sudden. And to be clear, I’d like nothing more than to go back to her room and do exactly what she has in mind. But there’s something not quite right about the way she came out with it.
“I think you know, Ellis…” She’s staring down at her feet in the sand, and I reach out, lifting her chin to bring her eyes to mine.
“And what about Nash?”
She scoffs. “I belong to no one. I’m just looking for a good time. Aren’t you? Can’t we skip all the formalities. I know what you want. You know what I want. So, why wait?”
I step forward, put a hand on her waist, and she tilts her head up toward me, as if she’s waiting for me to kiss her. I underestimated this girl from the start. I knew there was something beneath her beautiful mask, but I have a feeling it’s far more complex than I originally thought. She’s not just broken. She’s shattered into a million little pieces.
“Let’s go back to your room,” I whisper. Her eyes brighten for a moment as she takes my hand and pulls me toward the guest house.
10
Thank God. I need this, and I have faith Ellis Prior has what it takes to get me out of this dry slump I’ve been stuck in for the past eleven months. Living so long without arousal does things to a person. Sure, Nash got me off last night, but it wasn’t quite the release I was looking for.
Something about his forcefulness turned me on, but more than anything, the fear was like ice cold water on my body. It was a desperate, fumbling orgasm full of resentment and regret. Not exactly how I wanted my first time with Nash to be.
So, I need Ellis to wash it all away. Like a palette cleanser. A thirty-eight-year old, hot as fuck, confident, rich palette cleanser.
When we get to the room, I pull him in and offer him some wine from the bottle I have sitting on the small kitchenette.
“No thank you,” he replies as he puts his hands in his pockets and walks toward me. The eye contact is disarming.
“Okay then.” I keep waiting for him to take the lead, tear off my clothes or something, but he doesn’t. So, I walk up to him instead and reach for the buttons of his shirt. His hands snatch mine before I can get one undone.
“Sit with me.”
“We really don’t have to—"
“Sit down, Hanna.” A chill runs down my spine as I silently obey him, moving toward the couch. As I take a seat, I look up to him, waiting for him to sit too.
When he finally takes the spot next to me, he still doesn’t move to kiss me. What is his deal? Instead, he leans his arm along the back of the sofa and looks at me.
I reach for his pants, thinking maybe he wants me to take the lead.
“Stop.”
I pull my hands away.
“Ellis, I don’t need you to be polite about this. We don’t have to pretend we didn’t both come here to fuck.”
“That’s not why I came here, Hanna.”
I let out a sigh and a sarcastic laugh. “Why are you fucking with me right now?”
“Because I like you, and I want to know what has you acting like this.”
My eyes widen, and I pull away, ready to snap at him, but his hand reaches out, grasping the back of my neck as he pulls me forward. Our lips hover an inch apart as he stares into my eyes.
“So, what is it? Why are you so eager to get me into bed?”
“Is the fact I’m attracted to you not enough?” I ask. A small smile lifts the corner of his mouth.
“I’m attracted to you too, but you don’t see me trying to fuck you like it means nothing,” he replies.
“Oh, it definitely wouldn’t mean nothing to me,” I whisper. “Don’t tell me you never have meaningless sex. I don’t believe that for a second.”
“Not with people I like.”
Finally, he pulls my face toward him, closing the distance and pressing his soft lips to mine. First, it’s a gentle kiss, our lips locking in warmth and velvet until his tongue slips through, stroking mine in a soft friction that lights a small spark behind my ribcage.
He kisses me for a long time, holding my head like I’m some small fragile thing. I melt into his embrace, crawling onto his lap while he takes his time with his mouth exploring mine. I