Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 84102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“Seriously? If I told you my gut thinks something’s wrong here, you would pack up and go with me?”
The whole idea of leaving gave him a headache because he might never get this chance again, but there was one correct answer here. “I trust you. You say the word and we leave.”
“You are too good to be true.”
He thought that was part of the problem. She didn’t want to trust this thing between them because it felt too good and therefore had to be false. He needed to show her how wrong she was. “Then I will inevitably disappoint you, but it won’t be by questioning your authority when it comes to our safety. So let’s play. I trust you to keep us safe. Trust me to bring you pleasure.”
A soft sigh came from her mouth, those full lips of hers parting slightly. “I worry I’ll think more about you than I will the job if I sleep with you.”
“I know I won’t be able to think about anything but you if we don’t.”
“You seemed to do okay today.”
He’d wondered if it bugged her that he’d gotten lost. He released her arm. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t realize where the time had gone.”
She shook her head and moved back. “That didn’t bother me. I know what you’re here to do, and I’m glad you had fun with it. It’s my job to make sure you can do yours. And it was cool how you put all of that together. But I have to admit I’m nervous about moving forward. I do want you.”
He could compromise. “How about you go and take a shower and get ready for bed. I’m going to go out to the living area and make a couple of notes on the things I learned today. I’ll close the door between us. If you come through the door again, we’ll start a scene and play. If you choose to go to bed then I’ll see how you feel in the morning. This is not an all or nothing offer. If you change your mind, I’ll be here. But you have to promise me something. When you’re in the shower, think about me. Think about what we could do if I was in there with you. If you decide you don’t want to go through with this, leave the door closed. You take the bed and I’ll sleep out here on the couch.”
“That doesn’t seem fair to you.”
“Fair doesn’t matter. What matters to me is that you feel secure and comfortable and you make the decision you need to make because if you do want to explore this chemistry between us, I’ll be in charge.” He moved to the door that separated the bedroom and that decadent bath from the living area where his laptop was already set up.
She stood there, watching him with wary eyes. “All right then. I’ll think about it.”
He closed the door between them and prayed she found the courage to open it again.
* * * *
Tessa stood in front of the door and realized she was being a coward. She’d taken way too long in that shower, and the whole time she couldn’t stop thinking about how if she’d been a little braver, he might have been in there with her, his hands moving over her body.
He was too fucking good to be true, and she’d had that before. She’d been in this exact place with a man who should have been forever and just wasn’t, and what if that was her fault?
It had seemed like such a perfect idea on the plane. She’d had hours to think it over, to come to the conclusion that they could find mutual pleasure and walk away satisfied. One night to get David out of her system had sounded like a logical, practical thing to do. Then he’d turned the tables on her on the boat. The minute she’d realized her buttoned-up professor was kind of a freak, she’d known she was in serious trouble. In some ways it still didn’t compute for her. The tops she knew were men who were dominant and dangerous even outside of Sanctum. She was sure her friends would tell her she needed to hang out with people who didn’t take bullets for a living, but that was her experience. She equated tops with alpha males.
Or was she equating alpha males with military men. There were other types of alpha men. She would bet David could take charge of a classroom easily. Why did a guy have to carry a gun to be an alpha?
She was stalling again. She wasn’t this woman, damn it. She wasn’t a woman who worried over every decision. She wanted David, and she was going to have him. They’d made their deal, and everyone knew the score, so this was easy-peasy.