18
No Pushover
Zoe
I expected it to be difficult, having Alex spend the night under my roof. It’s not often that I have guests, let alone sexy men I’m pissed at after an extremely memorable one-night stand. And given the reason that he’s here, it would only make sense for the whole thing to be unsettling.
Well, I was right — but “unsettling” is the understatement of the century. I’m so aware of him that I can’t sleep at all. When I got up to have some juice in hopes it would help my body crash, I could feel him watching me, the weight of his gaze like a physical touch.
Standing by the sofa bed, talking to him, was … I can’t even describe it. There was an electrical charge in the air between us, just waiting for a spark to send us both up in flames. It felt like he might grab me any second, drag me into bed with him, and do every filthy thing he could think of. And I wanted him to.
I still want him to. I’ve been horny before, but this is the first time I’ve ever had to ignore a ready, willing, and oh-so-able male instead of doing what comes naturally. Stifling a groan of frustration, I wonder if I can get myself off without making too much noise.
When I hear Alex get up and go to the bathroom, it seems like a sign from the gods. Quick as a flash, I get my vibrator from my nightstand and jam it inside my panties. No time for finesse — I go straight for my clit, maxing out the power setting in hopes I can finish before Alex hears me.
It feels amazing, but not nearly as good as the Wolf brothers felt last night. I let the fantasy fill my mind, imagine that Alex is here, kneeling above me, his hands guiding the vibrator over my flesh. Oh, yes, I tell him silently. Yes, right there — oh fuck yes.
It works. The more I think about him, the more turned on I get, until the climax rolls over me, curling my toes and making my hips buck. When I’m too sensitive for any more, I turn the vibrator off and listen.
Absolute silence. And then I hear the bathroom door open, and Alex’s quiet footsteps retracing his path to the sofa. Perfect timing; I got lucky.
Carefully, I slide the toy away, close the drawer, roll onto my side, and hug a pillow close. Relaxation finally takes over, and my eyes drift shut.
The next morning, I can tell exactly how well rested I’m not. I’d probably have more energy if a whole fleet of Mack trucks had run me over. Pulling a robe on, I drag myself to the kitchen.
Both Alex and Lucas are there. They’ve made themselves at home with my coffeemaker, which is fine since there’s plenty left for me. I get matching silver-blue glances but no words as I shuffle in between them, not caring about anything but getting that first hit of caffeine into my system.
Once I’m there, though — penned in by Wolf brothers on either side — they’re impossible to ignore, even in my fuzzy-brained state. Witty repartee is beyond me at the moment, so I go with the next best option and try to pretend I’m alone in my apartment. That the twin pillars of muscular heat flanking me are just my imagination.
I get down my biggest coffee mug, fill it to the brim, and take a sip, then another. Ahhh. A few more minutes, and I’ll resemble a functional human being.
Then Alex shatters the silence. “Lucas will take you to work. I need you to leave the keys to your apartment with me so I can take care of the security today.”
A protest rises in my throat, and I swallow it down again. It doesn’t matter how much I hate this; it’s going to happen, one way or another, so I might as well save us all the hassle. “All right.”
“I’ll see you tonight.” I look at him then, to see he’s studying me. I’m not sure why, or what he sees, and it makes me uneasy so I look away again.
“All right,” I say again, and wait for him to leave.
“Keys, Zoe.”
“Right.” I take another swallow of coffee, set the mug down, and retrieve my key ring from my purse. It takes a few moments to work off the two keys he needs, but finally he has them.
“Thanks. See you later.” He does a chin lift to his brother, who still hasn’t spoken a word, and then he’s gone.
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nbsp; Damn. I should have brought my coffee with me. Now I’ll have to go back to where Lucas is standing to get it.
That thought is enough to make me kick myself for being a coward. Straightening my spine, I march back over to Lucas. As I pick up my mug, I blurt out, “I’m sorry about last night.” No finesse, but at least I’ve said it.
“That’s all right.” His voice is soft. Too soft. It raises the fine hairs at the back of my neck, the way he says it.
“Is it?” I say, and risk a glance at him. As soon as our eyes meet, I’m frozen, unable to look away.
“Oh, yes.” He takes a step toward me, and before I can stop myself I take one away from him. “This job won’t last forever.”
The same thing Alex said, but I’d bet money the synchronicity wasn’t planned. Lucas takes another step forward, and I take another one back. It’s not that I’m afraid of him; it just seems really, really important that we not touch right now. Like last night, when I was talking to Alex, there’s way too much energy crackling in the air between us.
It’s dangerous. He’s dangerous. I’m simultaneously aware, right down to my marrow, that he would never deliberately do anything to harm me, and that he is the biggest threat to my general well-being in the entire universe.
“Lucas …” I have no words. His name is some sort of plea for him to read my mind and stop this — whatever this madness is between us — before it goes too far.
He’s backed me up against the wall now; I’ve got nowhere to go. He closes in, until we’re almost touching. “When this is over,” he says in that same too-soft, too-controlled, lethally quiet voice, “you and I are going to come to an understanding.”
The purely sensual threat electrifies me. My breathing goes shallow; my skin tingles with awareness; my nipples go hard. Oh god.