Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 132657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Niall suddenly seemed less confused. “Light play only. No heavy scenes. We haven’t even played publicly yet. From what I can tell she hasn’t had sex in the months I’ve been around her. I think it’s been going on since she came back from LA.”
“Just because I’m picky doesn’t mean anything. Or maybe I needed time to get over some asshole setting me up to potentially die,” she said but she didn’t move. She didn’t walk away because she wanted what he was offering.
His cock tightened in his jeans. “We’ll talk about that at another time. I certainly didn’t want you dead, but I accept that what I did hurt you. Do you want a sincere apology?”
He didn’t think so, but he needed to give her the option. If he could do this with tenderness, he would.
“Fuck you, Jensen, and fuck your apologies.”
Hate sex it was then.
* * * *
Harlow felt the moment Jensen decided to take this to the next level. One minute his hand was around her neck in a way that made her heart race, and the next he was picking her up and moving toward the back of the house. Such an odd house. Parts of it were updated with furniture and décor from this century. Parts were like a museum. There was still high school stuff in his old bedroom. A math book on the shelf along with some notes he’d written in a strangely neat hand. She’d been standing there looking at evidence that once this man had been a vulnerable boy, and she hadn’t been able to handle it.
The fucker was right. She’d come looking to start a fight she kind of hoped would end like this.
Of course she had to wonder if this wasn’t where they’d been heading since the second she walked into his office.
“If you’re coming, Niall, do it now. Once I close this door, it’s her and me,” Jensen announced.
“Yeah, stay out if you’re too fucking afraid, Niall. Or maybe if you would rather spend the night reading or massaging your own feet.” She couldn’t help it. She was filled with bile, and it just came out.
The whole night, her whole life the last few years… It was too much. Far too much.
They lied to her. Niall had pretended to be this good guy who could heal her flipping heart or something, and he’d turned out to be one more asshole.
Her business was likely in ruins, and she was proving to the whole damn world—including her best friend and partner—that she was nothing but one more trust fund baby who couldn’t do anything without parental supervision.
Check that. She could fuck things up. She was good at that.
“Set her on her feet.”
She was surprised that deep, dark command hadn’t come from Jensen. Niall shut the door to the big bedroom. It was illuminated by a single lamp on the side table. The whole room was dominated by a king-sized bed that took up most of the space. Jensen had changed the sheets and put a clean comforter on. It was obvious he’d cleaned up in here. The rest of the house had a coating of dust on it, but the primary bedroom had someone who cared about it.
Or his military training kicked in. Either way, she wasn’t going to complain. Not about that. She had so many other things to criticize as her feet found the floor. She wished they were at the club. She would run from them and force them to chase her down and they could do this whole thing with her kicking and scratching and getting all the poison out of her system. In a club she wouldn’t worry about Niall being upset. He would know it was play in a club. Jensen was an asshole who would take whatever she gave him.
She turned and stared at the man she thought might be her first real Dom. “I’m surprised you didn’t go back to your room and play with yourself. It’s what you seem to do around me.”
Jensen whistled. “I told you she wants it. If we were in a club, or honestly in any place where she felt safe, she would already be running. She would make me chase her down and tie her up and drag her to bed.”
“I want to say that I find that thought distasteful and barbaric,” Niall said slowly. “But right now, I might drag her back by her hair.”
Oh, he wanted to play? The other thing that would feel good right now was a fight. A nasty, no holds barred fight, but again she wasn’t at the club where they had a sparring ring for just such an occasion. “I’d love to see you try.”
“Jensen, do you have a kit?” Niall enunciated every word.
“Back in my truck, which should be parked in Taggart’s garage by now,” Jensen pointed out and then sighed. “I’ll grab yours. I’m afraid I didn’t keep a bunch of rope and sex toys hanging around when I lived here. Not that my momma didn’t, but I got rid of those real fast. And then I needed therapy.”