“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Harrison singsongs as the door clicks closed behind us, drowning out the sound of the music, and leaving the steady white noise of the air con along with our heavy breathing in its wake.
Glancing around the room, I note the floor-to-ceiling mirrors, a Hollywood style vanity surrounded by lights, sofas off to the side, and another door that leads into a bathroom. Like the rest of the club, it screams opulence.
Wrapping my arms around myself, I turn to face Tobias. Although the room is large, I feel suddenly claustrophobic.
But that’s not all. Staring at him, in that suit, wearing a masquerade mask, has butterflies running riot in my stomach. Damn him for looking so damn hot.
He walks towards me, and I take a few steps back until my arse connects with the vanity. I drop my clutch as I reach out to grip the edge, stopping myself from reaching out to him.
“You left me,” he says, his voice sounding hurt. “With not so much as a goodbye or even a note.”
I chew on my lip and clear my throat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want there to be any awkwardness. It was easier that way.” It’s a pitiful response, but the one I’m going for, nonetheless. I don’t tell him how I never wanted to leave, and if he had woken up and asked me to stay, I know I wouldn’t have been able to deny him.
He stands over me, his eyes dark beneath the mask. His stare is so intense, I have to look away.
“You’re lying,”he says, his hand moving to collar my throat, his thumb pushing my chin up until we make eye contact again. “Is it because I came on too strong, too fast? I won’t apologise. We have a connection, Bow, and you know it.”
“Yeah, I can’t deny the sex was beyond amazing,”I admit, my skin prickling with awareness at how close we are to one another. “But I know that guys like you don’t go for women like me.”
His nostrils flare. “What is that supposed to mean?”he asks, a note of irritation in his voice.
See, this is why I snuck out to avoid having to have this conversation. I reach up and grab his wrist, but don’t push him away, relishing in the physical contact. Somehow, touching him grounds me in a way I can’t articulate. It helps me find the courage to reply, even if it leaves me vulnerable and exposed.
“That guys like you don’t want to be seen with girls like me. Not like that anyway.”
His lips part, his eyes darkening. “Are you serious, Rainbow? What do you mean by guys like me?”
“I’m the type of woman guys see as a good time. A bit of fun, but that’s all.”
Tobias’s jaw ticks. “Firstly, please don’t do that. Don’t pigeonhole me because of something someone else did to make you feel that way. And secondly, if you had stayed rather than sneaking off without so much as a goodbye, you would know that I see you as far more than a quick fuck.”
I flinch when he says it like that.
His hand moves to my hip, and before I can even process what’s happening, he spins me, putting my back to his chest. His other hand is still loose around my throat as he stares back at me in the mirror. He presses his body to mine, holding me in place.
“Bow, let me be very clear. You are everything I would want in a significant other. I can barely tolerate other women. I always find something about them that irritates me. No one ever holds my attention for long.”
I chew on the inside of my cheeks. “And what happens when you get bored with me and lose said interest?”I ask, raising an eyebrow.
His palm tightens just a fraction. “Not possible. If it were, I wouldn’t have fantasised about you—about us—for as long as I can remember. Even though I knew I shouldn’t, since you’re my best friend’s sister. And yet, I think about you way more than I should. Truth is, now I’ve crossed that line, there’s no going back. At least not for me. If I had to choose, I’d choose you. Every. Single. Time.”
My heart races as his words register.
“You’d choose me? What about Ric? What if it meant you losing your friendship with him?”I’d hate to be the cause of that.
“I’d hope it wouldn’t come to that, but you’re worth the risk, Bow.”
His lips skate across my shoulder before he kisses me just below the ear. My entire body shivers from the contact.
I can feel his erection pressed up against me. My body sparks to life, remembering what it felt like to have him buried inside me. But not just that. The way he worshipped me like no other runs through my mind.
I’d be lying if I said all of this didn’t scare me.
“What do you say? Will you give me a chance to prove that I’m not the same as all the other guys who have wronged you? Let me show you what it means to be mine. Will you giveusa chance?”he asks.
Shit, when he says it like that, how am I supposed to deny him? His words are full of reverence.
Is it wrong that I want that too, to know what it means to be truly wanted?
