think?" he says, pinning me with a heated glare.
God, he’s right. When I look at my actions through that lens, I can see what he means. I was only here because of the money. As soon as I was confronted with his past, I ran out on him, refusing to listen to a single word.
"I need to be able to trust the woman that I’m with," he adds.
It wrecks me to see our arrangement through his eyes, to know that he viewed me as another woman only interested in his wealth. I stand and fold my arms over my chest. Why I’d ever thought this friends only thing was a good idea, I have no clue. "This isn’t going to work for me. I want you. You want me. Yet you don’t trust women. And I can’t just overlook your marriage. We’re at an impasse."
"So it seems." Colton drums his fingers on his desk.
Standing there in the quiet solitude of his office, I wonder what in the world I’ll do now. I consider packing my bags and going home, but deep down inside, I know that’s not the solution. I’d be doing exactly what Colton expects. Running away. I need to stay and show him there’s a different way. Even if it scares the ever loving crap out of me.
An idea takes hold and I’m unable to shake it away. My mouth starts working before my brain can even catch up with what I’m proposing. "I have moral standards. Ones that dictate I don’t sleep with married men."
He watches me curiously.
I sit down in front of him once again and take a calming breath. "I want to prove to you that you can trust me. That you can put your faith in a woman again."
"How?"
"By putting myself aside and submitting to you like I should have done from the first day you bought me."
Hungry eyes flash on mine. "I don’t understand."
"I’m scared, Colt. Of all of this. My feelings for you, of being hurt, of giving you my virginity. I’m scared you won’t sever ties with Stella. But I have faith in you. This is my way of showing you that I trust you to do the right thing and the best way I can prove to you that I’m not going anywhere is to give myself to you."
"Sophie…" he groans, rubbing a hand through his hair.
"You can have me any way you want me."
"You can’t mean that."
I nod slowly, letting my offer sink in. "Anything you want."
"I want your virginity, sweetness. I want total claim over you. It’s the only way to show me that you’re really here for me."
"But you said friends," I tease, lightly, drawing out the delicious verbal sparring that is so much like foreplay.
"Fuck being friends. I want to be inside you."
"I want that too," I say. "More than anything."
"You sure about that?"
I nod, meeting his dark gaze. "There was a man I met at a bar in Italy, he was attractive and polite and…"
"Did you want to fuck him, Sophie? Did you want him to put his cock inside of you?"
His possessive side makes me feel warm and flustered. "Just listen," I admonish. "I could have slept with him, and in fact Becca encouraged it. She said still being a virgin was my choice and I could have gone through with it."
"But you didn’t?"
I shake my head. "I knew it should be you. I want it to be you."
He rises to his feet and pulls me up against him. My chest is flush with his and his arms wrap around my middle, crushing me to him. It steals my breath and I stand there, motionless, letting him hold onto me for dear life. The move is surprisingly tender, and I can tell my offer has struck something within him.
I can’t think of a single thing to say, but I know with resounding clarity this isn’t something that can be spoken. He needs to see my actions to understand where my loyalties lay. Just as I'm contemplating my next move, he lays his head on my shoulder, resting his cheek against the top of my breast. I can feel his breath ghosting over my nipples in soft pants. My skin heats with the nearness of him, but this isn’t sexual. It’s a sweet gesture, like he’s acknowledging my acceptance of him and all his baggage.
I begin to wrap my arms
God, he’s right. When I look at my actions through that lens, I can see what he means. I was only here because of the money. As soon as I was confronted with his past, I ran out on him, refusing to listen to a single word.
"I need to be able to trust the woman that I’m with," he adds.
It wrecks me to see our arrangement through his eyes, to know that he viewed me as another woman only interested in his wealth. I stand and fold my arms over my chest. Why I’d ever thought this friends only thing was a good idea, I have no clue. "This isn’t going to work for me. I want you. You want me. Yet you don’t trust women. And I can’t just overlook your marriage. We’re at an impasse."
"So it seems." Colton drums his fingers on his desk.
Standing there in the quiet solitude of his office, I wonder what in the world I’ll do now. I consider packing my bags and going home, but deep down inside, I know that’s not the solution. I’d be doing exactly what Colton expects. Running away. I need to stay and show him there’s a different way. Even if it scares the ever loving crap out of me.
An idea takes hold and I’m unable to shake it away. My mouth starts working before my brain can even catch up with what I’m proposing. "I have moral standards. Ones that dictate I don’t sleep with married men."
He watches me curiously.
I sit down in front of him once again and take a calming breath. "I want to prove to you that you can trust me. That you can put your faith in a woman again."
"How?"
"By putting myself aside and submitting to you like I should have done from the first day you bought me."
Hungry eyes flash on mine. "I don’t understand."
"I’m scared, Colt. Of all of this. My feelings for you, of being hurt, of giving you my virginity. I’m scared you won’t sever ties with Stella. But I have faith in you. This is my way of showing you that I trust you to do the right thing and the best way I can prove to you that I’m not going anywhere is to give myself to you."
"Sophie…" he groans, rubbing a hand through his hair.
"You can have me any way you want me."
"You can’t mean that."
I nod slowly, letting my offer sink in. "Anything you want."
"I want your virginity, sweetness. I want total claim over you. It’s the only way to show me that you’re really here for me."
"But you said friends," I tease, lightly, drawing out the delicious verbal sparring that is so much like foreplay.
"Fuck being friends. I want to be inside you."
"I want that too," I say. "More than anything."
"You sure about that?"
I nod, meeting his dark gaze. "There was a man I met at a bar in Italy, he was attractive and polite and…"
"Did you want to fuck him, Sophie? Did you want him to put his cock inside of you?"
His possessive side makes me feel warm and flustered. "Just listen," I admonish. "I could have slept with him, and in fact Becca encouraged it. She said still being a virgin was my choice and I could have gone through with it."
"But you didn’t?"
I shake my head. "I knew it should be you. I want it to be you."
He rises to his feet and pulls me up against him. My chest is flush with his and his arms wrap around my middle, crushing me to him. It steals my breath and I stand there, motionless, letting him hold onto me for dear life. The move is surprisingly tender, and I can tell my offer has struck something within him.
I can’t think of a single thing to say, but I know with resounding clarity this isn’t something that can be spoken. He needs to see my actions to understand where my loyalties lay. Just as I'm contemplating my next move, he lays his head on my shoulder, resting his cheek against the top of my breast. I can feel his breath ghosting over my nipples in soft pants. My skin heats with the nearness of him, but this isn’t sexual. It’s a sweet gesture, like he’s acknowledging my acceptance of him and all his baggage.
I begin to wrap my arms
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