Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 85838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 343(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 343(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
Maddox waves a hand dismissively. “You had that tie with you. Both of them.”
That reminds me…
“Funny thing. I took that tie to the ballpark,” I say, laughing again in remembered surprise.
He knits his brow. “The bow tie?”
“No. The burgundy one. I stuffed it in my pocket after I did that video for Priyam, then forgot about it. And later, I found it in my jeans when I was in the locker room.” I reach into the pocket of my jeans and I pull it out, dangling it in front of him.
He doesn’t say anything at first, but then he takes the fabric, grazes his fingers down the silk. A charge rushes through me as I imagine his fingers running down my shirt when I tell him to undress me.
Mine traveling fast over those shirt buttons when I decide to tear his clothes off.
Then, ours linked together when I fuck him. I can’t escape the images of us tangled together in bed.
Except tonight is not for sex. It’s for a friendly celebration. I have to stay the course. For me and him.
But when Maddox lets go of the material, his gaze glimmers with the spark of desire. “Have you always liked this color?” he asks, a little husky. It’s the first time tonight he’s even let a hint of lust show.
That little preview tugs on my own lust. Causes it to sit up.
I tilt my head, studying his face. We agreed nothing could happen, so what’s the point holding back the answer to his question?
I drop the tie to my lap. “No. But I got this tie the other day because it reminded me of you,” I say, matter of fact.
His eyes squeeze shut for several seconds. He’s at war with himself. I can see it in the set of his jaw. The tightness of his muscles. I should be the stronger one. I need to look out for him. But when he opens those whiskey eyes, they’re vulnerable and full of fire at the same damn time. “I had a feeling that’s why you got it. I could tell when I saw the video.”
“How?” I ask, my brow knitting. I didn’t let on in the how-to that I’m hot for him. I was careful not to reveal my hand. “That was just a fun video. How did you know?”
“The way you touched the tie. It was the same way you touched the sapphire tie on me the day in Venice,” he says, and holy shit. I was barely aware I was fondling the neckwear affectionately, but now that he mentions it, I was picturing him wearing it. I don’t even know what to say. I’m just floored he read me so easily. “And,” he continues, “you once told me purple was your favorite color. Team color and all. But then, today you said it's burgundy. And you ran your fingers over the tie like your lover was wearing it. Ergo…I could tell the tie reminded you of me.”
My throat is dry. My head is hazy.
How on earth is ergo sexy? But it is on his tongue. Everything he says is seductive as he reads my emotions like that. “The tie reminded me of the night we met,” I admit, slipping already, slipping so far into feelings for him. So damn far I throw in the towel. “I guess I was missing you.”
His breath hitches. “Zane,” he warns, but it’s half-plaintive.
I ball my hands into fists. “I said I’d stop. I will stop. I care about you so damn much. I don’t want to put you in a bad position.”
His lips twitch. “No, you want to put me in every position.”
Oh, hell. He went there, into the dirty zone. I inch closer. “I do. I really fucking do, Mad. But I promised I wouldn’t tempt you. I’ve been eaten up with guilt. I don’t want to compromise you.”
“I know you don’t,” he says in a barren whisper, so much trust in his voice.
That’s what’s flaring between us tonight. A new level of trust.
I trusted him to look out for my interests. He trusted me to keep this secret about us. We could trust each other after dark. He’d trust me to tie him up, drive him crazy, fuck him to the ends of the earth.
I want that badly, but I feel so much more for him than lust. Deeper emotions are taking root in me. And I have to protect him. “I’ll stop,” I add, in a strangled breath. “Stopping feels impossible, but I’ll do it.”
Maddox is quiet once more, and I can see the battle play out on his face for several taut seconds, till he says, “I’ve never wanted you to stop.”
My heart kicks hard in my chest. “Yeah?”
There’s a moment when he seems to stand on the edge of a cliff. Looking down. Calculating the fall. Then he dives into the welcoming waters. “I told you I was good at reading people. Ask me what I could read in you the night we met.”