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I take a long sip, wishing it were something stronger than water. Then I place the cap back on, shifting from foot to foot as I toy with the necklace I wear whenever I can, a locket holding a photo of my mother. I wonder what advice she’d have for me if she were here.
Would I even be in this position?
Or would she have encouraged me to stand up for myself, instead of blindly following orders, like I have all my life?
What would she have done if she were in my situation, forced to marry a man she didn’t choose all because the public adored him and loved the idea of them together?
I’d like to think she would have stood up for herself, but I can’t say that with any certainty. I was only nine when she died. While I wasn’t that young, with the passing of years and the fact no one really talks about her, my memories are foggy.
At a light twinkle, I snap my eyes to the floor, seeing my necklace has come undone and fallen.
Without hesitation, Creed bends to pick it up.
“The clasp is loose, but I can’t bring myself to get a new chain,” I explain. “Or a new locket.”
He offers me an understanding smile, all too familiar with the importance this necklace holds. It was the last thing my mother gave me before succumbing to the multiple sclerosis that ravaged her body quickly and mercilessly in a few short years.
“May I?” He holds up the necklace, an end of the chain in each hand.
I nod, swallowing hard as he takes a step toward me. Then another. And another. Until he’s standing a breath away, the heat coming off his body palpable. I try not to stare at his chiseled physique. Try not to recall the way his muscles strained as he brought himself to orgasm. But even keeping my gaze lowered doesn’t do anything to slow my racing heart.
Not when Creed’s delicious V obscures my vision.
He brings the necklace up to my collarbone, leaning toward me as his fingers work to secure the piece around me. The clasp gives him trouble, just as it does me. But for the first time, I don’t curse that it’s in need of repair. I revel in it since it keeps him closer to me a few seconds longer than normal.
“Almost got it.”
“It’s a tricky little bugger,” I respond with a laugh, lifting my head slightly.
Which is a mistake.
Because it coincides with the precise moment he turns toward me, our mouths brushing.
I inhale a sharp breath, the jolt from his ghost of a kiss vibrating through me, even after I step away. All I can do is stare at his lips, desperate to feel them again. At the same time, I know they’re a goddamn drug. If I don’t break this habit now, I’ll keep returning again and again until I’m so addicted I’d rather die than go a day without experiencing the high only he can give me.
And I need to break this habit.
That’s easier said than done, especially when my next fix is within reach, tempting me with the promise of euphoria.
When he lunges for me, fingers digging into my hair, mouth crashing against mine as he pushes me against the wall, I do what all addicts do. Promise this will be the last time. That after this I’ll get clean.
If this truly is to be my last hit, though, I need to make it count.
Make sure it’s one I always remember.
My water bottle falling to the floor, I grip the back of his neck, rubbing my body against his. His tongue caresses mine, tempting and teasing, reminding me how talented that muscle is. How much pleasure it brings when used on other parts of me.
He slides his hands from my face, down the contours of my frame before they disappear underneath my tank top. When his fingers find my nipple and squeeze, a whimper falls from my throat.
“There it is,” he muses against my mouth, pinching my nipple even harder, the combination of pleasure and pain almost too much, desire soaking my panties. “Do you know how much I love that fucking sound?”
I whimper again, giving him what he wants. What he needs. What he craves.
“God yes, princess. That’s it,” he grits out as he lowers his hand down my stomach, slipping it into my shorts.
Our first night together, he took his time, teasing me to the point that I was on the brink of losing my mind.
Not tonight.
