by Kate Stacy
“The things you fucking do to me.” He breathes deeply, steadying his words. “But not now, Princess. Not like this.”
Pulling back slightly, he searches my gaze for something I won’t allow him to find. Sighing, he presses a soft kiss to my forehead. Releasing me, he moves to the door and turns the knob.
“Lock up behind me.”
And with that, he’s gone.
I stand motionless, staring at the space where he stood, wondering what the hell is going on between the two of us. Alone, my mask slips and a single tear falls, leaving a wet trail down my cheek.
Luna appears from one of her many hiding places and winds herself around my ankles, her quiet meow breaking me out of my fog. Lifting her from the floor, I cuddle her soft fur, taking in her familiar comfort as I walk through the apartment to my bedroom.
“Maybe it was better when he hated me.”
EIGHTEEN
Adam
Cannon’s on a call when I walk into the shop well after lunch, so foregoing my usual greeting, I round the front desk and open the calendar program on the computer to check the schedule for the evening. I’m in my head, not paying much attention to his conversation until something in his tone piques my curiosity.
“You sure you won’t change your mind?”
I look to my right to find him watching me with an unreadable expression. Cocking my head, I lift a brow.
He holds up a finger.
“No worries, sweetheart. I’ll take care of it,” he says, ending the call. He runs his hand down his face and exhales roughly.
“What was that about? Everything okay?” I ask.
“That...was your girl canceling her next appointment.”
“Ah. When does she want to reschedule?” I click through my appointments, trying to see where I can work her in.
“You’re not hearing me, man. She doesn’t want another appointment.”
My body stiffens, frustration spiking.
“What the fuck do you mean she doesn’t want another appointment?”
Cannon shoots me a scathing glare. “Don’t shoot the messenger. She called, wanting to cancel her appointment with you. Practically begged me to schedule her with someone else, anyone else. When I told her I couldn’t do it, she got upset. Not like mad upset. Sounded like she wanted to cry. You know I can’t stand when girls cry, man. I didn’t know what to do, so I told her I’d take her off your schedule but tried to get her to reconsider.”
“Fuck!” I shout, drawing the attention of the other guys in the shop. “Fuck.” I hang my head, trying to calm myself. “What reason did she give?”
You already know why, asshole.
“She didn’t. She wouldn’t tell me. Refused to explain when I asked. What did you do to her?”
If he weren’t a brother to me, I’d throw a punch for that question.
“Nothing! I didn’t do a goddamn thing!”
Leaving the lobby, I storm down the hall to my office. Clients will be coming in soon and I can’t have them walking in to a pissed off owner. Dropping into my chair, I put my elbows on the desk and rest my head in my hands.
I was afraid something like this would happen after I walked away from Presley the other night, but I know I did the right thing.
Mostly.
The right thing would have been to keep my fucking hands to myself. The right thing would have been to ignore the possessive impulse, to force down the jealousy I felt when I saw that guy touch her.
Presley isn’t mine.
I have no claim to her.
Hell, it wasn’t long ago that I wanted nothing to do with her. I could barely tolerate being in the same space as her. Granted, it was due to my own misconceptions and assumptions when I knew next to nothing about her, but I felt how I felt.
Now, I can’t stop fucking thinking about her.
I can’t stop wanting her.
Can a man go mad from want?
It’s only gotten worse since our kiss.
I shouldn’t have touched her when she was drunk, even if it was just a kiss. A kiss that she initiated. I shouldn’t have touched her at all, but once her soft lips brushed against mine—I lost all sense of reason. In that moment, nothing could have stopped me.
It wasn’t just a kiss.
It was an awakening.
Something inside me sparked to life the second I tasted the sweetness of her lips.
I lost myself to her taste, her touch, her movements, her sounds. Christ, that sweet little whimper was enough to bring a grown man to his knees.
I would know, it almost brought me to mine.
It also brought me back to my senses, back to reality.
The reality where Presley had way too much to drink. In that split second, I realized it didn’t matter if she initiated the kiss, it would be up to me to put a stop to it.
Ending the most incredible kiss of my life was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
But it was the right thing to do.
If only she felt the same.
I knew right away she was upset. I saw the flash of pain in her pretty green eyes before she shoved it down. I’ve never seen someone hide their emotions so quickly. I could have dealt with that if it were all it was, but she shut down completely. She wasn’t hearing me when I tried to explain. Wasn’t listening as I tried to find the words.
So I left.
It was all I could do to avoid making things worse.
Judging by her canceled appointment for ink I know she wants more than anything, it didn’t work.
She’s upset and I’m pissed off.
Not at her.
None of this is her fault.
It’s all on me. I’m the one who couldn’t control my newfound caveman tendencies. I’m the one who put us in that position to begin with. First, when I hauled her out of the bar. Then, when I followed her inside.
I don’t know what the fuck I was doing, what I was thinking.
I just couldn’t bring myself to walk away from her.
Until I did.
“Cannon!” I holler. “What time is my first client coming in?”
Hauling my ass from my chair, I leave the office and head toward the front. I’m a man on a mission.
Cannon meets me halfway, grinning. “You got a couple hours.”
“Perfect. Be back in a bit,” I say, slapping him on the back as I pass him.
I arrive at the only bookstore in town, Stacks, just in time to intercept Presley as she’s walking out the door. If it had taken me any longer to find the place, I would have missed her.
“Presley, wait up!” I call out, jogging to catch up with her.
She stops, but not without an audible sigh and a very obvious eye roll. “What do you want, Adam?”
“To apologize. Explain a few things that might have been misunderstood.”
“There’s nothing to explain,” she says as she starts to walk away.
“Princess, please.” I reach out, grabbing hold of her wrist. “Give me five minutes.”
From the corner of her eye, she looks at me with a million questions in her eyes.
She only asks one. “Why do you call me that?”
Chuckling, I rub my thumb across my lower lip. “Truth?”
A nod.
“When I first met you...I thought you were spoiled.” Surprisingly, she laughs. “It was a little barb. Something I used to call you in my head whenever you were around, and it seemed like you were too good to talk to me.”
“I barely talk to anyone.”
“Yeah, I know that now, which is why it’s become more of an endearment.” I lift a shoulder. “I can admit when I’m wrong. Hell, it’s the whole reason I’m here right now.”
“Fine. Walk with me.” She nods toward the parking lot, where I see the white Kia Soul she drives.
Loosening my grip on her wrist, I slide my hand down into hers and link our fingers together.
“I owe you an apology, and an explanation for what went down the other night.”
She waits, apparently understanding that I need a moment to collect my thoughts.
“I was an asshole, with the way I carried you out of your brother’s bar. I shouldn’t have done that—I had no right—and I definitely shouldn’t have kissed you.”
She opens her mouth to respond and I shake my head.
“Not because I didn’t want to, but because you were intoxicated.”
“But I’m the one that kissed you…”
“Yeah, and I should have stopped it sooner, but damn...wanting you overruled every other thought in my mind. I lost myself in you and I didn’t want to be found. Any other time, it would have been fucking incredible, but I felt like I was taking advantage of you. I know I hurt you, but it was never my intention. I pulled away because I didn’t want to do anything you might regret when you were sober.”
She ducks her head, letting her hair cover most of her face. “I figured that out pretty quickly.”
I reach over and brush it back, needing to be able to see her eyes.
“Then why’d you cancel your appointment with me? I know how much getting this ink means to you, Presley.”
“I felt so stupid for kissing you,” she admits. “I thought maybe staying away from you might make it easier for us both. After what you told me after my last session...I just...God. I don’t even know. It made sense at the time.”
We reach her car, but we’re not done talking, so I move myself to stand in front of her instead of at her side.
“I know what I said, and I meant every word. I don’t know when everything changed, but I want you. Fuck. I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want you.” Her gorgeous lips tip to a smile. “But I can’t promise you a relationship, Presley.”
“I didn’t ask you for one, Adam.”
Everything stops.
My breath. My heartbeat. My thoughts.
Only for a second.
Then everything flares back to life, a spark of something like hope takes root.
Is she really saying what I think she’s saying?
As if she read my mind, she continues, “I’ve never had a boyfriend, or any other type of committed relationship. You’re the first guy to see me as the type of a girl a man keeps. You made all the assumptions about me, and the ones you’ve told me so far...well...they’re wrong.”
That little spark of hope? It ignites.
“So you’re saying…?”
Presley sucks in a breath, and I hold mine.
“I’m saying...you want me. I want you. We don’t need to put a label on it.”
“You...I...Fuck.”
She’s got me so goddam twisted and tongue-tied I can’t even speak.
Who the hell needs words?
There are other ways to show her the effect her words have on me.
Cradling her face in my hands, I lower my face toward hers as I take slow, measured steps forward. I don’t stop until my body is pressed against hers. I’ve got her exactly where I want her, caught between me and her car. Trapped with nowhere to go.
I search her eyes for uncertainty, for any signs that she doesn’t want this as much as I do.
Finding none, I close the distance, capturing her bottom lip between my teeth, giving it a firm tug. Presley gasps and I cover her mouth with mine to swallow the sound, slipping my tongue between her lips. Our tongues duel, dancing between gentle and firm. It’s maddening, my desire to tease her and own her simultaneously.
Her hands move to my sides, sliding underneath my tee. Her nails bite into my flesh as she pulls me closer. It’s the greatest tease, having her body pressed against mine. Presley’s soft curves against my hard muscles is one of the best things I’ve ever felt.
Too soon, her hands push at my abdomen and she breaks the seal between our lips.
“Adam.” It comes out on a breathless whisper. “We can’t do this here.”
I hear her, but my body isn’t quite on board with what she has to say.
My mouth moves across her jaw, leaving a trail of wet kisses in its wake. She lets out the sexiest little whimper as I nibble and suck on her neck, that tender spot just beneath her ear.
“Follow me home, Adam. Please.”
“Fuck, Princess. You sure?” I ask, pulling back.
She nods, a smile playing across her lips.
I reach around her and open her car door, smacking her ass when she moves to get in. “Get in, baby, before I fuck you right here where the entire town can watch.”
Once she’s in safely, I turn and take long strides to my SUV. Walking is more than a little uncomfortable with my cock pressing against my zipper, but it’ll be worth it as soon as I can get Presley behind closed doors.
Almost to the Tahoe, I slip my phone from my pocket and fire off a text to Cannon.
Me: Cancel the rest of my appointments. Something came up.
I grin when his response comes through. I need to give this motherfucker a raise.
Cannon: I know exactly what came up.
Cannon: Already took care of it. Knew your ass wasn’t coming back in tonight.
Me: Thanks man. I owe you one.
Unlocking my doors, I slip my phone back into my pocket and slide in behind the wheel. I watch as Presley pulls out of the parking lot and quickly follow. I’m eager to get to her apartment and pick up where we left off.
I can’t pinpoint the moment I went from hating her to wanting her.
But I do want her.
No amount of time, space, or denial is going to change that.
I’m done fighting it.
I’m giving in and taking what I want.
NINETEEN
Presley
The entire drive home, my body trembles.
My hands shake, anticipation swirling in my belly.
Lust is to blame for the invitation for Adam to follow me home. The words slipped through my lips without thought, but I wouldn’t dream of taking them back.
I want this. I want him.
Normally, I wouldn’t be brave enough to voice those thoughts out loud.
The minutes to my apartment pass quickly, for which I’m thankful.
Time breeds opportunity. For my anxiety to spike. For the annoying voice in my head to speak up, causing doubts and uncertainty. For me to talk myself out of what’s about to happen because deep down, I’m afraid. Not of being intimate with Adam, but of what will happen after.
Pulling into my assigned parking space, my thoughts are blessedly silent, anxiety nowhere to be found. I barely have a chance to turn off the ignition before Adam is at my door, pulling me from the car. Surprised laughter bursts out of me as Adam yanks me to him with rough hands and hauls me into his arms. My legs instinctively wrap around his waist and he groans,
“I can walk,” I insist.
Adam grunts, holding me a little tighter.
He palms my ass in both hands, fingertips digging into the soft flesh as he tugs me closer. With no space between us, he leans in, nipping at my jaw. The scrape of his teeth sends a chill through me and I whimper, burying my face in his neck to muffle the sound. His mouth travels down my neck, over to my shoulder, kissing and biting the skin left bare by my off-the-shoulder top.
With his hands and mouth on me, I lose sense of our surroundings and somehow, we make it into my apartment. When the door slams shut behind us, he spins us around, pinning me between him and the hard steel. Adam rotates his hips, grinding his hard body against mine. The delicious pressure of his cock to my center forces my back to arch, my head to tip back against the door.
His tongue traces a path up the column of my throat, and I close my eyes, letting out a tiny rumble of pleasure. A deep growl reverberates through his chest and my core clenches.
“Fuck, Princess.”
He crushes his lips to mine, stealing my breath, making my heart skip a beat.
His lips trail down my neck to my collar bone, where he sucks the skin between his teeth. The overwhelming sensation of Adam marking my skin sends a rush of wetness to my already drenched panties.
One of his hands moves over my hip, across my belly, squeezing into the tight space between our bodies. Shifting slightly, he pushes his hand beneath the stretchy fabric of my leggings, groaning into my neck when his fingertips reach my center.
Warm and dripping wet.
Adam plays with my clit, rubbing and circling until my body writhes, matching his motions. Pulling his head back, he watches my face intently as he slides his fingers lower, pushing two inside me without pause.
I cry out, head slamming back against the door. My hips rotate, body riding his hand as he fucks me with his calloused fingers. As his thumb begins to circle my clit, he crooks his fingers, raking across the special spot that no man has been able to find.
My core clenches, muscles tightening as my legs begin to shake.
“Fuck. Adam, please,” I mewl.
“Mmm. Never thought I’d hear you beg, Princess, but I fuckin’ like it. Do it again.”
The deep rasp of his voice, thick with lust, makes me whimper.
“Please, Adam,” I beg. “Please...make me come.”
His serious expression morphs to a salacious grin.
He slips a third finger into me, increasing the pace, letting the pressure build until I’m ready to burst.
My breath catches.
And he stops.
“Not yet, Princess,” he teases, sliding his fingers from my tight heat.
Gripping my ass in both palms again, he pulls me away from the door and makes his way through my small apartment, straight to my bedroom. He tosses me onto my bed, forcing a small yelp out of me that quickly turns to laughter. All traces of amusement vanish when he captures me in his dark gaze.
