Free BOUGHT: A Standalone Romance by Glenna Sinclair

downstairs together. He situates me on the couch, hands me the remote, and disappears into the kitchen. I can hear him ordering something as I channel surf, drunkenly looking for something to watch. When he comes back in, he pulls me over to him until my head is resting on his shoulder.
    I wonder how I’ve never noticed how good he smells. His cologne isn’t overbearing, but it’s almost exotic smelling. I bury my face in his shirt before I turn to look at the TV. His fingers graze my arm gently, that silence sense of support never fading away.
    “Hey,” I whisper.
    “Hmmm?”
    “Thank you.” I glance up at him. “For everything.”
    Connor doesn’t say a word. Instead, he leans down and kisses me on my forehead. The spot tingles for a moment, and I wonder what’s happening to me. Am I really falling for someone that I couldn’t stand just a little while ago?
    Once the food has disappeared from our plates, Connor runs his hands up my thighs. His nails scratch against my skin, and a moan falls from my lips. I glance at him as his fingers nestle between my thighs. A shiver runs through me as he strokes my clit softly. It’s as if I’m not falling for him, but possessed by him, I realize. Every movement he makes, I watch, enamored. And he seems to do the same thing with me. Before I have any more time to think, he presses his mouth against mine, his tongue darting between my lips.
    “You’re mine,” he mumbles against my mouth, making me shiver.
    I can think tomorrow.

Chapter Six
    “Are you getting ready?”
    “Yeah!” I call down the stairs as I sit on my bed.
    Okay, so I lied. I’m most definitely not getting ready. Not because I don’t want to, but because I don’t want to leave this place. My apartment has been a quiet sanctuary for so long. It’s the longest home I’ve had snice I was kicked out of my parents’ place. I run a hand over my pillow. For once, fond memories flood my mind as I think about Connor on top of me, his gaze holding me in rapture as he thrusts into me.
    “Do I have to come up there? I don’t hear moving!”
    Sighing, I push myself off of the bed. I know that he’s right. Zoey is too. My place isn’t safe. There’s no way to tell when Nathan will pop up. I know I asked him to help me, but he’s a bit overwhelming already. I vaguely wonder if he’s helping me move for my benefit, or for his own. After all, he still needs my help. The only way I can help him is to be alive.
    “He could always just get someone else,” I mumble to myself.
    However, the more I think about it, the more I realize that he can’t. It’s too close to the end date for him to find someone to replace me. Oh well, it’s not like I’m not used to dealing with men using me for their own purposes. I’ll just have to live with it for now.
    Connor was back to his normal self in the morning. I’d noticed it right away, the stiffness that made him short-tempered and cranky when dealing with me. I almost wish I hadn’t asked for his help, but I can’t do everything on my own. Not with Nathan back in the picture and looking for me. Still, it hurts my pride to have to rely on Connor.
    I wonder how someone could change so fast. How he could go from being so sweet the night before, back to his old, demanding self the next day. Maybe he just wanted to fuck me. Then again, he could get that from any girl. He’s smart, successful, handsome…it isn’t exactly as if he has to beg.
    My phone rings, forcing me to dig inside of it all the way to the bottom. When I pull out my phone, I see Zoey’s number flash on the screen. I haven’t heard from her since the day before. I’ll admit, I feel really guilty about the way I left, but I’d been too afraid to try to call her first.
    “How are you holding up?” Zoey asks, as if the day before never happened. That’s why I love her.
    “I’m fine. Connor agreed with you that I should move somewhere else for a while until things calm down.”
    “You could