A fight or flight sense of urgency buffeted me from all angles, yet I was alone in the hall. I heard the door open behind me just as the elevator arrived.
I stepped in and turned. Noah paused at the door to the gym, breathing heavily, gaze fastened to mine. Sweat marked every muscle under his fitted T, delineating his six-pack and pecs. His arms were swollen, and his fists were clenched.
Close the door… Close!
No matter how much I willed the elevator to shut, time seemed to stand still. The door finally started to move, but Noah crossed the distance in two strides, pivoting and sliding into the elevator at the last second.
I didn’t hit the floor button, and we didn’t move. We stared at each other in the cramped space, smelling like sweat and lust and sucking all the oxygen out of the air as we panted.
The damp hair at the back of my neck prickled. He wasn’t blinking, and he wasn’t giving me much room. I was cornered.
“Noah—”
“Shut up.” He ducked down and caught my bare hips, lifting my back against the wall as he slammed his mouth over mine, his tongue plunging deep and demanding I kiss him back.
“Mmph!” I shoved at his shoulders, but he anchored his hard body against mine forcefully, holding me prisoner and taking what he wanted.
His hot mouth and talented tongue instantly lured me into the kiss. But I didn’t ask to be kissed, so I didn’t make it easy. I rammed my elbow into his ribs, but in the confined space it hardly drew a grunt out of him.
“Kiss me back, Avery. Give in.”
“No.” I bit at his lips, but that only seemed to encourage him.
He growled and groped my breast through my damp sports bra, squeezing and tugging the unyielding fabric. “I want this off.”
“Tough.” I ground my lips into his, pushing him off but never letting my mouth leave his. He took over, plunging his tongue deep and locking his fingers in my tangled ponytail.
His hard cock gouged through his gym shorts into my hip, seeking my center as his fingers curled around my ponytail and tugged, exposing my throat to his mouth. It had been so long since a man kissed me with such desire. For a moment, I was lost, falling into a dark abyss of need as my limbs curled around his strength, my muscles humming, and my blood purring.
My eyes went wide as the sheer size of him became evident. This was all wrong. This wasn’t the way I operated. He completely dominated me in bulk and strength, but I refused to allow him to dominate me in other ways. And how dare he knock me off balance like this!
Reaching down, I grabbed hold of his bulging erection and curled my fingers like a talon around his cock and balls, demanding his attention. He sucked in a breath and jerked back.
“That’s a little tight—”
My grip intensified, my fingernails pressing through the loose fabric and delicate skin, as I leveled him with a look that told him my hold was intentional. “Put. Me. Down.”
Uncertainty flashed in his eyes, and he lowered me to the floor. I didn’t release my grip as I stared up at him.
He clutched my wrist. “Avery, you’re crushing my—”
“Is this what you want? To fuck me in an elevator? Against a wall? Maybe on our way down the hall and on your granite countertops?”
He groaned, the sound half pained, half excited. “If you could just loosen—”
“Quiet.” I was done getting passively blindsided by this guy. “I warned you. I told you one day you’d try your luck with me and not like the result.” My grip tightened, his shorts, hard cock, and full balls fisted firmly in my hold. “I don’t do gentle, Noah. And I’m never a bottom. Understand?”
“If you want to be on top—”
“No. It’s not about the physical position. It’s about the mental one. I’m in charge. Always. And I don’t think you’d like that very much.”
“Maybe I would.”
I arched a brow, wishing that was true, but certain it wasn’t. “Have you ever had a woman fuck you, Noah? Ever experienced true helplessness and surrendered your will, your choice, and your body for her pleasure?”
His hungry eyes darkened. “Holy shit.”
I loosened my hold but held his full attention. He could have stepped back, but he didn’t move an inch.
My mouth curled into a slow, satisfied smile. I fucking loved achieving control. Especially when the man didn’t realize he was already under my spell, already submitting to my authority. But eventually, Noah would snap out of it and run.
“You don’t want what I want, Mr. Wolfe, so maybe it’s best we just remain … friends.” A friend was what I needed more than anything else.
He didn’t move, didn’t answer.
“Push the button, Noah.”