Chapter 5: Change of Plan
For a moment, I was sure he was going to kiss me. His head came closer and my body trembled. The heat between us had turned molten. His head dipped closer, and my whole body trembled. The heat between us had turned molten. I could feel his bulge through his pants, could see the hunger in his eyes, and smell the desire thick in the air. I knew he could smell me too.
But then—
He stepped back. His hands fell away from my body, and I blinked in confusion at the sudden loss of heat. I staggered back trying to hold my balance. My chest rose and fell rapidly as I struggled to regain composure. Was he going to get a condom?
No. To my surprise, Gareth bent down, picked up my trench coat from the floor, and gently draped it over my shoulders. The gesture was careful. Too careful. His hands lingered, very briefly over my waist as he fastened the coat for me.
"Keep it on," he said, voice low but firm.
My stomach dropped. Was my body so repulsive to him that he couldn’t bear to look at it for a moment longer? "What...?" My voice was thin. "You don’t... want me?"
He sighed, stepping back again. The distance between us now felt like a canyon. "Wanting you isn’t the problem, Jasmine."
I dug my fingers into the fabric of my trench coat, my face burning with humiliation. I couldn’t meet his eyes. Shame crawled over my skin like fire. I felt naked. Stupid. Desperate.
"Then what’s the problem? I’m offering you what you want," I whispered, trying to hold onto some thread of dignity. I couldn’t walk out with nothing to show for it.
"I came here willingly. Why are you hesitating? Is it because you don’t want us to do it in the office?" I asked, "I can wait for you at a hotel-" "