Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 149641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 748(@200wpm)___ 599(@250wpm)___ 499(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 748(@200wpm)___ 599(@250wpm)___ 499(@300wpm)
He hadn’t been tempted to tie her up and keep her that way until he knew every inch of her body, until he had the taste of her on his tongue, her scent surrounding him. Dare had accused him of acting like a caveman and he hadn’t been wrong, but his friend didn’t understand how odd it was. He was a good-time guy.
Because he had a mission and he couldn’t get too close. After all, look what happened to the last woman who got in Manny Huisman’s way.
She shrugged and took a sip of coffee. “It’s been a while for me, too. Life gets in the way. I broke it off with my last boyfriend eight months ago and have been in a bit of a hole since. Tash went through a bad breakup last year. Do you think Dare’s capable of being kind to her?”
So she was finding her groove again. He could understand that. And it would give Dare someone to go to the party with. It wasn’t like Ben could go. That was the one thing that blew all to hell when he realized Manny was actually attending. Ben was supposed to be Dare’s friend who tagged along to the billionaire’s party cabin in the mountains where he would find a way to get on Auggie Oakley’s private system to prove the man was colluding with Huisman in a secret organization to disrupt the world’s systems. Except now he suspected Manny would be there, and there was zero chance he didn’t recognize Ben.
So he had to find another way, but now that he thought about it, Tash going with Dare meant he didn’t need an excuse and he could confer with Whittington—the American operative backing him up—about how to get someone on the inside.
Then maybe he could invite Kara to the mountains with him, and she didn’t have to know she was cover.
Damn, but he was excellent at bargaining with himself when he wanted something. And he wanted her. He’d fooled himself.
She’d asked him a question. Could Dare be kind to her cousin?
Could she be kind to him? Could she see through all his walls to the man he wanted to be?
“Dare wouldn’t know how to be unkind,” he admitted quietly, and every word made him feel his guilt. “He’s been through a lot but he’s solid. The trouble Dare will have is letting her go.”
“Well, she has to return home eventually,” Kara conceded. “We all do at some point. It’s still nice to get to know someone. Does every relationship have to last forever?”
Oh, she was saying all the right things, and it kind of annoyed him. It was perverse but he wanted her to challenge him, to talk about true freaking love.
Which was weird, and maybe he was coming down with something. He didn’t actually believe in love.
“What’s Dare been through?” She sat back, considering him. “Was he married? I didn’t get much of a chance to talk to the bloke. Tash had him cornered most of the night.”
She was polite enough to lie. Dare had been the one to corner Tasha at the bar. Ben had taken Dare out that night specifically to see if he could get the guy laid. He was being a good wingman and then Ms. Pink Hair had walked in and he’d felt the damn earth shake and lost all sight of what he was trying to do.
“He’s divorced. It was an ugly breakup,” he admitted because he would do almost anything to keep her talking.
Kara nodded. “Tash told me he wasn’t comfortable with his…needs. Normally I would tell her to run as fast as she can, but apparently they got through it.”
“She told you that?”
Kara shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “Of course. Look, the worst thing a sub can do is find a top who hates the fact that he’s a top. Most of the time it’s because he or she has been through a ton of trauma with people telling them their sexual needs are perverted. It’s ridiculous. Sexual needs should always be somewhat perverted. Where’s the fun in non-perverted sex?”
She was going to kill him. He looked around, trying to make sure no one was listening.
Her eyes were narrowed when he turned back to her. “Ah, you, too, huh?”
What? “Having some amount of delicacy doesn’t mean I’m sexually suppressed. Dare’s into some stuff that could get him in trouble with his family if he’s not discreet.”
“He’s into D/s.” Kara stated it flatly, like it was normal.
Dominance and submission. The words made his cock tighten. The idea of this woman being submissive made him want to throw her over his shoulder and run away with her.
He was back to caveman.
“Yes, and some bondage.” Ben kept his voice low. “It’s why his wife divorced him.”
She frowned. “She didn’t like sex? Why the hell did she get married then?”