But I wasn’t sure if it was the night I finally had her that started it or the time when her eyes first met mine in her father’s office.

“When I first saw you, something changed. And when I knew you wanted me, I was giddy,” I murmured.

“Like them young, huh?” she teased.

“You weren’t what I was there for, or what I wanted. But you wore me down. After a while, I thought it would be the perfect way to get back at him…”

She froze and pulled back to look at me.

“You did it in more ways than one.” Her voice had an edge to it.

“Addi, it was never like that. Fuck, the moment I felt you against me, everything else disappeared. You were never a pawn. I don’t care how it started. You’re so much more important than that,” I said. “It’s why I can’t fuck you right now.”

But no matter what I said, it didn’t seem to make a difference. The anger and hurt were still there, and she was refusing to see me.

“Can’t or won’t? Because it seems like your cock didn’t get the message.”

And I hate the offending appendage very much in this moment.

“I’m showing immense control because I know you need it⁠—”

“I don’t need anything from you!” Her words hit exactly the mark they meant to, right inside my chest. They were sharp, cutting, and pulled an immediate reaction from me.

“Except my money. You need that, don’t you?” It was harsher than she deserved. Tears immediately pricked her eyes, and my heart constricted.

Shit. I regretted my words as soon as they slipped out of my mouth.

“Addi, I’m sorry⁠—”

“If you won’t fuck me, Warren, tell me what you want from me. Come on, get it over with so I can walk away from here with the money and get my mother out of that fucking hospital.”

The realization hit me like a punch to the gut, and I couldn’t get off her fast enough.

She wants to complete the contract.

She wasn’t distracting herself with me, trying to forget all the bad stuff that was happening.

All she was thinking was that if I didn’t fuck her, I wouldn’t give her the money at the end of it. She was going to lie there and take it while I had my fill of her body like she was some… thing.

I covered my mouth with the back of my hand as emotions seized my chest.

Was that all this was?

Did any of it mean… anything? My mind played through every night since she’d finally given herself to me.

Has she only been fucking me to meet the terms of the contract?