Page 19 of Dark Rules

“Are you alright, Stephanie?” I heard his voice as a rumble through his chest.

“I am, sir.” It wasn’t a lie. I was fine, physically. Emotionally? I was shook up. Maybe. A little.

I hadn’t expected the way I’d respond to the woman in the swing. So many visions had danced in my head, and I wanted it, I’d craved it. Maybe not the anonymous man part. I’d want it to be Dylan, dressed up to be anonymous, but it would have to by Dylan. Even the thought that he might trick me, or someone might take his place on purpose, had caused its own little thrill.

Even now, I found it hard to breathe when I thought about it. It was so dirty, maybe even a word I hated to think, slutty, but it was only a fantasy, right? As long as it remained a fantasy, it would be just fine. I knew reality wasn’t always as good as fantasy, even if Dylan had proved that wrong in every way, so far. He’d shown me that sometimes, reality was better.

Maybe I’d let him try. Maybe.

“Do you want to explore more or head home? Is your head full enough yet?” I heard a chuckle and looked at him.

“Well, I could explore more, but I’m tired. Maybe going home wouldn’t be so bad.” I put my head down on his chest.

“Your place or mine?” he asked, and I knew he meant to stay the night.

I wasn’t sure that was a good idea. He’d made it clear earlier that he had no plans of renewing the contract. Well, he’d promised there’d be a day I’d be free of the contract, and that I could explore with more men then. I’d felt this odd vibe from him, though, as he’d said it. Was he angry at the thought of another man touching me?

Whatever it had meant, I wondered if another night together might be too much. I’d started to change in my thoughts about him, especially after last night. Maybe it was a stupid mistake women made, when they’d finally been with a man properly, but I might have formed some kind of attachment to him. That bothered me.

The whole idea was no-strings attached. Sex, companionship, then it was done. And here I was, on the verge of fucking it all up. I pulled up away from him and retrieved my clothes. I had to sit on the bed to put my panties on and then my bra. Before I could put the dress over my head, Dylan came to me, his arms around my waist to pull me close to his chest. He really shouldn’t do that. Not if he wanted this to end.

Tenderness was the last thing I needed. I needed brusque, efficient, wham, bam, thank you, ma’am. Not sweetness, and certainly not tenderness. I swiped at a suspicious drop of moisture on the corner of my eye and tensed up.

“What’s wrong, Stephanie?” I turned to him.

“Nothing. Just a stray thought. I have some appointments in the morning, I have to get up early. Should we go back to my place? Maybe you should go home later.”

I saw the way he inspected me, his eyes narrowed, but I didn’t look at him. I just put on my dress, stood up, and smoothed it over my body. “You want me to go home tonight?”

“No, I just don’t want to bother you in the morning. You can stay if you want to, but, well, it’s pretty early.”

I was lying through my teeth, and I could see he knew it. “It’s alright.”

I sighed softly, relieved. I didn’t want to lie to him, and this was all very confusing to someone brand new. I had a feeling Dylan James would leave a pro a little confused, though. He didn’t want a relationship, he wanted a contract, insisted on it, demanded one, but then, he wanted to sleep beside me; he wanted to hold me like a precious gift he never wanted to let go of. I took another deep breath and smiled.

“You ready?” He had his clothes on, and his face was inscrutable. I’d rejected his comfort, his tenderness; he must have realized that.

“Yeah, let’s head out.” We were soon on the highway, and I watched the darkness pass by in a blur.

I remembered what Trent had said, how Dylan was an asshole, how he was some kind of villain, but I couldn’t reconcile it with the man I knew. Sure, most of our time was spent engaging in sex, and the man definitely had secrets, but I couldn’t see him as a killer, especially someone who would kill his parents. I glanced over at his profile as he drove, and I felt a smile tug at the corner of my mouth.

He was so handsome, but then some women found even genocidal maniacs handsome. Personal appeal was not an indication of sanity. He was definitely a dominant male; I didn’t doubt that a bit. But cruel? No, not on purpose anyway. I thought, maybe, I’d confused him as much as he confused me.

He was always so confident, so sure of himself, but I’d seen him watch me sometimes, seen the confusion he’d quickly hidden away. I had a feeling that second contract meant far more than he cared to admit. Dylan James had a thing for me, as much as I had for him. The problem was, that wasn’t supposed to happen, for either of us. We were supposed to go our separate ways after this. We’d both wanted that. In the beginning. Now? Well, now was a different matter.

I went into the bathroom once we’d reached my place, took a shower, and slid into bed to read while he took a shower of his own. I had a lot to think about, and sex wasn’t on my mind. Not until he came back in the room. He’d brought a small bag in with him when he followed me into the house, and I looked at him in the blue and black flannel pajamas he had on with hunger. The pants hung low on his hips and somehow managed to give his bare chest an even more manly look.

Defined muscles covered his shoulders and biceps, and his arms were ropes of muscle. His stomach and chest were round too, but not from soft fat. Every inch of Dylan was muscle. Even his back, ass, and legs were muscular. My fingers itched to touch him, but I told my fingers to shut the fuck up and flicked to the next page of my eBook instead.

Dylan climbed into the side I’d left empty and picked up a tablet he’d brought in with him. He opened a book of his own, and I glanced over, surprised. I adored men who read, and he’d caught my attention again. I pretended to read, but I was watching him. His skin was so soft, luscious, and silky, that I wanted to taste him. I wanted to feel the silk of him in my mouth. I might have hummed.

I wasn’t sure, but Dylan moved, and his body tensed, before it relaxed again. He took a deep breath and changed the page again. I glared at my screen. Surely he knew I was watching him. Why didn’t he put the tablet down? I turned my book off and put my phone on the nightstand, turned off the light and rolled away from him.

Dylan turned the light off on his side, but he didn’t turn the tablet off. He kept reading. I shifted around; the urge to touch him made me restless. He’d only fucked me a short while ago, but I’d wanted him again.

Dylan moved around, slid down into the covers, and a waft of his cologne reached my nose. Fuck! He smelled so good.

I thought I made another sound, and then I moved again. That was when Dylan laughed and pulled me to him. “Restless, kitten?”