Sucking in a breath, I hold it for a moment, my eyes searching his as he approaches. When he stops in front of me, he’s so close that I can feel the heat from his body. Tilting my head back slightly, I drag my eyes up his throat, wondering what it would taste like.
Then, when my gaze finds his, I watch as his nostrils flare. He wraps his arm around my waist, and my entire body almost melts into a whole pile of goo. Lifting my hands, I place my palms against his chest in an effort to brace myself and to keep from melting into said pile of goo.
“Viking,” I whisper.
“Gunnar,” he states.
I hum, unsure why he made that noise. He’s so close that I can smell his soap, his shampoo, his sweat, and the leather andoil that, no doubt, comes from riding around on his bike and the leather cut.
It’s sexy.
“My name,” he says. “Gunnar Lund.”
Wow.
Hot.
Like, beyond hot.
I start to say something else, but I’m not sure what I could even say at this point. I am beyond mesmerized by this man. And the way he’s looking down at me… he seems… hungry.
“Gunnar,” I finally breathe when he doesn’t say anything else.
He grunts, then lets out a moan before he says one single word, and that sends a thrill down my spine.
“Fuck.”
Yes.Fuckindeed. Please.
One of his hands gently glides up the center of my back, his fingers tangling in the back of my curly hair. The moment that meeting was over and I got home, I changed and took my hair down.
Paul thought I would look better if my hair were slicked back, to show just how serious I was. I like my curly hair. I like my comfortable clothes. I mean, I have to admit I felt like a boss babe in those clothes with my hair pulled back tightly, but it wasn’t me.
And the moment I did what Paul wanted, I wondered if this was just the beginning, and I have a feeling that’s exactly what it was. Which scares me more than signing the contract itself. Because what happens when the deal is done and I’m alone with this man?
I mean, Paul was great for the few hours I was there. He also made me feel amazing, but that doesn’t mean a switchcan’t flip, and he won’t show his true colors. I think I may have overestimated my power in this situation.
Meaning I have none.
Absolutely none.
I can’t help but wonder what is awaiting me in a month’s time and if I just made a huge-ass mistake. But when Viking clears his throat, bringing me back to reality, and I look up into his eyes, I realize I haven’t made a mistake.
Paul is offering me a semblance of a life. And Viking has offered me nothing… ever. Even being this close to him, I don’t think that anything is going to happen. He’s just panicking because of the way everything went down.
Then, as if I’ve thought it all into existence, he releases his grasp on me, his arms falling to his sides. I watch as he turns slightly and walks away from me, making his way into the living room to look out the window.
He doesn’t say anything. I watch him, waiting for him to speak, to say something,anything. But he doesn’t even move, and I’m almost afraid to breathe, wondering not just what he’s going to say, but what he’s thinking.
Then he turns around, and his eyes find mine. “I want you, Lainey. I’ve always wanted you.”
Not. Fair.
Not fair at all.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
LAINEY