Page 14

As much as I didn’t want to acknowledge it, I was starting to settle in…finding a groove regardless of how I felt about the situation.

Fortunately, I had a new friend to keep me company and to make the transition easier to handle.

It turned out that Bear really had been a stray and not just a runaway. After Val put the word out, we heard nothing, and as he said, that meant the dog was mine.

I was surprised that he went along with it, given how unimpressed he seemed about it.

I took to Bear immediately, while Val avoided him, acting like the poor thing was infectious. But he was missing out.

Even if my art room was quiet, having Bear’s presence made the silence feel less stifling, and I was grateful for his company.

With the afternoon light filtering in through the windows, I was busy with my oil paints while Bear slept on one of the armchairs set up not far from me. He snored occasionally, making me chuckle to myself.

But the sound of footsteps broke my concentration, and upon looking up, I found Val entering the room.

My heart faltered for a moment—the briefest hint of disappointment, knowing my peace was likely about to be ruined.

But at the same time, the sight of Val wearing his dark slacks and that navy button-up made my stomach flutter.

As much as I wanted to pretend otherwise, he was still gorgeous…things would be so much easier if he wasn’t.

Val’s eyes lingered on me for a moment before quietly entering the room. “I thought I’d find you in here…”

“Like usual.”

He hummed, moving towards the chair. He sighed and gestured for the dog to move. “Down, Bear.”

With an annoyed-sounding huff, Bear got up almost reluctantly and hopped down before heading to the door and slipping out with the quiet padding of his paws against the hardwood floor.

Then, Val lowered himself into the chair and tapped his fingers against the armrest before glancing at me.

Despite his presence, I took a discreet breath and tried to focus on my work, not the way his eyes kept trailing over to me.

“Business has been going well,” Val said after a few moments of silence while he looked out one of the windows.

Eyes flickering over to him, a mixture of curiosity and suspicion moved through me. “Is it, now?”

He nodded before meeting my gaze. “It is. I’ve been making good progress with your dad at the strip club. It’s all coming together.”

Nodding in response, I found my thoughts drifting, wondering why he was telling me about it in the first place. He never shared that kind of thing with me before.

As much as I didn’t want to just stand there silently behind the easel, I didn’t know how to respond, or what he was trying to get at.

“You know,” Val began after a moment, letting the faintest smirk spread across his face. “I was thinking I could bring you along sometime…let you see what we’ve done.”

My brows went up involuntarily at that, somewhat caught off guard by the mention of it. I didn’t think he’d want me anywhere near the place.

Before I could say anything, he chuckled. “Although…I’m not so sure it would be your kind of scene…”

At that, I rolled my eyes and set my brush down to cross my arms. He wasn’t necessarily wrong, but I didn’t want him to think he had me figured out, either.

“I’m not a prude. I could handle it.”

It was his turn to cock a brow at me, leaning forward in his seat. “You sure it wouldn’t be too much for you?”

Feeling a bit more defensive than necessary, I scoffed. “I’m sure.”

Amused by the exchange, Val chuckled and stood from his seat. “We’ll see about that, then.”

Without even needing to try, the air between us felt charged, like we were treading dangerous territory.

Pressing into it further, I murmured, “You think I’m that dull?”

“Dull? Hardly…”

Then, Val started drifting closer, keeping his eyes on me with a keen sort of interest. “I think you’re anything but…”

A brush of panic ran through me the moment he leaned in with a gentle fan of his enticing breath against my cheek, feeling a confusing storm of attraction and refusal as I instinctively pulled back.

There was a flash of irritation in his eyes at that, almost like he was tired of the constant back and forth. Before I could do anything, he placed a hand on my waist to steady me, and then his lips brushed against mine.

Like a normal husband would kiss his wife before leaving, it was surprisingly tender. Soft.

I froze immediately, surprised by the brief yet gentle touch. Something about it shook me down to my core.

A brief silence lingered between us as he looked down at me once our lips parted, but he didn’t pull back all the way.

No…it was like we had both been locked into place, unable to fully refuse the moment.

As much as I knew I should tear away from him and force distance between us, I couldn’t. In a lapse of judgment, I didn’t want to.

But he wasn’t done. Neither was I.

Val’s mouth returned to mine as he pulled me closer by my waist, deepening the kiss with deliberate force.

It lingered, letting me feel a rush of sensations from the contact alone.

Despite myself, I relaxed into it, soaking in how addictive it was…how perfectly desperate it felt.

Regardless of my best interests, I kissed him back, savoring the very thing I had been restricting myself from.

The heat behind the contact stirred that dormant want within me, and as much as I wanted to be strong, I already knew it was a losing game.

Like something had been triggered in him at last, Val groaned quietly into the kiss and placed both hands on my hips while he chased after my lips, demanding so much at once.

I shivered, well aware that I couldn’t stop…not after feeling the true depth of his need.

Not after realizing my own.

Not holding back anymore, we were a flurry of limbs and hands pulling at clothes while our mouths melded to the point of nearly aching. He pulled the sweater over my head and tossed it aside carelessly while I worked his buttons undone and pushed the material away from his skin.

We spent far too long holding back—me especially—and it seemed that pressure mounted to its breaking point. I couldn’t resist any longer. Not when I needed him just as badly.

Val’s hands explored my body while he took blind steps back, pulling me along with him until he found the chair again. Dropping into it, he wasted no time tugging me onto his lap and snaking an arm around my waist to keep me in place.

I moaned softly as he kissed along my jaw and down my neck, insisting that I press as close to him as physically possible. Those open-mouthed kisses made me shiver and seemed to trigger every nerve ending in my body at once.

“No more running away from me…from this…” Val muttered against my pulse point before gently nipping at the skin. One hand pressed flat against my spine while the other reached up and tugged my bra down to expose my chest to him. He hummed at the sight and continued to kiss lower. “No more denying what we both want…”

My skin and blood felt like they were on fire as his mouth claimed my left nipple, just barely pulling it between his teeth in a sinful tease. Another moan escaped me at that, causing him to groan into my chest.

Val pulled away and met my gaze, allowing me to see the raw lust in his eyes. “Do you understand?”

Swallowing hard at how intense it all seemed, I nodded.

No part of me wanted to hold back anymore. Even if I should’ve maintained my refusal, I just couldn’t. I needed him, and I wasn’t prepared to slip away again.

A look of satisfaction settled in his features then, and a slight smirk pulled on his lips despite the raw need in his eyes that turned them a darker shade. He reached for my bottom and lightly tugged on it.

“Get these off…now.”

A small part of me still wanted to be defiant, but with the promise of absolute bliss ahead of me, I couldn’t refuse.

Instead, I stood and pulled them down while Val’s eyes roved over me with a glimmer of satisfaction in them. That hunger mounted ever higher, and before I could even pull my underwear down next, he was reaching for me.

But I knocked his hands out of the way, garnering a flicker of confusion from him.

Before he could say anything, I hooked my thumbs under the material and slowly eased them down, revealing inch by inch of my skin to him.

At that, Val relaxed again, slumping back in the chair while he watched me with heavily lidded eyes. The tightening of his slacks told me everything I needed to know.

“Jesus Christ…” he uttered, not even trying to hide his eagerness. “Don’t tease me.”

Despite myself, I enjoyed the way he seemed at my mercy, and I lifted a brow at him while I kicked the fabric away before drawing closer and running my hands up his thighs. “No? No teasing?”

A mix of irritation and arousal moved through his eyes, and Val shook his head, but didn’t do anything to make me stop. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll tread carefully…”

My lips pulled back at that while I reached for his button and eased it undone before pulling the zipper down. “Is that a threat?”

“Yes, it is,” he mumbled, chest rising and falling a bit deeper while straining beneath my touch. That dangerous edge to his gaze was a warning. “I’m already at my limit…”

Not entirely believing him, I dragged my hand along the front of him, able to feel the rigid lines of him through his pants. I palmed him, watching every subtle change in his expression.

Val twitched beneath my touch, pulling in a breath while his eyes closed for half a beat. At first, it looked like a surrender.

But before I could do anything else, he gripped me firmly, tugging me back onto his lap again. He groaned at the contact and pulled me impossibly close, eyes locked on mine. His hand was against me in an instant while his fingers deftly rubbed at me. With the opposite palm against the small of my back, he had me completely pinned against his body.

A breathy sound escaped me immediately as his touch sent a jolt of pleasure through me, and my hips jolted involuntarily.

His eyes nearly flared with his arousal, and his grip on me gave away how his patience was running out.

“I warned you…”

Losing myself in the sensations, well aware of how wet he was making me, I blinked, and his lips were suddenly on mine, devouring me whole while his fingers urged me closer to the edge.

I moaned into the kiss and couldn’t even consider pulling away—not when we were both rigid with pure need.

It was all a blur while he freed himself from the confines of his briefs, pulling me closer to meld our bodies together with delicious friction.

We both groaned at that, unable to deny the heat or how badly we wanted it.

Gripping his shoulder and the back of the chair, I rolled my hips against him, hot all over to the point of feeling completely delirious. The shaky moan left my lips, and at once, I knew I was a goner.

Adjusting myself until I could feel him pressed against me, I felt as his hands stilled on my hips, and he looked up at me. His lips parted with a soft breath at the feeling, and despite holding me, he didn’t move me. No…he was waiting for me.

Unable to resist, I slowly sank onto him, feeling the overwhelming presence of him all at once.

We gasped in unison, and his fingers tightened against my skin through every sinful second of me taking what I wanted. My eyes closed at the flood of pleasure until there wasn’t any left to take.

Val’s head dropped back again, and he groaned. “Damn it, Tia…”

That breathless whisper of my name almost did me in, and I moved my hips at once.

He grunted at the shift of my body above his, letting me rock against him until he couldn’t take it anymore.

Like something had snapped in him, Val brought his hips up to meet mine, slowly sinking into me while the sensations consumed us both little by little until there was nothing left but burning desire—an insatiable lust we couldn’t resist.

The pleasure hit me again and again the moment he took over, making me grip him tighter to brace myself. The moans left my lips before I could stop them, but by then, I didn’t even want to.

Every thrust from him felt just as impactful as the last, only adding to the mounting pressure within me. Wave after wave of intense heat and bliss made me cry out for him while his breathy grunts mingled with my sounds.

As more of that animalistic haze filled my head, making me surrender completely to the bliss he was giving me, I couldn’t do anything but hold on and give in to it completely.

“You’re too much,” Val whispered against my skin, leaning forward to latch his lips and teeth against my neck, forcing himself even deeper. “Too damn much…”

My jaw went slack at the dizzying angle while my fingers gripped his back, seeing stars behind my eyes.

He continued his relentless pace, making us both tense while we chased after the highs just up ahead. By then, I could only feel him and that brutal pleasure that made my thighs clench, moans escaping my control entirely.

Then, it all snapped at once, and I gasped while I tipped over the edge, constricting him inside me. I panted through my release, caught in that daze of complete satisfaction.

Val’s arms wrapped around me with near desperation as he bucked his hips a few more times before stilling against me and groaning into my neck.

A soft sound escaped my lips at the warmth of his release, but otherwise, I was far too worn out to do anything about it.

Instead, I slumped against him, relying on his strong hold, our panted breaths mingled.

In the wake of our mutual bliss, my mind struggled to wrap around the reality of what just happened.

Whether it was wrong or not, I couldn’t care less at the moment.

Not when he made me feel a way I never had before.