He was quiet for so long she had no choice but to look at him, peeking at him through her lashes. Flabbergasted was the first word that came to her upon seeing his face.
Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.
Not only did she want to do it again but she wanted to bring Brad into the mix? That sounded like the most insane thing he’d ever heard, let alone considered.
Here he’d showered gestures of love upon her, was fully prepared to even offer up the love word, something he never ever said and she hit him with this.
Austin didn’t know what to think.
“See, I knew you wouldn’t go for it.” Her voice sounded muffled, as if she wanted to cry and he glanced up just in time to watch her flee the table, headed straight for her room.
Running like she normally did. Shaking his head, he got up from the table and followed her, smacking the door open that she’d just closed.
She whirled upon him, her face flushed, her eyes wild. “Get out. I need to change.”
“You want me to leave because you’re changing your clothes? Babe, you used to strip in front of me when you thought I wasn’t interested. You stood around in your skimpy panties and lacy bra talking to me as if I were made of stone. The only thing rock hard on me had been my cock.”
He stood towering over her and focused on her chest, the way her breasts rose and fell with her accelerated breathing. He wanted to touch them. Draw the dress over her head, rip the skimpy material away from her breasts and suck a nipple into his mouth. “I’ve seen you naked, Michaela. I’ve seen you sweaty, I’ve seen you touch another woman and I’ve seen you suck another man’s dick. And you want me to leave because you need to change your clothes.”
“Austin.” Her voice was weak, her hands flying up in a sign of agitation. “You’re angry with me.”
“I’m not angry.” He wasn’t. He was fucking frustrated. And confused. Too many emotions swirled within him, overwhelming him, and he didn’t know what to say.
Brad. Why did it always come back to Brad?
“Now you’re the liar.”
Her words were soft but they had bite and he sighed, ran a hand through his hair. “What do you want from me? Tell me exactly what you want from me.”
She stared up at him, eyes wide, pretty pink lips trembling. She’d already told him what she wanted. She’d made herself perfectly clear.
An adventurous fuck buddy who’d take her over the edge sexually and rock her world on a regular basis. In other words, she was using him. No emotions allowed. Just crazy sex with him and whoever else they wanted to invite along for the ride.
It fucking hurt. Cut him right to the quick. He wanted to proclaim his love and she wanted to get her fuck on. He’d opened her eyes with all of this and she wanted to take it even further.
He’d created a monster. It was his own damn fault, he had no one else to blame.
“I…I already told you.”
He gripped her arm and hauled her to him, his cock hardening at the brush of her body against his. “Say it again. I want to make sure I have it clear.”
“Um.” She swallowed, her gaze skittering away from his. “I want us to continue what we’re doing. Have fun, you know? Experiment. Sometimes it can be just us and sometimes with other people.”
It probably took a lot of nerve for her to admit that. He shouldn’t feel this way, frustrated and okay, fine, angry. But he did. He couldn’t help it. He should get over it and agree with her. Participate wholeheartedly in her plan. But he didn’t want to.
Telling Michaela he was in love with her wasn’t going to work. It would end up freaking her out. The very last thing he wanted to do.
So instead of telling her, he was going to show her. Break down her defenses, one by one. Weaken her with whispered sexy words and tender touches. Make love to her, worship her body until she realized just how deep his feelings for her went.
And he was going to start showing her right now.
Chapter Twelve
The fear Austin saw on Michaela’s face made him feel like an absolute creep. He relaxed his hold on her, his thumb brushing against the warm skin of her arm, and he tried to conjure up seductive words to woo her back into the bedroom.
“Come with me,” he said instead, his voice low, rough, and his hand slid down to envelop hers.
She went with him, not saying a word, and he brought her back into his bedroom since he had a bigger bed. And he felt comfortable there.