She gives him a reluctant nod.
“That’s what I figured. People can’t pop into existence out of nowhere. Is there a dark web still?”
Another nod. This time, her eyes narrow.
“Great. We’ll need to purchase a fake ID. I’ll add it to the tally, of course. I’ll find a profession I’m suited for, get a job, then pay you back for everything. After that, we can part ways and you can get a real GROW so you can use him however you planned to use me.”
Kate’s cheeks flame as she stands.
Shit. “I didn’t mean . . .”
But she walks away, muttering, “I guess you have it all worked out, then. You don’t need me.” She doesn’t try to hide the hurt in her voice.
He watches her graceful form glide into the kitchen. When she eventually returns, he can’t help but notice the resolved set of her jaw. “There’s a bin for whatever you don’t eat and another for the recyclables. Take care of your mess when you’re done. I’m going to bed.”
He didn’t intend to upset her. But what did she think was going to happen now that she’s discovered he’s real and not some sex doll for her amusement? While he appreciates the help she’s offering, a nagging thought enters his mind. Does she still think to benefit from him? For companionship or otherwise? Unease prickles the back of his neck.Ground rules.He is supposed to be setting ground rules.
Without thinking, James shoots up. His bare feet slap the cool concrete as he stomps across the room. “Wait!” he demands as she slips into her room.
She steps out, furtively closing the door. Does she not want him to see into her private space? “Yes, James?” She sighs, the hurt in her voice transforming into something more akin to exasperation.
“Listen, lady.” She retreats a step, which he matches. “I don’t know what’s going on in that pretty little head of yours, but I do not belong to you. I am not your sex doll, and I am not your friend. I’m not the answer to your loneliness, and I don’t plan to stay here a moment longer than I have to. You may not like that, and while I appreciate your help, Idon’t care if you don’t like my boundaries. They are here to stay for the duration of our acquaintance.”
“But . . .” she protests, her voice wobbling. Fuck. He shouldn’t be such an ass. If she really is different—but that doesn’t give her an excuse to have designs on him or his time just because she’s helping him.
He leans in so they are eye to eye, attempting to soften his tone. “No buts. I get that this isn’t what you planned, or that you have your reasons for never wanting a manupartner, and that makes you the odd man out in your fucked-up society. I get that it must be hard for you. Isolating even. We’ve both had some shitty luck, I get it. But we’re going to have to figure out a way to cohabitate without adding to each other’s problems. Once I can get my own place, I’m doing just that.” When he finishes, his heart is beating heavily in his chest.
Kate’s mouth falls open as she draws in a deep breath, like she can’t believe what she’s heard. His stare instinctively finds her full lips, then dips down to her chest, which rises rapidly. Only then does he notice his hands are flat against the door on either side of her head. When did he box her in?
He meets her gaze again. It’s no longer sullen. There is such vulnerability in her deep brown eyes that his stomach dips without his permission.Fuck, he thinks, as the sudden wild urge to grind her into the door washes over him. To have her quivering beneath him. God, he’s sick, but the thought of it has blood rushing south. No, she’d like that too much.
“Understand?” he gently urges.
“Got it.” She clears her throat, eyeing his hands.
“Good.” His voice is a little huskier than it was before. He pushes off her door and storms into his own room, shutting the door behind him.
He leans against the wall, willing his body into a calm state. Surely she didn’t notice his rapidly stiffening cock. Goddamn his overactive male hormones.
He tries to recall the last time he was with a woman. There was that girl at the club before he started dating Blythe. But that was a quick fuck in a dark hallway. And he cut it out because Blythe was the first woman he’d dated that he considered wife material. She came from a good family and had a substantial trust fund of her own. And she’d finished her residency as a pediatric oncologist. She was equally driven and beautiful, in a demure sort of way. She would have been an excellent mother to his children. What happened to her?
Blythe was nothing like the Playboy Bunny he is currently living with. Who is also intelligent enough to be a highly specialized scientist, yet flippant and shallow enough to have ordered a manupartner kit and have an apparent shopping addiction. Who has the most perfect, luscious body he’s ever seen. This is not the direction his thoughts should be taking. He glances down at the protrusion tenting his pajama pants. “Fuck,” he mutters, grabbing hold of it through the soft material and squeezing as if that will help.
He eyes the bathroom. A cold shower is exactly what he needs. The last thing he should do is jerk off to thoughts of the crazy woman on the other side of the wall. He quickly makes his way to the bathroom and turns on the shower. In front of him, a timer displays a countdown in red numbers. 5:00. 4:59. 4:58.
He groans, tearing off his clothes. How do you make it cold? He steps into the perfectly warm water, pushing buttons, which only change the flow from the shower head. This either adds to or reduces the time left on the timer. The perfect, delicious heat only makes him throb harder. 3:47. 3:46. 3:45.
He braces his left hand on the wall as he dips his head beneath the stream.Just this once, he promises himself. Then his other hand makes a fist around his cock.
11 – An Unfortunate Notification
K8
K8 has never encountered someone so brazen.Boundaries, he said. Now that she’s gathered her wits, she has more than a few retorts. Boundaries of her own to set. The man has a few things to get straight himself. But if that energy could be channeled, perhaps his overbearing temperament could benefit her. A delightful flutter erupted low in her belly as James loomed over her, telling her how their relationship would be. His domineering manner swept over her, catching her off guard. The way he stood over her was, dare she say, sexy.
She can only imagine how pleasurable that demeanor of his would be in the bedroom. Taking charge, leading her for a change. Itmight bewould be refreshing. Her last several sexual experiences felt overly orchestrated. As if she and her partner were players in the live productionKinky Sex. Sure, they were adventurous. And physically and momentarily satiating. But passionate, not at all. Not spontaneous,not heart-stopping. Not this reckless feeling that now has her in its clutches as she crawls into bed.
James offered her a mighty protest, but she didn’t miss how his eyes dipped to her mouth, then her chest. She thought for a moment that he was going to betray every word he’d uttered and take her against the wall. The thought makes gooseflesh erupt across her skin.
