Taboo: A Dark Romance Boxset (Stud Ranch 1)

Her eyes dart over to me and I see the surprise register there. I only barely suppress a grin. Aha, so Dylan’s not the cowardly sort after all. He’s going to see me.

The assistant clears her throat and then stands. “This way, Miss.”

She leads me to the door to the left of her desk, pushes through it, and then heads down a long hallway. It soon opens up to a large warehouse like space.

There are a couple of rows of cubicles but they’re interspersed with portions of the room where various robotics components are set up. Some are in pieces, but there are several large robotic arms taller than a car that whir and twist as technicians poke and prod at them.

It all looks a little like the time I went to NASA when I was visiting my cousin in Houston that one time.

We go down the wall of the room and to the back of the building. There the matronly assistant knocks on the door.

“Come in,” comes Dylan’s low, manly voice. Even the sound of it sends shivers down my body.

I reach for the door handle but the assistant gets there ahead of me and opens the door.

Dylan’s sitting behind his desk, intimidating and hulking as he stares darkly past his secretary at me.

“Thank you, Hannah,” he says, eyes still on me. “You may go.”

“Do you need water or tea, sir?”

He gives a hard shake of his head. “No, that will be all. Hold all my calls.”

Hannah flashes me a distrustful glance and then backs out of the room, shutting the door as she goes.

Dylan’s nostrils flare as soon as the door shuts. “What are you doing here?”

I bristle a little at his bark, but only a little. I’ve been a sub to dominant men before and I know my coming here breaks all sorts of rules.

But Dylan’s not a dominant, at least not in the traditional or contractual sense. And maybe I could play it coy and wait a week before contacting him but I don’t do that. I don’t do games.

So I stride forward and sit in the chair opposite his desk and pull it closer, then lean in. “Look, last night was…”

Shit. I had a whole speech prepared but it suddenly completely leaves my head as his dark eyes pierce mine.

Looking into them last night for the first time had a similar effect but it was more manageable because of the dimness of the ballroom and darkness of the roof. But here, in the light of day…

“Last night was regrettable,” he snaps, finishing my sentence. I immediately start shaking my head but he’s on a roll now. “Last night was something that will never, and I mean, never, be repeated.”

I feel my cheeks heat at this, and not in embarrassment. I haven’t even been here all of five minutes and here he is, already pissing me off.

“Do you know how long I’ve looked for someone like you? Someone real? You think I like setting up half-satisfying fucks online?”

He shoots up from his chair and bangs both fists down on his desk. “That’s fucking irresponsible and you’ll never do it again. Jesus, we didn’t even use a goddamned condom!”

“I always use a condom. It was just with you that I—” I stop when I can see he doesn’t believe me, then press on anyway, no matter how angry I’m getting. “And I have an IUD, so don’t worry.”

He just shakes his head.

“That doesn’t change anything. You could get seriously hurt. You don’t know who the hell will show up.”

My eyebrows shoot to my hairline. “Oh yeah? What the hell else am I supposed to do?”

“Try controlling your urges. Discipline. Ever heard of it?”

I laugh at that. “Because you were so disciplined as you fucked me against the hood of my car last night. Twice.”

He sucks in a huge breath and then releases it, looking like he’s about to start breathing fire. Shit. This isn’t how I meant for this to go. I didn’t come in here to antagonize him. It’s not going to get either of us what we want.

I just wanted to make my proposal, tempt him with my sexy top and cleavage, and get out leaving him wanting more. Okay so shit, maybe I do like playing games a little. But only because I know this could be good for both of us. With how ravenously he took me, I know he wants this, too.

“Look,” I say, trying to pacify him and salvage the situation. “Everybody has needs. They’re nothing to be ashamed of. If we can find a safe, mutually beneficial way to meet those needs, what’s the harm?”

He shakes his head and speaks through his teeth. “Some desires are shameful.”

I stand up from my chair and take a step back at that. I can’t help it. It stings. He thinks I should be asham—