Page 28 of Embrace the Darkness

I forced a smile. “No,” I replied, making my way to the coffee pot on the counter behind her.

“Maura! Good morning, sweetie. I put some leftovers in the fridge. When you get hungry, let me know and I’ll reheat them,” Jeana informed me with a bright smile, then returned to the dishes.

I could feel Angela’s eyes digging holes into my back as I fixed my coffee. I was stirring in vanilla creamer when I heard the door from the dining room swing open.

“Jameson! That’s my job, silly. You didn’t have to bring that in here,” Maid Barbie said.

I pursed my lips at how overly friendly she was toward him. With a schooled expression, I turned and propped a hip against the counter. I watched Jamie stridethrough the room. He placed his plate and silverware next to the sink.

Jeana beamed at him with her motherly smile. “Thanks, sweetie!”

With his coffee mug still in his hand, I had a hunch where Jamie was headed next and I was blocking his way. His brows rose in question before his head tilted slightly. Refusing to move, I teased him with a mischievous smirk. “Want some coffee, big guy?” The corner of his mouth twitched. Placing my mug on the counter, I stepped closer, shrinking the space between us. “How bad do you want it?” I used a sultry voice as I cocked an eyebrow.

Thinking he was being clever, he sat his mug on the counter and picked up mine. The tiniest sip made him grimace.

“You put too much creamer in it,” he complained, scrunching his nose.

“Not everyone likes their coffee black,” I informed, grabbing his mug to fill it. I wiggled my fingers, gesturing for him to give me mine in exchange for his. He eagerly traded.

“What are you doing today?” I asked.

His gaze shifted to Angela, who was pretending to ignore us. I didn’t like that. Thinking back, he probablydidn’t want to discuss work stuff in front of her. Unfortunately, at the time all I saw was red.

I invaded his space, plastering my body to the front of his as I hooked my arms around his neck. He was surprised for only a breath before he recovered.

“Do you get to be mine again today? Maybe this time Louie can watch while we wrestle around in my bed.” I knew what I was implying was wrong, especially with Jamie, who thought of me like a sister.

His eyes narrowed. Thankfully, Angela took the hint or had other things to attend to and left with Jeana trailing behind. I dropped my hands from around his neck to rest them on his chest. As if sensing I was getting ready to pull away, he put a hand on my hip.

“Did you enjoy that?” he asked, plopping his mug down with a loud clank, uncaring that his coffee sloshed over the rim.

Is he mad?I couldn’t tell.

His voice was cold, but the way he was staring at me told me different. Stepping forward, he steered me by my hips until he had me pinned against the counter. His pelvis leaned into mine as his strong arms coiled around me, trapping my own between us. His hand traveled slowly along my spine until his fingers buried in my tangled hair. He tugged gently and my breath hitched as I wasforced to look up at him. “Did you enjoy teasing me to get to her?”

Biting my tongue, I removed all emotion from my face.

“Maybe I should make you deliver. Louie does like to watch,” he whispered in my ear.

Heat slowly crawled up my neck and I desperately fought to keep my heart rate steady.Holy shit!

In that moment, the veil that protected our friendship blew away, tumbling in the wind, and I was suddenly in unknown territory. My impassive mask was crumbling fast. I needed to turn this around because unlike my body, my mind knew he wasn’t serious. “I’ve never been one to back down.” I leveled my eyes with his. “And I’m pretty determined to keep her away.”

“You’d let me fuck you?” His tone was harsh. However, the way the wordsfuckandyourolled off his tongue made my temperature rise. Could I? Would I?

“I…” His grip tightened around my hair, turning all my rational thoughts to mush. A gasp escaped me. My control slipped. The heat creeping up my neck flushed my cheeks.

Something shifted in his eyes as he took in my reaction. Surprise, maybe? It only lasted for a second beforethey darkened. His gaze moved to my lips, lingering. I wet them with the tip of my tongue, and he inhaled sharply.

“Stop teasing me,” I ordered in a confused mixture of angry and breathlessly wanton.

He bent forward, brushing his nose against mine. My fingers fisted around his shirt of their own volition, holding him in place. “I don’t think you want me to stop,” he whispered. He was so close, his breath tickled my lips.

Unable to take the intensity, I leaned forward, embracing the sting of his unforgiving grip pulling at my hair. I felt his body go so still the moment my lips lightly touched his that I wasn’t sure if he was even breathing.

I didn’t understand his reaction, but with the lack of reciprocation, I pulled my head back. His arms tightened, making it difficult to breathe.

“Maura, I—” he started, only to be cut off when the dining room door swung open. He quickly released me, stepping back, eyes dropping to the floor. To hide my flushed appearance, I gave my back to whoever walked into the room and tried to busy myself by topping off my coffee.