“You think you can handle it, huh?” He crossed his arms and stared her down. “Stand up, Charli. And don’t say another thing unless it’s yes, sir.”
Charli’s lips rolled inward as she watched the change come over Grant. There was almost a visible ripple over his skin, like he was shedding some costume he wore in public and showing her what really lay beneath.
She swallowed hard and rose to her feet. Knowing for sure that her mouth had gotten her into trouble this time. What the fuck was she doing?
But something about Grant’s challenging tone and sun-and-sweat-glazed body had caused a coup in the decision-making part of her brain. Her hormones were now solidly in charge.
Grant walked with slow, measured steps around the counter, then stopped in front of her, peering down with a dark, almost clinical expression. “Your safe word is Texas. You know what that means, Charli?”
She tried to respond but her tongue had forgotten how to work. She shook her head.
“No, sir is the proper response. Say it.”
She cleared her throat twice before managing a feeble “No, sir.”
He grabbed her unopened bottle of water, twisted the cap off, and handed it to her. “Drink.”
She did.
“In my world, stop and no are sometimes thrown around for effect. The only thing that makes everything stop is your safe word. Here that word is Texas. You say it and whatever is happening stops, no questions asked.”
Everything stops. Meaning, if she said that word, he’d have proven she really couldn’t handle him. Fat chance. Losing wasn’t her style.
“Do you understand?”
“Yes…sir.”
“Take off your clothes.”
“What? Like here?” She knew the words sounded stupid even as she said them, but she couldn’t help it.
He stalked forward, backing her into the counter. “Make me request something twice and I’ll be sure and show you the punishment part of this dynamic. A favorite of mine.”
The edge of the granite pushed into the small of her back. Her instinct was to rail against him. To tell him to fuck off. But her body wasn’t on board with that plan, and she had agreed to try. So try she would. “Sorry.”
She’d never stripped down for a guy in broad daylight like this. The blinds were open and anyone walking by would easily see inside. But bringing that up to Grant probably wasn’t going to go over so well. With awkward fingers, she fumbled with the buttons on her shirt and peeled it off, revealing her plain cotton bra underneath. One that had gone an odd shade of gray when she’d accidentally washed it with the color load. Fabulous. Nothing said sexy like old Hanes.
She let the shirt fall to the floor, and Grant took a small step back, giving her room to continue. His hawk-like gaze watched her every move, every flinch. She took a steadying breath, toed off her sandals, and went to the button of her khakis. She closed her eyes and tugged them down, knowing that the comfy panties beneath were older and in worse shape than her bra. She stepped out of the puddle of clothing and stared down at her toes. Now she remembered why she always had sex in the dark.
“All of it,” Grant said, his voice quiet but firm.
She glanced up at him, finding his expression maddeningly unreadable. “Grant, I feel—”
Awkward, embarrassed, freaking exposed.
“I didn’t ask how you feel. This is about what I want. Not you. And right now, I want to see all of you. Go back to your cabin or get naked.”
She gritted her teeth. So this was how it was going to be. Fine. Her brothers had learned a long time ago to never call her bluff. She never backed down from a dare. So if Grant thought he could scare her off of this by being an asshole, he had another thing coming.
“I’m waiting, freckles.”
Here goes nothing.
She reached behind her, unhooked her bra, revealing her barely B-cup breasts, and then tugged her panties down and off. The warm air in the cabin suddenly felt ten times cooler against her bared skin. She shifted her weight, all too aware of the telltale moisture between her thighs. Damn. She almost didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that simply seeing him walking in from the fields all glistening and dirty had gotten her body revving.
She stared at his boots, not wanting to see his reaction. Fearing she’d find disappointment there. Knowing that would make her call her safe word before anything else would.Author: Roni Loren
His feet stepped forward until he was a breath away from her. “Look at me.”