Loveless (14 page)

Stroking my cock over the covers, I text her again.
I can’t stop thinkin bout u.

The truth. Has been the truth for months now. Sure, I convinced myself it was all about wanting my cock in her. Regardless, my focus has been all about her for way too long now.

Kind of pathetic how it took Sophie’s loud mouth to get me to realize where I stand.

Paige never replies to my text. I wait for the annoyance, but that never comes, either.

She’s going to make me work for it. Like
really
fucking work for it.

A smile bursts free.

Masochist that she’s made me, I can barely control the rush of adrenaline coursing through me at the thought. My dick hardens even more in my hand. My balls draw in tight.

I’m so damn excited that goosebumps break out all over my body.

Fuck, yeah, I’m more than down with the idea of working for it.

And I will, too. I’m going to win her over.

Paige needs me. As bad as I need her. And she obviously cares enough about me that it bothers her if my feelings are hurt. I can work with that. Up until now, I’ve been merely reacting to her. There hasn’t been much thought about seduction involved.

But I can seduce her into giving me a chance. No freaking doubt about it.

My smile widens. Oh, yeah. Her stubborn little ass is as good as mine.

. . .

The next morning, Paige still hasn’t replied to me.

Which, of course, instead of deterring me, only serves to light a fire under my ass.

By my estimation, she usually gets to work anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour early. So, at 7:45am, I walk into the office, Starbucks in hand.

Fifteen minutes before eight. Perfect. Enough time to—

I stop right outside Paige’s office.

Her briefcase is perched on her desk.

Standing next to said desk?

Zach.

The fucker is facing away from me.

Waiting for her.

Hell, no.

Spinning on my heel, I stomp into my office, drop my briefcase by the desk, and practically fly out of there with her coffee.

I’m going to find her.
Before
she has a chance to return to her office and bump into that jackass.

She’ll be lucky if I don’t end up giving her a very large, very visible hickey. Just so Zach, and every moron out there that wants her, will take the hint.

I don’t give a fuck how much of a douchebag that makes me.

My jaw clenches as I think about Zach waiting for Paige in her office, winking at her in the conference room last week . . . trying to give her coffee the same morning . . .

For the first time since Joan, I’m jealous.

No. Screw jealousy. This goes far beyond that. I want to mark every inch of Paige’s body.

I want to fling Zach through one of the freaking windows—and we’re
twelve
stories up.

Definitely not jealousy. Homicidal rage is more like it.

I pass a few of my coworkers in the hall. They stare after me.

Ignoring them, I walk by a bewildered looking Nick. He also stares after me.

Probably because they all see that my face is bright red and that I have murder on my mind.

Maybe I should stop to breathe and find a way to control myself.

But fuck it all, I’ve had enough of Zach trying to take my girl!

Paige isn’t in any of the lounge rooms. God help me if I find her anywhere near Gilliane’s office, considering what I’m planning on doing to her.

Possessiveness spikes. Barely paying attention to where I’m going at this point, I turn a corner—

Paige exits one of the file rooms.

One of the few rooms without glass walls.

“There you are,” I all but growl.

She pauses, her eyes widening. “Elijah?”

Grabbing her arm, I herd her back into the file room.

And close the door.

Her sharp intake of breath reaches my ears.

When I turn around, she’s standing next to one of the short filing cabinets, the type that only comes up to my waist.

Just what I need.

“Do you know that Zach’s waiting for you in your office?” I ask softly, advancing on her.

Her brow scrunches. “Yeah. I told him I’d be right back—Elijah, what’s going on with you?”

I’m growling at her again.

But she doesn’t understand—that was the fucking
wrong
thing to say to me.

She takes another step back. Her ass bumps into the filing cabinet.

“Why did he go looking for you in the first place, Paige?” I stop before her and pluck the manila folder she’s holding out of her hand.

“Uh . . . I don’t know. Probably wants to ask me out on a date again.”

Again
?

No qualms about letting me know what Zach wants from her. Even though she saw how I reacted the last time.

She saw how jealous it made me.

Placing the manila folder on the filing cabinet next to us, I hand her the coffee. “This is yours.”

Her small hands wrap around the cup. Her eyes, big and so damn blue, blink up at me. “Um. Thank you?”

Wrapping my hands around her waist, I lift her up onto the filing cabinet behind her. “And this is yours, too.” Cupping her nape, I take her mouth with mine.

A part of me expects her to resist, shoot me down like she did the day before.

When she melts around me, a sweet, small moan leaving her, my cock shoots instantly hard, calling for her. She licks back, light sweeps of her tongue that turn me on so fucking much. Nipping at her lip, I lean into her, forgetting all about my plan to give her space. Palming her thighs, I urge them open.

Paige ends our kiss, nearly driving me crazy.

I’m about to force her back to me when she turns just enough to place her coffee on the filing cabinet next to us.

“Sorry,” she says, her lips dark pink, swollen. Delicious. Calling to me. “Didn’t want to spill it.”

“Good idea.” Why did I give it to her in the first place?

Eyes heavy-lidded, she cups my neck and brings me back to her.

Sexy little thing.
Fuck, she turns me on.

My mind is blazing with lust, each swirl of her tongue slicing me deeper. She feels so good that it hurts me.

I love it.

Her hands caress my chest. Without warning, she drops one of her hands down and grabs my dick.

My head snaps back and I can’t stifle my surprised moan. “God,
baby
. What—”

“I’ve been dying to feel it.” My breath catches in my throat at her shy reply. “You didn’t let me touch it yesterday.”

I can’t formulate a reply. Can’t . . . focus . . .

She squeezes me, thumbing the head through my slacks. My cock throbs harder.

Bracing my fists on either side of her hips, I lean into her. Her pretty eyes are riveted to my dick. “You want it, baby?” I rotate my hips, pushing my erection against her hand.

She bites her lip, exhaling roughly, and gives me a nod.

“It’s yours. You can have it whenever you want.” Her eyes light up with excitement at that.
Killing . . . me . . .
Mouth to her ear, I rasp, “All you have to do is agree that you’re mine. All mine.”

She tenses.

God. Fucking. Damn. It.

“Eli, I told you. You have to stop this.”

Yet, the entire time she says it, her hand continues to fondle my cock.

I stare into her eyes. She’s dying for me. I see the hunger in her gaze. The near desperation that is a perfect echo of my own.

I also see the stubbornness. Her refusal to give into me.

Fear
.

What is she so afraid of?

“I won’t hurt you Paige.”

“
Stop
.” She squeezes me almost hard enough to hurt, staring at me mulishly. “This is sex. Nothing more. It’s how
you
like it.”

“Not with you. I want more, damn you.”

“No. You. Don’t.” Another squeeze.

I hiss, feeling precome leak out.

“What you truly want is sex, Elijah. It’s what I agreed to give you, no strings attached. It’s what
I
want. So whatever guilt you feel, whatever is making you act this way, let it
go
. I’m totally okay with this being all about the sex.”

And that’s the fucking problem, isn’t it? I don’t want her to use me just for sex.

“But you would go on a date with someone like Zach.” Not a question—a statement.

“I already told you I’m not going to date anyone else while our arrangement is still in place.”

“But you will after. When you’re done with me.” Man, she literally has me by the cock, her control over me obsolete, and she doesn’t give a damn. I can’t believe how that makes me feel, how deep it cuts. “When you’re finished using me, you’ll be willing to give some other man a chance.”

Her hand pauses. Her eyes plead with me, shimmering. Eyes that make me want to give her anything. Fucking
anything
. “Again, I’m not ready to date.”

Why?

Suddenly, it occurs to me that someone must have hurt her. Paige might be a virgin, but somewhere along the line some asshole must have gotten close enough to cause some serious damage.

My vision blurs red at the thought, brutal possessiveness reawakening.

“One day you will be ready.” I put my hand over her throat. “One day, you’ll decide to date again, but I still won’t be a worthy candidate to you.” Before she can answer me, I slam my lips against hers.

Her hand tightens on my cock, and she reaches up with the other, grabbing a fistful of my hair and holding me in place.

My own stubbornness is the only thing that stops me from getting lost in her again. I bite into her bottom lip, knowing I’m being too rough.

Fuck that. Right now, if I could tear into her, I would.

But she doesn’t shy away, those whimpers I love leaving her luscious mouth and sliding into me.

I suck on her lips, needing to leave them swollen. To leave some kind of mark on her.

Then I rear back, breaking her hold.

The glare she throws at me is vicious. “I’m getting sick and tired of you doing that.”

Trying to control my breathing, I palm my erection. “You want this? You know how to get it. Agree to date me. Give me a chance.”

Despite the fact that her eyes are fixated on my dick, she still shakes her head.

The only consolation I have? Anyone that looks at her swollen lips will know she was mauled.

I just wish it was obvious that I’m the one responsible.

Now I’m actually hoping Zach is still waiting for her.

On fire for her, I whirl around and exit the file room, making a beeline for the nearest bathroom.

I’m too hard. Can barely walk from it. If someone sees me like this—

“We need to talk,” Nick says, coming up behind me.

Fuck!

“Not now.” I stare straight ahead, my mind in complete turmoil. I can’t believe how much Paige’s continued refusal hurts me.

But worse than that? I can’t believe how much I like it. The agony makes me thrum inside. My blood continues to race with excitement.

She’s
killing
me here . . . and I’m fucking
loving
it.

“Elijah, slow down. Got a question to ask you.”

“Not now.” I don’t pause in my stride, trying to stay ahead of Nick before he sees—

Nick catches up to me. “So, I’m guessing that situation you have going on there is because of Paige.”

I practically slam to a halt.

Did Nick see us? If he did, anyone could’ve. I wanted to lay a claim on Paige, but now it occurs to me what it will look like if people know about us before I get her to agree to dating me. Shit. I’m being careless, letting my impulses control me.

“Relax, Eli. I don’t think anyone saw you guys going into the file room. Other than me, that is.”

Still careless of me. What the hell was I thinking putting Paige at risk like that? The last thing I want is my girl becoming seedy office gossip.

Frustrated, I stab fingers through my hair. “Damn it. I’m being careless.”

Nick slides his hands into his pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels. “Also, you’ve been practically eye-fucking her for months now. So kind of easy to put two and two together.”

I scowl and open my mouth, brain scrambling to come up with some sort of excuse.

“Eli!”