Only If I Join

How the hell did he get in here? My feet wouldn't even move.

He stood there, his back against the wall, his arms crossed, while his cold eyes burned through me.

“You can keep running, baby girl,” he said, in a low, smooth voice. “But you are not going anywhere.”

I forced myself to step back. “You can’t be here.”

His lips curved into that wicked smirk. “You’ve forgotten that this is my house. I can be wherever I want.”

“This is the guest room. I came to change.”

“You came to hide thinking you could escape from me, huh?.”

I hugged the towel tighter around me, feeling my heart slam against my ribs. “It was a mistake.”

“Really?” His voice dropped in a low dangerous way, thick with lust. “Was it a mistake when you were screaming, ‘go harder’, when your thighs were shaking around my waist and you begged me… you actually begged me to go deeper?”

Heat exploded beneath my skin from embarrassment.

He stepped closer, his eyes dark and wild. “Was it just sex when your nails left marks down my spine? When you cried out that you couldn’t take it, but then told me not to stop? When you came so hard, your legs gave out and I had to hold you up?”

I swallowed hard, my voice trembling with shame, as I remembered the memory of his touch, his mouth, and the way he made me fall apart. 

He stopped just inches away, his eyes not leaving mine.

“Tell me,” he whispered, in a rough voice, “do your thighs still ache when you think about how deep I was? Do you still dream about the way I made you come… over and over, until you forgot your own name?

"Why do you sound like I knew who you were before I was riding your cock?" I hissed, stepping back. My annoyance boiled over, thick in my voice. "Get over it, Mr. Nicholas. It was nothing."

In one swift movement, his hand gripped my waist and yanked me against him. I gasped as my towel loosened, barely hanging on by the edge.

"You became mine the moment you let me inside you," he whispered, his breath brushing against my ear. "If you did not know it then, you know it now."

My body trembled against his. His warmth, his scent, the strength in his touch…they were all too much. Too dangerous.

"I didn’t know," I said, trying to steady my voice. "And stop throwing it in my face like I planned this. Bella is my best friend. I would never do anything to hurt her or ruin what we have."

He gave a low, dark laugh. "And she has no idea how sweet her best friend tastes when she is soaking wet on my tongue."

My knees went weak. His filthy words set fire to every nerve in my body. It was wicked. Wrong. But it aroused something deep and shameless inside me.

"This can't happen," I whispered, though my voice shook, unsure.

"It already happened," he growled, grinding his hard length against my stomach. "And right now, you can feel just how badly I still want you."

My breath caught in my throat.

"I need to get dressed. Please," I said softly, my pride slipping away.

His lips brushed against the shell of my ear. "Then get dressed, baby. But I am not going anywhere. I am not letting you out of my sight."

I broke free from his grip and turned toward the closet, barely holding the towel together. My hands were shaking as I reached for a dry shirt.

I let the towel fall. My bare back was fully exposed to him, but I pretended not to care.

I slipped into one of Bella’s oversized shirts, the fabric brushing against my skin. My panties were still damp from the pool, but I ignored the discomfort. What burned hotter was the way he watched me.

When I turned around, Nicholas was still staring. His gaze was dark and ravenous, locked on every inch of me.

"This is wrong," I said, though my voice lacked conviction.

"Wrong has never felt so fucking good," he replied.

He stepped closer again, closing the distance between us until I could feel the heat of his body. His finger traced slowly down my arm, igniting goosebumps across my skin.

"Tell me you don’t want me, and I’ll leave." His voice dropped, rough and deep against my neck. "Say the words, baby girl."

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

Because I couldn’t lie.

I wanted him. I wanted him more than I wanted to breathe. My body ached for him. My lips craved his taste. My skin burned for his hands.

But my mind screamed for control. My heart begged me to walk away.

I shook my head. "This can't happen again."

His hand reached up, firm but gentle, and turned my face toward him.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t want me."

His eyes burned into mine, waiting, challenging, daring me to speak.

I bit my lip, my chest rising too fast.

"I…"

Before the words could leave my mouth, his lips crashed down on mine. Hot and deep. 

And I let him.

He kissed me hard as his tongue pushed deep into my mouth again, claiming every breath I had left.

I should have shoved him away. I should have screamed. But instead, my hands grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him closer.

His kiss devoured me as his hand slid beneath the shirt I wore, his fingers gliding over my bare stomach, exploring me like he owned me.

A soft moan escaped me as his thumb grazed over my nipple, sending a jolt of pleasure straight to my core. My thighs clenched, already throbbing with heat.

His other hand gripped my waist, dragging me tight against his rock-hard body. Every inch of him felt like fire pressed to my skin.

"You can lie to yourself all you want," he whispered against my lips, his breath warm and rough. "But this thing between us is not ending. Not now. Not ever."

I clung to his shirt, head dizzy, heart pounding. "Bella will hate me if she finds out."

"She won't find out," he said calmly.

"She always knows when I'm hiding something," I breathed, panic slipping into my voice.

"Then don't hide it." His lips traced down my neck, soft and wet, before he sucked gently on my skin, leaving heat behind. My entire body trembled.

I shoved him back, panting hard. "You can't tell me what to do."

He smirked, dark and full of heat. "But I can tell you how to make your pretty little body cum."

My legs nearly buckled.

"Stop it," I whispered, voice barely steady.

He chuckled low and slow, his hand slipping from my waist like he had all the time in the world. "You love it when I talk dirty to you, baby girl."

I grabbed my phone from the bed, trying to focus on anything but him, needing to breathe.

Right then, Bella’s text flashed on the screen. Come downstairs for lunch, babe.

I glanced up at him, eyes wide. His smirk only deepened.

I rushed to throw on pants and followed him downstairs, my body still humming from every place he touched.

Bella came bounding toward us, laughing and chatting, completely unaware of the tension thick between me and her father.

I forced myself to smile. I nodded at her words. I pretended to laugh. But my skin still tingled, and my lips still ached for his kiss.

Bella’s phone buzzed again. She looked at it, then turned to me with a grin. "Hey, Aria, let's go shopping. Dad, can Aria borrow one of your cars?"

Nicholas looked at me slowly, his lips curling. "She can borrow mine. But only if I’m coming too."

Bella lit up. "Perfect. We can all go together."

I nearly screamed, but bit my tongue hard. I could not let her suspect anything.

Not when her father still looked at me like he was undressing me with his eyes.