’m some kind of…some kind of fuckin’ pet or some shit, and my whole life is falling apart out there!”

Still nothing.

He just stared, and it made me even angrier.

“Are you gonna say something?!” I yelled, slamming the butter knife down on the counter. “Or are you just gonna stand there looking at me like I’m crazy?!”

Stone’s expression didn’t change. He didn’t move. Didn’t blink. He just kept staring at me with that infuriating calm.

Something inside me broke.

I grabbed the jar of mayonnaise I’d just closed and hurled it at him with all my strength. He dodged it, just barely, and it smashed into the wall behind him, exploding in a mess of glass and white goop that dripped down to the floor.

For a second, we just stared at each other. Then Stone spoke, his voice calm and even.

“You done?”

“No!” I screamed. “I ain’t fuckin’ done! I’m gonna kill you if you don’t let me go!”

His lips curved into a small, dark smile.

“Try it.”

I didn’t think. Didn’t hesitate. I grabbed the butterknife from the counter and charged at him, knowing damn well I wasn’t about to succeed at hurting him but unable to control myself.

I just needed to do something. Needed to fight back. Needed to feel like I had some kind of power in this situation.

Stone moved fast. Much faster than I expected. He grabbed my wrist mid-swing, his large hand wrapping around it like a vice. He squeezed, not hard enough to hurt but hard enough to make me drop the knife. It clattered to the floor.

I was breathing hard, my chest heaving, my whole body trembling with rage and frustration and something else I didn’t want to name.

Stone just stood there, calm as ever, looking at me like I was a complete idiot. Like I was a child throwing a tantrum.

Then he kissed me.

His mouth crashed against mine, hard and demanding, and I wanted to kick my own ass for the way I immediately kissed him back. For the way my lips parted for him. For the way my body melted into his even though my mind was screaming at me to push him away.

His hands slid down my body, rough and possessive, until he was gripping my ass in both hands. He lifted me and set me down on the kitchen island.

I should’ve fought him. Should’ve pushed him away. Should’ve told him to get the fuck off me.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him closer.

Stone broke the kiss and pulled back just enoughto look at me. Then his hands moved to the hem of my tank top, and he yanked it over my head, tossing it somewhere behind him. I was braless. His eyes dropped to my breasts and something dark and hungry flashed across his face.

He leaned down and took one of my nipples into his mouth, sucking hard, and I gasped, my back arching. He moved to the other breast, his tongue swirling around the sensitive peak before he bit down gently.

“Fuck,” I breathed, my hands moving to his head.

Stone kissed down my flat stomach, his lips and tongue leaving a trail of heat on my skin. When he reached the waistband of my shorts, he hooked his fingers into them and pulled them down my legs.

I wasn’t wearing any panties.