The Sweet Addiction Series Collection: Sweet Addiction, Sweet Possession & Sweet Obsession (68 page)

I’m wiping off my worktop after putting away all my baking supplies. Joey and Brooke left a little while ago, and the shop is quiet.

Too quiet for me right now.

I’m antsy, and the anticipation of Reese getting back and hopefully returning with that same smile plastered on his face is making me fidget. I’m trying to stay busy, but I’m certain I’ve wiped down my worktop at least five times now. If it isn’t disinfected at this point, it never will be.

At the sound of the shop door opening, I lift my head and glance through the doorway. Reese comes walking into the kitchen, his tie loosened and his sleeves rolled up to mid-forearm.

I drop the rag on the worktop, spinning around and greeting him with a smile. He’s storming toward me with purpose, determination in each step. I grip the edge of the wood, recognizing the feverish look in his eyes. My lips part, but not to speak because I can’t. Not when I know he’s about to kiss me, and I know that’s what he’s about to do. My mouth becomes parched as he presses his body against mine, his hands flattening on the wood behind me. Boxing me in. Keeping me right where he wants me.

His mouth molds to mine with desperation, rendering me speechless. I tremble against him as his tongue invades my mouth, easily gaining entry. I lift my hands to hold him to me but only get halfway up my body before he grabs my wrists and slams my hands back down on the worktop.

“No, love. It’s your turn not to touch me.”

“What? No, let me touch.”

He shakes his head, releasing my wrists. I keep my hands where he’s put them and watch as he reaches up and undoes his tie.

I know what’s coming. I know I’m about to get my last look before he does whatever the hell he wants with me.

God, how fucking lucky am I?

“Wait,” I plead as he holds his tie between both hands, ready to take away my sight. He tilts his head, waiting for me to speak. I hit him with a smile first, loosening the tightness that’s set in his face. “Tell me what’s going on? What was the phone call about earlier?”

He keeps the tie in one hand and brings the other up to my face. I lean into it, blinking heavily as he moves closer. “Do you remember when you asked me if I worked with Bryce? Because you didn’t want to have to see him if you came to visit me?” I nod, thinking back to that day on Reese’s couch. “The thought of some guy making you uncomfortable drove me insane. Even then, I was so possessive over you I would’ve killed him if he so much as looked at you again. I shot him down every time he wanted to hire me after that. I didn’t want to be near him. But then I found something.” He takes his hand off my face and rakes it through his hair. “I was looking through the file I had on him and something caught my attention. Bryce is a smart guy. He’s successful with his investments, but some of his figures weren’t adding up. He told us the last time Ian and I worked with him that people donate to his company. Anonymously. Which can happen but he had a lot of donations and the figures weren’t small. I showed it to Ian and told him if Bryce asked to hire us again, I wanted that account.”

“You thought he was doing something illegal?” I ask.

“I
knew
he was doing something illegal. But I needed access to all of his monies to prove it. So I’ve just been biding my time, hoping he would pursue our company to work with him again. I didn’t know if it was going to happen. I turned him down a lot after I met you, but he finally came to us.” He reaches out and tucks my hair behind my ear. “I took a major risk in working with him. I knew he’d try to get to you once he got around me again. Bryce likes to push people’s buttons, and he’s good at it. Every fucking time I met with him, he brought you up, but I couldn’t react. I couldn’t lose that account when I didn’t have what I needed yet. Ian got this guy, some private investigator, to work with us. I was supplying him with what I thought could bring Bryce down, but he was taking forever with it. He kept needing more documents or telling me what I gave him couldn’t be deemed illegal. I was getting impatient. I couldn’t have something happen to you.” Both hands grab my shoulders. “It killed me to work with him, Dylan. You have to know that.”

“I know. It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay.” His hands slide down so that he’s gripping my elbows. “I saw what he did to you in that elevator. After Joey told me he touched you, I called security and asked to see the surveillance footage. I saw how you reacted to him. And I fucking saw him touch you.” His eyes close tight momentarily. I reach up and touch his cheek, seeing them flash open. “I lost it. I searched that entire building for him. I didn’t know if he was still there but I knew if I found him, I’d kill him. Ian tried to calm me down but I didn’t want to hear it. He
touched
you. He touched what was mine. And it was my fault. I brought him back around. I put my need to get to him before you. And I hated myself for it.”

“It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t bring him back around. Joey told me the other day that Bryce had stopped in the shop a few times before you took on that account with him. He was always there. You were trying to protect me. Don’t ever hate yourself for that.”

He sighs heavily and rubs his eyes. “I’m honestly glad I didn’t know he’s been in here. Thank you for not telling me about that.”

“You’re welcome,” I say, biting back my smile. “I hate keeping stuff from you, too.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter anymore. That phone call I got earlier was from the PI. He discovered that Bryce has been embezzling funds from clients’ accounts. That’s what all those anonymous donations were. I had to go into the office to give him everything I had on Bryce. He’s done. I fucking got him.”

I feel a lightness take over my body, like the biggest weight has been lifted off my shoulders. “He’s getting arrested?”

He nods. “He’s looking at twenty-five years.” He presses himself against me again, wrapping his arms around my waist. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you. The PI told us we couldn’t say anything to anybody. It fucking killed me to keep that from you, but I needed this to work. I needed to do something that would keep him away from you permanently, and killing him wasn’t an option.”

“Thank you for what you did.”

He brings our foreheads together. “I will always protect you, Dylan. We might not be married yet, but I said my vows to you a long time ago.”

I reach around and slide the tie out of his hand, holding it between us. “And I will always trust you. With everything. Including what you’re about to do to me.”

He takes the tie from me as all the softness fades from his features. I see the transformation happen immediately, like a switch has been flipped inside him. The predatory shift in his eyes. The way his nostrils flare and his jaw twitches just below his temple. This is dominant Reese. This is the man who takes what he wants and right now, I’m his target.

“Close your eyes.”

I obey instantly. There is zero thought involved. Nor is there any part of me that wants to fight him. I want this; I want everything from his man. He’s never taken away my senses before, leaving me vulnerable, but I trust him completely. He could do anything to me right now and I wouldn’t object.

The silk material of the tie slides over my eyes. I turn my head and press my lips to his arm as he secures it behind me with a knot. I feel his hands on my waist as he lifts me off the ground and plants me on the edge of the worktop.

“Lie back. I want you to keep your hands flat on the table, and I don’t want you to remove them. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” I answer, lying back on the wood. I flatten my palms out next to me and wait for my next instruction. I feel his body settle between my legs as his hands slide up my thighs, teasing the bottom of my dress.

“Do you know the exact moment I knew I loved you?”

I gasp softly, not expecting him to go there right now. Not at all anticipating him using my question to him on me. My body and mind are prepared for sex, completely primed and ready, even if it is in a way I’ve never experienced before. But this? His words I cherish more than anything he could possibly give me? I’m not at all prepared for this admission.

I don’t answer; I’m not sure I can right now. Every muscle in my body is taut and I keep finding myself holding my breath, not wanting my suddenly erratic breathing to muffle what he’s about to tell me. This might very well top the vows we’re going to be saying to each other in two days. And we picked out some pretty emotional ones. I cry every time I read through them.

“You’re nervous,” he states. “Is this something you don’t want to know?”

I smile, releasing my bottom lip from between my teeth. “No, I do. Of course I do. I just wasn’t expecting you to get all sweet on me right now.”

“It’ll be brief,” he replies. “You told me when you knew, so it’s only fair you know how long it’s been for me.” His hands move up my body on top of my dress, skimming over my breasts. The weight of his touch feels different now that I can’t watch him. All my energy is focused on his hands and where they might go. One palm flattens on my chest, resting there.

“What are you doing?” I ask when he doesn’t move his hand.

“I want to feel you react to what I’m about to tell you.”

I shudder underneath him. “Okay.”

He gives me a few seconds to calm down a bit. I need it. If he wants to feel my reaction, then my heart rate needs to slow the hell down. I take in several calming breaths, feeling everything settle.

And then, he speaks.

“I knew I loved you when you sent me that text, asking if I would stop whatever I was doing to come to you and I didn’t have to think about it. At all. Dylan, before I even finished reading your question, I was grabbing my keys and heading to the door.”

I feel my tears being absorbed into the material of the tie. Not being able to see him while he tells me this is doing things to me. I’m purely focused on his voice and the raw honesty in it, not his eyes that usually hold onto me. I feel like my entire body is quivering beneath him while I try to anticipate his words. And I know he’s feeling my reaction to him. My heart is slamming so hard against my sternum my bones feel like they’re vibrating.

“Love,” he continues in a much softer voice, “I could’ve been on the other side of the country and I would’ve found a way to get to you if you asked me. Nothing was more important to me than you. And nothing ever will be. You said you knew you loved me on my birthday, right?”

“Mmm hmm.” I reach up and wipe the tear that’s escaping from underneath the blindfold. “Why?”

“Because I think you loved me that night, too.”

There’s no stopping the tears now. It’s a useless act. I nod repeatedly as I reach up and cover my face with my hands. I’m crying because he’s right. I did love him then. I knew it when I had to see him that night after being so damn adamant about not seeing that much of each other. But I was determined to fight those feelings, and I buried them deep. But he knew. He always knew.

“When I opened my door and saw you standing there, I knew it wasn’t just me. Even though you would’ve never admitted it, you loved me then, too.”

My entire body shakes with my cries, and I feel his palm slide up my chest and around my neck. He grips me there, pulling me to a sitting position. I drop my hands to bury my face in his neck but stop when I feel the tie being pulled down. My eyes slowly flutter open, adjusting to the light as his thumbs wipe away my tears.

“I did love you then,” I whisper, fisting his dress shirt as he cradles my face in his hands. I sniffle loudly, slowly calming myself and staring into his bright green eyes. “I was so scared to love you, but I did. You’re kind of impossible not to fall in love with, damn it.”

He laughs, running his finger along the tie, which is now around my neck. “I love how you reacted to that. Your heartbeat sped up like crazy.”

“Well, that’s nothing new. If you’re in the same room as me, it goes haywire.” I strain my neck to steal a kiss. “Thank you for telling me that.”

“You’re welcome. Now,” his hands trail down my side, stopping at my waist. “We need to go upstairs and get a new tie. You soaked this one.”

I cock my head to the side, arching my brow and going to the dirtiest place in my head because he’s easily set me up for it.

He notices my reaction and smiles. “Go ahead. Say it.”

“Say what?”

“You know what.”

“Nope. Sorry. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Really? I find it hard to believe that right now, you’re not dying to say something involving the word ‘soaked’.”

I giggle, dropping my gaze to the buttons on his dress shirt. I tease them with my fingers. “It sounds to me like
you’re
the one with the perverted mind right now. Not me.”

“Is that right?”

“Yup.”

“Okay.” He quickly slips a hand between my legs and presses against the front panel of my panties.

“Oh, God.” My head rolls to the side as I grip onto his arms.
Holy shit.
I shudder when he moves along the lace material, teasing me with the tiniest bit of contact.

“Don’t say it then,” his deep voice taunts me. “Don’t tell me you’re not completely soaked for me right now. That I couldn’t make you come all over my hand if I wanted to.”

“If I don’t say it, are you… Reese… shit… are you going to stop?”

“Yes.”

I shift my eyes up to meet his. “Okay. Say your line again.”

“We need a new tie. You soaked this one.”

“That’s not the only thing that’s soaked!” I reply animatedly. “I’m soaked. Really soaked. My panties are pretty much useless at the moment. You should probably just remove them. They’re not doing me any good right now, and they are definitely in your way. Did I mention the word ‘soaked’?”

He smirks before his face breaks into a smile. “Pervert. I knew you couldn’t resist going there.” He slides his hand out and grabs the back of my thighs.

“Can we get back to getting a new tie? You’ve teased the hell out of me and if you don’t finish what you’ve started, I’ll take matters into my own hands. Or more specifically, fingers.”

His brow furrows. “Nobody finishes what I start when it comes to that pussy. Not even you. You come when I make you. And it will be happening on my cock and in my mouth, not on your fingers.”