Page 34 of Whatever He Wants
His dresser is in front of me.I scan the surface, hyperaware of his touch and his presence so close behind me.This is my second time in his bedroom, so I’m not familiar with the usual layout, but everything looks like they belong.Nothing stands out.
I shake my head.“I don’t see it.”
He pushes me closer to the dresser.
“Look at the watch box.”
The lid is up, several pieces sitting in their slots.I don’t condone what Matt did, but I understand why he stole one.They all have that tantalizing shine only money can buy.
But one grabs my attention.Black strap, silver case, the word STEINHART in silver on the black dial.I recognize it even though I’ve never seen it before.It matches the description Isaac sent me that day I went to the pawn shop.
That’s the watch Matt stole.
I spin to face him.“How did you get it back?”
“I bought it.”
Confused, I’m about to ask him how he got the first buyer’s information from the pawn shop owner, but comprehension kicks in.
He’sthe one who bought it before I could.
“But...how did you know where to get it?”
“You said the shop was close to your work.There were only two possibilities on the map.”
I back up a step, glaring at him.“This is the worst surprise ever.”
“I never promised it’ll be a good one.Did it upset you?”
“Of course it did!You just showed me you had the watch all along, after I wasted my time trying to get it back for you, and got stressed out when I couldn’t.”
“I got it before you could so you wouldn’t waste your hard earned money fixing Matt’s mess.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me that night?Oh, I know why.So you could blackmail me for sex!”My hands clenched at my sides, I glance at the door, ready to escape.“I can’t believe you would do something like that.It would’ve been better if you let me believe the watch was gone for good.”
He shakes his head.“I didn’t blackmail you for sex.I tried to make you admit you wanted me.Yeah, I could’ve let you believe the watch was gone, but showing it to you was the right thing to do, even if it made you upset.Because it would make you upset.”
My eyes are wide, my voice faint.
“Youwantedto get me angry?”
“Yes.”His voice is silken as he moves closer.I retreat until the dresser blocks me from going any further.“That way, I can make it up to you.I’ll doanything.”
I said those last three words to him the day he showed up in the basement demanding Matt return his watch.I’m still ticked off at him for his deception, but with him standing so close, I see why those words tempted him and he took advantage of the opportunity.Anythingmeans all the things I fantasized about this week, things I shouldn’t want from him.
Temptation whispers in my ear, asking me if it would be so bad if I give in.After all, I was ready to do it before.But when you make a mistake, you’re supposed to learn from it, not repeat it.I move to the side, determined to flee Isaac’s bedroom with my morals intact.He steps in my way and grabs my waist before I can get past him.
“Isaac—”
In one fluid motion, he pulls me against him, his hand at the back of my neck, his lips claiming mine.His kiss is demanding, wiping out resistance and reason.I’m barely aware of him turning me and walking me backward.
My legs meet the side of his bed.He uses his body to push me onto it.His arm still around me, he drags me to the middle of the mattress, trapping me under him.We’re breathing hard, and I can think again now that our kiss is broken.I squirm under him, pushing on his shoulders.My god.He’s so big and hard, it’s like I’m trying to move a mountain.
“Do you know why you always fight me?”he asks.
“Because this is wrong and one of us needs to think with our head and not with what’s in our pants?”
“No, because you like it when I force you.”
