Chapter 16
LILY
Idon’t trust men.
Small wonder, right?
I don’t know how Mason Rivera got around that great wall, but by the way my skin prickles with awareness as I undress, it’s clear he did.
My breath catches as I pull my shirt over my head. My nipples draw to hard points as I shrug my bra off. Sliding my pants down my legs feels like hands grazing my skin, and my panties are utterly ruined. I tell myself I’m just hormonal, or extra horny because I’m going to get my period.
But that's a lie.
My body knows the truth: I'm thinking about him.
About the weight of his stare, the controlled violence in his stillness, the way he looked at me like he could never get enough.
Thirteen years of numbness, and Mason Rivera makes me feel like I'm burning from the inside out—and God help me, I want to burn.
I want to surrender to it, to him, to the terrifying possibility that someone could want me and not try to cage me.
My hands shake as I run them over my breasts, hissing at the electric feel as they tighten. Standing in the middle of my room, I lower one hand down and ease my fingers between my legs.
I hate that I’m so wet. I hate that he's made me weak. I hate that I want him to see me like this—stripped down, exposed, and ready for him.