His Hunger for her sweet innocence

Samantha's POV My heart skipped a beat. The way he looked at me made me forget my rules, my principles, and just want to go wild. But I was a date-to-marry girl, and Rick clearly looked like a guy who just wanted to test the waters with me.As if reading my mind, Rick looked deeper into my eyes. "I know what you might be thinking. He just wants to mess around with me. Have sex and then leave. But trust me, what I feel for you is so insane, and I hate seeing you like this. No man deserves you—not even me. Inasmuch as I like you a lot, I don't want to put you in danger. You won't understand," he said, his tone softening as he ran his fingers through my hair.My breath hitched at his touch, a sudden rush of heat flooding my veins. Realizing how close I was to breaking, I pulled his hand away. "We've talked about this. Let's not make this complicated. You're just my friend... a really good friend. Let's not jeopardize that."I had come here because I was hurt by Marcus, so I didn't under

Samantha's POV "He did what?"Chloe nearly choked on her wine, her eyes widening to the size of saucers. She leaned so far over my kitchen island I thought she might tumble right over the marble countertop."Lower your voice," I groaned, burying my face in my hands. The morning light was pouring ruthlessly through my apartment windows, making my headache pound a little harder. "And yes. He pulled back. He told me he didn't want to take advantage of me because I was vulnerable.""Oh my God." Chloe set her glass down with a definitive clink. "Samantha, the man is a certified bad boy. He looks like he could snap a man in half with his bare hands, he runs the most successful lounge downtown, and he chose last night to play the gentleman?""I know," I muttered, staring at the cold cup of coffee between my hands.After the lights had come back on in Rick's office, the thick, intoxicating bubble we’d been trapped in completely shattered. The drive home in the dying storm had been quiet, fil

Samantha's POV I hung up the phone, my heart beating a frantic, erratic rhythm against my ribs."Okay, I am officially retracting my previous statement," Chloe said, quickly smoothing down her shirt and checking her reflection in the microwave door. "He is not just an upgrade. He is a whole different species. Marcus who?"I couldn't help but laugh, the tight knot of anxiety in my chest loosening a little more. "Behave, Chloe. I meant what I said to him—I really don't feel good.""Honey, looking at him just cured my asthma, and I don't even have asthma," she joked, though her eyes softened with genuine protective warmth. "But seriously, let me handle the door. I want to look this man in the eye before he gets to spoil you."Less than three minutes later, a firm, heavy knock echoed through the apartment.Chloe practically leaped to open it. I stood a few steps back in the kitchen, suddenly feeling very self-conscious in my oversized sweatpants and messy hair.The door swung open, and R

Samantha's POVThe heavy click of the front door closing behind Chloe felt less like an exit and more like a vacuum seal. Suddenly, the entire apartment felt half its size, stripped of any safety nets, leaving me entirely exposed to the man standing in my kitchen.The air grew thick, instantly saturated with the intoxicating scent of the man standing in my kitchen. A heavy, masculine wave of pheromones that seemed to coat the walls and settle deep in my lungs, making it impossible to catch a normal breath.Rick didn't move right away. He stood by the counter, the sheer contrast of his rugged, devilishly handsome look against my neat, modern kitchen sending a liquid heat rushing straight down my spine.The form-fitting black t-shirt clung to the broad expanse of his chest, and without his jacket, the dark ink of his tattoos was on full display—intricate, sharp, and intensely masculine.He tracked me with a slow, consuming gaze, his striking green eyes dark with an intensity that made m