Chapter Ten
“Mmph!” I shoved at his shoulders, but he anchored his hard body against mine forcefully, holding me prisoner and taking what he wanted.
His mouth was hot. His tongue was beyond talented. But I didn’t tell him he could kiss me so I wasn’t making it easy. I awkwardly rammed my elbow into his ribs, but in the confined space it hardly drew a grunt out of him.
“Kiss me back, Avery. Give in.”
“No.” I bit at his lips, but that only seemed to encourage him.
He growled and groped my breast through my damp sports bra, squeezing and tugging the unyielding fabric. “I want this off.”
“Tough.”
His hard cock gouged through his gym shorts into my hip, seeking my center as his fingers curled around my ponytail and tugged, exposing my throat to his mouth. It had been so long since a man kissed me with such desire. For a moment, I was lost, falling into a dark abyss of need as my limbs curled around his strength, my muscles humming and my blood purring.
My eyes went wide as the sheer size of him became evident. This was all wrong. This wasn’t what I wanted. He completely dominated me in bulk and strength, but there was no way he’d dominate me in other ways. And how dare he knock me off balance like this!
Reaching down, I grabbed hold of his bulging erection and curled my fingers like a talon around his cock and balls, demanding his attention. He sucked in a breath and jerked back.
“That’s a little tight—”
My grip intensified, my fingernails pressing through the loose fabric and soft skin, as I leveled him with a look that told him my hold was intentional. “Put. Me. Down.”
Uncertainty flashed in his eyes and he lowered me to the floor. I didn’t release my grip as I stared up at him.
He clutched my wrist. “Avery, you’re crushing my—”
“Is this what you want? To fuck me in an elevator? Against a wall? Maybe on our way down the hall and on your granite countertops?”
He groaned, the sound half pained, half excited. “If you could just loosen—”
“Quiet.” I was done getting passively blindsided by this guy. “I warned you. I told you one day you’d try your luck with me and not like the result.” My grip tightened, his shorts, hard cock, and full balls fisted firmly in my hold. “I don’t do gentle, Noah. And I’m never a bottom. Understand?”
“If you want to be on top—”
“No. It’s not about the physical position. It’s about the mental one. I’m in charge. Always. And I don’t think you’d like that very much.”
“Maybe I would.”
I arched a brow, wishing that was true, but certain it wasn’t. “Have you ever had a woman fuck you, Noah? Ever experienced true helplessness and surrendered your will, your choice, and your body for her pleasure?”
“Holy shit.”
I loosened my hold but held his full attention. He could have stepped back, but he didn’t move an inch.
My mouth curled into a slow smile. I fucking loved achieving control. Especially when the man didn’t realize he was already under my spell, already submitting to my authority. But eventually, Noah would snap out of it and run.
“You don’t want what I want, Mr. Wolfe, so maybe it’s best we just remain … friends.” A friend was what I needed more than anything else.
He didn’t move, didn’t answer.
“Push the button, Noah.”
He blinked and turned and we were suddenly moving. The short ride seemed a year long as his gaze kept shooting to me. My expression was a mask over secrets he’d never know.
The doors parted and I stepped out, leaving him staring. I didn’t have to look back to know he watched me until the moment I disappeared inside my apartment. Let him figure it out, jerk off a few loads, and find a passive plaything. I wasn’t that girl and he wasn’t my guy. The sooner that sank in for the both of us, the sooner our lives would get back to normal.
I toed off my tennis shoes and a fist pounded on my door. “Open the door, Avery.”
What. The. Fuck?
Couldn’t he take a hint?
He pounded again. “Avery.”
My heart jerked. This never happened before. I never had a guy literally refuse to accept no for an answer. I slowly crept to the entrance, standing where my feet wouldn’t cast shadows.
He banged his fist again and I flinched. “I know you’re in there. You’re hiding.”
I wasn’t hiding. Was I? “Go home, Noah.”
Silence.
I lifted to my toes and peeked through the peephole, only to find him hunched around my doorframe, shoulders taut, as he bore down on my only escape. My heart did a cartwheel in my chest as I sagged back against the wall. Why wouldn’t he give up? “Go rub one out and you’ll be fine.”
His chuckle was gravel scraping along my every nerve. “Why don’t you give me a hand?”
I rolled my eyes but took another step back. He was wearing me down and I was running out of excuses.
“That’s never going to happen. Go home. I have things to do and I’m not letting you in.”
“Pussy.”
He was using my word, yet the way he let it roll off his tongue… It curled around me and tangled up my insides. Knots of confusion throbbed with need and curiosity. “That’s not going to work this time. Go home.”
“Fine. But you can’t hide forever, Avery. Eventually, I’ll find you and you’ll regret every minute you made me wait.”
He didn’t deliver the promise as a threat. It hit my chest like an absolute guarantee, a punishment issued in a vow before delivery, and I shivered, wondering if he had the balls to dare to kiss me again. Next time, I wouldn’t be so gentle.
Creeping back to the door, I peeked through the peephole again, only to find the hallway empty. I should have been satisfied, but I wasn’t.