Another spark of anger ignited in her gaze and he knew he’d hit a nerve. Only he didn’t feel bad about it because he’d done it on purpose. The last thing he wanted was Kora feeling sorry for herself. He doubted she wanted that, either.
Sure, she’d been burned by Sam, but that didn’t mean she had to wallow in it. As far as Donovan was concerned, she was better off without a guy who would cheat on her. She deserved a hell of a lot better than that.
“You don’t know the first thing about me,” Kora hissed, jerking away from him.
He smiled when she gave him her back. “You’d be surprised what I know.”
“Whatever.”
Donovan followed her into the kitchen and watched as she pulled out a bottle of vodka and two shot glasses.
He had no intention of indulging in liquor. That wasn’t the reason he was there.
Placing his hands on her shoulders, he gently kneaded the muscles, feeling the knots against his fingers.
God, she was tense.
No wonder she was in a foul mood.
“No vodka, Kora.”
She tried to shrug him off, but he didn’t budge, keeping her trapped between his body and the counter, her back to his chest. She could’ve easily slipped away if she truly wanted to, but she stopped moving, which Donovan took to mean she didn’t have a whole lot of fight left in her.
“I need something to take the edge off,” she said, but there was no conviction in her tone.
“No alcohol,” he said, his mouth close to her ear.
“Why not?”
“Because tonight, when I take you to your bed, I want you completely coherent.”
“What makes you think that’s gonna happen?” she countered.
“Honey, you wouldn’t have let me in if that wasn’t what you wanted.”
When he didn’t get a response, he knew he’d nailed it.
But what Kora didn’t know was that if he was going to take her to bed, he damn sure wasn’t thinking of just one night.
Eight
KORA WASN’T SURE WHAT to think about Donovan.
His arrogance pissed her off but also turned her on.
The way he seemed to know what she was thinking made her want to smack him, but it also made her feel safe. Even though that made absolutely no sense.
But he was right about one thing. She wouldn’t have given him her address or even opened the door for him if she didn’t want him there. Clearly her subconscious was making her decisions for her today, and she didn’t know quite what to think about that.
Maybe she was using him as a distraction, or maybe she was crazy. Either way, he was there and she’d already set the dominos in motion.
The best outcome for her would be to give in, because that seemed like the fastest route to getting him out of her house. Since she definitely couldn’t complain about another orgasm, she didn’t figure it could hurt. First and foremost, she was attracted to him. And maybe she didn’t know him, but she knew of him. Everything she’d ever heard Sam say about Donovan had been good. So, she didn’t fear him, which was probably part of the problem.
“Not happening, Kora,” Donovan whispered, his hands stilling on her shoulders. “I can see your mind’s working, and I know what you’re thinking.”
“You don’t know shit,” she retorted, jerking away from him. The last thing she needed was Donovan Brashwood reading her thoughts.
Donovan caught her before she could leave the kitchen, his arm banding around her waist, pulling her against him once again. She could feel the hard ridge of his erection against her ass, and she knew he wanted her as much as she wanted him. This back-and-forth thing they had going on was kind of hot.
She planted her hands on the wall when it appeared he had no intention of letting her go. But she refused to turn around and look at him.
“I’m all for giving you what you need,” he said, his words a rough whisper against her ear, the deep rumble of his voice making her pussy clench. “All night long if that’s what’s required, but in return, you’re going to give me something.”
“What?” she asked, trying to pull free from his embrace.
He wasn’t hurting her, but his touch was crumbling the walls of her resolve, and that wasn’t conducive to how she saw this playing out. Less talk, more action, that’s the way she wanted it.
“All of you.”
Okay, so that wasn’t what she was thinking at all. “I don’t even know what that means.”
“It means, you can use me all you want, but you’ll be right there in the moment with me, Kora. I won’t have it any other way.”
“That didn’t stop you in the closet,” she snapped, her anger fueling her.
“Legs, you were right there with me then, too. Don’t deny it. We both know better.”
Fine. She had been. But she damn sure wasn’t going to tell him that. She also wasn’t going to tell him that casual sex wasn’t her thing. She didn’t know how to deal with it. No matter what her body wanted, she couldn’t shut her emotions down, and she feared she had already latched on to Donovan.
Which was stupid.
She’d already given her heart to one man; she definitely didn’t intend to give it to another. Sam had taken it and shattered it, leaving her brittle and broken.
“Stop thinking about him,” Donovan growled. “He’s not here with us.”
How the hell did he know what she was thinking? It made no sense.
Donovan’s arms fell from around her and she suddenly felt cold.
“Turn around.”
Hating that she was so quick to do as he instructed, Kora let her anger register on her face as she turned to face him, her back against the wall.
“I told you before, once I was inside your body, I wouldn’t be able to stop.”
Exactly her point. Moving the topic to sex seemed safe. “Sex? Is that what this is about?”
Donovan’s head cocked to the side and she saw the exasperation on his handsome face.
Okay, so she knew it wasn’t, but she needed it to be. Donovan was trying to tell her different, but Kora didn’t want anything more. She couldn’t handle anything more. Especially not with a man she hadn’t even known for one day. A man who would be going back to where he’d come from, and she’d be a mere speed bump in his path that he wouldn’t even think about tomorrow.
The next thing she knew, Donovan had taken her hand and was pulling her into the living room. He sat on the couch and tugged her arm until she fell down on top of him.
“Don’t move,” he ordered when she started to get up.
Her traitorous body relaxed.
But her anger reignited and this time … this time the tears followed.
DONOVAN HAD KNOWN FROM the second he’d set eyes on this woman that she had a shitload of emotions bottled up inside. That was evident in the way she walked, the way she held herself, even the way she talked. She didn’t take shit from anyone, but she hadn’t yet figured out how to let it all go.
And he’d also known when she’d propositioned him that she had intended to use him. Only Kora wasn’t the type. When they’d been in that storage closet, she’d given in to him completely and not just for the pleasure he could bring her. She had needed something more, someone who would prove to her that she was the most important thing.
Now, as she wept in his arms, her face buried in his neck, Donovan sensed those walls she’d erected around her heart were beginning to crumble. She had no excuses anymore. She’d made it through the hard part, and it was time she took control once again, without all the animosity. Without the lies.
This woman intrigued him in a way he hadn’t experienced before. She wasn’t the type who needed a man to coddle her, dote on her. Because of the status of his bank account, Donovan had met plenty of those. The ones who expected him to put them on a pedestal, to spend money hand over fist. And in those cases, he’d found them bitter and shallow—traits he didn’t find appealing.
But not Kora. She needed a
man who would stand beside her when times got tough, one who would be there for her when she fell, one who would show her she deserved to be the center of his world. Donovan wanted to be that man, and he knew without a doubt a shrink would have a field day with that, but he didn’t much care.
For a while, Donovan just held her, his arms around her, his hand gliding up and down her back. He didn’t move, didn’t try to get her to talk until she’d cried herself out.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled.
“For what?”
“For blubbering on your shoulder. It’s not pretty.”
Donovan smiled. “When’s the last time you cried?”
Kora shrugged and he knew that was the truth.
“Why did you let Sam off the hook?”
She sat up, and he noticed the spark of anger was back.
“What makes you think that I did?”
“Because he cheated on you, not the other way around.”
“How do you know that?”
It was obvious she didn’t think anyone knew the truth.
“Because he told me.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re lying.”
He couldn’t keep from smiling. “Fine. Because I know my brother. He’s an idiot.”
“He is that,” she said, relaxing once again.
“You let everyone believe that you were the one who cheated. Why?”
“What difference does it make?”
“Because Sam needs to be held accountable for his actions,” he told her, a thread of anger weaving its way through him. Sam had done the unthinkable, sleeping with Kora’s sister and then letting her take the fall for it all. The man deserved to be dressed down in front of his family and friends.
“And that would help the situation how?”
And now she was beating him at his own game. She was using logic. And fine, she had a point. He didn’t like it, but she had one.
Kora shifted, her ass grinding against his cock, making him come to life once again. He didn’t want her to think this was about sex, but there was nothing he could do to hide it, so he pretended it didn’t matter.
“Sam cheated,” Kora explained. “Trina cheated. Neither of them are innocent in all of this. But as far as I’m concerned, they’re both going to pay the ultimate price. If they don’t love each other—and I suspect they don’t—life isn’t going to be roses and rainbows. They’ll have a child to raise, yes. And I know Sam; he’ll stay with Trina until he’s old and gray and hating himself for what he did. That, for me, is punishment enough.”
“What about the others? The ones who think you’re to blame?”
“I don’t give a fuck what they think.” Her forehead knitted. “Sure, it hurts that they’d immediately blame me, but that’s on them. Not me. I was given a reputation a long time ago of being the rebel, not conforming. I argued with my parents more than most kids, defied them every chance that I got. But I never cheated, never did something that would intentionally hurt another person. That doesn’t mean I can change the way they see me. Nor does it mean that I want to.”
Donovan continued to stare at her. He realized that she had been bottling up her emotions, but she hadn’t simply brushed it all under the rug. Kora Madison was confident and smart, and above all else, she knew who she was.
And that was a fucking characteristic that a lot of people didn’t have.
“You’re stronger than they realize,” he told her.
“Yes, I am. And I’m not broken, no matter what you might think.”
“Oh, Legs, I definitely don’t think you’re broken,” he told her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. “I think you’re smart and sexy as fuck. I think you know what you want and you go after it.”
Kora moved and Donovan let her go, but she didn’t go far. Then she surprised him when she turned to face him, straddling his legs, grinding against his aching dick.
“And what do you want, Mr. Brashwood?”
He didn’t even have to think on that one. “You.”
“What if I don’t want you?”
Donovan smiled. “Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t.”
He knew she couldn’t do it.
Cupping her face, he brushed his thumb over her cheek. “One night won’t be enough for me, Kora.”
“What if that’s all I’m willing to give?”
He did have to consider that for a moment, but he wasn’t going to tell her what she wanted to hear, he was sure of that.
“I’m not looking for more,” Kora said, her eyes searching his.
“Then we’ll just have to figure out a way to compromise, now won’t we?”
Nine
COMPROMISE?
Kora definitely didn’t like the sound of that.
What was there to compromise about? He was a man, she was a woman, the pleasure they’d indulged in earlier had been off the charts, and she was more than willing to go another round with him. No compromise necessary.
But Kora damn sure didn’t intend to give him more than that. Hell, this was more than she’d bargained for to begin with. A lot more.
Donovan’s hand cupped her face, his thumb brushing over her cheek, and Kora couldn’t look away, seeing a wealth of emotion in his eyes.
Or was that just lust?
Yeah. That was what it had to be, because there was no way that Donovan could feel anything more for her than that. Seriously, he didn’t even know her. She hadn’t told him her favorite color, what foods she was allergic to, which states she had and hadn’t visited yet, what her dream vacation was…
“Kora.”
Lifting an eyebrow, she realized she was leaning into his hand, still meeting his gaze.
“Show me your bedroom.”
It wasn’t a request, it was a command, and she should’ve come up with a snide remark, something along the lines of not in this lifetime. Nope. That wasn’t what she did, because her traitorous body had tuned out her heart and was climbing off him and leading the way before she could think better of it.
When they reached the door, Kora turned to face him, looking up at his incredibly handsome face. Her first instinct was to go back to the living room, but when she saw the way he was looking at her, that thought diminished instantly.
“One night,” she whispered. “That’s all I’ve got in me.”
“We’ll see about that,” he said with a sexy smirk.
She wanted him to pinkie swear, but she kept that to herself.
One night. That was what they were going to have. That was all.
Surely she could deal with that.
Donovan must’ve seen the indecision in her eyes because he closed the distance between them. “I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, Kora, but for now, tonight is all I’m focused on. We’ll work on tomorrow later.”
Kora released the breath she’d been holding, secretly happy that he was still fighting her on this, because she knew if she allowed herself to think long and hard, one night with him was going to break her. Especially if he walked out tomorrow and she never saw him again.
Donovan took her hand and led her into the room, flipping off the overhead light and turning on the lamp beside her bed.
“Why do we need the light?” she questioned, suddenly feeling self-conscious. When they’d been in the closet, there had been light, but they’d also both been dressed, so her modesty hadn’t been in question.
Now, Donovan would see her naked.
“Relax, Kora,” he said softly. “Come here.”
Donovan took a seat on her bed and she fought the urge to laugh. He looked so out of place with the pink comforter decorated with white roses and the frilly pillows. But she wasn’t thinking about laughing when he pulled her close, her thighs bracketed by his as she stood in front of him.
When his big hands slid up over her hips, she braced herself by putting her hands on his shoulders, her eyes locked with his.
“Do you even know how beautiful you are?” he asked, but s
he could tell he wasn’t looking for an answer.
Still, the sincerity in his tone made her relax a little. Only a little.
“I want to make love to you, Kora.”
She found herself shaking her head, but that didn’t seem to deter Donovan. Perhaps because she was clutching his shoulders, moving closer to him while his warm hands moved beneath her shirt, gripping her waist, his thumbs circling gently over her skin.
That was when she realized he was waiting for her to give him the green light. Although he was certainly cocky and self-assured, he wasn’t going to push himself on her. And why that made her want to devour him whole, she didn’t know and she didn’t want to think about it.
“Tell me, Kora. Tell me you want it, too.”
He was still staring up at her, his eyes intense but his hands gentle. He was holding back and she got the feeling he’d been holding back all day. What would happen if he unleashed himself? If he took her the way his eyes promised that he wanted to?
Kora nodded, giving in.
“Say it,” he urged, his hands tightening ever so slightly as they moved higher, his fingertips brushing the undersides of her breasts.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I want you to make love to me.”
No sooner were the words out of her mouth than Kora realized the answer to her question. When Donovan unleashed the beast within, made love to her in a way she’d never known before … Kora realized her heart wouldn’t survive it.
And she only hoped that was an answer she could live with.
DONOVAN COULDN’T EVEN COUNT the number of women he’d fucked in his lifetime, but he knew exactly how many women he’d made love to.
None.
Until Kora.
She would be the first.
And how he knew this was something more than sex for the sake of sex, pleasure for the sake of pleasure, he wasn’t sure. But he did. He felt it deep inside him, and for some reason, it didn’t scare him, though he suspected that it should have. Everything about this woman should’ve scared him. He felt that much for her in such a short period of time.
Keeping his hands right where they were, he instructed Kora to unbutton her shirt. He watched her fingers work each button free, revealing smooth skin and a plain white cotton bra that he found sexier than any lace number could have been.
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