I know I’m lying to myself.
“Claire, I’m coming in.”
“No.” I flush the toilet to try and deter him. “I’m not ready.”
“You’ve had long enough.”
Shit!
Okay, I can do this. Go back to him, explain I’m ready to talk. We can get dressed, and then I can plan an escape. I don’t need my car keys if I have proper clothes and my phone. I can Uber anywhere that way.
The doorknob rattling is my warning that his patience is up. Quickly, I shove my toothbrush in my mouth and scrub harshly. He comes straight to me, pulling the hand towel off the wall, taking the toothbrush from my grip, and throwing it in the sink. Gently, he wipes my lips, smirking at the lack of toothpaste. He’s still naked, and I can’t stop my eyes from roaming his hard body, appreciating every defined muscle that ripples from head to toe.
I’ve always loved Mathis’s body and the comfort he has with nudity. Many times at work he’d catch me ogling him and shoot me ‘the look’, knowing what I was thinking. I never hid this from him, telling him every chance I could.
Now, I need to focus. “You should get dressed.”
“At some point, I will.”
“I thought you wanted to talk.”
“We’re going to talk.”
“I can’t concentrate when you’re like this.”
“That’s the point. You don’t need to concentrate. You need to listen.” He hauls me back to the bed, resuming the position we were in less than ten minutes ago.
I’m under him again, helpless. A part of me feels trapped and scared, but a larger part of me feels a warmth I’ve never experienced. My brain fires off warnings that I need to find my strength before he gets the upper hand.
“At some point, you’ll have to let me up to go to work tonight.”
“You and I are off until Thursday,” he informs me, his lips grazing mine.
“There’s no way!” I dispute, pressing his shoulders until he’s braced on his elbows.
“I happen to know an excellent PNR nurse willing to take your shifts, and I am due some time off.”
Dammit to hell! Bizzy strikes again.
“There’s no way Shaw will let Biz work nights.”
“He will. Mom’s coming to help with Brinley.”
“You didn’t,” I breathe out, knowing his mother is involved. I love Maria Bennett as if she was my own mom. She’s incredible, and if she’s stepped in, that means she knows what’s happening. I hoped to keep our split amicable and peaceful. Maria would support both of us as we moved on.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures. You should know I’ve spoken to your parents, too. We’re staying here for the immediate future until my plans are in place.”
“You called my parents?” A new level of alert rattles me, and I begin to fight to get away from him.
“Stop!” he orders, gripping my wrists and yanking them over my head, so I have the full weight of his body.
My breath comes in pants as I struggle, and he looks beyond my face to our joined hands. A feathery sensation tickles one wrist, and I hear a click, then he’s gone. I jerk and feel a sting, looking up and finding my wrist secured in a fuzzy pink handcuff attached to the headboard.
“Let me go!” I seethe. “I’m going to kick your ass.”
“Fight me, babe. It’s going to be much more fun. Considering I’m about a hundred pounds heavier, I’ll take my chances.”
“Are you antagonizing me?”