His to Take (Wicked Lovers #9)(54)
Author: Shayla Black

“Totally,” she confessed, holding him tighter. He understood. After she’d been less than honest with him, he had still given her compassion. And she’d needed it in the worst way.

He skimmed her cheek with his fingers, then cupped her chin, forcing her to look up. “I know. But honesty really is important between us.”

Bailey chewed on her bottom lip. She’d come from a world of art, where the perception was far more important than the reality. No one in the audience during a performance saw the blistered feet, felt the shin splints, knew the punishment a dancer’s knees or ankles took. They simply enjoyed the choreographed elegance. Even the childhood she remembered had been something of a performance, apparently acted out by two agents she hadn’t truly known. She was so grateful to him for being honest.

Bailey felt more ashamed than ever. “I liked what you did to me last night and I didn’t understand. I’ve never experienced anything like that. I panicked. I felt stupid and ashamed for wanting more. I’m sorry if I made you feel bad about what happened.”

He cradled her face in his hands. “Thank you. I needed the truth.”

Joaquin paused, then looked into her eyes. She couldn’t miss the desire there, but his expression held more. A yearning to hold her. A need to protect. A possessiveness he couldn’t quite hide. Against her will and her logic, excitement invaded her belly and settled with an ache a bit lower.

Then he bent his head. Bailey felt her body go taut, her excitement turn to thrill. Her lashes fluttered shut and she turned her face up, anticipating his kiss. Maybe it wasn’t smart. Maybe someone would write a term paper in Freshman Psych about her someday as a case study in Stockholm syndrome. Right now, all she knew was that Joaquin felt like the most solid part of her life and she couldn’t wait for his mouth to cover hers.

Instead, he brushed his lips over her forehead and pulled away. Bailey tried not to be disappointed.

“I’ve got to call Hunter and some of the other guys working this investigation. A few things before I go. Thorpe made it clear to me when I brought you here that he would only allow us to stay if you consented to be here. We have until tomorrow at noon to convince him that I’m not forcing you to be here against your will.”

Of course he wasn’t. Bailey had seen a picture of what awaited her back home. No thanks. “I’ll talk to him.”

He nodded once. “That would set him at ease.”

She gave him a little grin. “And get him off your back?”

“That, too,” he admitted. “Thorpe has stressed that Dominion is a completely consensual environment. I understand that and I respect it. I wouldn’t want any woman doing anything sexual against her will. I refuse to even have the question between us. So until I’m absolutely sure you’re willing, I won’t touch you again.”

His words made her go cold. Was he serious? “What do you mean?”

“How was I unclear?” He studied her, his broad shoulders towering, his whole mien daunting.

She thrust her hands onto her hips. “Weren’t you the one vowing to get me into bed five minutes ago?”

“Yes. And I meant it. Whatever this attraction is between us isn’t going away. I’m not giving up until I feel you under me, your sweet pussy gripping my cock. But I’m not going to give it to you—or anything else—until you ask me for it.”

Chapter Nine

LATER that evening, Joaquin paced Dominion’s hallways. The afternoon had been too quiet, way too full of time to wish like hell that something would break in this case. But nothing yet. Bailey’s house hadn’t turned up any unfamiliar prints. The sketch hadn’t been released so far. Sean had offered to see if anyone could get a pinpoint on LOSS’s location and recent activities. The investigative standstill skewered Joaquin’s nerves.

Then there was Bailey herself. He’d brought her lunch, his stomach twisting with nerves. He’d fought criminals, tangled with a hurricane, and hunted terrorists for almost a decade. Why should a woman who barely came up to his shoulders turn him inside out?

Because he’d put the ball in her court and swore he wouldn’t touch her until she asked him to. That didn’t stop desire from clawing his insides. And if she never asked him? Joaquin didn’t want to imagine never feeling her delicate body against him, their hearts pounding together as he claimed her lips and—

Not a helpful train of thought. Moving on . . .

A solid rap on his door had him whirling toward the sound. “Yeah?”

The door opened, and Sean stuck his head inside. “Can you join us for a few minutes? Bailey is with my bride. We could use your help.”