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Finally I hear his car pull up and the jingle of keys at the door. Closing it shut with a gentle click, I can practically feel him pause. There is no shuffling, not a sigh or even a sneeze. Silence descends on the house for a few moments.

I hold my breath, waiting for his next move. The clomping thwack of rubber soles against wooden floorboards thuds up to my room, footsteps as heavy as the frustration building in my stomach. As his steps grow fainter, I realize he’s headed toward the back of the house.

I roll into my pillow, exasperation and annoyance hitting me all at once as my veins start to heat.Fuck him.He could see my light was on, and he left me when he said we were going to spend the day together. Presumably, that means the night, too.

I pull the covers off me, ready to fly down there and tell him what I really think. As my feet hit the floor, I spin and see him leaning against the doorframe. I inhale sharply and take a step back into my bedside cabinet.

“Fuck, you scared me.”

“Hey, Killer.” His eyes slip down to my bare thighs.

“How’d you get up here so quietly?”

“I took my shoes off.” He shrugs.

“You’ve done it before?”

“Take my shoes off?” He smirks, tilting his head slightly as he takes in my silky pink pajamas.

“No . . . come up here.”

He looks away. “You’ve seen me sleep, I thought it was only fair I should see you sleeping too.”

“Is that yourthing?”

His smile turns from a small smirk to an all-out grin in half a second. “No Killer. I like my companions awake. Why? Is it yours?”

“You have a lot of companions, do you?” I can’t hide the jealousy that laces my words as I avoid his other question. The thought of waking up with his head between my legs has crossed my mind once or twice.

“Not many lately. I’ve been a little preoccupied, if you haven’t noticed.”

“So tonight . . .”

“That’s what you think?” All playfulness vanishes as hurt takes over.

“I don’t know what to think anymore.”

He sighs, entering my room for what I assume is the first time but who really knows? He takes a seat on the bed, tugs my hand, and draws me in between his legs. His thumb skates over my knuckles, and I can feel his breath on my chest. His eyes level with my collarbone, and I watch them dip down to the silky fabric covering my breasts.

“Fuck,”I hear him whisper before his chin lifts and his deep brown eyes meet mine.

“Are you jealous, Olivia?” he asks softly.

“I was worried.” I lift my chin, my jaw jutting out in a hard line. I’m practically pouting.Of course I’m fucking jealous.

“What are you worried about?” His thumb brushes over the thin strip of skin exposed between my sleep shorts and my top. His touch burns my skin, and I fight every instinct to step back. My breathing quickens, and my gaze fixes on his lips. God, I want him so bad. My body knows it, my mind knows it. My heart is teetering on the edge, desperately pleading with the rest of me to stand firm.

“A few things,” I mutter.

“Yeah?” He drops a kiss on the swell of my breast. “Letme alleviate some of your concerns.”

His tongue peeks out as he drops open-mouth kisses through the fabric of my top. My hardened peaks swell as he masterfully sucks, scraping just the right amount of teeth over them. A surge of heat travels fast to my lower belly, like being dragged out to sea by an unforeseen current; I’m swept away almost instantly. My mind quiets for the first time in hours, focusing solely on the feeling he draws out of me. If he dared slip his hands to the inside of my shorts, he’d find me wet and wanting for him.

Another throb hits me as he finally snakes his hand between my legs, pulling me closer to him as his hand spreads over my ass cheeks. I could ride the bulging veins on his forearm if I wanted to. And fuck, do I want to.

He releases my nipple, twisting me slightly so he can tend to the other one. The damp fabric from his spit rubs itself against my overly sensitive buds, causing a delicious roughness.

At last, he talks. “There’s no one else, Olivia. There hasn’t been for a long time. What’s your next concern?”