“Shall we have a seat?” he offers, but his gentlemanly question is laced with sin. His front presses against my back as his hand rests on my shoulder. I’m certain I can feel his length against my backside. Sucking in a sharp breath, I wish I could gather the courage to speak.
I’ve always been a bit too shy to go for what I want.
But that’s what led me here, to the mercy of this man. Listening, obeying.
The thought is what convinces me to turn where I am, still close enough to him that we touch, only this time, it’s my front to his. With his head lowered and mine raised, I ask him, lust coating my question, “Here then? On the sofa?”
His eyes flash with primitive need, and for a moment I know I’ve shocked him. He’s quick to regain his position, placing his hands on my hips, gently so.
“For now . . . until I have you on your knees on the floor. Or would you rather we get right to it, Belle?”
“On my knees?” The vision flashes in my mind. The crackling of the fire, my knees and palms burning against the rug as Calum takes me from behind, his blunt nails digging into my hips.
A rough groan travels up his chest, once again making me feel as if he’s read my mind. “Yes,” he answers, “Let’s get the formalities over with, and then I’ll have you that way first, your ass in the air as I fuck you on all fours.”
I couldn’t blush any harder, but with the barest grasp on the last bit of dignity I have, I manage to speak. “Is that the deal? My father’s debt for tonight?”
Calum’s head tilts, and a threat laces the single word he speaks. “Tonight?”
The raging of my heart heats my body, as if I’ve said something wrong. Instinctively, I take one step back, and he’s far too quick to keep us close, matching my step with his own.
“What do you want with me? If not . . .”
“Oh, I assure you, Belle, what you’re thinking is precisely what I want.” The desire in his tone is reflected in his gaze, and the lust that rushes in my blood is the only thing that keeps the fear from taking over.
“Then . . . I don’t understand.” I honestly don’t.
“It’s going to take much more than a night to pay off your debt.”
4
Calum
“How much more?” she questions, the desire subsiding, overtaken by the details. “How long is this . . . Arrangement?”
“I’ll decide that.” Irritation rolls through me, tensing my body. She’s already thinking of limiting her time. “I want everything from you. Including your time. As much of it as I desire.”
I could give her everything and anything she wanted, but all she wants is to know when it will be over before it’s even begun.
“I need to know.”
“You don’t need to know anything other than how I want you.” My words are harsh, and I’m quite aware. She was eager and ready, but panic has reached her eyes.
For the first time since I met her eyes and stalked her steps at that party, regret lingers in the air between us. My anger quickly dissipates, and the hint of fear bleeds into my thoughts. I almost have her. Ever since I saw her years ago, I’ve wanted her. I can’t let a minor detail take her away from me.
“Did you think one night would pay it all off? That in one night I’d have my fill?” Slipping my hand around the back of her neck, I nip her bottom lip in admonishment, ramping up the desire I know she has for me.
“Calum.” Her throat tightens as she swallows. “Please, I need—”
“You need to do as I say,” I command her, and my tone resonates, but still she hesitates. I fucking loathe it.
“I will,” quickly spoken, her eyes wide and her body willing. “I promise I will. But I need . . .”
“Make it very clear and be quick, Annabelle. My patience is running thin.”
“You want to use me, fuck me, and I swear I want you too. How can I agree to letting you do as you please with no way out and no way to stop this . . .”
“When I’m done with you tonight, that won’t be a worry. Now, get on your knees.”
She gasps, the sound both alarming and tantalizing.