Page 52 of Tangled Control

“Oh-oh, yes…” I stutter as he starts moving, slowly at first, then more urgently. “I’ve never…oh God…”

I love how he stretches me, how he causes flames to burst every time he enters me. Sparks tingle when he pulls back. Faster and faster. My head is buzzing, my nails scraping welts on his back, slick with perspiration. The room is filled with his gruff moans and the slapping of skin on skin.

“Cat, I can’t… Touch yourself. I need you to come with me.”

I snake my hand between our sweaty bodies, past my landing strip, and find my clit. I rub it while Rian pounds faster into me. The combination of his thrusts and my fingers is too much. I gasp for air and my stomach contracts.

“Rian, Rian!”

“That’s my good girl,” he pants, his dark eyes never leaving my face. “Come on my cock. Please!”

My body stills and my mouth opens on a silent cry as I squeeze around his cock. The balloon bursts, fireworks explodebehind my eyelids, and I scream. If possible, Rian moves even faster, bringing my orgasm even higher, dragging it out as I free-fall over the edge.

“Cat, Cat!”

Rian slams deep inside me, his cock pulsing. He pulls back then slams in again, his face drawn as he swears loudly, his body jerking. He’s breathing heavily as he collapses on top of me, his warm breath fanning over my neck. His weight anchors me as my ears are ringing and the last of the aftershocks hits me. I keep my arms and legs wrapped tightly around him, and I don’t want to let go in this aftermath of a hurricane. What destruction has been left as the clarity of day pushes the storm clouds of passion away? There is still too much left unsaid, too many uncertainties and doubts. He’s given me no promises.

Rian’s weight shifts above me, and I reluctantly let go of my grasp on him. His nose tracks up my throat and across my face until its tip presses lightly against my own nose. My stomach churns and I swallow tightly, worried what I’ll find reflected in his eyes. The mischievous, boyish smile on Rian’s face is not what I expected. My stomach erupts in butterflies.

“Happy, are we?” Rian chuckles and nips lightly at my lip that has turned up in a grin.

I giggle.Igiggle! A girly, foreign sound that turns into a squeal as Rian bites lightly on that sensitive spot at the crook of my neck. He hums softly, then shifts to remove the condom before rolling us over with me half resting on top of him. His heart beats steadily underneath me as he plays with my hair, and I draw lines on his abs with my fingertips.

I’m cuddling with Rian.

The absurdness of it makes me want giggle again.

“What now?” I whisper, hating the words that I didn’t mean to say out loud.

“I don’t know. I’m kind of new to this,” he whispers back. He’s quiet for so long, I don’t think he’ll say anything else. “Catriona…” He hesitates. “My father gave me a speech from hell yesterday, telling me to stay clear of you.”

“Oh… Somehow I imagined that your father liked me,” I admit quietly. “But I guess it’s a difference between liking me as an employee and liking me as a woman involved with his son.”

He stills.

“No! No, that’s not what I mean. That’s not what he said.” Warm fingers grip my chin, lifting it up so he can look into my eyes. “The opposite, actually. He told me to stay clear of you because he’s worried you’ll leave the company if I fuck things up. He couldn’t care less about me.”

He adds the last sentence with a huff, but I pick up on the hurt behind his words.

“Rian, that’s not true, and you know it.” I push myself up to look at him properly. “Of course he cares about you, the two of you are just alpha males who are afraid of showing affection.”

The corner of his mouth twitches. “You can psychoanalyse my relationship with my father some other time. What I was going to ask was if we could please keep…this…quiet. For now. Until we have things worked out.” He swallows and his gaze flicks between my eyes. “Dad wouldn’t understand. He’d only interfere and make things difficult.”

I drop my gaze. Part of me is hurt that he wants us to be a secret, but another part is relieved. The part of me that isn’t ready to own up to our relationship. The part that is petrified of telling my mother and my colleagues. They would draw the wrong conclusions.

And then there are my own doubts as well.

“That’s fine.”

“You sure?” His eyes search mine.

“Positive.” I lay my head back on his chest and take up my new favourite pastime of finger drawing on a perfect washboard. I hum as Rian resumes his languid caressing of my hair. My eyelids grow heavy.

“Cat?”

“Hm?”

“Why didn’t you want to work that weekend?”