Still, my face feels hot as I finally emerge, fumbling with thebuttons on my shirt. He’s making coffee in the small kitchenette, moving with efficient grace. “I just heard from one of the shareholders. We were working on the relaunch of one of the yachts. The campaign was supposed to kickstart this morning. One of our rival companies launched their campaign. It’s the same campaign, word for word, event for event. The leak came from the Marketing Department.”
My fingers pause mid-button. “What? We have to return then?”
“Not yet. I have to deal with the board. Politics comes first.”
“But, isn’t this urgent?”
“It is, but I had been anticipating a few leaks so I’ve had a few contingency plans in place. I wasn’t expecting one from this particular department, though.”
He turns around and studies me for a moment before approaching with two steaming cups of coffee. Setting them down on the granite counter beside me, he reaches out and gently pushes my hands away with maddening patience. “You’re putting the button in the wrong hole.”
The sudden proximity leaves me stunned, my brain struggling to process what he’s doing. His fingers brush against the sensitive skin at the top of my chest as he carefully fastens my buttons, one by one. I want to push his hands away, but my heart hammers against my ribs, his familiar cologne wrapping around me like a silk noose. My mouth goes dry, this unwelcome flare of attraction too powerful to deny.
Why?
Why, after all this time, am I still so helplessly drawn to him?
Why couldn’t my anger and bitter disappointment be strong enough to overcome this treacherous desire? All these years, I’ve resisted every advance, every interested glance from other men. I was certain this immunity was the result of how thoroughly Ethan had destroyed me. Yet here I am, trembling underthe touch of the very man who shattered my heart into a thousand pieces.
“Why?” I whisper, gazing up at him with desperate confusion, needing to understand why it’s him—why it has to be him—when he should be the last man capable of making my pulse race.
His amber eyes meet mine, and there’s something burning in their depths, an intensity that reaches out and shakes me to my core. He never used to look at me with such raw want before. Never spoke to me as though my thoughts mattered. Never made me feel like I was anything more than a means to an end. Back then, when I’d first fallen for him, it had been different—I had been different.
But now? Now these feelings are infinitely more complicated, more dangerous. This constant push and pull between us is utterly exhausting. He’s been slowly drawing me in from day one, and my resistance crumbles a little more each time.
Ethan’s hand rises, the back of his knuckles caressing my flushed cheek with devastating tenderness, his voice dropping to that low register that makes my knees weak. “Don’t look at me with such vulnerable eyes, Natalie. It makes me want to drag you to my bed and ruin you for every other man who might dare to touch you.”
Heat floods my face as he winds his fingers through my braids, which I still haven’t properly fixed. One sharp tug pulls me flush against his solid chest, the scent of his skin making my head spin. His voice turns rough with promise. “One day, when you finally surrender to what’s between us, I’m going to have you wear these braids just like this. They make perfect handles, don’t you think?”
The memory that surfaces is vivid and scorching.Ethan’s fingers tangled in my hair as he pulled my head back, a primal sound rumbling from his throat. His length filling my mouth as he guided my movements with that firm grip, using my hair like reins...
Liquid heat pools between my thighs, my legs suddenly unsteady. How could I have forgotten what an absolute beast he was between the sheets? He’d kept me awake for hours, and during every single one of those hours, he’d been utterly relentless.
My lips part involuntarily, desire and frustration warring in my chest as this heady sensation overwhelms my senses. I know with crystal clarity that if I just say the word—if I give him even the slightest indication—he’ll carry me to that bedroom right now. He won’t question my sudden change of heart, won’t analyze my motives. I want to say it. God help me, I want to experience those earth-shattering sensations again. I want to feel his hands claiming every inch of my skin.
Just once more, I tell myself, even as my thoughts grow hazy with want. If it’s just sex, it doesn’t have to mean anything, right?
“Natalie?”
Convincing myself has never been easier, I realize, as my hand slowly rises to wrap around his silk tie.
Really, it’s pathetically simple. He wants to sleep with me—he’s made that abundantly clear with every heated look, every deliberate touch. Even if he claims that is not all he’s looking for, I’m not stupid enough to take him at his word.
His eyes widen slightly as I pull him down toward me, my voice barely above a whisper, “You’re so fucking annoying, Ethan.”
My mouth finds his, and the familiar rush of heat ignites within me, a desperate craving that sets my pulse racing.
Fine. He wins this round. But this time, when I fall into bed with him, it’s going to be entirely on my terms. With no expectations, so he can’t hurt me. No emotional attachment, so he can’t break me.
His strong arm circles my waist, pulling me closer, and forjust a moment—one devastating moment—my scarred heart gives a painful flutter.
Once he gets what he’s been chasing, he’ll lose interest. That’s how these things work, isn’t it? The thrill of the chase vanishes when the prey turns around and walks towards the hunter. This way, I can protect what’s left of my heart while finally getting this man out of my system for good.
But as Ethan presses me back against the cool wall, his mouth moving against mine with desperate hunger, all rational thought begins to dissolve. He doesn’t ask why I’ve changed my mind, and I’m glad. I don’t want to talk.
I just want his hands on me.
His tongue traces the seam of my lips, demanding entrance, and I part them willingly. A soft sigh escapes when he draws my tongue into his mouth, sending shivers of pleasure straight through me. The wetness between my legs intensifies.
