The Arrangement 2 by H.M. Ward

 
     
     
     
    CHAPTER 1
     
    Sean’s eyes are locked with mine. He doesn’t react to my words. There’s no smile on his lips, no sense of relief or joy. Instead , he stays a breath from my lips with his fingers gently brushing my cheek. His other hand is possessively holding me against his waist. His body is so hard. My thoughts keep drifting to running my tongue over his firm stomach. It makes my toes curl and I feel shy, but I don’t look away from him.
    No one has ever looked at me like this. I mean, it’s not a gaze that’s tender and sweet. Sean’s eyes are filled with desire that darkens by the second. It’s like his eyes could devour me whole. That carnal l ook makes my body grow warmer. M y heart slams into my ribs like it ’ s trying to save itself, like it knows Sean’s bad for me .
    I don’t know what I expect Sean to do, but he’s slow about doing it. He teases me, leaving his lips so close to mine that I tremble . By the time S e an closes the distance between us, I can barely control myself. He brushes his bottom lip against mine. The electricity that’s been building between us ig nites and I suck in startled breath . My legs feel like they want to run, but I can’t. My muscles twitch like my fight or flight response is taking over, but I force the sensation back. There is no way Sean will hurt me. Miss Black made it clear that she’ll hurt him if something happens to me. My heart on the other hand, well that’s a different issue.
    I stand there as Sean’s body is pressed tighter to mine. Every curve, every muscle , slips into place until there is no space between us. His body is rock hard and so warm. I feel him under the suppl e fabric and know how much he wants me.
    Sean’s fingers gently tangle in my curls , as he brushes his lips past mine again. The floor of my stomach falls away and it feels like I’m falling . The kiss is so light, so perfect. It makes me lightheaded like I’m drunk and as soon as his mouth is gone, I want more. My eyes flutter open. I didn’t realize that I’d closed them.
    Sean pulls bac k and watches me with that intense gaze . It burn s a trail between my eyes and my lips. Sean tilts his head in and rests his forehead against mine , locking our eyes . I feel his rib cage expand as he sucks in a jagged breath. Ex citement is brimming beneath the surface, barely contained .
    I don’t know what I want or what I want him to do. My mind is lost in a cavern of lust and I can’t find my way out. Hell , I don’t even know if I want out . My life sucks and this little reprieve is heaven. There’s no reason to think, nothing to worry about. After this tryst, I’ ll have what I need as well as plenty of memories to keep me warm on cold nights. So why am I trembling? What am I afraid of? I made peace with this decision. Yeah, keep telling yourself that , a bitter voice says at the back of my mind.
    It takes me a moment, but I realize that Sean frightens me in a way that I can’t fathom. Most of the fears in my life are tangible, but this one isn’t. My emotions feel dazed, like they don’t know what’s real and what’s fake. Sean doesn’t really love me. I don’t love him , but still—there’s something there and it calls to me.
    The way his eyes drink me in, the way his hands feel on my skin, and t he way he teases makes me crazy— I’ve never reacted to a guy like this in my entire life. There was never any heat, not even a spark. That’s what makes things with Sean all the more insane. From day one, I felt something for him. He walked into my life and filled a hole that I didn’t even know was there. It’s too soon for that. A couple of kisses and smiles later , and I sound like I’m ready to marry the guy. What the hell is wrong with me?
    Sean watches me closely as I think. Every time I take a breath in, my breasts press harder against his chest. It feels right. I want more. As if he can read my mind, Sean lowers his lashes with his gaze fixated on