With dinner over, Annie looked exhausted. It was a short nap she had in the car and it had been an action-packed day.
I waved Christian away and told him to read her a story while I cleaned up on my own. I didn't mind doing it and I needed some time to get my head on straight.
Christian wandered back down just as I finished up. He smiled at my handiwork. “Perfect as usual,” he whispered.
“Didn’t you know I’m a Stepford wife?” I joked.
He leaned on the doorframe and stared at me.
I chewed at my lip. "What?" I asked. "You've been staring at me all day."
He pushed himself off of the doorframe and strolled over to me.
My heart was drumming like crazy in my chest as he walked closer and closer. He reached me and I felt like I couldn't breathe.
His hand caressed my cheek, down the side of my neck and rested on my waist. "I can't stop thinking about you," he breathed. "I want you so damn bad it's ridiculous. All I think about is you lately."
I swallowed hard. I knew exactly what he meant. "I want you too," I admitted. "I have for a while."
Christian nodded and pulled his hand away.
I longed for that warmth to come back and invade my space once more, but he seemed like he had something to say.
He pushed his fingers through his hair and looked me up and down. "We need to set some ground rules."
"Like what?" I asked.
"I don't want this to interfere with Annie in any way," he said seriously.
I shook my head. "I don't either. She comes first."
Christian nodded. "Exactly. And the other thing is that I don't do relationships. If we're going to do this, all it can be is sex. Nothing more, okay?"
"Just sex?" I asked.
"Yes. I don't have time in my life for anything serious. You have to agree that this is only a temporary thing."
It was like a punch to the gut. All he wanted was sex. I could swear at times he wanted so much more when he looked at me, but then that cold facade came back into place and I wasn't so sure anymore.
Can I really handle a no strings relationship?
I knew there was more beneath the surface than attraction when I looked at Christian. He had so many positive attributes that I appreciated in a man, and it made me want more, but I couldn't push him into doing more when that wasn't what he wanted. All I could control was myself and my decision to sleep with him or not.
What if you fall for him, a voice in my head asked.
His proposal felt like a bad idea, a very bad idea, but his eyes burned into mine with such fierce passion that my knees felt weak. If I said no, I would regret it until my dying day. Better to have loved… I was nodding before I even realized I was doing it. "Okay," I said firmly. "Just sex. Nothing else. I'm okay with that."
Christian examined my face and my expression. "Are you sure?"
I nodded. "I'm sure," I breathed. "I just want you."
Christian stepped close so fast and kissed me so hard my head started to spin. I wilted against his body, my mind shut off against the negatives for the moment. Screw everything else. I wanted him, I had to have him, and I wasn't going to deny myself something amazing even if it wasn't permanent.
He pushed me back against the counter and lifted me onto it. My legs wrapped around his waist as I parted my lips and accepted his eager tongue. He pushed it into my mouth, hooked my tongue into his mouth and sucked on it until I moaned against him. His nails scratched my scalp and every inch of my body tinged tantalizingly.
I moaned against him. "Don't hold back."
"You want me?" he asked as his hands moved underneath my shirt running down my back.
"You know I do."
"I don't care. Say it," he demanded.
"I want you," I whispered. "I want you to take me upstairs and fuck me until I can't walk. I want you to kiss me until my lips are swollen. I want you to do whatever you want to my body."
Christian growled against my mouth.
I watched the shift in him that I'd seen that first night in his car.
That distant, cold exterior melted away— he was now all fire and red-hot heat. He lifted me off the counter and tossed me over his shoulder.
"What are you doing?" I laughed as he turned and strode out of the kitchen.
"Taking you to my bedroom, obviously."
"Put me down you caveman," I said as I hit his back playfully. "You could have just asked me to walk."
"This is faster."
I trembled inside. When we made it into his bedroom, he dropped me on his big bed and I bounced before I came to a stop.