She stepped out of her room and across the hall, knocking on Beck’s bedroom door. “Beck, open up. We need to talk!” She banged again, her hand midair as the door flung open and Beck stood in front of her.
He grasped her wrist before her hand, already in motion, could hit him in the chest. “Whoa. What’s wrong?”
She’d intended to rip into him for siccing her family on her, but she hadn’t planned on the bare-chested man greeting her in gray sweats. Muscles defined his pecs and abs, biceps and triceps. Not to mention, everyone knew how much gray sweatpants revealed on a well-endowed man. Beck sported an extremely large bulge in his sweats, and at the sight of him, her mouth went dry.
“Chloe?” he asked as he released his grip, and she lowered her hand to her side.
Gathering herself, she straightened her shoulders and recalled the reason for her bedroom visit. “If you wanted me gone, all you had to do was say so. You didn’t have to go to my family so they’d gang up on me in an attempt to get me to come home.” Though to be fair, the only one who’d really pushed for that was Linc.
Beck narrowed his gaze. “That’s not why I did it. You haven’t left this apartment in over a week. You’ve admitted you’re miserable in your job, and from where I stood, you had no solid plans for yourself going forward. A bright, beautiful woman like you deserved better, and given how close you are to your family, I figured they could help shake you out of the funk you’ve been in.”
“Oh.” Her mind homed in on the words bright and beautiful, and some of her anger ebbed.
“Yeah. Oh. And for the record, if I wanted you gone, I’d have the balls to tell you myself.” He stepped back, one hand on the doorframe. “Come in and let’s talk.”
Suddenly she wanted to do more than talk. The idea of getting up close with this man, all that bare, hot skin pressing against her, had her hot and bothered.
Overly aware of him, she stepped into his bedroom, taking in his personal space for the first time. An accent wood wall behind his king-size bed warmed up the room. Earthy tones worked to give it a masculine feel, with a television on the wall across from the bed. Despite the décor being tailored for a man, Chloe felt comfortable in here. Or she would if the bed wasn’t rumpled and unmade, giving her already heated body dirty thoughts of what they could do between those sheets.
“Like what you see?” Arms folded across his chest, a sexy smirk lifted his lips as he’d obviously caught her staring at his bed.
“I love it,” she said, leaving what she was referring to purposely vague.
He walked past her and sat down on the edge of the mattress, patting the space beside him.
She eased beside him, bending one leg, her knee brushing his hard thigh. “But seriously, you should have come to me with any concerns you had … about me.”
He nodded. “You’re right. I was thinking more about what your family could do for you than what was the right way to handle it. I’m sorry.”
Her lips twitched at his apology. “You’re forgiven.” She paused. “You’re still okay with me staying here?”
“I kind of like having you around.” His eyes glittered with a sudden heat that matched the spark he ignited inside her.
“And I like being here.”
He held her gaze and she caught the question in his eyes… Was this the right time for them?
* * *
The proverbial devil sat on one shoulder, urging Beck to splay Chloe out on his bed and make a feast of her sexy body. An angel sat on the other, reminding him she was just coming out of a relationship, was vulnerable, and if she were going to turn to a new man, it shouldn’t be one who had issues with her family, or at least with one of the brothers she loved.
He wanted to help her, not complicate her life. But the thought of Chloe with any guy other than him brought out an inner caveman he hadn’t known existed.
“You’re overthinking. And I promise you I can make my own decisions.” She braced her hands on the space between them and leaned forward. “I’m looking to let go and have some fun.”
Her damp lips beckoned to him, but he wouldn’t go into this with anything less than the truth between them. “I don’t do relationships,” he told her bluntly.
She lifted a delicate shoulder. “I just got out of one. I’m not looking to get tied down again either.”
“What about the fact that you’re the type of woman who has marriage stamped all over her?” And he’d promised himself not to add to the people in his life he could ultimately lose.
“And I didn’t think you were the kind of man to stereotype me just because, when you met me, I was wearing a wedding dress.”
She laughed at her own joke, and he couldn’t help but grin as well. “What about our living arrangement?” he asked.
“This will only complicate things if we let it. How about we go with the flow?”
He raised an eyebrow, enjoying this sassy, confident side of her, so similar to the woman he’d met a short week and a half ago. And she was right. It was her choice.
She moved in, her lips hovering near his. Teasing. Tempting. His dick was hard as a rock, and all he had to do was roll her onto her back and take what she was offering.
And she was offering.
“Sounds like we’re on the same page,” he said, closing the distance and capturing her mouth with his.
This kiss wasn’t soft and needy, it was rough and full of desire and life, something he hadn’t experienced with a woman … ever. With Chloe, it wasn’t a scratch the itch and get over it, it was already more.
From the minute he’d laid eyes on her, even after he’d realized she was a Kingston, he’d felt protective. Nothing else explained his taking her to the bridal suite. Staying. Giving her a place to crash. Going to Linc on her behalf. If anyone was going to need to get on the same page and shore up walls, it was him. And he would.
After he took her to bed.
He lifted his mouth from hers, rose, and pulled her to her feet.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Undressing you so I can see you naked on my bed.” His gruff voice took him by surprise.
And with that, he slid her cropped jacket off her shoulders, and she shimmied until it fell to the floor. Next he raised the hem of her camisole, and with her help, the silk went over her head and arms, joining the pile he’d started.
His gaze zeroed in on the sexy beige bra with lace on the edges of the cups, her nipples hard and visible through the flimsy material. Reaching out, he pinched one distended bud, twisting with his fingers until she shifted her hips and moaned.
Pleased at her reaction, he gave the other nipple the same treatment, holding on as she gripped his shoulders and dug her nails into his skin. He liked that she showed her emotions, that she didn’t hide her responses from him. Undoing the bra and slipping it off, he deposited it along with the rest of the clothing.
He raised his head and brushed a kiss over her lips before he undid the button on her low-cut jeans. Hooking his fingers into the waistband and grasping her panties along with them, he helped her wriggle out of them until finally she was naked.
He looked her over and expelled a harsh breath, his cock tenting his sweats, the rush of desire almost unbearable. Dropping to his knees, he grasped her hips in his hands and pressed butterfly kisses over the indentation along her belly where her panties had been. Arousal dripped from her sex, the scent telling him how much she wanted him. As much as his throbbing cock wished he’d give relief and thrust himself inside her.