Page 73 of Turn Me On

His eyes squeeze shut for several seconds. He’s at war with himself. I can see it in the set of his jaw. The tightness of his muscles. I should be the stronger one. Ineedto look out for him. But when he opens those whiskey eyes, they’re vulnerable and full of fire at the same damn time. “I had a feeling that’s why you got it. I could tell when I saw the video.”

“How?” I ask, my brow knitting. I didn’t let on in the how-to that I’m hot for him. I was careful not to reveal my hand. “That was just a fun video. How did you know?”

“The way you touched the tie. It was the same way you touched the sapphire tie on me the day in Venice,” he says, and holy shit. I was barely aware I was fondling the neckwear affectionately, but now that he mentions it, Iwaspicturing him wearing it. I don’t even know what to say. I’m just floored he read me so easily. “And,” he continues, “you once told me purple was your favorite color. Team color and all. But then, today you said it's burgundy. And you ran your fingers over the tie like your lover was wearing it. Ergo…I could tell the tie reminded you of me.”

My throat is dry. My head is hazy.

How on earth isergosexy? But it is on his tongue. Everything he says is seductive as he reads my emotionslike that. “The tie reminded me of the night we met,” I admit, slipping already, slipping so far into feelings for him. So damn far I throw in the towel. “I guess I was missing you.”

His breath hitches. “Zane,” he warns, but it’s half-plaintive.

I ball my hands into fists. “I said I’d stop. I will stop. I care about you so damn much. I don’t want to put you in a bad position.”

His lips twitch. “No, you want to put me in every position.”

Oh, hell. He went there, into the dirty zone. I inch closer. “I do. I really fucking do, Mad. But I promised I wouldn’t tempt you. I’ve been eaten up with guilt. I don’t want to compromise you.”

“I know you don’t,” he says in a barren whisper, so much trust in his voice.

That’s what’s flaring between us tonight. A new level of trust.

I trusted him to look out for my interests. He trusted me to keep this secret about us. We could trust each other after dark. He’d trust me to tie him up, drive him crazy, fuck him to the ends of the earth.

I want that badly, but I feel so much more for him than lust. Deeper emotions are taking root in me. And I have to protect him. “I’ll stop,” I add, in a strangled breath. “Stopping feels impossible, but I’ll do it.”

Maddox is quiet once more, and I can see the battle play out on his face for several taut seconds, till he says, “I’ve never wanted you to stop.”

My heart kicks hard in my chest. “Yeah?”

There’s a moment when he seems to stand on the edge of a cliff. Looking down. Calculating the fall. Then he dives into the welcoming waters. “I told you I was good at reading people. Ask me what I could read in you the night we met.”

My dick is ready to lead a parade. I know where he’s going. And I am going to make him feel extraordinary tonight.

I take the request and run with it.

19

THIS IS HOW WE DO IT

Maddox

I could resist Zane, but I just don’t want to tonight.

The longing is too much. The second he took out that tie from his pocket, it was game over for me. My desire for him is too strong, and it’s clawing at me. The only way over this desire is through it.

Zane slides a little closer, pressing his thigh more firmly against mine. “Tell me what you saw in me that night we met.”

I can picture the scene at the bar perfectly. “In mere seconds, I knew what it’d be like with us.”

“How did you know?” he asks, absolutely desperate.

“From the way you looked at me with possession in your eyes. The way you talked to me. It was clear that we would…”

“Fit perfectly? Want the same damn things?”

“Yes,” I say, the memories bursting inside me. It’s hard enough to meet someone you connect with. But having that person crave intimacy the same damn way you do is rare. I can’t walk away, especially since talking to Zane about sex is so goddamn easy. It’s freeing to tell him what I want. “The night we met, I could feel all your sexual energy. I sensed it. The way you wanted to have me. The way you weren’t afraid to tell me you wanted to top the fuck out of me.”

“I do,” he says, his throat rumbling, and he sets a hand on my thigh, sliding it possessively over my slacks. His touch sends the temperature in me soaring. “I want to take charge in bed. And you want me to. Tell me why you like it that way. I’m dying to know.”