“It just does.”
He cupped her butt and lifted her up onto the counter next to her office, which had pens and paper scattered across it. Since she didn’t use this surface for baking, she didn’t stop him. “Because…?”
“When you’re done with a woman, you walk away. You leave, and you don’t come back. I don’t want to lose you. I can’t lose you,” she said, opting for complete honesty. She’d stretched the truth once. She wouldn’t do it again. “You mean too much to me. I wouldn’t survive the loss. There would be a big, gaping hole in my world that would never be filled.”
He buried his face in her neck, stepping between her legs. His hard erection brushed up against her, making it a lot harder to listen to those screaming warning thoughts. “What about if I promise—fucking promise—you won’t lose me? I can. I do. I will never, ever, leave you, Lauren. I swear it.”
She sucked in a deep breath. He didn’t make promises. Didn’t like the pressure, or the implied trap such a thing meant. So the fact that he did so, now, was not lost on her. And all the fight left her. He promised she wouldn’t lose him.
And if she trusted him, which she did, and she still desired him, which she also did, what was holding her back? If she had nothing to lose…
What was stopping her?
Chapter Twelve
The internal battle she fought fleeted across her beautiful face. He’d struggled with it all night long, too, after she fell asleep. Even though he was being an even bigger asshole by giving in to his desire, nothing could stop him from doing it anyway. There was a hell of a lot at stake here, and he stood to lose everything…
But he could maybe gain a hell of a lot, too.
When he came here, he’d sworn he would keep his hands to himself. He had a plan. A course of action in place. Clean up his act. Keep his dick in his pants. Get the girl.
But then he got here, and she was beautiful, and all plans fled.
He had to have her.
“Lauren,” he breathed, gripping her thighs. He stood between them, seconds from heaven, but she hadn’t invited him in yet. “I’m gonna make you come, again and again. It’s all I can think about ever since you kissed me. You. Me. Naked. Together. Now.”
After what seemed like a million years, she nodded her head. “Yes.”
“Yes, what?” he said. He pressed against her again, his fingers digging into her thighs. “You have to say it.”
She slid her hands down his chest and latched onto his sides right above his hips, in that same spot that he’d obsessed over on her all night long. “I want you. I’m all yours.”
Growling, he captured her mouth, seizing the moment and refusing to let it go. She strained to get closer to him, but he held her firmly in place. His tongue entwined with hers, and he thrust against her. She moaned, and it drove him insane. It was just so damn sexy. After he left this morning, she put on a skirt, thank God, so he slid his hands up and inward, tracing her slit with his thumb.
She was wet and warm and ready—but she wouldn’t get him.
Not yet.
First, he had to make her want it more than she ever wanted anything before. He drew a soft circle around her clit, soft enough to not send her over the edge, but hard enough to take her close enough to scream. She moaned and kissed him harder, her teeth digging into his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood, but he didn’t give a damn.
All that mattered was getting her to scream his name again.
Shoving her panties aside, he thrust a finger inside her, crooking it just right. She dug her nails into his sides, groaning and arching her back. He ended the kiss, pressing his thumb against her clit, and pulled back. “So damn hot.”
“Steven.” She slid her hands under his shirt, over his pecs, and scratched them down his abs. “I…I…nee—ahhh.”
“Shhh.” He nipped her shoulder, taking his finger out of her heat before thrusting two inside her, hitting the spot guaranteed to make her let out that choked scream again. “You’ll get it. All of it. I swear.”
She gripped his pants, undoing the button with a flick of her wrist. “So will you. Let me—”
“Not yet. Not until I say so.” He stilled her hand, like he always did when a woman tried to take control from him. “I’m—”
“Listen and listen now.” Unzipping his jeans, she yanked him closer by them. “I’m okay with you being domineering in bed. It’s sexy. And I’m okay with you holding me down sometimes, too, and telling me when I’m allowed to come. It turns me on. But, if I want to touch you? I’ll do it.” She tugged his pants down and closed her hand over his dick, squeezing with the perfect amount of pressure. “And you’ll like it.”