Indulgent Pleasures

He laughed and bent to kiss her. “Don’t worry about that. I don’t share.”

Taking her hand, he led her to his bedroom, all the while his one simple statement kept running through her mind.

I don’t share, I don’t share, I don’t share.

Just thinking of being with Justin, of truly belonging to him sent a shiver down her spine. Not that she’d ever thought of belonging to a man before. So archaic, such a macho assumption when she had always prided herself on being somewhat of a feminist. The relationships she’d been in were always on equal footing, no “you’re mine, you do what I say” crap.

She didn’t believe Justin would ever speak to her in such a way but she knew if they were to pursue a relationship, there would be no doubt as to who was in charge.

And she would gladly let him take the role. She wouldn’t mind being referred to as “his”. She would revel in him taking charge.

But she knew that would never come to be. Because they weren’t in a relationship and they never would be. It was just sex. Pure and simple.

Justin flicked a switch and a lamp came on, illuminating his bedroom. It was simple and clean, the furniture made of dark wood and oversized. Two large dressers occupied either side of the room and a giant bed sat in the middle against the wall, facing a set of double French doors which had no window coverings. An impressive view of the ocean lay just beyond the glass. She could just make out the crashing gray waves in the distance.

“It’s nice.” She walked to the center of the room, did a slow circle and she wondered how many women he’d brought here before her.

Jealousy filled her, she couldn’t help it, couldn’t push it away if she tried. And she hated that.

“I’ll go start the tub. It’s going to take a while to fill because it’s so big.” He disappeared through a doorway that connected to his room and partially shut the door. A beam of light shone from beneath it and she heard the sound of water being turned on, splashing in the bottom of a tub.

She went to the French doors and stood in front of them, staring out into the night. It was dark but with a silvery glow as the full moon shone, bright even through the thick gathering clouds overhead. Streaky drops of rain dotted the glass and it kept a steady beat, she could hear its soft patter against the house. Squinting, she could just make out the low white-crested waves hitting the surf, leaving a trail of pale froth when it receded.

The view was like magic, the entire night like a dream. His insatiable appetite for her would make any woman wet with desire and Stephanie was no exception.

She worried though. How long would this last? How would she feel once it was over, especially since she was documenting it all as a story she could refer to for the rest of her days?

Would he drop her out of the blue? Would they decide together that they should end it? Or would she find out one day he was seeing someone else by spotting a photo of the two of them together in a magazine?

Her heart tightened painfully in her chest and she pressed her lips together. She was thinking too much, worrying about something she had no control over. It was pointless to worry, she could only live day by day and hope for the best.

Men rarely lasted in her life anyway and she’d never been able to figure out why. They didn’t stick around for long, the longest relationship she’d had was with Steve and that lasted about a year.

Almost two years ago Steve had dumped her, told her he didn’t feel a connection with her anymore. She hadn’t been in a serious relationship since.

Stephanie gave a little sound of frustration and shook her head, resting her palm flat against the window. It was shockingly cold and she gasped. The sensation had brought her back to reality and that was exactly what she needed.

To stay firmly seated in reality.

“Hey.” Justin magically appeared behind her and she startled, pressing her other hand against her chest.

“I didn’t even hear you.” Her tone was accusing and she immediately felt bad. She hadn’t meant to sound like a nagging girlfriend.

“Sorry.” He slipped his arms around her, his big hands settling against her stomach and he nuzzled the side of her neck. “You seemed a million m

iles away just now.”

“I was just—thinking.” Not that she would admit exactly what about. Time to change the subject. “I love your view.”

“Thanks. I do, too. It was one of the reasons why I bought this place.” His arms tightened around her waist and his firm lips pressed against her throat. “The tub’s about halfway full.”

She didn’t reply, just leaned into him, savoring his warmth, his strength. “How’s your knee?”

He tensed. Clearly, he didn’t like talking about it. At all. “Fine. Don’t worry about me. Let’s get you undressed.”

Stephanie wondered if he didn’t want her worrying about him because he wasn’t looking for emotion of any kind from her. Maybe he wanted to keep it emotionless.

But she’d seen the fire in his eyes more than once, the unmistakable glimmer of passion always simmering just below the surface.