Page 24 of Exposed to You

I knew he was referring to the pictures, which had most likely been one night stands. It was his way of saying that I was more important to him than that. I didn’t know if he could ever love me, and I didn’t have to love him, but I wanted him, too.

“I want you to want to please me,” he said with a frown, like he couldn’t entirely explain his need.

“I do. I want that,” I said breathlessly. “Please.”

That seemed to be enough invitation. He pushed inside me, and I moaned, my instinct to wrap my arms around him thwarted by his hands on my wrists.

“I want to hold you.”

He ignored me and continued his rhythm, growing steadily more aggressive.

“Please.”

With a frustrated groan, he let go of my wrists and moved his hands to my head, kissing me, the weight of his body pressing me down. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, pulling him deeper inside me and closed my eyes, submitting to the feeling. His head moved above mine and he thrust faster, rubbing against me, until I was unable to hold on any longer. I clenched around him repeatedly, the feeling unlike anything I’d ever felt before, and I heard him groan my name before rolling over and pulling me on top of him.

I was sensitive now, and he held my hips and moved me gently. I could tell from the way he was biting his lip that he was trying to restrain himself.

“You’re so tight,” he said in a low voice. “How are you so tight?”

He pulled me forward hard, and I felt the warmth inside me as he came.

Carefully, he helped me off him and wiped between my legs in a surprisingly sensitive gesture. We lay together in the bed, his body wrapped around mine, his breath against my neck.

“Did you mean it?” he whispered.

I didn’t have to ask what he meant. I knew what he wanted; the photos had told me more than he ever could have. It was hard to reconcile them with the person who was holding me now, who could be so caring and protective.

My eyes were heavy and I pulled the sheets over my shoulders and snuggled in closer to him. “I think so,” I said sleepily.

“I used to be able to keep it separate, but I can’t with you.”

I opened my eyes, glad he was behind me. “Why not?”

“Because you’re different. You have a quality that has never been in a woman who has wanted me.”

I turned to face him and I was surprised to see how vulnerable he looked. “I’m sure many women have wanted you.”

He reached out and touched my chin. “But you’re… pure. And when you give yourself to me, you understand what it really means. It wouldn’t be to anyone.”

“No,” I agreed softly.

Suddenly he looked tortured. “And I know what I want, what I’ve always wanted with you, and I’m afraid that in the end, you’ll run.”

I swallowed, unsure whether I should comfort him or be wary at his confession. I could only assume he meant that he wanted what was in the pictures. With me.

“I’m fucked up, Amy,” he said and rolled over to look at the ceiling. “There are things I’ve done that I’m not proud of. Sometimes my need for control blinds me, and it’s all I think about. With you, it’s not just in the bedroom, but I think you’ve figured that out.”

I reached out and touched his chest, running my fingers through the hair. “What you said earlier about the type of woman you were looking for... What did you mean?”

“It’s hard to explain. I had an image, yes, and you fit that image. In my mind she is like the women I’ve met, the ones that are more than ready to do exactly what I want—but it’s empty. Meaningless. I realized that it wouldn’t be meaningless between us.” He rolled over to face me again. “It would be sacred, a bond of trust.”

“How can you know?”

His eyes were shining, almost like they were wet. “Because I’ve never felt this way before.” He took a deep breath before speaking again. “And despite what I wanted before we began tonight, I ended up thinking about you.”

I pulled my knees up into a fetal position as he rubbed his face with his hands.

“To prove what I feel is real, I have to confess what I planned, and that might make you hate me.”

That didn’t sound good. I waited, my heart in my throat.

“I was hoping you would say you didn’t want to hear,” he smiled almost sadly.

I smiled weakly in response.

He sighed. “When I found you with those photos, I was angry, but I also felt... fear. I thought that you were going to run. So I planned to prove to you that you want what I want, because I know you do.” He paused. “But when it came down to it, I discovered what I really wanted was to give you something. You see, your pleasure was more important than mine, and I have never felt that way before. I’m a selfish man, Amy.”

“Do you mean... Prove it like when you spanked me?”

He blinked a few times but didn’t respond.

“Worse than that,” I whispered in understanding.

“I also wanted to punish you for finding the pictures.” He waited a beat before continuing. “I was going to take you to the edge, Amy.”

It was whispered like a confession, but I didn’t know—couldn’t know—what it meant. He continued to look at me as if I completely understood and he was waiting for me to bolt.

Instead, I closed my eyes. “I’m tired. Can we sleep here tonight?”

There was an audible exhale. “Sure, pretty girl.”

I heard the rustle of the covers and then he was putting the heavy duvet around us, and I slipped into an exhausted sleep.

Chapter Sixteen

When I awoke the next morning, Dallon was no longer beside me. A White robe and matching slippers were on the bed in his place—brand new items that were my size. I wrapped the robe around me and padded out of the studio and into the hall, where I heard Dallon in the kitchen before I looked over the rail and saw him. He wasn’t wearing anything except pajama bottoms, not even socks, and his hair was sticking up at the back. He flicked a switch on the blender and it roared to life, the liquid turning green.

“Don’t you have to work?” I asked as I walked into the kitchen and sat at the breakfast bar.

He turned around to face me and grinned. “I took the day off. I’ve been working like crazy but the deal finally went through this morning, and I want to spend some time with you. Yesterday was your last day, correct?”

I nodded, unsure how he could have known that. “And so far no one has called about my applications,” I sighed.

“Always in such a rush, Miss Clair. It will happen.”

I watched as he removed the jug from the blender and poured two glasses of the green liquid, passed one over to me on the bar.

“What is it?” I asked and made a face.

“A smoothie. It has kale in it.”

“You really are a health freak,” I muttered and took a sip. Surprisingly, it wasn’t bad.

He shrugged. “Your body is your permanent home. You can’t change it. Why not take care of it?”

“True. I really should exercise more.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You don’t exercise?”

I shrank back a little at his look. “Sometimes. Not really. I used to more in Uni because there was a gym there. Now I don’t really do anything except walk.”

“Hmm,” Dallon made a thoughtful noise, drumming his fingers on the countertop.

“What?” I asked nervously.

“You don’t eat your vegetables and you don’t exercise. We’re going to have to work on that.”

“We?”

“Yeah. We.”

“And how are we going to do that?”

His eyes twinkled like he had something else in mind, but he said, “You can join my gym. I’ll get you a membership.”

“I’ll get my own membership.”

“No, you won’t. It was my idea.”

He was doing it again: being controlling Dallon. At least he was trying to help me live a he

althier lifestyle. I supposed I could live with that.

I picked a bunch of grapes from the bowl on the counter and ate them slowly while Dallon pulled out a carton of eggs. He seemed very at home in his kitchen, like he genuinely enjoyed cooking—something I couldn’t imagine. I often missed meals or ate whatever was around and had never learned how to cook.

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