it?”
By way of an answer, Mitch shrugged. He was at a loss to explain why he’d hauled Butler out of his chair and walloped him, at least not in a manner that wouldn’t make him sound like a crazed, possessive jerk.
Hayley frowned. “Why?”
Mitch couldn’t believe she didn’t know. To hell with trying to appear sane. He’d left his good sense behind hours ago. “Because he had you,” he said, “and I couldn’t stand it.”
“Oh, Mitch. Ty never really had me—we didn’t have each other.” She sighed, seeming to gather her thoughts. “It was like we made a tacit agreement from the very beginning that falling in love was not an option, for either of us. We had…”
When she trailed off, burying her face in the pillow as though embarrassed, Mitch finished for her, using the words he recalled her uttering earlier that morning. “A purely sexual affair?”
“Yes and no. We became friends, but sex was biggest thing we had in common.”
“Okay, I get it.” Mitch couldn’t keep the terse note from his voice. He flopped onto his back and stared up at the canopy draped above the bed. In the light it appeared as pale and fine as gossamer. “I don’t want to talk about him anymore.”
Lightly, Hayley touched his shoulder. “Mitch, you can’t pretend I was a virgin before tonight.”
An image of her writhing in the resort pool in the arms of another man flashed in Mitch’s mind. “Believe me, the proof of that is indelibly burned on my brain.”
Clearly piqued, Hayley flopped down on her own pillow with a thud. “You think I’m overjoyed to know I’m not the only woman you’ve tied up and made beg for mercy? Did they all promise to do anything you wanted, Mitch? Do they always scream that they belong to you?”
He couldn’t say no, that he’d never made another woman plead for orgasm the way he had Hayley. What he could give her was another truth. “It never meant anything to me until you said it.”
When Hayley uttered those words, Mitch had been struck speechless by the maelstrom of emotions that clogged his throat. All he could do was satisfy the primitive drive to be with her, in her, a part of her.
And then she’d said she loved him and had knocked him for a loop all over again. Mitch still felt like he had a touch of concussion. Please say it again ,he silently urged her. Say it again so I know it wasn’t some crazy fluke.
When at last Hayley spoke, what she said was almost as good as any love declaration she could have made. “I want to be yours, Mitch. Only yours.”
Mitch let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He closed his eyes in relief. No more Ty Butler. No more sharing her with anyone. Reaching for her hand where it lay on the mattress, he linked his fingers through hers and squeezed. He growled in satisfaction. “Good.”
“ Good? That’s all you’ve got to say?”
“Fantastic,” Mitch elaborated. “Spectacular. About bloody time. How’s that?”
“You’re so annoying!” Hayley tried to extract her hand from his but Mitch wouldn’t let her go. She huffed in frustration. “I was going to apologize for behaving so badly the last couple of days, but now I don’t think I will.”
“Don’t. You’re not the only one who’s been acting out of character.” Rolling over, Mitch covered Hayley’s body with his, loving the way her smooth skin slid against his. “I’ve been completely unreasonable since the second I laid eyes on you again. You, sweetheart, screw up my mental faculties.”
Her smile appeared, and a wicked gleam came into her eyes. She mimicked his fierce tone of before. “Good.”
“I see. Revenge is your game, is it?”
She arched a brow. “I can play any game you want me to.”
Well, that certainly made Mitch’s erection swell to painful proportions. Still, he felt the need to warn her. “Are you sure you know what a statement like that means to a guy like me?”
“You mean a guy who likes to dominate in the
By way of an answer, Mitch shrugged. He was at a loss to explain why he’d hauled Butler out of his chair and walloped him, at least not in a manner that wouldn’t make him sound like a crazed, possessive jerk.
Hayley frowned. “Why?”
Mitch couldn’t believe she didn’t know. To hell with trying to appear sane. He’d left his good sense behind hours ago. “Because he had you,” he said, “and I couldn’t stand it.”
“Oh, Mitch. Ty never really had me—we didn’t have each other.” She sighed, seeming to gather her thoughts. “It was like we made a tacit agreement from the very beginning that falling in love was not an option, for either of us. We had…”
When she trailed off, burying her face in the pillow as though embarrassed, Mitch finished for her, using the words he recalled her uttering earlier that morning. “A purely sexual affair?”
“Yes and no. We became friends, but sex was biggest thing we had in common.”
“Okay, I get it.” Mitch couldn’t keep the terse note from his voice. He flopped onto his back and stared up at the canopy draped above the bed. In the light it appeared as pale and fine as gossamer. “I don’t want to talk about him anymore.”
Lightly, Hayley touched his shoulder. “Mitch, you can’t pretend I was a virgin before tonight.”
An image of her writhing in the resort pool in the arms of another man flashed in Mitch’s mind. “Believe me, the proof of that is indelibly burned on my brain.”
Clearly piqued, Hayley flopped down on her own pillow with a thud. “You think I’m overjoyed to know I’m not the only woman you’ve tied up and made beg for mercy? Did they all promise to do anything you wanted, Mitch? Do they always scream that they belong to you?”
He couldn’t say no, that he’d never made another woman plead for orgasm the way he had Hayley. What he could give her was another truth. “It never meant anything to me until you said it.”
When Hayley uttered those words, Mitch had been struck speechless by the maelstrom of emotions that clogged his throat. All he could do was satisfy the primitive drive to be with her, in her, a part of her.
And then she’d said she loved him and had knocked him for a loop all over again. Mitch still felt like he had a touch of concussion. Please say it again ,he silently urged her. Say it again so I know it wasn’t some crazy fluke.
When at last Hayley spoke, what she said was almost as good as any love declaration she could have made. “I want to be yours, Mitch. Only yours.”
Mitch let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He closed his eyes in relief. No more Ty Butler. No more sharing her with anyone. Reaching for her hand where it lay on the mattress, he linked his fingers through hers and squeezed. He growled in satisfaction. “Good.”
“ Good? That’s all you’ve got to say?”
“Fantastic,” Mitch elaborated. “Spectacular. About bloody time. How’s that?”
“You’re so annoying!” Hayley tried to extract her hand from his but Mitch wouldn’t let her go. She huffed in frustration. “I was going to apologize for behaving so badly the last couple of days, but now I don’t think I will.”
“Don’t. You’re not the only one who’s been acting out of character.” Rolling over, Mitch covered Hayley’s body with his, loving the way her smooth skin slid against his. “I’ve been completely unreasonable since the second I laid eyes on you again. You, sweetheart, screw up my mental faculties.”
Her smile appeared, and a wicked gleam came into her eyes. She mimicked his fierce tone of before. “Good.”
“I see. Revenge is your game, is it?”
She arched a brow. “I can play any game you want me to.”
Well, that certainly made Mitch’s erection swell to painful proportions. Still, he felt the need to warn her. “Are you sure you know what a statement like that means to a guy like me?”
“You mean a guy who likes to dominate in the
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