Flesh: Part Five (The Flesh Series Book 5) Read Free Page A

try, and
there's an ever-present tension from being around him, like the
muscles in my neck and upper back are wound so tightly they might
snap if I move my head the wrong way. I hate the way it feels. More
than anything, I just want our meeting to be over so that I can leave
and go home and take a nice hot bath.
    “ Is
that all for today?” Lucian glances over at me when I finish
scrolling through the pictures.
    “ That's
it.” I type a few notes into the tablet about which furniture
he likes before shutting it down and stuffing it into my purse.
    “ Shall
we go into my bedroom to discuss furniture placement now?”
    “ That's
not really necessary. I'll have Derrick plug the dimensions of the
furniture selections you like into the digital blueprint of your
house and then send you some layout choices tomorrow.” I stand,
preparing to leave.
    “ I'm
pretty sure I'm going to want the sled bed.” Lucian gets up as
well. “Since we know how many pieces are in the set, it would
probably save you some work if we went and looked at it now. I can
tell you where I want the pieces, then you can have that guy put them
into the blueprint tomorrow and send it to me. That way, you only
need to make one.”
    It takes everything
in me not to sigh. While I know that what he's saying does make
sense, I can't help but feel that there's some ulterior motive in him
wanting me to come into the bedroom. Still, it's my job to keep him
happy. As long as things stay professional between us, I should at
least try to do my job.
    “ Fine,”
I reply, though I'm pretty sure that he can tell I'm not happy about
it.
    Lucian leads the
way, and I blankly stare at the back of his shirt. Soon, I'll be
thinking about everything we did in his bedroom together. To be
honest, I'm surprised that it's not making me horny. I want him.
There's no doubt about it. But for once, my heart trumps my hormones.
I know what giving in to him will do to me. I know that he doesn't
really care, and for that reason, I've built an emotional wall around
myself. He's not breaking down my guard this time.
    We get to the
bedroom, and I immediately start pointing out where I think the
furniture should go. Lucian stands beside me, contemplating my
choices and making a few suggestions of his own.
    I try not to allow
my eyes to linger on the bed for too long. Every time I look at it, I
think of being tied up beneath him, of his thick cock pushing into
me. It's making me feel things that I don't want to—to have
yearnings that I shouldn't. And when I glance over at Lucian, it
seems like he's become twice as attractive the moment we stepped
inside the room. I hate that I want him. I hate that there's
something about him that makes me feel so weak and vulnerable and
needy.
    It's just
hormones. Only hormones. Only because he's the most attractive man
you've ever slept with. One of the most attractive men you've ever
met. This has nothing to do with logic.
    “ We
make a good team.” Lucian slips behind me and places his hands
on my shoulders, kneading into them.
    My first instinct is
to groan from the pleasure of the massage. I know his hands are
magical from the foot massage he gave me when I twisted my ankle. A
sane woman would have stood there and enjoyed it. A woman who doesn't
entwine her feelings with sex. A woman who is able to separate them.
I feel like none of those things right now. His touch only makes me
want him more, and I can't allow myself to give in again.
    Gathering all the
emotional fortitude that I can, I push his hands off of my shoulders,
clutch my purse against my body as if I can use it as a shield
against him, and lower my eyes to the floor. “Are we done
here?”
    “ I
was hoping we weren't.” Lucian steps forward, reaching up a
hand to caress my face, but I move away from him. “Are you
alright?”
    I hug my purse even
tighter, all the muscles in my body seeming to tense up, making me
feel like a frightened animal being backed into a corner.