Page 27 of The Intimacy of Control

“Of course you can. I’d be happy for you to swing by. Just show up whenever you need to, okay?”

“Cool. So, I heard you’re at some guy’s place, huh?”

“Ugh.” I groaned into the phone, shaking my head. “Don’t even start, Tobi.”

He snickered. “I also heard you went book shopping with Crew and Willow. How did that go?”

All I could think about was how we’d run into Forrest and found out he was the owner. “It was good. They’re a bit argumentative with each other, but I expected that. I’ve only been around everyone at Christmas, so I’m still getting to know them.”

“Yeah, that sounds like them. We’re startin’ to get new employees now in preparation for the new location, and Willow has been helping Crew and Price make a lot of decisions. You can imagine how they argue then.”

“You’re hiring already?”

“Yup. Got some kid named River who started serving. Cal is in charge of training him, but he was dumbfounded by how many of us were from Arkansas. It was funny.”

I’d been pretty dumbfounded, too. I’d met Tobi at my bar while he was drinking himself away. He’d been homeless, camping out in Driftwood until closing, nursing an entire bottle of vodka. I was really proud of how far he’d come.

Forrest stood in the doorway, a smile on his lips. “Bath is ready. I’ve got some clothes for you, too.”

“Hey, Tobi, I gotta go. Tell Callum I said bye. Come by the bar when you want. The backdoor is always open and unlocked when I’m there.”

There were two goodbyes echoing in the background right before I hung up. When I looked up, Forrest had crossed his arms and was leaning against the frame. “What?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Oh, nothing. You’re just cute. Lying in my bed, hair all messy, looking absolutely fucking wrecked because of me.”

Okay, he didn’t have to say all that. More of a blush tried to creep over my face again, and I was not about to let that happen. “Don’t start.” I threw the blanket off myself, temporarily forgetting that I was fully naked.

“Mmm, even better.”

I wanted to pull the blanket back over my lower half out of embarrassment, but what good would that do? Instead, I squeezed right past him before realizing I had no idea where I was going. “Um, could you show me the bathroom?”

He looked far too smug for me. Like he was hoping I’d ask the whole time. “Come on.”

I followed him down the hallway, but we didn’t go very far. Only a couple of doors down. He opened it, revealing a larger bathroom than I was expecting. There was a huge tub—a jetted one. On the other side was a standing shower with glass surrounding it. Holy fuck. I hadn’t realized he had one that big.

Already, I could feel the water start trickling into my lungs, burning the entire way down. I could handle a regular bathtub like the one at my house. One big enough for me to drown in? Yeah, no. I didn’t dare even look at a pool. Why the fuck would I get into something the size of a hot tub?

Forrest’s hands on my shoulders took me out of it for a second. I jumped at his touch, turning to him. “What?”

“Look.” He turned me, making me face the large mirror on the wall in front of us. He leaned down, whispering into my ear. “Look what I’ve done to you, Jackson.”

I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. It was me, but…marked. Everywhere. There were hickeys, scratches, and bruises from where he’d been holding me by the hips—everything I’d wanted.

Forrest reached around, running his hand up the front of my chest. “Can you see how I made you mine?” I tilted my head a little as he wrapped his palm around my neck. “Every bite. Every scratch. Every inch of your skin. Your breath.” He nipped at the shell of my ear. “I told you I would, didn’t I? I told you I’d make you look like mine.”

My breath hitched. The me in the mirror looked different—content, almost. Happy. I watched as my cock started to harden, slowly rising to attention. My nipples were hard too, pebbling beneath the cold air in the bathroom. Forrest looked so fucking sexy, a smirk on his lips right beside my ear. His eyes were what really caught my attention. There was so much in them. So much I wanted to understand. So much I craved from someone—someone like him.

The bar in his eyebrow glinted beneath the light as he raised his eyebrow. “Do you like being mine, Jackson?”

Christ, the way he said my damn name. It got me every time. The slight growl as he made his way through the word had a chill racing down my spine, going straight to my cock. My eyes fluttered as I tilted my head all the way back, leaning against his shoulder. “Yes,” I whispered.

“Your body belongs to me, doesn’t it, my sweet little slut?”

“Yes.”

“Fuck, look at you. So fucking hard. Is that for me?”

If he kept growling in my ear like he was, I swear I was going to come without him ever touching me. How did he have this effect on me? “Yes. All for you.”