The Arrangement Anthology (8 page)

CHAPTER
2

The kiss breaks. I can
barely
breathe. The rapid
pace
of my heart won’t slow. My hands tremble at his neck and there’s no way to hide it. I pull away from him and cold air fills the space
, chilling me
. “I’m sorry.”

Sean says nothing at first. He watches me. I feel his eyes slip over my body. They take in the slight tremor, the way I wrap my arms around my middle,
and
the way I can’t look him in the eye. Inst
ead of demanding my services, Sean
slips back into his chair like he doesn’t mind. “There’s nothing to apologize for.”

I glance at him from over my shoulder. I don’t believe him. My gaze says as much.

S
e
an
smiles at me. “It’s part of the package, Miss Smith. Skittish virgins are appealing.”
It’s the look he gave me when my car broke down. Something about the way he
gazes
at me makes me feel like I’m in emotional overload.

My face flushes and I
gla
n
ce
away. What was I thinking? I can’t do this. I can’t be with him, not when he affects me like this
. The whole sex thing
is a
pastime
to him, but to me it isn’t. I took this job because I needed the money, but even more so, I took this job because I have feelings for Sean. I like the way he makes me feel. I want to know him better. I want him to be mine.

That’s not what this is.

The trembling becomes more noticeable. Sean stands and walks up behind me, rubbing his hands over my arms. He presses a kiss to my temple and holds me. “Your preferences said kissing
on the lips
was
off limits. I shouldn’t have done it. I apologize.”

“You went straight for the only thing you couldn’t have?”
I did mark that on the sheet. Kissing forms attachments. I can’t be at
tached to him.
You already are
, a voice says inside my head.
Go to hell
, I answer, already knowing it
’
s true.
I feel his gaze
on the
side of my face.

Holding me tightly
, S
e
an
says,
“It’s my nature. I’m sorry,
Avery
. It won’t happen again, not unless you ask me to kiss you.”

As he speaks, his warm
breath
breezes past my ea
r. I shiver in his arms and feel him smile. I nod. The knot in my throat makes it difficult to speak.

Sean holds me like that for a moment and then asks, “May I ask why that particular action is off limits?”

I feel h
im breathing against my back. Sean
’s pressed his body
against
my back and holds me tight. “Only if I can ask what you originally wanted this weekend.”
I glance at him
.

“Ah, then it seems we are at an
impasse
.”
Those
glittering blue eyes conceal
his thoughts.

I nod.
Damn straight. I’m not spilling my guts if he won’t spill his.

Sean’s voice is deep and rich.
“I suspect the reason, but assumptions
usually
don’t turn out well.”

“Are you calling me an ass?”
The corners of my mouth tug up.
Seriously?
What’s with him?

S
e
an
laughs
like he has no idea what I’m talking about,
and t
urns me towards him. “What?” The
smile reaches his eyes.

“You know what happens when you assume, don’t you?”

Cocking an eyebrow at me, he tilts his head and
tuts
,
“Grade school humor?
Really?
Is that what this
night has deteriorated into?” S
e
an
shakes his head and
sits back down, slumping
back into the seat.

I shrug my shoulders and step toward him. “It might be different if you told me what you wanted. I might want that
,
too.” I cross my ankles and gaze at him. Whatever plans he had for the night were blasted to bits when I walked through the door.

Darkness drifts across Sean’s eyes, like he’s remembering something that he wants to forget. It changes his confident stance and his shoulders slump a little bit. His chest tightens along with his throat. The muscles strain as he tries not to react. I didn’t mean
to do that to him. I know it‘
s from what I said. I feel horrible about it and want to take away the pain in his eyes.

I walk toward him, not having a plan, just doing whatever feels right. “Sean,” I say
softly. When he doesn’t look up, I put a hand on his shoulder
.
Still no reaction.
I lift one leg gingerly and
straddle his lap.
That
gets
his attention.
His eyes flick up to mine.
A warning shoots through me, but I ignore it. There’s something dangerous about him, I can sense it.

I’m st
anding over Sean and
slowly lower myself until I’m on his lap, facing him. I rest my wrists at the back of his neck and look into his eyes.

Sean doesn’t move. He doesn’t say anyt
h
ing. I tangle my fingers in the curls at the base of his neck and lean in close. Heart pounding, I press my lips to his cheek.
I repeat the action
,
and do it again and again
,
until I reach his neck. My stomach twists as the space between my legs grows hotter. I tilt my hips, and try to shift my weight on his lap, but Sea
n stops me.

Watching my face, Sean
takes both of his hands and slips them under the hem of my dress. His hot palms run over the outsides of my thighs until they
rest on the curve of my butt. S
e
an
holds me tight, and pulls me higher onto his lap. That’s when I
feel his hard length
through
his pants. I gasp and dig my fingers into his shoulders.

Sean doesn’t smile. Instead, I have the Sean from downstairs, the one who’s all dark with no light in his eyes. H
is fingers press into my skin and
he skims the edge of my lace
panties
.

Neither of us speaks. Sean watches me, always keeping his gaze on my lips as he tilts our hips making his
erection
rub against my thin panties. I can’t hide how much I like it. Cupping my ass, he pulls me against him and then I push back. I’m writhing in his lap, my eyes locked with his. My body aches for his touch. I’m not satisfied with his hands on my bottom. I want them on my
breasts; I want them all over me;
inside me. I lean my head back and rock against him. Arching my back makes my breasts press against my bra. I moan out loud, and his name slips from my mouth.

That is the action that undoes him. Sean stands
suddenly
, taking me with him. “Wrap your legs around me,” he says as he stands and walks across the room.

The spot between my legs is pressed against him as he walks us to the bed. His
gaze doesn’t change. The heat in his eyes says that he’ll devour me. I wonder what he’ll do. Sean leans me back on the bed and looks down at me. “Tell me what you want,”
he says
,
climbing onto the bed and
lay
ing
next to me. His hand strokes my cheek.

“You,” I say breathy, “I want
to be with
you.”

Sean’s eyes slip over my body after he pushes himself up onto his side. “Tell me when to stop.”

I nod. Apprehension shoots through my veins, but lust is boiling hotter. Sean’s hands are on me and my eyes close.
My back arches into his hand, wanting to feel his touch.
S
e
an
starts at my neck
, his finger slowly drawing a line down the side
of my throat, across my collar
bone, and between my breasts. The movement is painfull
y slow, teas
ing and igniting
heat that surges through
my body
.

Lightly, his finger traces the swell of my breasts and circles back betwee
n them, stopping at my navel. Sean’s
finger dips in the small indent and continues down, over my dress, and doesn’t stop. I gasp when that
light touch reaches the dip between my legs. Sean’s eyes are locked on mine as his finger trails between my
thighs
.

I can’t look away from his face. I feel trapped, even though I know I can
tell him to
stop. Sean’s hand returns to my face
, and this time when Sean
trails it down my neck, his fingers remain on my skin. The violet dress has a low neckline, and Sean dips his finger beneath the luxurious fabric, tracing the swell of my breast with his finger.

I breathe harder, wanting him there, wishing he’d do things to me that I never thought I’d want. My nipples harden and press against the lace bra. An image of Sean’s teeth, gently tugging the sensitive
skin
flashes in my mind. I gasp and thrust my chest up toward him, but he doesn’t touch me like that. Everything is light, like a snowflake touching skin. His other hand mirrors the movement, tracing the smooth
flesh
along my neck and down to my breast. By the time he’s finished both sides, I’m writhing on the bed. Every bit of me is hot. I’ve never wanted a man so much. I don’t know what to do. My instincts say to pull his lips to mine, but I can’t.

Instead, I grab hold of his shirt and yank him toward me. I sit up off the bed and strip his shirt, fumbling the buttons one at a time u
ntil they come undone. Sean let
s me undress him without saying a word. When I have his shirt off, I nearly die. Every in
ch of him is ripped, like movie-star-
omfg
-
ripped.
The tanned skin is smooth and taut. Mu
s
cles rise and fall in pe
rfection. Sean’s body is Greek G
od material. I stare and reach for him, but
Sean’s
hand darts out and he takes my wrist, stopping me.

Shaking his head, he says, “No touching.”

Disappointment floods through me and I feel my bottom lip go into a full pout before I realize what I’m doing.
“But
,
why?”

Sean smiles wickedly and leans toward me. His eyes fixate on my mouth. “Pull that lip back in right now or I swear to God, I’ll kiss you so hard
that
you come.”

His words shock me. My lip returns t
o its normal position, but the place
between my legs throbs at his suggestion.
My eyes lock with his and I feel the surprised, hopeful look fill my face.
Heart racing hard, I say, “Can you really do that?”

My only answer is a wicked grin.
Before I can say anything else, Sean sits me up
. His hands reach for my sides
and
he
starts to slowly unzip the dress. The way he watches me makes me feel excited and uneasy at the same time.
I’m perfectly still, trying not to react. Even though I said no kisses, I can’t stop looking at his mouth. Images flash through my mind of a kiss that could make me come.

Sean
must see it on my face, because he smiles at me.
“Just ask, Miss Smith.”

I grin at him in return, as his hand slips inside the dress, feeling the smooth curve of my waist. “Don’t hold your breath, Mr. Jones.”

Mirth flashes in his eyes,
and my dress disappears. I’m l
ying on the bed, propped up on my elbows in nothing but my
lingerie
. Sean is kneeling on the bed next to me. He drinks in my body like he can’t get enough. First his eyes sear across my breasts
,
and then dip down to my waist
,
before his gaze lingers on my panties. I try to be calm and confident, the way Miss Black told me to behave, but I can’t.

I smile at him shyly and look away. Something inside me wants to cover my body so he can’t see
me
. Sean’s finger resumes its slow tracing. When the pad of his index finger slips over my nipple, I can’t stand it anymore. I grab him by the wrist. “If you don’t touch me, and I mean take me in your arms and press your hands over every inch of my body, I’m going to scream.”