Her Collateral Bride: A Lesbian Age Gap Romance

tracking her the whole time. She folded them into a tight wad

in her hand, making it clear she wasn’t going to give them

back. Haley’s eyes burned as she snatched up her skirt and

slipped it back on. She adjusted her blouse, but it was ruined

in the front, gaping open to reveal the camisole underneath.

She didn’t ask Claire why she couldn’t touch her. Why she

couldn’t give her pleasure like Claire had given. She probably

knew. It was non-negotiable at the moment, maybe forever.

Claire worked hard at keeping her emotions in line, but right

now, she was a mess. She was a mess without it showing, but

that was still a dangerous undercurrent. She still felt like she

was breathing fire, like her lungs were getting bigger and

bigger without actually taking any oxygen in.

The memories weren’t the ones coming for her this time.

No, this time it was that box she’d locked up inside of herself

so carefully that threatened to burst open. What was wrong

with her that she was feeling all those things, feeling emotions

that she hadn’t in years, for the twenty-one-year-old daughter

of her enemy?

She couldn’t answer that question, and it needed to be

answered, which was why she couldn’t let this continue. She

needed time to think. To get herself back under control. Right

now, if Haley touched her, Claire was afraid that the shattering

wouldn’t be the right kind, and she wasn’t sure that if she

broke apart, she would be able to put herself back together the

way she needed to be put together.

Haley adjusted her clothing one last time. She walked to the

other side of the desk. She looked well and truly fucked. Her

pupils were still blown, her cheeks were pink, and her hair was

a messy, wild riot around her face and shoulders, not to