Chapter 34
KAT
Irealized belatedly that in my haste to get away from Tom, I didn’t think about what I’d change into after my shower.
The hot water had been soothing, my skin already bruising where the seat belt cut across my chest. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but seeing the marks had tears flooding my eyes, and I let them fall the second I climbed in under the spray.
The bathroom is very masculine with dark gray walls and black subway tiles behind a glass sliding door. The showerhead is one of the big ones and has more pressure in the middle of nowhere than my house does in suburbia.
I used the woodsy soap and shampoo without complaint even though my hair will undoubtedly be a tangled mess.
I hope there’s a brush somewhere in this place.
I didn’t find one in the bathroom after wrapping a soft black towel around my hair and another around my body. In fact, I didn’t find much of anything.
Feeling brave, and still a little too nervous to venture downstairs, I pad softly down the hall toward one of the bedrooms. It’s plain but tidy, the cabin walls and large bedframe dominating the room.
Pausing only for a moment, I cross the threshold and move into the space, going straight for the closet and pulling open the doors.
It’s mostly bare with only an assortment of slacks and dress shirts.
Suits.
And two flannel shirts hanging off to the side, almost like an afterthought.
Perfect.
Dropping my towel, I grab the dark green-and-black plaid one, slipping it on before pulling the towel from my hair.
The shirt is massive and smells like cedar, the scent of detergent gone from the fabric as I press my nose to it. I hate that I wish it smelled like him, that I wish I could curl up in it and maybe just hide away for the rest of the night.
But the muffled sound of Tom moving around downstairs is a harsh reminder that I have to face reality.
And soon.
The thought is a sobering one as I snatch the wet towels off the floor and hang them in the bathroom. Catching sight of myself in the mirror, I can’t help but sigh, combing my fingers through my hair because it’s all I can do to make myself presentable.
Steeling myself, I turn for the stairs, the wood cold beneath my feet. Funny how I didn’t notice it before. I can hear water running as Tom bangs around the kitchen, and my heart beats a little faster in my chest.
I don’t want to fight with him. Hell, I don’t really even want to talk to him right now. I just need a few things from whatever duffle bag contains toiletries and hopefully panties. I can deal without a bra.
At least for now.
Giving myself one last pep talk, I round the corner into the kitchen and try my best to act normal. “Hey Tom, is there a toothbrush I can use?”
The spoon in his hand clatters into the basin of the sink as his eyes lock on mine before descending down my body in an unrestrained perusal.
Oh wow…
Like a lion stalking its prey, he turns off the water and, without looking, picks up the kitchen towel next to the sink and dries his hands, then tosses it behind him as he closes the distance between us.
Every step has the muscles in his forearms bunching, his arms flexing and the absolutely feral look in his eyes intensifying.
I want to look away, to break the spell, but it’s too late—or maybe it’s finally as Tom sinks his fingers into my hair, tugging my head back as he slams his mouth over mine.
Maybe I should have seen it coming, but there was no preparing for the onslaught of sensations as he devours me with each kiss.
But it’s like I’ve never been kissed before, Tom’s lips expertly brushing my lips, his tongue sweeping against mine to tease me.
Taste me.
And leave me breathless all at once.
He groans, the sound going straight between my legs and reminding me that I have nothing on underneath this shirt.
What will he do when he realizes?
God, I can’t wait. I’m ready to climb him like a tree, but I want him to lead, to take me and own every inch of me.
I want to feel him lose control.
To know what it’s like to feel him come apart.
“Every fucking rule, Kat,” he growls, his hands moving down my sides, his fingers gripping the bare skin of my ass as he drags me up his body. His cock is hard and long through the denim of his jeans, the friction against my clit making me whimper as he turns and sets me on the island.
I gasp, the cold against my heated flesh a shock but not nearly as much as when he fists the front of my shirt and pulls, the buttons scattering around the kitchen as the fabric falls open, leaving me completely exposed.
Fury flashes over the harsh lines of his face, his gaze lingering on my bruises for only a second before focusing his attention back on me.
“I don’t get attached, Kitten,” he murmurs, his palms sliding up my thighs and over my hips. “I don’t break my rules.” His mouth is hot on my neck, his teeth nipping and licking up the column of my throat. “And now I’m setting the God damn rule book on fire. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” I breathe, bracing one palm behind me while my other hand holds his head in place, his stubble sending little shockwaves straight to my core.
“I didn’t want this.” Roughened fingers tweak my nipple and I moan as he fondles me, pinching and rolling and kneading my breast. “But you’re all I’ve been able to think about—having you like this—begging to have me inside you. It does something to me; do you understand?”
“Yes.” Throwing my head back, I cry out as his tongue flicks and circles my nipple before his lips close around the sensitive bud, sucking and tormenting me as I try and pull him closer.
“I’m going to eat you like a feast and then I’m going to bend you over this counter and fuck you until we can’t stand. And do you know what I’ll do then?” he asks, his mouth trailing back up my body before taking my mouth in a bruising kiss, his words an unbridled warning of what’s to come.
“What?” I nearly sob, the apex of my thighs slick with my arousal.
“I’ll take you upstairs and do it all over again. Fuck, lick, and savor your gorgeous fucking body just because I can. I’m going to ruin us both and you’ll let me, won’t you, Kitten?”
“Yes.”
“Then lie back and spread your legs, baby. Show me what’s mine.”