“What are you thinking so hard about?” Barrow asks.

I am thinking too much. I don’t want to think about tomorrow or the next day. I want to be in the now. I grab Barrow’s shirt and pull him toward me. He lets me. I drop my head back and he does as I silently ask him to. He kisses me.

His mouth meets mine as my eyes fall closed. The kiss is soft at first, his mouth lightly brushing over mine. I let out a small sigh as I part my lips for him. His tongue slips into my mouth to tangle with mine. He grabs me, pulling me into his lap so that I’m straddling him as he deepens the kisses. His hands fist my hair as he kisses me with a hunger I’ve never felt before.

His other hand slips up the back of my shirt. His fingers graze back and forth, caressing my skin as though he can’t stop himself from touching me. It doesn't matter where as long as his fingers can be on my skin. I whimper, wanting more of him. I shift against him, feeling his erection. I love how being in his arms makes me feel so dainty and small.

I rub myself against his cock. The need to come makes my movements quicker. I dig my fingers into his shirt as my body takes what it wants, and he lets me. He pulls his mouth from mine to trail kisses down my neck and back up.

“Are you going to come for me, beautiful? Are you going to cry my name again?”

“Yes.” I’m so close. His mouth captures mine again. He nips at my bottom lip as his other hand goes to my hip and his fingers dig into me.

“I’ll be the only one you’ll ever come for. Take what you need.”

I grind down on him.

“Come,” he orders in a low, gravelly voice.

I do. The orgasm courses through my body. I let go, calling out his name. I slowly open my eyes realizing that I’m now on my back with him over me. He stares down at me, the hunger clear in his eyes.

“And I thought you were beautiful before. Now you’re breathtaking.”

I swallow hard as a rush of unexpected emotions hit me so hard that all the walls I’ve built up around me shake.

Barrow smiles down at me, knowing exactly what he’s done. I want to both push him away and pull him closer. Before I can get lost in my thoughts, he kisses me. My mind blanks, and all I can do is feel. Something that I haven’t allowed myself to do in a very long time. Yet when it comes to Barrow, I don’t seem to have any other choice.

7

Barrow

I kiss her hard, needing to eat up every last bite of her. God, this woman drives me wild. I can’t get enough of her. The sounds she made, the way she moved her perfect body against me—I’ve never been so turned on in my damn life.

I run my fingers through her hair, but when I feel that lump on her forehead, I stop.

She groans when I get to my knees and look down at her. “What?”

“You need to rest.”

“Rest?” She blinks like that word has zero meaning.

And I really want to agree with her, to throw myself on top of her and lavish her with affection and love. That’s what I feel, but my mind is telling me otherwise. My mind says she needs to relax, to get some rest, and to recover from the accident.

I run a hand through my hair. Fuck, what am I thinking? She just told me she’s still suffering from aches and pains and I’m over here pawing at her.

“What’s wrong?” Her eyes are heavy-lidded, her lips swollen from my kisses.

“You need to rest.” I force myself to back away and get to my feet. “I’m sorry I—”

“Sorry?” She sits up, and when she does, she winces.

“Yes.” I hurry over and position her pillows so she can recline comfortably.

She pushes my arm away. “I’m fine. I’ve got this.”

“Bells.” I stare down at her until she meets my gaze. “You’re still recovering, all right?”

“Once you get a feel for me, the real me, that’s when you back away?” She turns her head. “You aren’t trying to help me. You just realized you don’t find me sexy, that’s all.”

I grip her chin and turn it back. “Are you kidding me right now?”

Her eyes widen as I stand and grip her wrist, then guide her hand to my swollen cock. She licks her lips.

“All of this is yours. Every inch for you. I want to be so deep inside you right now, Bells, that it’s fucking killing me.”

When she runs her hand along my hard shaft, my hips jerk.

“That’s how much I want you. Only you. But I have to make sure you’ve fully recovered. I can’t hurt you. Hurting you is the last thing I ever want to do.” I take her hand and hold it in mine. Her skin, a few tones darker, is so soft and beautiful. Everything about her is.

When she looks up at me this time, her eyes are watery. “Do you mean it?”

“Every word, beautiful. Please don’t doubt it.” I kiss her hand and adjust her pillows.

This time she lets me. I’m almost done tucking her in when her phone rings. There’s no cell service out here, but she’s on the WiFi.

I eye the phone. She’s still looking at me. And for a moment, I think maybe she’s going to say something. Something I’m dying to hear. I can’t expect ‘I love you’ from her, but maybe a ‘please don’t go’ wouldn’t be so bad.

She doesn’t say anything, but she does pat the bed beside her.

My heart feels like it’s growing two sizes in my chest as I ease down next to her.

She answers her phone.

I can hear the voice on the other end. Masculine.

I tense.

But then Bells takes my hand with her free one. I relax and bask in what it feels like to be in bed with her. This is where I belong. Of course, I’d rather be between her thighs making her moan my name, but just lying here with her is a wonderful feeling. If only my old crew could see me now. I’ve gone soft. Not physically, mind you. I’m still strong and have zero qualms about using violence to keep what’s mine. But for Bells, I’d do anything. Making her happy is the one job I never knew I wanted. And now that it’s right in front of me, I can’t let my chance slip away.

She clears her throat. “I’m sorry, Mark, but I’m on hiatus with Aurora at the moment.”

He talks more.

“I understand that’s one of the biggest acts in the world right now, but don’t they already have a manager? K-Pop bands always have tight ships.”

I strain to hear the voice on the other end of the line, but I can’t.

“Mm-hmm.” She twists her lips a little as the voice drones on and on.

Then she blinks. Hard. “What did you just say? … That many zeroes? That’s double what Aurora pays me, and I think you know that amount is already outrageous.”

You’re worth every penny. I don’t let the thought escape my lips.

She chews her lip for a minute. “Two days, and then I’ll have to be in Seoul?” She sighs and leans back. “Yeah, send the contract to my legal team. I’ll have them look it over … No … No, I’m not saying yes. Calm down. I’m saying they’ll look it over.”

My guts churn at the thought of her leaving here, leaving me. I feel like I’m watching an auction and my heart is on the block. How much would I pay to keep her here? Any amount. Bells is priceless to me. But how can I compete with some big-time music act? Bells threw her heart and soul into Aurora’s career. She’s excellent at what she does.