Page 33 of The Attack Zone
I stop walking and take Stacey’s wrist in my hand, tugging her back towards me. “No one could steal this from you. There’s a reason I hired you, and it’s not just because I don’t have the time to doRebounds for Rescuesmyself. You’re really good at what you do.”
She looks up at me with the same fiery eyes she had when she walked over and cockblocked me last night. Admittedly, I wasn’t even remotely close to trying to sleep with that donor. But if Stacey’s jealousy got us last night, I’ll take it.
I run my hand up her arm and give her shoulder a squeeze, not wanting to let go of her just yet. “Should we go check out the woods?” I ask. I force myself to drop my hand but I don’t drop eye contact with her. She nods slowly, silently, like she’s not actually sure what she’s agreeing to.
I place my hand on her lower back and guide us towards the path. We walk into the trees and wander down the path, my hand refusing to leave her body as we do. But she doesn’t shrug it off, doesn’t make any snide comments. She just talks about what time of day makes the most sense to do photos based on the light here, and how to fit it into the schedule.
The path isn’t paved, so there are some bumps and branches here and there. It’s not a problem until all of a sudden Stacey is toppling forward, having tripped on the root of a tree, and shrieking. She’s about to face-plant into the ground, but I wrap my hand from her back around her waist and pull her up against me with ease. It’s not until I’m sure she’s okay that I realize my hand is down low on her bare belly, pulling her ass into me. Before I can think better of it, I wrap my other hand around her waist, letting it settle alone the waistband of her jeans. I feel her take a sharp inhale. I’m just trying to steady her, I tell myself. Just trying to keep her safe.
“You good?” I ask her.
“Yeah,” she says, breathless. “I’m good.”
CHAPTER 17
STACEY
Isaid I’m good, so why am I not moving? Why am I just standing here, unable to put a coherent thought together? All I can think about is wanting Mitch’s very capable hands to take over.
I have to move. I cannot let him think that I want this, even if I absolutely do.
Just move, I tell myself.Anywhere.
I turn my head towards Mitch and suddenly my face is pressed into his neck, my lips just below his ear. He inhales and his hands tighten around my waist. Then, to my shock, my hands are reaching up towards his head. I dig my fingers into his hair, tugging down lightly in the way I now know he likes. His head falls to my shoulder as I feel him stiffen against my back.
Neither of us can seem to catch our breath, or our minds apparently, as his mouth runs down my neck until his teeth dig softly into the place my sweater has left bare and exposed.His mouth on me seems to alter my brain chemistry temporarily, because I find myself grinding up against him and reaching for his hands, pulling them further down my body.
His head lifts up just a bit and I turn mine back towards him. I pull his head closer and press my lips into his neck, just below his ear.
“Mitch,” I whisper into his ear. His body reacts just the way I want it to as he shudders against me.
“I don’t know what you want right now,” he says. “Tell me what you want, love. Whatever it is, I’ll give it to you.”
It has the exact same effect as it did last night. It’s such a turn on that I’m spinning around in his arms and pulling on his sweater, dragging us both up against a nearby tree.
“I want you to kiss me,” I say.
When my back reaches the trunk, Mitch takes both of my wrists in his and pulls my arms up above my head, bracing them against the tree with one sturdy, capable hand. He bends slightly, bringing his free hand to steady my waist against the tree and his lips to my bare shoulder. His tongue drags along my shoulder before he peppers my neck with strong, intentional kisses. When he reaches my ear, he digs his teeth into it lightly, but not too lightly. It’s like he instinctively knows exactly how to touch me, and it’s driving me insane. I squirm between him and the tree, my hips inadvertently grinding into him. That’s when his lips finally crash onto mine. The kiss is full of heat and the anticipation of what’s to come. It’s quick and deep and filled with temptation. His hand roams down my waist and wraps around my ass, giving it a strong squeeze. I breathe in quickly against his mouth and I feel a smile forming on his lips as they kiss mine again.
“What?” I ask finally.
“You really did like it,” he says, sounding somewhat bewildered as he lets go of my hands, letting his own wrap around my body.
“Wasn’t that obvious?” I ask with a little laugh.
He shrugs. “You never know,” he says, leaning forward to rest his head on my shoulder. “I thought maybe you regretted it.” He says it quietly and with a bit of shyness, like he’s worried.
“I don’t regret it,” I say.
He stands back up, keeping his hands on me, and looks at me. He’s examining my face as if he’s trying to figure me out. “You don’t?” he asks.
“I don’t,” I say. “I’m just not sure what we do now.”
“Well, I think we probably have to go back inside and finish meeting with Angela,” he says. “As much as I’d love to fuck you senseless against a tree.”
“I meant about us,” I say.
“Us?” he repeats back. “There’s an ‘us’ now?”