She lets out a chuckle. “Yes, so I’ve been told many times over.”
It’s good to see her smile, and it feels good to really talk with her, something I never do with the women here. I step back into her space with a grin lining my lips. Damn, I don’t want to break this mood. I bite the inside of my cheek, thinking how I’m going to broach the next subject.
“What are you thinking about, Travis?” she asks as her grin slowly dissipates.
I let out a sigh and get down to business again. “Jared has been giving you doses of Blyss while you sleep. I’d like you to show me you can be a good girl and take your own medicine twice a day by mouth,” my tone is serious, “without fail.” I reach into my pocket and pull out a small pill bottle. Twisting open the top, I tilt the bottle, and a capsule rolls into the palm of my hand. “You are to take one in the morning and one in the evening. There is no negotiation on this.”
She raises her brow and asks, “What, no more shots?”
I watch her closely and reply, “No, Jared was able to get your altered dose in a time-released capsule.” She places her hand over her mouth and shakes her head. My eyes narrow and I speak matter-of-factly. “Would you rather see Jared twice a day, who’ll have your arm looking like a racetrack by the end of the week?” I bite the inside of my lip to keep from arrogantly grinning, because I know she hates him. “He’s quite a busy guy, but I suppose I can take you to his clinic twice a day and have him administer your shots.”
“No! No, I don’t want that.” She holds her hand out for the pill. “Give it here; I’ll take it. I won’t put up a fight.” I want to laugh out loud, but I hold it in. She’s so damn easy to figure out sometimes.
I go to the mini-refrigerator, pull out a bottle of water, and hand it to her, along with the time-released Blyss pill. I’m testing her, watching her every move to see what she will do with it.
I see her put the pill in her mouth before she unscrews the cap on the water bottle. She takes a large drink and gulps hard, making sure I know she just swallowed. Then she gives me an ‘are you satisfied?’ look, and I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from calling her out. Is she fucking kidding me? The little shit. She is nowhere near broken. I know for a fact she didn’t swallow that pill. She has that look on her face, trying to mask her guilt, playing it off as defiance. I bet she could never get away with anything growing up; she wears her emotions on her sleeve.
Taking a step back from her, I give her a knowing grin. I know the effect my body has on her, so I decide to make this game a little more interesting. I reach behind my head, grab the back of my shirt, and slowly pull it over my head. I give her a close-up view of my rippling abs and hear her gasp, smiling to myself under my shirt. Bingo. Pulling my shirt the rest of the way off, I roll it into a ball and throw it over her head, watching it land on the floor by the sofa.
“Holy mother of Moses,” she whispers, keeping her eyes locked on my six-pack. Her breath catches in her throat, her neck flushes red, and I watch as it spreads all the way to her ears. She slams her hands over her face, hiding her eyes from mine. “Oh, my God! Did I just say that out loud?” she exclaims, mortified.
I let out a chuckle. “I’ll take that as a compliment,” I say with a smirk and step into her space once again. I run my hands down the sides of her body. My God, she’s a sweet, petite little thing. Just touching her curves has my blood wanting to run south, and I hope I can control my dick this time and keep it down. I notice her breathing has sped up, and I know my close proximity is affecting her because she’s affecting me, too. I work my hands underneath hers, disengaging her from her hiding place, uncovering her face. Cupping my palms around either side of her cheeks, I stroke my thumbs over her bottom lip. The smile on my lips fades; as I tilt her head back, desire swirls in her sparkling blue eyes. This catches me off-guard, and my face turns serious as I wonder if I’ve met my match.
“I’m struck stupid by your beauty, Julianna.” Shit, but this girl is going to be the death of me. I can’t help myself; I lean in for a feather-light kiss, our lips lightly dusting each other’s. She doesn’t push me away, and I close my eyes at the thought of having more. I thread my fingers through the back of her hair and lightly tug. She lifts her hands and places them on the muscles of my chest, running her hands over me, and I’m taken aback as she confesses, “You strike me stupid, too, Travis.” Her touch sends an electrical zing shooting right through me. This is the first time I’ve let her touch me on my bare chest, and the feeling is out of this world.