Page 19 of Tempt

Hewas dangerous, not me.

Dangerous because he wasn’t available. Oh sure, he was single, but nothing else about Theo was open. He was work-obsessed and reclusive for a reason. Probably a thousand reasons I hadn’t even thought of.

And yet I still felt compelled to find my way into his life. It felt important. Like I was a lifeline and his last chance to make it out alive—which was crazy. I didn’t know him or his life. But his eyes…damn those eyes. When he looked at me, that’s what I saw.

He needed me.

He wasn’t a sane or safe choice to put my heart or my head near. But I was going to do it anyway. He wanted it easy. Simple. No complications. We both wanted sex and relief from lives that were stressing us out.That was my way in. I’d be the one thing thatwasn’tcomplicated in his life.

He blinked. “How does this work, then?”

“It’s not complicated, Theo. You need some relief, you call me.”

“And vice-versa?”

“If you’re willing to give up your phone number, yes. I know you like your secrecy and all…”

He grunted and shook his head, reaching out to play with my fingers. “You’re different.”

“Different than what?”

“Than anyone else I’ve ever met.” That one statement sucked all the air out of the room. “What do you want from me?” he whispered, as if the only reason I could possibly be standing in his bedroom was to extract something from him.

“I don’t want anything from you,” I whispered.

“Everybody wants something.” His voice was rough.

I wondered if everybody in Theo’s life used him. Like Nicki on the phone earlier. Was this what his life was like? I swallowed, trying to control my breathing and pounding heart. It didn’t really work. “Okay. I do want something.”

His breath hitched as he reached up and ran his heavy finger from my lower lip, down my throat, and gripped my shoulder. His eyes rose until they locked with mine. “What do you want?”

“This…” the word escaped my lips like a plea. It was a plea. A desperate,needyplea. “I want you to keep giving me this. And I’ll give it in return.”

“Just sex?”

I nodded. “Isn’t that enough? I can’t find pleasure like this just anywhere.”

His hand tightened on my arm. I wanted him to pull me hard against his body. To posses me. I wanted to get lost inside him and forget about anything else, including that confusion I’d seen in his eyes a few moments earlier.

“You know, as dumb as it sounds, I actually believe you. Maybe I just want to believe you…” he sounded so conflicted.

“Youshouldbelieve me. I don’t need anything else from you, Theo. I don’t need your money or your name. I’m not here to marry your sorry ass.”

A dark look fell over his eyes and he stopped breathing. Something I’d just said scared him. What, I wasn’t entirely sure.

“Okay,” he finally said.

“Okay.” I bit my lip and ran my hands down his firm chest. He was looking through me or past me, at something only he could see in his mind.

“Are you using me for my body?” he finally asked.

“Bollocks, you figured me out.”

“Did you just saybollocks?” he laughed.

I bit my lip and looked up at him, hiding my own laugh. “Yes, do you have a problem with that?”

He shook his head, eyes twinkling. Somehow I’d managed to pull him out of another funk with my incredibly witty humor. “Not at all. It just sounds really adorable coming out in your American accent.”

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