Page 134 of X's and O's

I leaned in again, kissing him more, not wanting to hear a third rejection. My heart wouldn’t handle it. “Please don’t stop me,” I whispered.

He kissed me back, his lips warm and soft and sweet. He tasted of mint and something sweeter. Ice cream, maybe.

His words rumbled across my lips. “You’re upset.”

“I don’t care. I want you.”

“You don’t. You want X. Or maybe even Levi. You don’t want me. It’s them you have feelings for.”

Maybe he was right. But the feelings I had for Levi and X had only hurt me.

And Whip hadn’t.

I kissed him harder. “Please,” I whispered, my breath mingling with his. “I’m sick of feeling like the one nobody chooses. I’m sick of feeling like shit.”

He groaned, skimming his hands down my sides. “You want me to make you feel good, Violet?”

I nodded.

“Then stand up.”

The horrible, bright light in my bathroom would leave nothing to the imagination. But it didn’t matter, because this was just a business transaction. One I would pay him for when he was done.

I unwrapped my arms from around my legs and stood.

The denim of his jeans had turned dark around the knees, water rising from the puddle on the tiles. His gaze ran over every inch of my body, and for once, I found I didn’t care.

I didn’t hide.

Why should I? He was being paid for this. It was a job. I didn’t need him to desire me.

I just needed him to do the job I was paying him for.

He dragged the towel up my legs, drying me off, wiping it over my pussy for a much too short a period of time before standing up to continue with my arms, my belly, and my breasts.

When I was dry, he dropped the towel at my feet,snaked his hand into the back of my hair, and pulled me closer so our lips were only an inch apart.

“You’re fucking beautiful, Violet Garrisen. And if those two idiots don’t see that, they’re the problem. Not you.” His lips brushed mine. “You hear me? It’s not fucking you.”

Something inside me wanted to break open. I wanted to burst into tears again at the complete and utter honesty in his voice.

But the mean one in the back of my head kept whispering that this was part of his act. Part of the service.

His whole job was building women up so they felt better about their bodies and their sexual skills.

None of this was real.

But maybe for a minute I could pretend it was. “Fuck me.”

His eyes flared with surprise.

Mine probably did too. I’d never taken control of any situation like this, let alone a sexual one.

But his surprise was quickly replaced with something else. Something that looked a whole lot like heat. He was a fantastic actor, because my body reacted to it instantly, even if my brain knew better.

His arms were around me in an instant, his mouth fusing to mine.

I squealed when he picked me up off the floor, my face hot once more because now he knew exactly how heavy I was.