unsmiling face.
Am I ready? You’ve changed me so I don’t feel like I occupy this body by myself anymore. Like you’re now a permanent part of me. So hell no. I’m not ready .
“Yes.”
Nodding, he pushed the heavy steel door open and stepped out, popping up the umbrella. Rain sluiced off the sides of the material, framing him in cascades of water. He extended a hand toward her…and she stepped back, farther into the building, shaking her head.
Frowning, Rion lowered his arm and reentered the lobby. “What’s wrong, Harper?”
Her heart thudded against her rib cage, and no amount of swallowing brought moisture to her mouth.
“Harper,” he pressed, setting the dripping umbrella on the floor and grasping her upper arms in a gentle, but implacable grip.
“I-I don’t want just one night,” she breathed. Even as the words exited her lips, part of her longed to drag them back kicking and screaming. But the other part sighed in relief. Because maybe…just maybe…
The concern disappeared from his face, and from one moment to the next, he became closed off to her. A wall slammed down over his features, shutting her out.
“What do you want?” he murmured. “One more? Two?”
Unease slithered through her, twisting in her belly. “I don’t know,” she lied.
One, two, three nights—she wanted them and more. So much more. Because she loved him. Initially, she’d wrapped up coming to him as lust. But letting him touch her in a roomful of strangers, trusting him to guide her into a ménage à trois …opening her heart to talk to him about Carlie… That had required more than arousal and need. Maybe she’d never stopped loving him. Maybe her feelings had prevented her from giving Terrance all of herself. Maybe…
She couldn’t say for certain, because the only thing she was absolutely, 100 percent sure about was this huge emotion pressing against her sternum scared the hell out of her.
Love meant exposing herself to the pain of loss and powerlessness and hopelessness. She’d sworn never to be that vulnerable again. But here she stood, her chest wide open and her heart bare and unprotected. Loving him with everything in her.
God, why didn’t he show some emotion? What was he thinking?
“I just… I don’t want this to end,” she added, silently begging him to hear what she couldn’t say. Again, fear bridled her tongue. Fear of rejection.
Fucking heaven, Harper. That’s what you are. Heaven .
He’d whispered those words while deep inside her after he’d confessed how she’d changed his life. But never had he mentioned wanting more with her.
Loving her.
Rion stared at her, his gray eyes black in the low lighting and as shuttered as his expression. “For how long?” His eyes narrowed, though his tone remained low, soft. “A week. A month. A year? In that time, am I your dirty little secret? Do you lie to your friends and family about where you spend your nights, about who and what I am? Because God knows I don’t fit into your proper, white-washed world. So if this ends— when this ends—do we just enforce the stipulation of walking away and not seeing each other again then?”
She shook her head, but the reply lodged in her throat. What was she missing here? Why did he sound angry? No. Not angry. Hurt. Somehow, she’d hurt him. When had she ever given him the impression that she was… ashamed of him?
“Rion, I—” She stretched out a hand toward him, needing to touch him, comfort him.
“I can’t do—” He bit off the rest of the sentence and turned away from her. A muscle ticked along the rock hard line of his jaw. After several moments, he looked at her again, and once more, his gaze seemed carefully blanked. “Listen, you’ve had an intense night, and I can understand why that would lead you to believe you feel more than you do. But we should stick to our bargain.”
Shock slapped at her, and she flinched. “Are you—” She huffed out a brief burst of laughter that
Am I ready? You’ve changed me so I don’t feel like I occupy this body by myself anymore. Like you’re now a permanent part of me. So hell no. I’m not ready .
“Yes.”
Nodding, he pushed the heavy steel door open and stepped out, popping up the umbrella. Rain sluiced off the sides of the material, framing him in cascades of water. He extended a hand toward her…and she stepped back, farther into the building, shaking her head.
Frowning, Rion lowered his arm and reentered the lobby. “What’s wrong, Harper?”
Her heart thudded against her rib cage, and no amount of swallowing brought moisture to her mouth.
“Harper,” he pressed, setting the dripping umbrella on the floor and grasping her upper arms in a gentle, but implacable grip.
“I-I don’t want just one night,” she breathed. Even as the words exited her lips, part of her longed to drag them back kicking and screaming. But the other part sighed in relief. Because maybe…just maybe…
The concern disappeared from his face, and from one moment to the next, he became closed off to her. A wall slammed down over his features, shutting her out.
“What do you want?” he murmured. “One more? Two?”
Unease slithered through her, twisting in her belly. “I don’t know,” she lied.
One, two, three nights—she wanted them and more. So much more. Because she loved him. Initially, she’d wrapped up coming to him as lust. But letting him touch her in a roomful of strangers, trusting him to guide her into a ménage à trois …opening her heart to talk to him about Carlie… That had required more than arousal and need. Maybe she’d never stopped loving him. Maybe her feelings had prevented her from giving Terrance all of herself. Maybe…
She couldn’t say for certain, because the only thing she was absolutely, 100 percent sure about was this huge emotion pressing against her sternum scared the hell out of her.
Love meant exposing herself to the pain of loss and powerlessness and hopelessness. She’d sworn never to be that vulnerable again. But here she stood, her chest wide open and her heart bare and unprotected. Loving him with everything in her.
God, why didn’t he show some emotion? What was he thinking?
“I just… I don’t want this to end,” she added, silently begging him to hear what she couldn’t say. Again, fear bridled her tongue. Fear of rejection.
Fucking heaven, Harper. That’s what you are. Heaven .
He’d whispered those words while deep inside her after he’d confessed how she’d changed his life. But never had he mentioned wanting more with her.
Loving her.
Rion stared at her, his gray eyes black in the low lighting and as shuttered as his expression. “For how long?” His eyes narrowed, though his tone remained low, soft. “A week. A month. A year? In that time, am I your dirty little secret? Do you lie to your friends and family about where you spend your nights, about who and what I am? Because God knows I don’t fit into your proper, white-washed world. So if this ends— when this ends—do we just enforce the stipulation of walking away and not seeing each other again then?”
She shook her head, but the reply lodged in her throat. What was she missing here? Why did he sound angry? No. Not angry. Hurt. Somehow, she’d hurt him. When had she ever given him the impression that she was… ashamed of him?
“Rion, I—” She stretched out a hand toward him, needing to touch him, comfort him.
“I can’t do—” He bit off the rest of the sentence and turned away from her. A muscle ticked along the rock hard line of his jaw. After several moments, he looked at her again, and once more, his gaze seemed carefully blanked. “Listen, you’ve had an intense night, and I can understand why that would lead you to believe you feel more than you do. But we should stick to our bargain.”
Shock slapped at her, and she flinched. “Are you—” She huffed out a brief burst of laughter that
Similar Books
