“Don’t say I’m your favorite when you tell everyone else that exact sentence.”
Her lips part, then clamp shut before she clears her throat. “You’re at the top of my favorite list, so don’t be jealous.”
“I’m not jealous. I’m territorial.”
Her eyes widen and then she smiles a little. “Wow. That was intense.”
I open the car door. “Let’s go to my place and I’ll show you what intense actually looks like.”
“Uh, I’m supposed to spend the night with the girls at the apartment.”
“No.”
“But, Creigh…”
“Either you come amicably or I throw you over my shoulder.”
“Territorial and a caveman. Don’t you think that’s a little over the top?”
“No.”
“It was a rhetorical question.” She releases a breath, then pauses when her phone beeps. Upon checking it, she scrunches her nose.
I step beside her to see what she received. It’s a selfie Harry took with me earlier today at the shelter as I was about to wash up.
Harry:I’m stealing him from you, Anni. Muahaha.
“I’m going to mess up his pretty hair next time I see him and he’s totally not getting any more skincare tips from me,” she mutters, then basically punches the screen of her phone.
Annika:He’s mine. Stay away from him.
“I thought being territorial was over the top,” I whisper near her ear and she jumps, then hides her phone.
“Uh, Harry is an antagonistic little shit and I just had to make a statement. He’s the admin of your fan club that keeps growing tremendously, and he kicked me out because of a ‘conflict of interest.’ It’s not that I’m jealous or anything. Okay, maybe a little.”
“Of a man?”
“He’s gay.”
“And I’m not.” I slide my fingers into her hair. “You’re the only one I want. Everyone else is just white noise.”
“Oh.” She blushes, then grins. “You’re really saying all the right things today. Be easy on my heart, okay?”
“Not unless you come home with me.”
She spreads her palms on my chest, touching, exploring, sinking her nails into a part a lot deeper than my skin. “And what do you have in mind for me?”
I grab her by the arse and slam her against my front, relishing the sound of her gasp. “I’m going to strip you until you’re only wearing this skirt and then I’ll shred it to play with your every hole. No, not play. Fuck. You’ll be taking my cock like a good little girl, won’t you?”
She nods frantically. “But are you going to hurt me?”
“Oh, I will.” I kiss the top of her head. “But I promise you’ll enjoy every second of it.”
22
ANNIKA
Ithink I’m in trouble.