My body felt weary and depleted of energy. But being this close to his house already made my tension dissolve.
With a deep breath I opened my door and stared at his house. It was surprisingly modest. I’d always pictured something grand. Like the houses he builds. But his was a simple two-story bungalow. The front porch was small, with no furniture. I locked my door and fought the urge to run up the path. I wanted to blend in. Make it look like I belonged there and had in fact been there my entire life.
My heels echoed loudly on the tongue-and-groove porch floor. To me it sounded like bullets leaving a chamber. A warning that I needed to leave right this second.
I rang the doorbell. And then, for good measure, I knocked loudly on the door. A few seconds later the door opened, revealing Sinclair.
He opened up the screen door and I quickly stepped inside before I could lose my courage. It was less of a bachelor pad than I expected. The walls were painted a tasteful brown. Two tan couches faced a big flat-screen television. To the right I could see the stairs. Up ahead the hallway extended back toward what I assumed were extra rooms.
“What’s going on? Are you okay?” Sinclair shut the door and turned to face me. My mouth opened yet not a single word came out.
“Seriously, what’s wrong?”
He took a step closer and I snapped out of my haze. I didn’t say hi. I didn’t say anything. I just wrapped my arms around his neck and molded my body against his.
I’d done my best not to give in to my feelings. I’d spent countless hours reminding myself that Sinclair Montgomery was something that would never happen, telling myself that it was wrong to feel this way about someone who wasn’t my husband.
But I just didn’t give a damn anymore. Something had been set free in me. What that was, I didn’t know, but I liked it.
I sealed my lips across his. He was momentarily stunned, stumbling back a few steps until his back hit the wall. But within seconds he was responding, moaning into my mouth, his tongue gliding against mine. It was all happening so fast, but not fast enough.
It was madness, this kiss. Just when I thought I’d had enough and had sated my desires, I got a second wind. If I didn’t stop now, our kisses wouldn’t be enough for me. But there was no stopping me now. My hands were frantic, maybe even a bit desperate. They moved over his broad shoulders, down his arms, across his stomach.
And then, out of nowhere, Sinclair put a stop to it. He pushed himself away and dragged his hands through his hair. His internal struggle was apparent in the way his eyes darted between me and the door. There was a torturous second when I was afraid it was over.
Then he charged toward me and cradled my face in his hands. “Tell me no and this stops right now.”
My hands dropped to his narrow waist. They lingered before they drifted up his chest. “I can’t,” I whispered.
“Then you’re mine tonight.”
In one fell swoop he was kissing and touching me. He held my body tight, one hand banded around my waist, the other curling around the back of my head. I liked how tightly he was holding me. It was an affirmation that he needed me, needed this just as much as I did.
We moved out of the kitchen. My blood was roaring through my veins and I couldn’t stop myself from shaking in anticipation. As we moved along the wall, I grasped at the hem of his shirt, slipping my hands underneath. Greedily, my fingers raked down his stomach, making the muscles beneath his skin tense. My hands drifted lower and lower and when they skimmed his belt buckle, Sinclair swore underneath his breath.
We entered what I vaguely realized was his room. But the setting didn’t matter; there was this charge between us. It was so powerful, controlling each of our actions, making us frantic. Sinclair backed me farther into the room.
“You drive me crazy,” Sinclair groaned.
“Yeah?” I breathed.
I felt him nod. His fingers curved around the back of my neck, holding me in place. “Every single day. Every fucking hour. Every second you’re on my mind.” His tongue skimmed the curve of my neck. I tilted my head back. Instinctively, my eyes closed. “You don’t know how much I want this,” he whispered.
I