Page 24

Below that, though, a darker, more pleasureful satisfaction fits into place.Sold to Raeann Gorman.Initially, I can’t tell if it’s because of the implication that I own Micah Freeman, or because of the power rush that followed after I pushed through my anxiety to accomplish Micah’s task.
Peggy hands the microphone to another person who starts auctioning off the other items. After catching my gaze, she points to the side of the stage, and I lift to my feet, ask Tab if she’ll watch over Athena, and then walk on shaky high heels with Micah’s credit card to the other side of the room.
Peering over at the stage, I scan the area to see where he is, or if he’s following her, but he’s nowhere to be seen. Panic claws at my chest. I hope he’s not mad about the amount. Suddenly, I picture him popping up when I offer Peggy the card and telling her it was all a joke. The embarrassment that would come over me. It would be absolute degradation personified.
Peggy does her own squealing when I meet her at the side of the room ensconced in shadows. She hugs me, her arms tight. “Oh my goodness, Raeann! I had no idea the store has been doing so well. I know the donations have been growing and growing, butone hundred thousand dollars! Success couldn’t have happened to a better person. I am so happy for you!”
“Oh, I…” I can’t find the words to say, so I just smile. “Thank you, Peggy. You know how much Tab and I love what you guys do.”
“Well, the good thing is, it’s a tax write-off!”
She produces a small electronic receptacle from her purse and starts pressing buttons. The screen lights up, and then she holds it out to me.
“Tap your card right there.”
I do, then watch the little circle complete with the wordSuccessfollowing shortly after.
“Thank you for your donation, Raeann. I’m sure your date with Micah will be super special!” She cranes her neck to search the room. “Where is he? I wanted to thank him.”
She takes off, leaving me in the corner by myself. On the brightly lit side of the room, people are still calling out bid amounts, though at a much more reasonable price point. Still out of my range.
I take a deep breath. I’ve never seen so many zeros on a credit card swipe. The worry that it wouldn’t go through was Mount Everest–level high.
Arms surround me from behind, but as soon as my brain registers the danger, the smell of Micah hits—woodsy with a hint of rain. “Micah…”
“Mmm,” he murmurs. His right arm bands around my stomach while his left trails up my arm, leaving goose bumps in its wake. “I want you to feel something.”
My chest rises and falls erratically. I press my hand to my chest, feeling it jump beneath my palm. His breath hits my neck, and I close my eyes as heat envelops me.
Immediately, he shifts his hips into my ass, and the telltale outline of his cock rubs against the soft fabric of my dress. A gasp rips from my throat, and I find myself melting back into him, as if drawn by supernatural forces.
He walks me backward. In the far corner of the room, I can barely see the outline of Tab as she watches the auctions, stealing the last bit of my dessert.
Eventually, Micah stops, his left hand squeezing my hip, kneading it. “When you made the last bid, I was so proud of you. How did it feel?” he rasps.
“Good,” I answer, breathless, his touch a siren’s cry to the heat coiling in my stomach. I barely recognize the sound of my own voice.
“How good?”
At that moment, he angles his hips into me, sending his cock into the deep tissue of my ass again. Liquid warmth pools in my core that has me clenching my teeth.
He rubs against me, and my mouth falls open. “Powerful,” I manage to say, my voice inching higher, tighter.
He licks the shell of my ear, and goose bumps sprout over my skin. “That’s incredibly hot.”
“So many…animals…” I swallow, closing my eyes to steady myself so I don’t get carried away. “So many animals helped.”
His dark chuckle implants naughty thoughts into my head. Thoughts I shouldn’t be having in a room filled with people, let alone thoughts spurred by a man I’ve only met three times.
“Oh, is that all?” he asks.
I try to hand his credit card back to him, but he closes my fingers around it, then guides them down the front of my dress and over my cleavage, where his fingers skim along the cut of the material.
“Keep it.”
“That’s…crazy.”
“You didn’t notice the name on it, did you?”