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Instead of accepting Tristan’s advances, I’d pushed back against him, blowing him off. I’d told him that he didn’t really want something more serious with me, when in truth I was terrified. When he cornered me on Zali’s yacht, there was no room for doubt anymore.
Tristan pushed me up against the kitchen cabinets, pressing his big body to mine. He wrapped his arms around my waist before landing on my hips, holding me steady as he kissed a line up my throat, nuzzling the spot behind my ear that made me melt. He’d found it the first night we were together, and when he pressed for me to cave, Tristan played dirty, hitting that button.
“I want you, Ez. I want to strip you of every one of your doubts so you can see exactly what I want,” he rumbled against my ear, his breath sending a shiver through me. “I want to love you.”
Grinding against me, he pressed his hot, hard length between my cheeks. He slipped his hand lower, palming my dick. My balls drew up tight, pre-cum blooming from my slit, the stickiness against my boxer briefs immediate. My hole clenched. No one had ever taken me like him. No one had ever managed to completely obliterate the world outside my bedroom door like he’d done.
I arched into him, desperate for more of his touch. Needy. Wanting. It had been so long since I’d been with anyone, man or woman, that it wouldn’t take much more before my release was inevitable.
But giving in was dangerous.
As time had gone by, Tristan’s demands had changed. He promised me everything, the relationship I craved with him rather than just the nights of endless orgasms. But now he wanted more than I could give. I was in love with four people, only one of whom I had any kind of chance with. He deserved better than my scraps.
“Give in,” he whispered. “Let me take us to heaven.”
I moaned, desperate to let go. To finally hand over the reins to him. To stop thinking and fall into our chemistry headfirst.
Tris gave me a sliver of space, waiting for me to act. Instinct screamed at me to unbuckle my pants and shove them down, but instead I pushed back and spun around. I wanted to have him in my arms, for him to know just how much I wanted him. This whole affair had disaster written all over it, but I was teetering on the edge of reason, unable to think up any more excuses.
Chest to chest and nose to nose, we breathed in each other’s air. Our chests came together with every inhale, our hips pressed firm. He was as hard as I was, our cocks nestled together between our thin layers of clothing. Though we were hovering only a hair’s breadth apart, I still needed more. Spearing my fingers into Tris’s soft-as-silk hair, I gripped his nape and brushed my lips against his.
I think I moaned. It could have been Tris. But it was the final straw, the one that broke the camel’s back. Instinctively, we deepened our kiss, our tongues tangling and teeth clashing together.
Then I heard the gasp. A quiet whimper.
Thoughts of Zali, Flynn, and Ryder intruded, and a guilt as heavy as the ocean weighed on me. I couldn’t do it.
Stepping back and severing our connection, I held up a hand to stop Tris from chasing me. It took everything in me to force out the one word I knew would hurt both of us, but it was for the best. Disappointing him now was better than doing it later—it would only hurt more if I led him on. “No,” I uttered, my tone a mixture of resignation and resolve.
He stepped forward, his eyes blazing. His kiss-swollen lips, still wet from our exploration, were so very tempting. But I couldn’t do it. I had to stay strong. I tried to push him away, but my hands had a mind of their own. It was more of a caress, an excuse to touch him one last time, than a shove. But it was all I could manage.
Walking away from him was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. My feet dragged like I was wading through quicksand. My heart cracked in my chest, every one of my nerve endings already missing his body against mine.
The only thing that kept me going, the only solace I had, was standing in front of me. Zali. It was as if she were the sun and could recharge my batteries. I paused in front of her, cupping her face. I needed her strength, her willpower, to be able to walk away for good. But my hands were trembling, and I couldn’t let her see how weak I was either. Kissing her cheek, I gathered my wits and stalked out of the kitchen.
Off the yacht.
I needed space, air, or I’d drown.
“Detective,” Inspector Puglisi snapped, jarring me back to the present. “A word.”
Tristan slipped around the chairs and handed me my jacket. “You’ll get through this. I’m here for you too,” he murmured, clasping my waist gently and squeezing. Closing my eyes, I let my head fall forward onto his shoulder and wished for just one moment where I could take what I needed.
But it was impossible.
Holding my jacket in front of my erection, I spun on my heels and followed the inspector into her office without another word. The moment her door was closed, she rounded on me.
“Your girl has gotten away with this bullshit for the last time. There’s something more going on here, and I don’t like being played.”
I sighed, sick of her lecture already. “There’s nothing more, inspector. She gave us everything. The contents of the USB backed up every piece of her evidence, and tech have found the threats online that she was referring to.”
I shook my head, misery hovering over me like a storm cloud. “The chatter seems real, and you said it yourself that the tone has changed in the last hour. The Bank’s firewalls have gotten a whole lot more difficult to crack—that’s Zali’s patch, and you know it.”
“It’s too neat,” she muttered.
“That’s Zali. She does it with every investigation I’ve worked with her on.”
“Get her under control, detective. I’m holding you responsible for her actions.” She pointed her finger at me.
