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I fill them with ice and water. “Okay—”
I gasp as I turn around and find Clive standing directly behind me.
“Nora,”he whispers. “Set the glasses down.”
“‘Kay.”
I abandon them on the counter’s edge. Clive reaches behind me and nudges them a little farther away from me before curling his arms around me and pulling me in for a hard kiss. I melt completely, giving in to the overwhelming pang for his attention deep inside of me.
“Relax,” he tells me again as he draws a line along my cheek with his thumb.
I nod and catch my breath as his hands fall away from me. He picks up one of the water glasses and I do the same.
“Would you like a tour?” I ask.
He raises the glass to his lips. “Only if it ends in the bedroom,” he says.
“Okay. Well…” I pour a large, cold portion of water down my burning throat. “This is the kitchen,” I say, wiping my mouth.
I step around him toward the hallway. He follows close behind, a large, lingering shadow that could pounce on me at any moment.
“Bathroom here,” I say, pointing into a room to the right of the kitchen. We enter the hall and I gesture to the closed door halfway down. “And this right here is my home office.”
I keep walking, barely pausing to take another sip. “Living room,” I choke. “With the wonderful view of—”
I twist around to find Clive halfway up the stairwell.
“And… that’s how you get to the bedroom.”
He peeks over his shoulder at me, his blue eyes pinched with devious intent.
I exhale hard and follow him upstairs. Clive waits for me on the landing and we walk to the bedroom together.
“I have something for you,” he says over my shoulder.
“Oh, yeah,” I recall. “You said you did.” We enter the bedroom and I walk to the bedside table to set my glass down. “What is it?” I ask, excitedly.
Clive puts his water down next to mine. “Face the mirror,” he tells me after a quick glance around. “And close your eyes.”
I squint playfully at him before doing as he says. He walks up behind me and I feel his warm fingers gently push my hair to one side of my neck. His hands move out in front of me and my lips twitch as he lays something around my throat and fastens it.
“Open them,” he says.
I look at our reflection. It’s a thin, black choker made of leather with a small pearl dangling from the middle. Simple and classy. My style in almost every way.
My jaw drops. “Holy— is that a real pearl?” I ask.
“A real pearl?” he quips. “I work three jobs. Of course, it’s not real. It’s plastic.”
I chuckle. “Well, still. It’s so pretty. Thank you.”
He spreads my hair down my shoulders again. “Thought you’d like something a little nicer than a hanky. And… it keeps others at arm’s length from you.” His eyes fall on my body in the mirror. “I want you to myself, Nora Payne.”
I feel the smooth leather choker. “You want to own me,” I say.
He grips my waist from behind. I shiver as his warm breath spreads along my neck. “Yes,” he answers as he kisses my shoulder. “But I know I have to earn that. If you’ll let me.”
He pinches the top of my zipper.
