I nodded. Maren made her way around the bar and came within a few inches of me. “Listen, I’m sorry for whatever I did.”
“Why are you dressed like that?”
She looked down before looking back into my eyes. Her wrap-around dress needed to come off her body. “I had an interview after my shift at the vet clinic and changed there. I forgot more clothes and didn’t have time to run home. The bus route would have put me getting here an hour late and I didn’t want to miss seeing you again.
I nodded as my thumb went to her cheek, slowly dragging its way down her neck. Her skin was as soft as I’d believed while jacking off in the shower this morning to the thought of Maren. I’m not sure what’s going on between us.
Lust clouded her eyes as she watched me intently. Continuing to draw the line down the center in between her breasts, leaving a wake of goose bumps, I murmured, “You’re beautiful.”
The fabric moved easily as my fingers descended.
Shit! This woman made me lose all of my composure. She blushed, but didn’t back away as we stared at each other while my finger stopped level with the bottom of her breasts. “Thank you.”
That same stare trance started, and I felt Maren lean in to my touch. She wanted this as badly as I did.
Maren broke the silence. “I’m not taking your money. I’m going to call Jewel and tell her. It’s not right. You’re a good guy, Bane. I can sense it.”
How wrong she was.
“Why do you stay with your brother?”
My words ended our moment as Maren took a step back, breaking the connection. Her nipples were beady points against the fabric. To keep from closing the gap, I took another large gulp of bourbon.
Giving a tired sigh, Maren explained, “Because when Dad died, Frankie kept me from getting absorbed into foster care. He took care of me. When I turned eighteen, he changed. I took his youth. I owe him.”
Like fuck she did. At this point, if he planned on pimping her, the odds would have been better with foster care. “What about your mom?”
“She died giving birth to me. Frankie helped my dad raise me. I’m helping him out of this last bind and then I’m done. I’ve paid my debt to him. I realize he’s out of control with him willing to whore me out. It’ll only get worse from here. I’ve been a pushover for a while. It’s time I found myself again—the person my father raised. It took a big wake-up call for me to realize it.”
This woman confused me. Did she have an alternative agenda? Watching her closely, she seemed innocent and sweet. Not someone out to fuck people over.
Giving me a sweet smile, she said, “It was nice meeting you, Bane. It’s been awhile since anyone has been kind to me.” She touched my hand and warmth emanated from her. “Thank you.”
She turned and walked toward the door. Propelled into motion by the thought of not seeing her again, I caught up to her and placed my hand on her back. “Wait.”
A gasp of air escaped Maren. “Bane.”
“Hear me out.”
If she chose to leave, I would let her go, which would be best for us. When she turned, we were but a breath apart. The movement of her tongue touching her lips filled me with a need to taste them. I knew it’d be even better than feeling her soft skin.
Patiently, Maren waited for me. What the hell was I doing? Why the hell was I even contemplating? I wasn’t even sure why I was drawn to this woman. “Stay. Let’s spend the month together.”
Maren raised an eyebrow. “And what would we do?”
“Whatever the hell we want to do. I’ll pay for your time to keep your brother off your ass. Use this month to recharge. Stay here at the hotel.”
“Bane, I’m not a whore.”
Her words infuriated me and I raised my voice. “Have I treated you like a whore?”
“No.” She took a step back.
I knew I needed to calm down. “I won’t touch you unless you want me to.”
Maren massaged her temples and took another step back. “And what am I going to tell my brother we’re doing? What are we doing? I’m confused by all this.”
A headache loomed at the base of my head. “Tell your brother we fuck like animals.” She gasped. “I don’t care what you tell him, Maren. Quite frankly, it’s none of his damned business.”