A Little Harmless Submission(40)

With that, Evan hung up. He knew his friends were right, but at the moment, he couldn’t deal with what was going on inside of him. It was bad enough that a little kiss from Maria had his heart tripping over itself. Less than a week and he was falling for a woman who was going to leave when the job was over.

He walked to the bathroom and listened at the door. He heard no splashing, so he opened the door to check on her. She was sunk down into the water chin deep, her eyes were closed and her breathing even. Dark circles marred the delicate skin beneath her eyes. She hadn’t really had a break since she arrived. He was amazed she hadn’t dropped the moment they walked in the door tonight. The time change was bad enough, but burning the candles at both ends could end up messing with you.

She was a contained woman who thought she never showed her emotions to the world at large. Most people probably missed them. In the short time that he had known her, he’d realized that the layers she had draped over her were a shield. Just four days and Rome knew he was easily becoming obsessed with her. He noticed every move, every flicker in her eyes, betraying what she was thinking.

Now, though, she lay sleeping, totally silent, the only movement the rise and fall of her chest. He knew he was in deep. Less than a week with her and he was having problems concentrating at work. His ill behavior wasn’t something that he would normally do. He didn’t let his personal life interfere with the job. It was one thing he’d learned from his father who’d spent twenty years in the Seattle PD, and it was solidified in his years as a Marine. As soon as Maria popped up on the island, all that training dissolved.

Getting involved with her was probably a mistake. Not like before, not like with Renee. No, this time he knew that Maria wasn’t dirty. If anything, she was squeaky clean. Probably her father’s doing. Still, this desperate need he felt for her was starting to bother him. He wanted to make her happy, see her smile, and get another simple kiss.

Jesus, he had almost come undone by that little brush of the lips she gave him earlier. It had been the first spontaneous touch from her. It wasn’t that she didn’t shy away from affection. She seemed to soak it up in a lot of ways. He had noticed the way she snuggled closer to him in bed. And when he did touch her, she seemed surprised by it. That made him want to shower her with it. Of course if he came on too strong, she would definitely shy away. He had a feeling she kept herself separate.

“Are you going to keep staring at me?” she asked, her tone filled with light amusement.

“Maybe I just want to watch you.”

Her lips curved, and he felt his heart do a little dance. “Okay, then.”

He would have thought she would be kind of shy about her body, but she wasn’t. Probably that practical nature her father instilled in her.

When she said nothing else, he found himself searching for something to get her to talk. “I thought you were sleeping.”

Opening her eyes, her smile turned into a grin. “I was sort of drifting. You were right, this was a good idea.”

He cocked his head. “Did you actually just admit I had a good idea?”

“I never said you didn’t have good ideas. You said I had bad ideas.”

“Your idea of using yourself as bait is the only thing I disagreed with,” he said as he approached the tub and sat on the ledge.

“You would do it. Did do it when you worked vice in Seattle.”

He nodded as he trailed his fingers in the water. “This is a little different. I had a lot of backup. We have none.”

“This is just allowing us to talk to people. Just the little bit I’ve done in the last few days has helped. Admit it.”

Because she was right, he nodded. “But going to the club does what?”

“Not sure right now. I did hear about Ashton. He likes to pick up women you’ve had.”

“He isn’t very successful.”

“Yeah, a few of the women said to avoid him. He’s not the kind of Dom a new sub would go after. They say he messes with a sub’s head. One of the women he was involved with tried to commit suicide.”

He raised his eyebrows at that comment. “I can’t believe that Micah allowed him to stay a member with that on his record.”

“It’s all rumor and innuendo. She wasn’t a member of the club, and she had issues before then.”

She moved, causing the water to slosh against the tub. It brought his attention back to her breasts. Because of the cool air, her nipples were hard. He couldn’t resist. He reached out and brushed the back of his fingers against the tips. She shivered.

“The water’s getting a little cold, why don’t you come out of there?”