Page 18

His hand slips when I shift, his fingers accidentally tracing the curve of my breasts.

The simple touch ignites another fire inside me.

I’m torn between wanting him and the fear of giving in.

If I give in, what happens when he leaves me?

Most everyone has. The only constants in my life are Granny, Pawpaw, Tab, Athena, and the wind through the wildflower fields back home.

“I’m scared,” I confess.

“The woman who undressed to tease me is scared?”

I swallow, throat suddenly dry.

“The woman who brought up another man’s cock to rile me up is?—”

“Terrified,” I finish for him. Before, he easily could have been a million miles away from me, but this is different. The way he holds me is captivating. His arms, his eyes, and something else entirely intangible that threads like creeping vines between us. A claiming.

He’s a prison I’d gladly lock myself within.

The longer I stare into Micah’s gaze, the threat of his undertow intensifies. Right now, my body wants to wash away in it forever, but my brain fires warning signals.

“Do you like lace?”

“This?” he asks, fingering the edge of my bra cup.

I nod, my stomach pulling tight. Feeling bold, I say, “Are you going to waste the fact that I put lace on for you?”

Instead of answering my question, he says, “You should buy more. I like it.”

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Not my favorite, but you’d look irresistible in red.”

“It wouldn’t signal trying too hard?”

“You don’t have to try at all.”

“Mmm, maybe not with someone else,” I tease. “But you’re Micah Freeman.”

A rumble sounds from his chest. “You’re playing with fire, Miss Gorman.”

He leans back, feathering his fingertips up and down my chest. The feel is intoxicating, stoking higher flames within the confines of my body.

“I know what you’re doing,” he whispers in my ear. “You want to make this next step my decision, but when it comes to us, nothing is my decision. It’s yours. Own it if you want it.”

Internally, I scream yes , but my brain is still hung up on what happens in the aftermath.

He’s said he wants more, but if I’m only a conquest to Micah, he’ll be the quickest out.

He has no ties to me. He has everything he could ever want in this world.

I’m a fleeting desire in his long list of wants. Like this hot tub. Or his car.

He’d call these reasons to exit now “lies,” but I call them reality.

None of these thoughts extinguish the need filling me though. I moan, the sound a tight whine in my chest.

If only I thought sex with Micah could just be sex, not the all-encompassing experience he’s proven to be.

“No one will love you like I love you,” he promises. “No one will fuck you like I fuck you. No one will treat you like I treat you.”

Tension skirts over my skin, followed closely by a longing I’ve never felt before. His vows are fuel to my already wild flames.

He laces his fingers through mine. “I want the Raeann Gorman who takes ownership of her decisions and understands exactly what she’s getting into.”

“I’m—.”

“I know.”

He lifts his hand to my chin and makes me look at him. “Tonight’s not the night. Is it?”

Disappointment rings through me, and I blurt out, “Touch me.”

“So you can tell yourself that you got caught up in the moment?”

“Micah.”

“I’m right here. Take me.”

Fuck it. I fit my mouth to his, searching, giving. He kisses me with as much ferocity, the bulge of his cock pressing into my thigh. I open my legs to give him access, but he never takes it. He just worships my mouth.

“Micah, please.”

“Take it.”

I groan in frustration. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

He wraps his fist in the hair at the base of my scalp, pulling at the strands to make me look at him.

“You’ve seen my crazy. You’ve heard the lengths I’m willing to go.

But I need you to understand that the choice is yours.

” His gaze turns pleading. “I’m so far gone for you, Raeann, that I don’t want to leave room for doubt.

I don’t want you to wake up in the morning and tell yourself stories that I seduced you, or that everything was overwhelming and you acted on impulse. The hot tub, the fire, me.”

He lets go of my hair and cups my cheeks. Without warning, he fits his mouth to mine, but it isn’t a heated, searing kiss. His lips hover, barely touching, and when they do finally meet mine, it’s soft and slow, leaving more of a brand on me than any other kiss ever could.

“I won’t tire of you or abandon you.”

The war within me rears up. He can’t say that for sure. Sometimes it just happens, even if you don’t want it to. In the blink of an eye, the person you need most is gone.

“Maybe you could talk me through it like you did before?”

A frown pulls at his lips. He kisses my forehead and sets me on the concrete lip before climbing out of the hot tub, his clothes drenched. “Not this time.”

He drops his jeans, his boxer briefs soaked and clinging to his ass.

His shirt comes off next, and I hold a breath in my chest, following the muscular lines of his body.

The rippling in his back. He peels his boxers off next, and then walks into the house, the sliding door coming to a close behind him.

He left.

Incredulity rings though me. I follow after, water dripping down my front, splashing off the concrete at my feet as I quickly trace his steps. I tighten my arms around my chest at the chill in the air. He literally left. “I was about to…” I call out, my voice trailing.

Athena follows, but as soon as I shut the door behind me, she trots off to someplace else in the house.

A shower turns on, and I head that way, round the kitchen and down a short hallway where a light glows at the end.

I stop in an enormous bedroom with gorgeous views of the pool and what would be the lake beyond if it wasn’t too dark out to see.

Steam billows out of an open door in the corner of the room, so I tiptoe that way, my body still thrumming.

After peeking my head in, I see Micah in the biggest shower I’ve ever seen in my life. He runs his hands down his taut body, whisking the water away, his cock only just hidden by a half wall. He washes his hair, the soap sluicing down the dips and planes of his chest.

Disappointment rings through me. I thought he’d be touching himself, stroking his cock with my name on his lips, but he acts so unaffected.

Anger spurs my feet, and I march away, stopping at a barely open drawer on my way out after spotting a stack of white Ts.

I drop my bra and panties where I stand and pull one on before going in search of Athena.

I find her in a matching primary on the opposite side of the house, sleeping in a huge dog bed.

She’s on her back, feet bent in the air.

…And he’s picked out Athena’s favorite bed. Unsurprising at this point.

I groan, marching up to the huge, king-size people bed and getting in. Tab will never believe that I spent the night at Micah’s house and didn’t even have sex. She’ll be so disappointed not to hear the details.

Hell, I’m disappointed.

Anger pulses through me. Frustration and rejection come next until I lie with my hands against my forehead. He was ready. Willing.

It was me. I’m the one to blame for why I’m lying here instead of riding his cock right now.

I kick the covers off and pull up my shirt, slowly moving my hand to the apex of my thighs, like I’m not quite sure if I want to do this or not.

When my fingers find where all the heat is, though, I steamroll ahead. Circling my clit, I let my knees fall to the bed. With how worked up I was, this should take no time at all.

A cry threatens at my lips, but I force my mouth together, keeping it in so I don’t call Athena’s attention. I swirl and swirl. The pleasure peaks…

And stays there.

No matter how much I touch myself or will my body to give in, it doesn’t.

I don’t.

I can’t even blame myself. Why settle for my imagination when the person I want is in the other room?

Micah

The night vision camera feeds an image of a frustrated Raeann back to me.

My balls hurt. I’m so hard I could probably fuck a cement block right now, but I want her .

I told myself putting in this camera was for security purposes—Raeann’s safety is my top priority—but even then, I think I knew I’d end up using it to watch her like this.

“Soon,” I promise her.

She isn’t ready yet. She doesn’t want to believe, to give in.

Raeann groans, finally giving up. Flipping to her side, she pulls up the covers and hunkers down, unsatiated.

A small smile creeps over my lips. At least her body isn’t on her side.

I need her to realize she wants me as much as I want her. Her questions tonight said as much. The taunting. Asking me about that dick-having employee of hers and then smiling to herself when she liked my answers.

She’ll realize I’m end game soon enough, and then I’ll give her all the dick she could ever want.