Page 42 of Always Knew It Was You

Especially when he leans down and kisses my forehead. “Good girl.”

Shit. The words send my heartbeat into overdrive.

And I don’t understand why, this weird reaction to him.

As we drive home, it’s not just me that’s lost in my thoughts. Micah is also quieter than usual. Per his insistence, I’m still wearing one of the dresses I got from the store, the red one that I tried on first. Micah stared at me when I wore it again, his look telling me everything I needed to know.

The atmosphere is tense with thoughts and unspent desire. I feel the urge to break the silence, at least to distract myself.

“How did you find this store anyway?” I ask. “Frankly, I didn’t even know mainstream designers make samples in my size.”

“They don’t when you’re a regular person,” he says. “When you have the means and the contacts, you can get anything you want in any size you want. The owner of the store is a millionaire so she gets the samples in whatever size she wants.”

“Ah. So that’s how you discovered it? Through the owner?”

“Nope. I dated a woman once and this was her favorite store.”

“Really? How nice.” There’s an odd note in my voice. I guess I don’t like hearing about the girls he dates.

“Jealous?” he teases.

“No,” I say, with the same odd note and he laughs.

“I don’t even remember her name if it makes you feel better. Just that she brought me here a few times to shop.”

It really doesn’t. Because pretty soon I’ll be the girl whose name he doesn’t remember too.

More tumultuous feelings arise at that realization and they last even as Micah takes me up to his penthouse in Bel Air.

It’s at the top of a luxury hotel and when we arrive, I greet the elderly doorman with a friendly smile and he grins back and then winks at Micah. “Owee. I know you do well with the ladies, Mr. Landing, but you really got a smokeshow tonight. If I were twenty years younger, I would try to steal her from you.”

“You would have gotten a black eye for your trouble. Don’t stare too hard at my woman, Patrick,” Micah teases.

Patrick chuckles. “Or what? You’re going to kick an old man’s ass, boss?”

“No, I’m going to call your wife and let her do it for me.”

I blush at the man’s compliments, and his hearty laughter follows us to the elevators.

When we get up to the topmost floor, Micah enters a code into the keypad, letting me into the large, art deco living room and then I have a sudden thought.

In times of confusion, turn it back to what you know.

Sex.

Once we get into the house I don’t waste time. I kiss him, deeply.

And promptly find my back pressed against the wall.

Micah groans into my mouth as he swallows the kiss, his tongue sliding against mine. His hand clutches the back of my hair, a note of desperation in his touch that tells me he’s been thinking about this as long as I have.

That he’s wanted to do this all day too.

I fling my mind to the wind and wrap my arms around his neck. Once again, I cease to care about anyone or anything else. Just the taste of him, like wine and sin. The scent of him, strong, solid, and spicy. The feel of him, hard and relentless.

He picks me up and I wrap my legs around his waist. It’s crazy how easily he carries me. He walks with me too, a few steps until, suddenly, my back is against a plush couch.

His arms grip my thighs, forcing them open, ripping off my panties.

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