It’s so easy with him. All he has to do is touch me and my body responds.
Those same fingers that had been so carefully fixing my buttons moments ago now work to undo them. His palm slides beneath my shirt, ghosting over the flat plane of my stomach, and I can’t suppress the sharp intake of breath that follows.
I’m not used to being touched like this. It’s been far too long.
But I don’t push him away. Instead, my hands go to his shirt, to take it off, undoing the tie, reaching for the buttons of his vest. Ethan’s hand comes to wrap around my wrists, and he pulls away from me, his eyes filled with a ravenous hunger that echoes within me.
“Have you changed your mind?” he demands roughly, holding my wrists captive.
“What does it look like?” I arch an eyebrow, fighting to appear nonchalant even as my body thrums with anticipation.
“Why?” His jaw tightens with frustration. “Last night you said?—”
“It’s just sex,” I interrupt bluntly. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
He goes perfectly still. “This doesn’t mean anything to you?”
Pretending indifference is nearly impossible when my breathing has turned ragged and his taste still lingers on my lips. Not when I can still feel the phantom touch of his hands on my skin.
“No,” I lie smoothly. “It doesn’t.”
A bitter laugh escapes him. “You expect me to believe that?”
“You don’t know me as well as you think you do, Ethan,” I shoot back, embarrassment making me defensive.
Releasing my wrists, he grips my chin firmly, forcing me to meet his intense gaze. “So you’re telling me that sex with me would be completely meaningless? Is that what you’re saying?”
Something about the way he phrases it doesn’t sit right, but I nod anyway. “We obviously want each other, so let’s just get it out of our systems.”
“You want me out of your system?” he repeats slowly, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Do you really think it’s going to be that simple? One quick fuck, and you’ll be able to walk away from me without a second thought?”
“You walked away just fine,” I counter, my jaw tightening. “Surely it can’t be that hard.”
Fury flashes in his amber eyes as he jerks me closer, his face mere inches from mine, voice turning harsh. “How long are you planning to punish me for that?”
Rage surges through me, and I fist the front of his shirt. “Punish you? I’m giving you what you wanted. You wanted me. You can have me. It’s going to be on my terms, though. And I don’t want anything aside from sex. I was naïve the first time around. I won’t be so foolish this time.”
Ethan studies me intently, some unreadable emotion flickering behind his eyes. “You think it’s going to be that easy for you to walk away from me afterward?”
His other hand tangles in the hair at my nape, grip possessiveand firm. “You think you can handle me, Natalie? Treat me like one of your subordinates? Let’s see just how well you can handle me.”
His breath scorches against my mouth as his lips trail along my jaw to my ear. He nips at my earlobe with just enough pressure to make me shiver, and my knees nearly buckle when his hand slides down to wrap around my throat while the other makes quick work of my remaining buttons.
His mouth crashes down on mine with bruising intensity, his tongue demanding entry and claiming every inch of my mouth. There’s nothing gentle or romantic about this kiss—it’s all teeth and tongues and raw, desperate need that has me gasping against his lips. I feel him unhook my bra, and suddenly my chest is bare as he tosses the garment carelessly into a corner. Pressed against the wall with nowhere to retreat, I’m completely at his mercy.
He cups my breast, his thumb toying with the nipple. I shiver as he pinches the hardened nub almost painfully before rolling it between his fingers. I never knew my breasts were so sensitive, but when he touches them, I moan a wanton, needy sound.
The pleasure is sharp and heady, making me lose myself in it. His hand is moving lower, pushing past the barrier of my slacks, and he rubs the heel of his hand against my wet pussy.
My knees buckle, and only his strong grip keeps me upright as his mouth blazes a trail of open-mouthed kisses along my jaw. “I haven’t even really touched you yet, and you’re already so wet. What should I do with you, Natalie?”
“That’s—It’s not—” I stammer breathlessly.
His low chuckle is pure sin. “You’re like a faucet, so fucking wet for me.”
Before I can form a coherent response, his finger slips past the lace of my panties to find my most sensitive spot. He pinches my clit between his fingers, and I cry out, sagging against him as pleasure rockets through me. His laughter turnssmug and satisfied. “You’re doing such a fine job of handling me. Five years may have passed, Natalie, but I still remember exactly where to touch you.”
He traces the shell of my ear with his tongue, voice dropping to a sinful murmur. “I remember how you begged to suck my cock. I remember how you choked on it, but wouldn’t give up. You were so desperate to please me. Will you suck it now? Will you wrap my cock in your pretty, hot mouth?”
