Page 44 of Shattered Mind

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I must have been a bastard in a previous life.

That’s the only explanation I can come up with to explain why the universe is punishing me right now.

I hold back a groan as Liv bends over to deposit another box on the ground in her sinfully short summer dress. The creases beneath her ass cheeks call out to me, as if daring me to take a bite of what’s barely concealed behind the flowy scrap of material.

If I were a better man, I’d avert my eyes and give her some privacy. But I’m not. And I don’t. Instead, I observe her with a cocked head and uncomfortably tight pants.

I should’ve known being in close quarters and entirely alone with her was a dangerous game. I thought I was doing well at keeping my distance from her. In my mind I hoped that staying away from her would somehow dull the gravitational pull I feel every time I’m around her. That burning need that overcomes me the second her siren eyes latch onto mine.

The second I stepped a booted foot over the threshold of her house I was assaulted by her scent. By the memoryof the night that I let myself in here using her spare key and found her pleasuring herself to images of me. The sound of my name falling from her lips as she threw her head back and came.

Clearly, I don’t know shit. Because as she stands and breezes past me, it takes every inch of willpower I possess not to reach out, grip her by the back of the neck and slam my mouth against hers.

I pinch the bridge of my nose and try to picture something less appealing to calm my overexcited dick down before I go back to the truck. I willnotbeat my meat in the bathroom of the girl I likes house like some inexperienced, hormonal teenager.

It takes several attempts to compose myself enough to go out in public again and once I’m confident I’m not going to give the neighbours an eyeful, I join Liv at my truck.

We make quick work of unloading Bella’s boxes, and the few items of furniture we managed to fit in the bed of my truck. Before we know it, the sun has begun to set behind the mountains, blanketing the front yard in shadows and causing a light breeze to chill the air.

My stomach growls at me as I climb the steps with the last few belongings, reminding me I haven’t eaten since this morning.

Liv leans against the front door, her face flushed from exertion.

She looks downright edible.

“You hungry?” She asks, already knowing the answer.

I rock back on the balls of my feet. “Famished.”

She spins on her heel, disappearing inside and I follow, taking a detour towards Bella’s new bedroom to drop off the last of her items.

I find Liv in the kitchen and almost fall over my own feet as I’m hit with a wicked sense of déjà vu. She’s bentover, riffling through her fridge. This time her dress has risen high enough to reveal the thin strip of lace that disappears between her legs, and I clear my throat, loudly.

She whirls around, brushing the hair away from her face as she does and when her eyes land on mine, a mischievous grin tugs at the corners of her lips. “See something you like?”

I take my time looking her up and down, letting her feel the heat of my gaze as it trails the length of her body. “Hmm. Just admiring your dress.”

She opens her mouth to retort, but I step forward. “Take it off.”

She audibly swallows, her brows furrowing in confusion as she looks down at herself and back upat me. “What?”

“Take. It. Off.”

CHAPTER 22

OLIVIA

Ilook at Grayson like he’s grown two heads.

And then I burst out laughing. Not like a demure, girly laugh either. No. I throw my head back and howl like a full-blown maniac.

I know this man did not just come in here and demand I take off my dress.

Grayson stands in the same spot unmoving as I double over, fighting for breath as tears stream from the corners of my eyes. “Something funny?”

I look up at him through watery eyes. “Yeah. You. Coming in here with that macho bullshit,” I poke a finger in my chest and lower my voice as deep as possible in my hysterical state, “Me Tarzan. You Jane. Take off your dress.”

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