Page 70 of The Catch

The man got to have her for years by his side. He got to hold her, tell her beautiful things, have her think about him as worthy of her love and attention and warmth.

Aidan should have treasured her. He should have counted his lucky stars and held her close.

Instead he hurt her. He was a selfish jerk who chose what he wanted even if it would cause her pain. The worst kind of self-serving jackass.

She thinks my response is a joke and she snorts. "I tried to spice things up, too. I got a couple's vibrator— there are these vibes you can use together, I don't know if you know—"

"I know about them." I gulp.

I'm getting intoxicated too, but not because of alcohol. The conversation itself is a rollercoaster, getting me dizzy. The thoughts and feelings it's winding up has a lot to do with it as well, if I'm honest.

"Aidan was so offended." She pushes my drink closer to me, but I don't touch it. "He never let me use it. I bet you'd be okay using it."

"I would be okay," I croak.

I would be so eager. No point in lying.

But there may be a point in hiding how this conversation is affecting me. I dig my hands in my pockets, and fists my hands to create some extra room.

"I knew it!" She pumps the air. "I bet you're not boring in bed."

"I try not to be."

The words taste like flirting on my tongue. My body has decided that this is foreplay, ignoring the way my brain screams for me to return to my senses. The fact that I remember the way she moans, that I know she still has that vibrator, and that she's asking my opinion— it's all that matters right now.

She watches me with unwavering eyes. I can hear the thoughts in her mind, because I'm having them too. The heat sparking under her lashes is an echo of what I'm feeling deep in my gut.

Dangerous.

"I'll get us some water," I say in a low voice. "Maybe we should go to sleep…"

She licks her bottom lip and takes a step closer to me. Her hand comes to my chest, where a single finger makes it between the panels of my shirt. Her fingertip burns on my skin.

"Or just go to bed," she whispers.

Her touch is a spell. Lava replaces every drop of blood in my veins in an instant. It's a miracle my clothes don't simply combust.

It's a magical moment. Time itself is affected, uncaring of the laws of physics.

Right now, she wants me.

But it's not fullyright.

What's happening is powerful enough to veil the answers. I hold myself still, until I can remember what the issue is.

I glance at my watch like I can process what it says. I immediately forget.

"It's getting late…" The terrible excuse embitters my mouth.

She steps closer. "I've never seen your room."

I gaze at her. No answer makes it through my lips. I don't know what to say.

Before I can figure it out, she grabs me by the waist, puts herself between me and the island, and brings me close.

"Fuck.Ames—"

My heart beats as fast as the wings on a hummingbird. Her fingers hook me from my pockets, and her nails scrape against my skin through the thin material, and I could perish from the sensation.