“You know I’m not gonna go easy on you just because you’re screwing me, right?” she asked.
“I expect you to tell me every single time I’m fucking up my image,” I said, grinning.
“And you know that I’m not always going to be available to your every beck and call.”
“I would expect nothing less from a hardworking professional like yourself,” I said.
“And it’s probably going to be hard for me to find a place to stay right off the bat,” she said.
“You can stay with me as long as you’d like. I’ll make up a spare bedroom and everything,” I said.
“You know I’m scared, right?” she asked.
I cupped her cheek and brought her lips to mine before I found her gaze once again.
“I would expect nothing less,” I said. “All I’m asking is for you to be at my side. Everything else is simply semantics.”
“We’ll have to figure out how to get my stuff out to L.A.,” she said.
“I’ll handle that.”
“And I’ll have to get a car, or at least fly out there and meet my stuff.”
“Again, I’ll handle that,” I said.
“And you can’t expect me to just let you problem solve all the time. I can do things for myself, you know.”
“Oh, trust me. This problem solving is merely me getting you out there quicker. Wholly selfish.”
“Good, because I’m fully capable of doing this on my own,” she said.
A smile slid across my cheeks as she giggled and shook her head. I wrapped my arms around her and flipped her around, pressing her back to the bed as she squealed. I pulled myself from between her legs and felt the rush of fluids pour out onto the bed, and I watched as Abby’s little nose crinkled with mock disgust.
“I need a shower,” she said.
“That’s fine. I need one, too.”
“You can hop in after me,” she said. “But I’ll be awhile.”
“Don’t worry, I know you will be,” I said.
“And how do you know that?” she asked as she slid out from underneath me.
“Because I’ll be joining you.”
She got to her feet and looked at me in all of her stunning, naked glory. My eyes raked down her body, memorizing every curve and taking in every place I hadn’t kissed yet. I grinned at the marks rising on her skin. Marks from my hands and my fingertips and my lips. A devilish smirk rose on her cheeks as she turned around, her hips swaying deeply as she walked herself towards the bathroom.
Oh, yes. This shower was going to take quite a while, indeed.
Chapter 24
Abby
I woke up that morning with a terrible start. I had a dream that I’d missed my flight back to Minnesota and I leapt to my feet. I threw the covers off my body and started rummaging around for my things, trying to find my clothes. Everything was hazy and my head was swimming with things that didn’t make sense. I stumbled to the bathroom and splashed water in my face, trying to wake myself up.
But it wasn’t until I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror that my memory came flooding back.
I saw the suction mark around my nipple and the bruises Colin had sucked onto my stomach. I saw the angry red skin against my neck where his scruff had worn down the top layer of my skin. I held up my hair and turned around, surveying the scratch marks I had running all the way down the length of my back.
The entire night came flooding back to me as a smile crossed my face.
“Red looks good on you.”
I jumped at Colin’s voice. He was leaning against the frame of the bathroom, a cheeky little grin on his cheeks. His eyes meandered down my naked body as he stood there in his boxers, and I let go of my hair before I tried to cover myself up.
“Never cover up your beauty,” he said, as he walked towards me. “Never convince yourself that you should be covered.”
He reached for my arms and slowly pulled them away from my body. I blushed at his words as he wrapped his arms around my waist. He slowly walked me into the bathroom counter as my head tilted back to see him, and I could see the love he had for me swimming around in his eyes.
And oh, how I loved him in return.
“I almost panicked about missing my flight,” I said.
“I think you were already panicking until you saw my work of art,” he said.
“Work of art, huh?” I asked.
His hand rose up and brushed my hair away from my shoulder. His eyes danced along the red skin he’d left behind because of his five o’clock shadow. I could tell he was admiring it, taking in his handiwork as our bodies pressed against each other.
I was becoming addicted to the feeling of his skin against mine.
“I have a surprise for you,” he said as his eyes found mine again.
“Oh?” I asked. “And these lovely little marks aren’t enough of a surprise?”
“Not even a little bit,” he said, grinning. “Come with me.”
He took my hand and led me out of the bathroom. He guided me around the bed and walked us over to the window. I tried covering myself again as he pulled the curtains back, his eyes shooting me a light tone of disapproval before I dropped my arms.
“The windows are tinted from the outside. No one can see you but me. Trust me, Abby. I would never allow someone to see you in such a vulnerable and personal state.”
My heart thundered in my chest at his words. Partially because of the tone of his voice and partially because I trusted every word that fell from his lips.
If there
