Page 12 of Paying Daddy's Debt Collector

He advances toward me and doesn’t stop. Thinking he might walk right through me, I back myself up against the counter. With a hand on either side of me, he pins me in place and stares down at me. He’s so close I feel the heat coming off his body, and a different sort of heat builds in mine.

“While you’re here with me, it’s my job to keep you safe. This is why you need to do as you’re told. I’m not angry with you but I will be if you don’t do as I say.”

“Alright. I just don’t want you to be mad.”

He reaches down and tucks my hair behind my ear before he grazes my jaw with his finger. With his eyes on my mouth, my breath quickens, especially when he runs his thumb down the column of my throat.

“You don’t understand what you do to men, do you?”

“Me? What?”

“When a man looks at you, the first thing he does is undress you in his mind. He imagines every inch of your hot, naked body. Then he starts thinking about all of the things he’ll do to you. If you let a man do that for long enough, he’s bound to try to bring those fantasies to life.”

My heartbeat pounds between my ears as I try to catch my breath. No one has ever spoken to me like this before and I don’t know how I’m supposed to react. He’s not looking me in the eyes anymore. His gaze is focused on the open top two buttons of my blouse. I summon the courage to speak and ask the one question that’s burning inside me. “Do you do that when you look at me?”

He lowers his mouth next to my ear and whispers hoarsely, “You have no idea.”

My legs go weak beneath me and my head begins to spin. I don’t hear anything else except our ragged breathing and my pounding heart.

He rests his forehead on mine, our mouths just inches apart. He’s going to kiss me. Please, let him kiss me.

Desire is probably written all over my face because he lifts my chin and claims my mouth. Finally. The kiss starts slow and unhurried, but when I clutch his shoulders and stand on my toes, everything explodes.

He coaxes my lips to open for him, and when I do, his tongue plunges into my mouth, making me moan and hold on tightly to him. I loop my arms around his neck, and he grabs my hips, his fingers digging into my flesh.

He lifts me off the floor and puts me down on the counter, the cold marble against my bare skin making me hiss. He kisses me with urgency and unbridled passion, and I give as much as I get. With a groan, he jerks my butt to the edge, and I wrap my legs around his waist, locking at the ankles.

His roughness and intensity turn me into putty in his hands. I don’t know when it happened, but I’m pretty sure I’m already soaked down there. I can feel the stickiness between my thighs.

He grabs the back of my head and cups it so he can kiss and nibble the side of my neck while keeping his other hand on my hip, stopping me from moving even an inch.

I don’t know where this is headed, and right now, I don’t care. He could strip me naked and take me in front of all of these windows and I wouldn’t protest. His right hand moves from my hip to the small of my back and settles on my butt. He squeezes my cheek so hard that I gasp.

“Boss, are you here?” The front door opens and a voice calls out for him.

It’s like someone poured a bucket full of ice over our heads.

He lets go of me and pinches his lips together as he runs his fingers through his hair and shakes his head. He cups the back of my neck and plants a kiss on my forehead. “Get something to eat and then get to work. We’ll continue this later. I’m not done with you.”

It takes a moment for me to compose myself and get my body moving again. This was exactly what I wanted and the last thing I expected. Leaning against the counter, I run a finger along my tender lips. To say that he’s a good kisser is an understatement. But god, I want more. That one was like a promise of better things to come. And I can’t wait.

For the rest of the day, I find myself looking for Chris around every corner. He’s ignited something in me that I just can’t ignore. I was so certain that someone like him wouldn’t give someone like me the time of day, but I was wrong. He wants me and that makes me want him even more than I did before.

By the time I go down to dinner, I’m practically beside myself. I’m not sure what I’m expecting but just being in the same room with him might be enough to tide me over for now. I reach the dining room to find that there’s only one place set at the table and Chris isn’t there.

I feel a heaviness in my body that wasn’t there before. With a sigh, I sit down and pick at my dinner. I keep glancing at the clock, hoping he’ll walk through the door any minute. He doesn’t.

Did something work-related come up that’s keeping him away or did he decide that what happened this morning was a mistake and now he’s avoiding me? No, he’s not the type of man who would distance himself that way. He’ll be here right now telling me why it was a mistake and how it will never happen again.

My anxiety goes into overdrive, and I start to imagine all of the terrible, dangerous things that can happen to a man in his line of business. What if he’s hurt…or worse, what if he’s dead? No, that can’t be true either. He’s so big, strong, and powerful that I can’t help but pity his enemies.

I take my plate to the kitchen and clear the table before taking the dogs out. When we return, I place them in the kennel and give the kitten a good rub before heading up to bed. I guess “to be continued” will need to wait for another day.

6

CHRIS

This fucker is wasting my time.

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