CHAPTER 2: The Way He Touched me

Arielle's POV

We dished the food together and headed to his bedroom to eat. A few bites in, I felt his left hand slip between my thighs, fingers trailing dangerously high.

My fork froze mid-air. I couldn’t concentrate on  eating anymore…couldn’t think about anything except his touch.

By the time we finished eating, I was ready to crawl out of my skin. “Take off your clothes,” he growled, his voice thick with desire. “We’re taking a bath.”

The fire in my veins ignited as I stood up. We began kissing, slow at first, then more passionate and desperate. It was the sort of kiss that screamed I need you now.

We stumbled towards the bathroom, our mouths still locked in a kiss. His hand slid inside my panties, his fingers tracing through my dampness, and I moaned into his mouth.

“Fuck, you’re so wet already,” he groaned, his fingers tracing slow circles around my clit as I ground against his hand.

I could feel his bulge pressing hard against my hip, thick and straining against his pants. I moaned louder, my hands fumbling with the buttons of his shirt.

God, this man was hard as rock, and I was dripping for him. Only him.

I yanked his shirt off and pushed his pants down. He stripped me bare, and I didn’t even bother to try to hide my reaction to his cock—thick, hard, and beautiful. I reached out and wrapped my hand around it, stroking it slowly and firmly, feeling it grow even harder in my hand.

He hissed through his teeth, his hips bucking forward a little while I massaged him with so much desire.

We got into the shower together, the hot water pouring down over us. He took his time washing my body, his hands sliding over my breasts, squeezing them gently.

“You have the perfect tits, baby,” he whispered, his thumbs brushing over my nipples until they were hard peaks.

I lathered soap between my hands and pressed them to his chest, massaging him slowly but deliberately, making sure he knew exactly how much I needed him.

He groaned low in his throat, his head falling back a little. “Fuck, I love when you touch me like that.” I bit my lower lips,mesmerized by how his words made me feel. Pressing my lips softly on his was done without hesitation, I needed him spreading my legs so bad and feeling all of him in me. Gosh!

We dried off and got into bed, the cool sheets against my warm skin. I decided to play a game, payback for all the teasing.

I curled up on my side and closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep.

“Babe, are you sleeping?” he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

I suppressed a laugh, keeping my eyes closed. I could feel him grinning in the dark.

Then his thumb pushed against my pussy, stroking slowly through my folds, and I couldn’t help but let out a moan that escaped my lips.

He laughed, low and pleased. “Of course you’re not sleeping. And you definitely know why we’re here.”

He turned me over onto my back and kissed me deeply, his tongue claiming my mouth as his hands explored my breasts. His fingers trailed lower, finding my wetness, while his mouth moved to my breast, sucking and teasing until I was writhing beneath him.

He fingered me slowly, deliberately, but as good as it felt, I knew his fingers only went so far. I needed more. I needed him.

He placed me in the center of the bed and slid his cock through my wetness, teasing my entrance until I was on the verge of tears.

“Please,” I begged, my voice shaking. “Stop teasing and just fuck me.”

He slid inside me with one slow thrust, and we both groaned, he at how tight and wet I was, me at how perfectly he fit. He didn’t give me time to get used to him before he started moving, slowly at first, but I didn’t want slowly.

“Faster,” I gasped. “Harder. Please, Dominic.”

He gave me exactly what I asked for, his hips slamming into mine until I was screaming, not caring if the neighbors heard.

Then he flipped me over onto my hands and knees. He knew how much I loved it from behind. His hands gripped my hips as he pounded into me, and I nearly teared up from how good it felt—how deep he was, how every thrust seemed to reach my soul.

He turned me again, pulling me to the edge of the bed. I was on my back, legs hooked over his shoulders, and when he slid inside me from this angle, I felt him in my stomach. His thick cock stretched me so perfectly I couldn’t even scream anymore—I’d lost my voice.

We climaxed together, his name a broken whisper on my lips, and when I looked up at him, I saw it, the satisfaction in his eyes. He loved pleasing me more than anything.

We took a cool shower to wash away the sweat. But we couldn’t keep our hands off each other, and before I knew it, he had me pressed against the shower wall, taking me all over again.

We just couldn’t get enough of each other.

I blinked, and the memory dissolved.

I was back in my apartment, alone. The takeout box from the Italian restaurant was empty on my coffee table. I had already showered and gotten into bed, but sleep was out of the question.

The pain in my chest was agonizing.

Missing him, wanting him, loathing myself for still feeling this way after all that had transpired.

My Dominic.

But he was no longer mine. Hadn’t been for three years.

I got up and headed to the kitchen for a glass of water, trying to push the memory away, when I spotted the folder on my counter that my assistant had delivered Friday afternoon.

New client pitch. Monday morning.

I had been so consumed with wrapping up the Henderson project over the weekend that I hadn’t even cracked it open yet.

Might as well get a head start on it since I wasn’t going to sleep anyway.

I opened it up.

HaleAI Technologies. Tech startup turned billion-dollar corporation. The entire office space needs a makeover. The CEO wants sleek, elegant, and functional. Budget: hefty. Timeline: six months.

Meeting with the CEO Monday, 9 AM.

The CEO’s bio was brief, consisting of only a small, slightly blurry professional headshot and a paragraph about the company’s breakthroughs in AI business solutions.D.Hale, Founder & CEO. Created HaleAI from scratch after leaving his father’s political world. Known for being hands-on and detail-driven…

I scanned it, too tired to take in the details. My eyes were burning.

It was a huge contract. A high-profile client. A career-maker.

I’d do my proper research in the morning. Read the entire brief. Work on my presentation.

I closed the file and hauled myself back into bed, setting my alarm for 6 AM.

If I’d taken a closer look at that picture, I would’ve seen the eyes.

If I’d paid attention to the CEO’s full name instead of just scanning “HaleAI Technologies,” I would’ve known.

If I hadn’t been so tired, so caught up in thoughts of garlic butter and his hands on my skin, I would’ve connected the dots.

But I didn’t.

So I went to sleep with no clue that in less than twelve hours, I’d be standing in front of the one man I’d been trying to forget for three years.