Lust & Lies Box Set-Sexual Awakenings, Excess, Predator & Prey

“We went to school together,” Taylor added. “I remember him.” I cornered my desk, arms crossed.

“And?”

“And nothing. I saw him at a few parties, nothing special. I remember he was hot. I never had a conversation with him. My roommate was in love with him. That’s the only reason I took notice.”

I nodded. “Did she ever date him?”

“No, she gave up and settled for some grease monkey her second year.”

I pulled at my lip as I absorbed the fact that I was dating another scholar out of my league. It was no longer a mystery why he was so intuitive, so quick to voice his opinion, so quick to dish out advice.

So quick to diagnose me as a fiend.

He was a certified doctor of the fucking mind who had leashed me like a dog last night and fucked me for seven straight hours. I sat down again, banging my head on the desk as Taylor chuckled. I looked up to see her beaming at me.

“Someone’s happy. What’s your story?” She was practically glowing, and it was anyone’s guess why. Maybe she had finally watched every episode of Jeopardy and had all the correct answers, maybe she had gotten our coffee buy one get one free, or maybe, just maybe she had finally found a man who could do a better job of fucking her than she could.

“Not as interesting as yours,” she said, dodging my question once again.

“Taylor, come on.”

“Well, I will tell you this…” She raised a brow just as there was a knock on my open door. “Excuse me, ladies, the server is down. We are delayed half an hour.”

Taylor jumped up, her demeanor changing in the blink of an eye as she followed the head of the tech department out the door, barking orders. I chuckled as I watched her follow him to the elevator, handing his ass back to him in a paper sack before he escaped.

That’s my girl.

I spent the rest of the day digging in deep, finding the strength to make it through without face planting on my desk. By the time I was finished, my body ached for a bath and my bed, and I couldn’t think of anything I wanted more. Making my way out of the building, I found Carson had the door open for me. I slid in and jumped when I saw Aiden waiting for me in the car.

I peeked out, giving Carson the evil eye as Aiden yanked me back in before closing the car door.

“I told him you were expecting me.” I sat, silently staring at him. “Talk to me,” he whispered as I looked out the window.

“So you can gloat?”

“I’m not in this to hurt you, Nina.” I turned to look at him and saw him freshly dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, holding a bouquet of pale peonies.

“You seemed to admire them at the restaurant.” He handed them to me, and I closed my eyes.

“I’m sorry.” It was all I could say. I wasn’t ready to admit that he was right. I’d let him violate me so easily last night, no questions asked. That was not normal behavior. He grabbed my hand and held it as I stayed silent. When we approached my house, I turned to him.

“Where did you go to college?”

“Harvard.” I nodded, thankful for truth. “You don’t seem surprised, Nina.”

“I’m not.” I didn’t give him anything else as I climbed over his lap and let down the window, addressing Carson. “You are dismissed for the evening. Have a good night.” I pushed the button without waiting for his reply or looking for his approval.

“You researched me,” he whispered as I took my seat across from him.

“Yes.”

Instead of being offended, he seemed amused. “And what did you find out?”

“You’re an Aries,” I muttered dryly as I faced him with a hard look. “You’re an Aries with a golden arm and the IQ of Socrates…Oh, and a shrink…What the fuck, Aiden?”

“Does this impress you?” He was completely unaffected. “Yes and no. What are you doing? And why haven’t you done more?”

“More as in what? Waste my life away behind a desk? Work my entire career, graying and slaving to other people as a servant? No thanks, I’m not fond of people.” The cabin filled with a tenseness I wasn’t used to when it came to Aiden. He didn’t like being on the defensive, of that I was sure. His face darkened, and his lips quirked, as if he had tasted something bad.