Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 114284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 571(@200wpm)___ 457(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 571(@200wpm)___ 457(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
“Please don’t stop,” he whimpered.
I had to.
Loosening my hold on him, I brought my hands to his face and forced him to look me in the eye. Good luck hiding that desire, baby. Last time I’d seen that untamed desperation in his hooded gaze, we’d been a plane ride south of here.
I took a couple seconds to catch my breath, and then I flicked the tip of my tongue against his upper lip. “The day you admit you’re mine, I’ll give you all the cock you want. Not a minute before. No more games. No more lies.”
He sucked in a breath and fisted the neckline of my tee. He fidgeted with it, as if he was so restless within that he had to do something.
“You can’t deny you want me to own you, Lane.”
He swallowed hard, his gaze flickering. He was held back by his own stupid fears. The pain was clear as day, as was the plea for me to understand.
“I can’t be what you need, Ty.”
“Bullshit.” I grabbed his jaw and squeezed. Jesus Christ, the darkness swept through me, and it would be so easy to give in to temptation. To let the beast reign. The heat enveloping us had given me the boost I needed. “If you wanna view yourself as a fucking basket case, fine. But you don’t get to tell me what I need—or what I can handle. Are we clear on that, Lane?”
He trembled against me, and I watched his inner war unfurl. Part of him probably wanted to run out the door. He was an expert at escapes. He fled from others, from himself; he tried to outrun reality, and how well was that working?
Always with the running.
Macklin’s words flitted past in my mind.
“Have you considered kidnapping him?”
I released Lane’s jaw the instant the thought registered, and he backed away from me. Staring, eyes wild, flooded with fear and wants and all that conflict.
Walker hadn’t rejected Macklin’s bizarre suggestion.
Maybe they had a point. Maybe the antidote to Lane’s constant escapism was forcing him to confront his fears.
I had no idea how to accomplish that without crossing the lines, though. We lived in the real world, and who knew what I could wreck if I did something unforgivable.
“You just need a new plan, buddy.”
I was working on it.
Couldn’t take him to Florida. Not now. We had the event on Saturday. Couldn’t physically remove his freedom without reminding him of his safeword, which I was sure he’d use in that case. Because this wasn’t play for Lane. It was more a matter of survival. He clung to his delusions for a reason. They kept him safe from attachments and commitments. Safe from being hurt.
Something had to give.
I needed a safety net—that’s it.
I took a breath and let it out slowly. Okay, yeah, this could work.
“Change of plans,” I said, clearing my throat. “I have some thinkin’ to do. You can go home, Lane.”
It was vague enough, and it worked. His true feelings betrayed him; he didn’t have as good of a poker face as he would’ve wanted. I detected both worry and a little hurt—because while he loved to deny it, he wanted me to come after him. He wanted me…and he wasn’t strong enough to believe his own convictions fully. So let him worry.
In the meantime, I had to talk to Walker and Macklin.
CHAPTER 10
Ty Madison
“Your level of energy at this hour is offensive,” Walker muttered drowsily.
I chuckled, out of breath, and adjusted one of my earbuds. “You’re still in bed, aren’t you?”
“It’s five thirty,” he yawned. “Of-fuckin’-course I am.”
Yeah, well. My exhaustion ran so deep that I couldn’t sleep. I’d gotten two hours last night. My head was a jumble of plans, steps, strategies, doubt, frustrations, shit that Macklin had said, shit that Walker had said—the list went on for miles. Add three cups of coffee, and here I was. Taking Terra out for a run long before the sun rose.
She kept up with me, only falling behind when she stubbornly avoided slush puddles on the ground. The rain mixing with snow had gotten fucking old. Usually, I could swing a month or two before I had to take a long weekend in Mallow Vista to defrost and catch some sunlight. We’d see how long I could last this dreary winter.
“Did you see the photo I sent?” I asked, my breath misting in front of me. At least the storm winds had settled.
“I did.” Walker’s sleepy voice carried a smile. “That’s a good car. And it’s comfortable to lease.”
Not too big to be a bitch to park either. I’d thrown in the towel yesterday and leased a small SUV. I’d still use the Metro if I was staying in the city area, and a couple times a week, I carpooled with Colt to work, but now I had more things taking me out of the surrounding neighborhoods. Not only was I hoping for frequent visits to the outskirts of Mclean, I had a brilliant new plan being set into motion today, and I simply wanted the freedom to move around.