His piercing blue eyes stare into me, as if I’m the only girl right now in his world. “Come back to my place with me tonight.” His tone is seductive. “I still haven’t given you the grand tour.”
His voice turns me inside out. My mind shakes with just the possibilities of what going back to his place with him would mean. “I don’t trust you.”
“You keep saying that. Yet, I find it so unnerving that you seem to trust everyone else. Freely. And with little hesitation.” He looks over to the table where Claire, Ethan, and Zander are chatting. “Hell, you don’t even question your own male friend’s intentions. You don’t see that you are a very desirable woman. You go out on dates with douch—”
“It’s business. Work,” my teeth grind out my words.
“Yeah, about that, you need to quit.”
“The hell I do! Who do you think you are?” My finger pokes at his chest. His amusement reflects in his blue depths. Damn him! “And Zander is a friend. One who wants me to be respected, which is the opposite of how you are treating me at this very moment.”
“When’s the last time you fucked someone, Angie? And I warn you, if your response remotely resembles the time frame of a mere week, I will carry you out of this hall whether you like it or not and show you just how ruthless I can be.”
My mouth gapes open like a fish. “The hell you will. You want to carry me out of here whether I like it or not?” I ask, nearly swallowing my tongue. I vaguely remember him suggesting a similar act outside of The Shack.
“Oh, you will definitely like it,” he whispers in a raspy voice. “Beg for it, actually. Something tells me that you are a naughty girl underneath all of the good girl facade you wear around like armor.”
“How dare you!”
“You need to be dominated. Plain. And. Simple. You crave it. You want me to boss you around—to have the opportunity to not have to think for once in your life. You try to package yourself as a feminist… Why can’t you be both? Let me control things in the bedroom but still love yourself as a strong woman?”
Excuse me? “You are unhinged!”
“Keep your voice down,” he warns. “Your body is already causing a scene. You want your mouth to cause one as well? Let me take a guess at your story, since you are reluctant to share. Men in your past and present have broken your trust. You now have a warped view on your self-worth. Maybe some underlying daddy issues? Sweetheart, give me a chance to—”
“Sweetheart? Really? You call me that after talking about wanting to fuck me? And dominate me? If you are looking for a quick lay, I’m not your girl. I’m not a slut! I have a brain!”
“When was the last time you had sex? Answer the question, dammit.” His eyes turn to a storm of dark blue.
My heart races as the rage inside the pit of my stomach bubbles into a whirling flame.
“Never!”
17
I see the emotion change on Graham’s face to confusion, and instantly, the tears sting my eyes at the embarrassment of the reveal. I was never expecting to air out my dirty laundry tonight when I stepped foot inside the venue, but that is exactly what he is forcing me to do.
“Happy?” I ask angrily, as heat slithers up my neck.
“Depends.” His simple shrug piques my curiosity. His hands tighten possessively on my back, as he leads the dance.
“On what?”
“You are exquisitely beautiful. Surely, you have some type of sexual history. What experience do you have?”
At this point I have nothing to lose. The wall is down. “Not much,” I say with a shrug. “No one has gotten past a few dates. My most recent breakup was the longest guy I dated, and most of the summer he was out of the country. While I was a senior in high school, I met a guy, became friends, and started dating. He was in college already and that made things a bit challenging—but yet easier to hold on to my virginity.” The death of James ended the relationship for good. I wasn’t in the right state of mind to continue what had barely started moving beyond just being friends.
I share a summary of the non-intercourse past sexcapades—awkward hands, painful fingers, and jerky motions. In conclusion, only one participant got off.
’Twas not me.
His narrowing eyes watch me closely. Analyzing. Judging.
“Well, you got the answers you wanted. Can you leave me alone now? Surely this revelation should deter you.”
“You think finding out you’re a virgin makes me want to stop pursuing you?”
“I’m no longer easy prey to you. Right?”