Page 44 of The Publicity Stunt

"Why? Is she gonna rip my heart out and stomp on it? Because that doesn't seem like her style."

Shaking his head, Victor sighs. "No, she won't be the one breaking hearts. And she doesn't deserve that. I got to see the beautiful person she is inside, and she really likes you. Might even love you, Kace. If you hurt her, I'm worried she'll lose her faith in people. If you're not serious about making this something more than whatever it started as, please let her know. And maybe let her go. Don't be reckless with her heart."

"Reckless? Dad, I'd jump in front of a bus for her. I've never felt this way before. I don't know how to describe it, but when we're together, we can do nothing and have it feel like everything. We talk about things I don't share with others, and I miss her when she's not around. The only other woman I've ever missed before is Mom."

"You didn't miss Sasha?" Victor tilts his head and raises his eyebrows. It's more I knew it than shocked.

Kace holds his hands up. "Okay, physically, sure. I mean, when you have someone willing to hop into bed with you, of course you want them on some level when they aren't around. Especially when you're committed. With Bri, I just miss being near her. Talking to her. I've never met a nicer soul, but man, can she put people in their place when she needs to. You should have seen what she did for a poor father in Texas while also cutting the manager off at the knees. Seriously... it's the greatest way to describe the contradiction that is Bri Waters."

"What happened?"

"Long story short, she covered a birthday girl's party at a steakhouse because her father had gift cards that didn't work and expired coupons. We learned it's the first thing she's wanted to do since her mom passed, and Bri made everyone's day. The manager was an ass, and she basically told him to stop being a crap human before calling the owner and getting him fired."

"Good for her!" Victor says as the tab comes. Kace reaches for it, but Victor snatches it up first. "I'm getting the star treatment while I'm here. The least I can do is pay for dinner."

Kace knows better than to argue, and they leave to go back to Victor's hotel. He walks him to the door before it registers Bri told him she's in the same hotel.

"Have a good night, Dad. And a safe flight tomorrow."

Victor smirks. "Like I won't be seeing you in the morning." He walks into his room and shuts the door. Kace swears he hears laughter on the other side.

Without hesitation, he walks to the front lobby. "Hi, I'm Kace Lyons. Can I talk with Bri Waters' security team?"

"Kace Lyons?" the woman says. "I was told to give you this card to get you onto the floor. The elevator to the penthouse suite is right over there."

A keycard? Hurrying to the elevator, he scans the card and presses the PH button, his excitement growing with every floor that passes on the impossibly slow ride. Finally, the doors open, and he all but runs to her door to knock.

All he wants is to see Bri. See her, kiss her, touch her. His skin feels as though it's been lit on fire, and she's the only one to put out the flames. Or fan the flames.

Finally, the door opens, and Bri stands with a robe on and a smile. "Did you have a good dinner with your dad?"

"I did. I don't even know how to thank you for this. It was one of the most thoughtful things anyone has ever done," Kace says and steps into the room to shut the door. "And I have no idea how you got him to agree to any of this, but thank you."

"There's one way I can think of that you can thank me."

"What's that?"

"Have your dessert with me."

The last thing Kace wants is more food, but Bri unties her robe to hang open and show nothing beneath it. That kind of dessert. "Fuck me."

"That's kind of what my plan was," she says. "This time, though, it doesn't have to be so sweet and loving. I want to feel like you can't get enough of me."

Picking her up, he presses her against the wall like he had earlier, and claims her mouth. Her fingers tangle in his hair while his hands roam all along her body, feeling as much skin as he possibly can. Lifting her higher, he lowers his head to nibble her hard nipples, and her heat presses against his t-shirt.

"I hoped you understood my message when I told you where your dad was staying," she pants and tugs at his t-shirt.

Kace sets her on the ground to quickly undress, and he takes her back into his arms, his cock ready and positioned at her entrance. "I almost didn't, but I wanted to come and thank you."

She wiggles in his arms, trying to slide onto him, but he holds her where she is. Her eyes look up into his, and she pouts. "Kace... please. Please."

"Hearing you beg drives me wild," he mutters and slams into her.

She mewls, and he stops for a moment, thinking he hurt her. "Why'd you stop?" she pants.

"God, you're sexy."

His need for her takes over, and he thrusts, pounding into her fast and hard. The pleasurable sounds she makes bring him to the edge, and before he can stop it, he has to pull out as he comes on the floor.

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