he clung to her, losing his senses to the rapture she inspired.
She stroked a hand down his face, humming in that happy way she had.
He buried his face in the raw silk of her hair, unable to get close enough to her. Her scent enveloped him. He reached between them to free himself from his leathers.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice sex-drugged. “Hauk...”
She pushed back against him, fitting her body tighter into his. The firm roundness of her bare ass against his erection nearly undid him. Gripping her hips, he ground his temple against her scalp and gasped in air. He had to get himself under control enough to be gentle. Not to slam into her like an animal.
“Hauk. What are you doing?”
“Need you,” he grunted in answer. She was his. At least for a while. Gods, he needed this. Needed her.
“Hauk, wait.” Her elbows knocked back into him, not painful but insistent. “Stop.”
Stop? The word barely registered through the fog of longing. Why? He squeezed his eyes shut.
She’d said they could do this. She’d said she wanted to. Gods, don’t stop him now.
She twisted against him. Jolie had changed her mind. Didn’t matter why.
Every instinct in his body screamed at him to complete this, to make them one. But he forced himself to freeze. Her waist was firm in his grasp. He held on like an anchor, trying to find himself again in the swirling current of desire and pain.
“What are you doing? Turn me around.”
Grabbing for the shredded ends of his restraint, he pushed away.
As he stumbled toward the couch, he did his pants back up with clumsy fingers. His insides were numb. Numb and out of control at the exact same time. He’d done something horribly wrong—he must have or she wouldn’t reject him, right?—but he didn’t understand. Growling, he jabbed an accusing finger at her. “You said it was okay. You said you wanted me.”
“It is. I do.” She took a step toward him.
So confused. He threw a hand up to ward her off. “Don’t come near me.” Thankfully she stopped, because he was afraid he was losing his shit. “You said we didn’t need a condom. With the paper and the—the box of condoms. You said it was my choice.”
Her eyes flashed angrily. “I said we didn’t have to use a condom because I wanted there to be nothing between us. You still have all your clothes on!”
He glanced down at his outfit, barely aware of it.
She gesticulated wildly. “I want you to look me in the eye. I want you naked. Both of us naked. We can do that right now. Or later tonight. Or whenever you want. But not like...like that.” She pointed at the window. “Not the first time.”
She pursued him again. He hopped up and moved to put the couch between them.
Fuck him, she was right. His stomach dropped, heavy with the weight of his mistake. What was he doing? Treating her like a back-alley whore, that’s what he was doing. He squeezed his eyes shut again, trying to hold back the pressure crashing in from every direction.
He opened his eyes. She was in front of him again. He still wanted to grab her, throw her on the couch and rut her like an animal, and she was so much better than that.
He had to get out of here.
He headed for the elevator.
“What are you doing?” she called after him.
“You’re right.” Steady voice. Don’t let her see that you’ve lost your fucking mind.
“Okay. I’m right. So why are you calling for the elevator?”
He glared back at her over his shoulder. Stupid fucking elevator was fast, but it could still take a minute to get to him. Too damn long. He had to get out.
Chapter Nine
Jolie stared at Hauk in jaw-dropped confusion. She’d wanted to make him lose his shit. Well, she’d succeeded. Go team idiot. “Oh, fuck. Hauk, don’t... It’s okay. I’m not mad.”
He kept his back to her, not acknowledging her words. She had a feeling once that elevator got here, he was out. Her back stiffened in alarm. She had maybe thirty seconds.
“Look at me, please.” She walked toward him again, slowly this time.
He threw out a hand. “Just stop,” he gritted out. “Stay away from me.”
His words cut, and she lashed out. “You can’t just leave. That’s ridiculous.”
A door dinged, and he sprang at it.
Alarm became panic. She sprinted after him. “Don’t go. You can’t go.”
The door opened; he got in. He was leaving her like