Borden went too rough, he decided. Way too rough on her. Way too unfeeling for her. She would have been treated better by that skinny jeans ass-wipe –

He stopped that thought immediately. It pissed him off way too much. She was his. From the moment she opened her mouth to him in that diner, she had signed away herself to him.

No.

No, actually. Since the moment she’d pulled the switchblade out at him in that alleyway she’d signed herself away. It had only been a matter of time before she came back in his life, when fate had decided it was time.

Never had he felt so good or more alive before since bringing her into his office. And while he regretted the way he treated her, she still felt fantastic.

The kind of fantastic you could get addicted to.

And Borden was addicted.

Deep in his bones, he pined for her.

And that was what hurt the most. Because he knew, deep down, he couldn’t really have her. He’d taken it too far.

He wasn’t supposed to bring another person close again.

Twenty

Emma

I sat at my desk and stared at the numbers on the spreadsheet in front of me as if they were written in Sanskrit. I couldn’t concentrate. My whole body was tight as a drum. The anticipation was killing me.

It was mid-morning and he hadn’t showed up at the office. This was so unlike him. He usually tormented me at this point. I didn’t pretend that Friday night’s events hadn’t changed everything, but I certainly didn’t think it would have for him. In fact, I expected him to be here making smart-ass, egotistical remarks about our time together.

Maybe he regretted it as much as I did. That would be good if he did. That would be… Fuck, why would he regret it? Was I some kind of let-down in the sack? Was that why he didn’t want to be around me, because I repulsed him and ruined whatever allure he had for me?

I bit down on my lip, hating how shit that possibility made me feel. How dare he not show up! He made my vagina bleed for fuck’s sake. I deserved an apology for that! And for him propositioning me for sex! And for him tasting like heaven on earth! And for him taking me so hard and fast and giving me an experience I’d never felt before!

I groaned at my stupidity. One of those girls, Emma, you’re one of those girls now.

It was true. I had become one of those girls. I thought about our time together all weekend. I picked apart every tiny detail. He didn’t owe me an apology! I took him willingly. He didn’t proposition me for sex. He knew it would rile me up, and that’s what he wanted – that was his fetish. To rile me up so that I slapped him, and I hated how hot that suddenly made me feel.

I’d never felt power over a man before, yet he’d relinquished it in that moment, allowing me to pain him for pleasurable reasons. I’d come to the conclusion that I didn’t regret our time together. The tension had been thick between us for a while now. It was the kind of release we both needed.

From loathing him, to simply hating him, to suddenly wanting nothing more than to tear his clothes off and feel myself get shredded by him… This was the most epic whiplash I’d ever endured.

I re-adjusted myself in the seat, trying to find a comfortable position because I was still a little sore. It didn’t bother me. I’d finally gotten laid, and I’d never had these memorable bruises carried with me as a reminder in the days following.

“You’re going to remember I’ve been here. You’re going to hurt and remember how deep my cock was buried inside of you.” Job well done, asshole.

I looked over at the empty chair beside me. He should have been here ages ago.

What the fuck, Borden?

*

He showed up in the afternoon.

He strode into the office in a suit, which meant he’d been doing business all day. There was no ham and cheese sandwich on him for me. He didn’t have a lollipop in his mouth. He didn’t even look in my direction.

It suddenly felt like a dark cloud had settled over the entire room.

I sat up straighter, my hand shaking over my mouse as I watched him settle into his chair, not a word said to me. He opened a few files, sorted through some papers, and I practically felt invisible, which was alright because I was probably staring at him like a goddamn puppy begging for attention.

I needed to discuss what happened between us. I needed to tell him that I didn’t regret it, and that kicking him out was a mistake.

“Borden,” I whispered, nervously.

He didn’t turn to me. “What do you want?” he growled out irritably.

I swallowed hard, surprised by his tone. He’d never spoken to me like that before.

“Um…”

I didn’t know what to say, or how to put the words together. Especially when he was angry because he was usually a lost cause in these moods.

He finally looked up at me, an icy glare on his face. “Um what, Emma?”

I licked my lips and his eyes narrowed furiously at my mouth.

“I wanted to talk to you,” I pushed out.

“You wanted to talk about what?” he retorted.

“About Friday.”

“Is this regarding work matters?”

“Well, no.”

“Your employment?”

“No.”

“Then keep it to yourself.”

I frowned at him, my heart twisting. “Now all of a sudden we’re going to be professional?”

“That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it?” he shot back. “So you got it, Miss Warne. Return to your work and only speak to me if you have something informative to say.”

I blinked back sudden tears in my eyes. I looked away quickly before he could see them water and stared at the computer screen. I was flustered and hurt. I didn’t expect this reaction out of him.

He’d finally gotten what he wanted out of me, didn’t he?

I swallowed the lump, angry at myself for feeling emotional. Clearly it was that time of the month. It was not him, no. Not at all. Men didn’t make me cry. Never, ever did I give them the power to hurt me. Borden was no different.

Liar.

It was so hard trying to appear normal, trying to do work, when my mind was elsewhere the entire time. I was conscious of his movements, of his damn heated presence every second I sat there next to him. Without thinking, my eyes glimpsed at his fingers, and I saw the red mark I’d left on his index. Deep bite marks that made my heart rate skyrocket even more and my sex clench deliciously. It was proof of how far we’d gone, and now I felt like we were a million miles apart.