Twisted Up by Lissa Matthews

in return? Did he know how important he was to her? Another swallow of wine went down bitterly, along with her thoughts. No, he probably didn’t know. She’d avoided seeing him these last couple of months and kept herself locked away emotionally most of the time. How would he know what he meant to her with all her walls up?
    She was likely a damn fool.
    Some liked to keep their thoughts to themselves, but after years of feeling as though her ex cared little for them, it was like a balm to her soul that Justin made it a point to ask and be interested. She only wished she could take and follow his lead and not fear the niggling little thought that she’d once again be rejected if she opened up. “Thinking about what happens after Saturday.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Well, the last session of my training class is over at noon and I’m supposed to fly home.” She turned her head against his thighs, tried to ignore the not-so-easy-to-ignore bulge in his jeans against her cheek, and looked up at him. She smiled when she found him looking down at her, concern etched on his face in moonlight.
    Yeah, she needed to be serious here and not give in to the temptation to avoid the rest of the conversation and nibble on his cock. “I don’t know what to do.”
    “What do you want to do?”
    Fuck you. Come live with you. “I don’t know.” Why did she find it so hard to admit the truth to him? She could open up and tell him anything and she knew that, deep down in her soul she knew that, but then there were moments that the truth scared the crap out of her and she bit her tongue to keep from letting it spill over. Besides, living with him wouldn’t be a wise thing to do at this stage. Maybe not at any stage.
    He nodded and lifted his free hand to again brush hair from her face. The caress was so tender it made her heart hurt.
    “It’s hard to do anything when you don’t know what you want to do.”
    “What do you want me to do?”
    Justin shook his head. “I can’t tell you that. I got you down here. I got you out of your comfort zone to face some dirty desires. I got you some damn good sex and some pampering. But, I can’t tell you what I want you to do. I don’t want to influence you in that way because once the words are out there…”
    “You’re no help,” she grumbled, knowing he was right. If she heard the words, even though she already knew what they’d be, if she heard them, she wouldn’t be able to resist them.
    He laughed low and sexy. But then, it seemed everything he did was low and sexy.
    “So, now I’m mean and no help. Not very gracious of you, baby, after all I’ve done for you since Sunday.” He tsked and shook his head again, this time in a very disapproving manner. “I do believe this requires some form of punishment until you decide to be grateful.”
    He winked, kissed the back of her hand that he held and let it go, only to reach out and pinch her nipple through yet another T-shirt that he’d let her borrow. She arched in automatic reaction, which gave him opportunity to lift the shirt up and expose her body. Another thing she loved that was low and sexy… The whistle of appreciation when he got his hands or his eyes on her. He made her feel beautiful, erotic and sexy.
    His work-roughened hand slid up her belly to cup one of her breasts, his thumb stroking over the nipple, keeping it erect and sensitive, keeping her back arched and her chest thrust up in offering. She loved the feel of the scrape of his skin over hers. It left her feeling even more vulnerable for reasons she wasn’t sure of. She just knew she liked it more than soft, smooth hands.
    The contrasts between them, more than their gender, turned her on. He was lean, slender, but strong in muscle, where she was soft and rounded. He was tall and she was a bit shorter, enough to give her a feeling of being protected in his shadow. He was pensive at times, aggressive at others, laid back and casual, whereas she was not so