Page 40 of His to Possess
“Love,” I murmur, taking a cautious step forward. “How’s your head? I thought you were going to sleep?”
She shrugs, still not meeting my eyes. “I couldn’t get my brain to shut up.”
I step closer, close enough to reach out and touch her now, and breathe a sigh of relief when she doesn’t shy away. She’s been so skittish ever since we ran into that asshole at the club. “Talking might help.”
She shakes her head quickly, and I have to fight back a sigh. It would all be so much easier if I could just get her to open up to me.
“I was thinking I might watch TV for a while,” she says, still fussing with that damn frayed hem. “But I can stay in my room if it will disturb you.”
I grab her fidgeting hand, stilling her fingers, and she finally looks up at me. The expression on her face guts me. She looks so…lost. Scared and ashamed of herself. I fucking hate it. I would spend another million dollars, without a second thought, just to get that look off her face.
“Television sounds like a good idea,” I tell her, squeezing her fingers. “Mind if I join you?”
Her expression softens, just a little, but it’s enough to make my heart soar with victory. I’m helping her.
“I would like that.”
Philip
Ten minutes later we’re sitting on my living room floor, a plate of dessert between us. Lilah is flipping through the channels and I can’t stop fucking staring at her.
Leggings and a t-shirt shouldn’t be so fucking hot, but on Lilah Cartwright, they’re absolutely lethal. The black fabric is tight on her ass, hips, and thighs, showing off every inch of her amazing curves. The shirt is fairly modest—her tits aren’t hanging out or anything and it’s not particularly form-fitting—but there’s something about the way the soft fabric shifts over her body that makes me want to stare at her for the rest of the night.
She didn’t take her make-up off yet, but she did take her hair down. I’m relieved—I love those messy curls free and wild around her face. There’s something really damn appealing about the juxtaposition of her comfortable clothes and that face full of make-up. Maybe it’s the reminder that just a few hours ago, she was dressed to the nines, on my arm in the club, attracting the eye of every man there. Now I’m the one that gets to see her like this. I get to see theafter. The faded t-shirt and the untamed hair. The bare feet and the little hole on the knee of her leggings.
The real Lilah Cartwright. I like being the one to see it. A lot.
I’m so completely fucked.
“Ooh, I love this one,” she says suddenly, and I rip my attention away from her face to see she’s holding the remote out towards the TV. Right. We’re supposed to be picking a movie.
I squint at the screen. “Seriously?”
Her eyes are bright when she turns her head to look at me. “You don’t like scary movies?”
I shrug. “I’m honestly not much of a movie person at all,” I admit.
She stares at me, aghast. “Are you serious?”
“Never really had much time for them.”
“You don’t like movies? Who the hell doesn’t like movies?”
I find myself laughing at her obvious horror. “I’m a busy man.”
“This is unacceptable. Movies are pretty much the best thing ever.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You’re quite passionate about this.”
Her cheeks flush and though I find her blushing incredibly attractive, I get the sense that this isn’t actually something I want her to be embarrassed about. “Is film something you have an interest in? Beyond just watching, I mean.”
The blush darkens. “Um, I maybe thought I did. When I was younger. But it’s silly.”
“Hey.” When she doesn’t meet my eyes, I reach over and run a finger down her bare arm. My dick really likes the way she shivers at my touch, but I’m determined to think with my big head right now. “It’s not silly. What exactly did you think you might be interested in? Acting?”
She snorts loudly. “Oh my god, no. Can you even imagine?”
I can imagine, actually. I can imagine Lilah up on the big screen, her beauty capturing the attention of every person who sees her. “You’d be phenomenal.”
