Free Strife: Part Two (The Strife Series Book 2) by Sky Corgan Page A

seduction behind his hazy green eyes. I can't help but melt a little though I'm still not happy about being rejected yet again. The night is dragging, and I don't understand postponing the inevitable.
    Brodie lowers his pants over his ass, revealing a pair of tight black boxer briefs that hug his muscular thighs perfectly. Again, I feel a tremor of need, my hormones signaling to my nether region that I'm ready for the grand finale. Just seeing him like this makes me imagine what it will be like when he's on top of me. Inside of me.
    I suck in a deep breath, trying hard not to resist my desire for him, reminding myself that it's a good thing and that I need to stop freaking out about it. Part of my job is to pretend like I want him. It will be far easier doing the deed if I actually do want him.
    Brodie wiggles his butt, breaking down all of the seriousness that I've been clinging to all night. I laugh, drawing my hand up to my mouth in guilt. He shimmies out of his pants the rest of the way, then does a dramatic jump so that he's facing me. I lose it again, hiding my face behind my hands. In an instant, he's gone from being incredibly sexy to just being silly.
    “Cha!” His eyes go wide and he holds his hands up, causing me to laugh even more. What an idiot.
    He kicks his pants to the side and makes his way back around the coffee table to sit next to me, dropping himself down heavily. “And that, my dear, is how you do a strip tease.”
    “Oh really?” I nod, desperately trying to hold back the urge to keep chuckling.
    “Really!” he exclaims proudly, placing his hands on his hips and striking a pose like he's superman or something.
    I fold again, practically doubling over as an uncontrollable giggling fit hits me. “You are such a dork.”
    “That's Mister Dork to you,” he says with a soft smile, waiting for me to calm down.
    It takes a minute for me to get over how unbelievable he is. Unbelievably funny. Unbelievable sexy. Unbelievably not as big of a pervert as I had originally imagined.
    When I'm finally able to get the nerve up to face him, he's staring at me. The look in his eyes has changed, has shifted to something I can't place. My heart throbs as I process it as affection.
    He raises his hand and brushes a few of my curls over my shoulder, his fingertips whispering against my face and causing a shiver that makes my clit throb. I wish I never would have looked at him. It's like he's gazing into my soul, and I'm terrified of what he might see there. That I'm broken. That I never really wanted this. That I wish beyond anything that he was just a normal guy and I was just a normal girl and that I was here because we met somewhere random and he invited me up to get to know me better.
    “You're very beautiful when you smile,” he tells me, his thumb touching the corner of my mouth for the briefest of moments.
    My lips part in a content exhale. Why does he sound so romantic? How am I suppose to react?
    “Thank you,” I manage to squeak out, quickly averting my eyes.
    The air in the room grows thick with awkward sexual tension. I wait for him to kiss me. Want him to kiss me. If he does, I know I can get lost in the fantasy. I'm tired of resisting. I want to pretend that he's mine, if only for just one night. One night of pleasure in a world of pain. I'll deal with the consequences tomorrow. More pain from allowing myself to enjoy this. Pain and guilt and disgust at myself.
    His weight shifts beside me, and I close my eyes, preparing to taste his lips. The seconds feel like hours as I wait for the space between us to disappear. It doesn't happen, though. Instead, he takes me by the hand, pulling me until I stand. I gaze up at him in confusion, feeling like an idiot for ever expecting him to kiss me.
    “Now it's your turn. I showed you, now you show me,” his tone is gentle, his expression friendly.
    “But I don't know how.” I shake my head, sadness flooding my chest from not being kissed.
    “I'll show you