Page 43 of Omega's Refuge

He swallowed hard. “Yeah?”

“Definitely. I’ve been thinking about you a lot today. I was frustrated as hell you started ignoring me, Rex.”

“Were you?” He rubbed his jaw, appearing muddled. “I was worried about how much I wanted you to stay. Seemed like I was fixating on you too much. I felt like I needed some distance from you, Tanner.”

“What if I don’t want distance from you?” I asked, inching my fingers higher up his legs.

“Careful, Tanner,” he rumbled.

“Why do I need to be careful?” I asked, leaning closer. Excitement shivered through me at the feel of his muscular thighs beneath my hands. It was exhilarating to finally be this close to him. I’d tried hard to ignore my attraction when Steve was still in the picture, but now that Steve was gone, I wasn’t sure why I would bother.

“You should be careful because were alone in your cabin, and I may not want to behave if you tempt me.” His eyes glittered with arousal.

“Maybe I don’t want you to behave,” I said, relishing how his breathing picked up every time our eyes met. I loved that he was so responsive tomy touch. It was exhilarating to realize how much I affected him just by being close.

“Tanner,” his voice held a warning. “I’m not kidding.”

“Stop trying to scare me off, Rex,” I said softly. “This is what I’ve wanted all day with you—closeness. Intimacy.Your attention.”

He said in a strangled voice, “Well, you definitely have that.”

“Good. Because I didn’t appreciate being ignored all day. And then to top it off, you went on a date too.” My voice sharpened on the word “date.”

His body was wound tight as a spring, and there was perspiration on his upper lip. “I needed my ego stroked, and I knew Vance wouldn’t hesitate to do that for me.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Oh, really?”

“Yep.”

It suddenly hit me that he might have slept with Vance earlier tonight. The thought was repugnant and stopped me in my tracks. Why hadn’t that occurred to me sooner? I pulled my hands from his legs and stood, ready to move away. But before I could put any distance between us, he grabbed my wrist.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

I said tersely, “You’ve probably had all thestrokingyou need for one night.” My desire to comfort him had disappeared as the visual of himand Vance fucking washed over me like a bucket of ice water.

Some tension seemed to leave him. He gave a small smile as he slowly tugged me forward until I was off balance, and forced to sit on his lap. One hand settled on my hip. “Are you jealous, Tanner?”

I hated that he could tell I was seething, but didn’t have it in me to hide it either. “If I was into sharing, I’d still be with Steve.”

His mouth thinned. “Steve is a piece of shit.”

“I agree.” The heat of his body was seeping into me, and because I was seated on his lap, I could feel his arousal growing beneath my ass. “But maybe you are too.”

He narrowed his eyes. “If you really thought that, you wouldn’t miss me when you go home.”

I lifted one shoulder. “I guess you’ll never know if that was the truth or not. Maybe I just said that to make you feel better.”

He gave a gruff laugh. “How come you’re so sassy all of a sudden? You were being nice, but now you’re mad. Is it because of what I said about Vance stroking my ego?”

I tried to free my wrist from his grip. “I don’t care what hestroked. It’s none of my business.”

He studied me, a line between his brows. “I didn’t sleep with Vance, if that’s what’s bothering you.”

While I was relieved to hear that, my pride wouldn’t let me immediately show that to him. I’d already shown way more interest in him than I was comfortable with. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Stop it, Tanner.” His voice was gentle. “Stop fighting me.”

I met his gaze, my cheeks warm. “I don’t know how,” I admitted quietly.

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