We took seats in the two cushiony lounge chairs that faced the pool. I set my glass down and crossed my arms, rubbing them to take away the chill.

“Are you cold?”

“A little.”

He got up from the chair and went inside the house. A few moments later, he returned and placed a navy blue zip-up hoodie around my shoulders and then bent down and brushed his lips against mine.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. The last thing I want is for you to be cold.”

Chapter 20

I wanted to talk to him about yesterday. How his attitude had changed and his actions on the plane. He just couldn’t behave that way if we were going to be friends.

“We need to talk about yesterday,” I nervously spoke.

“I already apologized for yesterday.”

“You just can’t do a complete switch like that. It’s not fair.”

“Gabrielle,” he spoke in a serious tone. “I do what I want and I can behave how I want.”

“Even if it hurts the other person?”

“I didn’t hurt you. Did I?”

“Physically, no.”

“Then you enjoyed when I fucked you on the plane?”

“Well, yes. I mean, no. Well, sort of. You just left me there and walked out. What the fuck was that?”

“Sometimes, that how I am.”

I couldn’t respond because I didn’t know what to say. On one hand, it bothered me, but on the other, he turned me on like no other man ever had. The way he was always in control excited me. It was a different kind of control than how Brendon was. Brendon was a mere boy trying to fit into the world of being a man. Simon was a man. A full-fledged, sexy-as-fuck controlling man who was always used to getting what he desired. He reached over and held out his hand to me.

“I would like you to spend the night,” he said as he softly stroked my hand with his thumb. “You can call Giana and have her pack you a small bag and I’ll have Patrick pick it up.”

“Why?”

“Why what? Why do I want you to spend the night?”

“Yes.”

His eyes observed me from across the chair. “I want you to spend the night because I want to fuck you all night long and all day tomorrow. I want to wrap my arms around your soft, silky skin and I want to smell the lavender scent that graces your body as I fall asleep.”

Shit. Total panty soaker right there. How does one respond to that?

“Okay,” I gulped.

“Okay? That’s it?”

“Okay, master?”

He chuckled. “That’s good enough for me.”

“I have one condition,” I bravely spoke.

His left eyebrow arched as he looked at me. “You have a condition? Enlighten me.”

“I want you to tell me more about your life. I want to know you better.”