“That’s not why you blocked me.” It’s not a question, but a statement. His hips press into the small of my back, and I suck in a breath. “You blocked me at five-thirty this morning.”
It’s my turn to frown.
“You left the police department at nine-thirty-eight.”
My frown deepens … because …
What. The. Fuck?
“You’re following me?”
“I don’t have time to follow anyone, but I have people who do.” He shrugs. “My point is, you cut me out before the cops fed you lies about me and my dead wife. If you would’ve answered my calls, I was going to convince you to make time for me. Now I have to convince you of other shit too. So, again, why did you block me?”
“Because this can’t happen. I knew if you called, I wouldn’t be able to say no to you.”
“I like that.”
My teeth sink deeper into my flesh.
He lowers his voice. “I did not kill my wife.”
My heart stutters. “You said you hadn’t had sex with her in years. Why?”
He pauses, contemplating … something. If I had to guess, it’s not why he hadn’t had sex with her in years, but rather if he can trust me with the reason. “Marcia and I … we were complicated. She was a bitch from the get-go. We had more problems than a Jerry Springer episode.”
I have to know. “Why would you marry someone if you didn’t love them, let alone like them?”
He shakes his head. “You haven’t earned that from me. Not yet. But I will say, if I were going to kill her, I would’ve done it years ago. Divorce is not an option in my world. I accepted her as the shitty life sentence she was. She made the last ten years a fucking pain in the ass, but I did not kill her.”
“Yet you cheated on her.”
He nods. “And she cheated on me. We had an unspoken understanding.”
“This is not making me want to unblock you,” I tell him the truth. “And the way you pin me to doors…” I take a deep breath. “You’re stepping over boundaries, and I don’t like it.”
“I think you don’t want to like it.” Instead of shifting and allowing me space to move—or run away like any sane person would—a big hand feels its way over my hip and settles on my side next to my very sensitive breast. “And you’re afraid of what will happen if you allow yourself to like it.”
He couldn’t be more right. The fact he has me figured out scares me even more.
He flips me around. We’re face to face with my back to the door. “I think you’re wondering what other boundaries I could shatter that you’d enjoy.”
I exhale and try to erase the fantasies where he plays the starring role.
“Aria.” He leans in and nudges the tip of my nose with his, lowering his voice. His dark eyes sear into mine. “I did not kill my wife.”
I force my lungs to function and stay silent.
“Swear it.” He places a hand on the side of my face—firm, steady. “Look at me. Really look at me and think that I did it. I dare you.”
The taste of copper hits my tongue.
“Tell me you believe me.” He’s not asking.
Of all the things he’s said to me so far, nothing has been as consequential as this.
Pleading.
Raw.
Desperate.
It’s my nature to think things through to the ends of the earth and back, so when my next words slip through my lips, they couldn’t be more out of character. “I believe you.”
His grip on my face tightens, and his entire body goes taut. The next thing I know, his mouth hits mine.
How did this happen? How did I get here with Brand Vitale?
With one hand in my hair and the other possessing my ass like it’s always been his, he devours me. His tongue forces its way into my mouth and the taste of us—mint mixed with the copper of my own blood—makes my head spin.
It’s all it takes for me to tumble into his world.
Fantasies are shit. When it comes to him, reality wins—hands down.
He rips his mouth from mine and his fingers wrestle with my pants. “Fuck. Why can’t I get you out of my head, Aria? I’ve tried. It’s like you’ve seeped into my blood and became an addiction I can’t quit.”
I don’t dare respond. Addiction is not nearly a strong enough word, but I won’t allow myself to admit it. But the thought of being his addiction?
I’ve never felt so powerful.
“Tell me you don’t feel the same,” he goads. “I think you do. I felt it last night and it’s even hotter now.”
He forces a hand down the front of my slim-fit pants, straight into my panties, and I don’t make a move to stop him. A remote part of my brain screams at me. Everything about him is mysterious and dangerous. It doesn’t take a specialist to realize Brand Vitale is something much more than a hero—fighting fires and saving lives.
I want to know more.
I want to know everything.
I relish his kiss and his touch. I’m not sure I could say no to him if I wanted to.
Brand doesn’t mess around. His big hand possesses me—fully and wholly—exactly the way he’s taking over my body and psyche, the way no one ever has before.
“I knew you’d be wet,” he taunts me with my own body’s betrayal. “But this is more. You’re drenched. Were you like this sitting across from me at dinner last night?”
He curls two fingers inside me and presses his palm into my clit.
When my head slumps in his hand, he fists my hair and my roots scream. “Tell me you went to bed last night thinking of me. Because the minute I got home, I jacked off harder than I have in years. All I could think about was this.” His strong fingers pump inside me as his hand massages my clit. He’s right. I’m soaked, just like last night when I came, fantasizing of him. “The thought of coming inside you was almost more than I could bear. It’s a kind of pain I’ll gladly wait on and I don’t wait for anything.”
I close my eyes and question everything about myself, because there’s no way I can deny this man. I bite back a moan, but it comes out as a whimper.
“I’m not waiting on this.” He gives my clit more pressure and I’m not sure how much more I can take. “I want to make you come. See you. Feel you. Fuck, I can even smell you.”
I tilt my face to his and drag my hooded eyes open just enough so he’s the only thing in my world. As much as I want to experience an orgasm induced by him in the flesh, I have to know. “Why me?”
He circles my clit again. “I could ask you the same question.”
I lick my lips and shake my head. “Tell me.”
He studies my features and hesitates a beat. “Don’t ask for things you can’t handle.”
“I have to know.” My eyes fall shut as a shudder runs up my spine and I have trouble standing. “Please.”
“Please what?” He pulls my body flush to his to support my weight and his hand between my legs does things that should be illegal in all fifty states and Puerto Rico. “Please make you come or please tell you why my obsession with you is currently fucking with everything else in my life?”