CHAPTER <b>0078 </b>


    Meadow’s POV:


    My hand inched toward the strings slowly. I hated that I was doing this. But even more, I hated the way he was looking at me right now.


    Like he wanted to eat me up. Or maybe strangle me.


    The rough hand on my jaw reached down toward my breasts, and ric cupped it gently, rolling my nipple with his thumb. I bit down hard on my bottom lip, swallowing the moan that threatened toe


    out.


    I couldn’t let him know that I was enjoying this too much.


    Although it looked as if he already knew.


    My chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. “You’re disgusting,” I spat.


    “And you’re stalling,” he said, eyes glinting dangerously. “Don’t make me decide for you, baby. You won’t like how thorough I can be.” He paused. “Or maybe you’d like it too much.”


    “You called me a slut for opening my legs to you, ric,” I said, recalling the night before he left for Vegas. “Why should I do that now?”


    ric’s smirk didn’t falter, but his jaw ticked. “I didn’t call you a slut that night because you opened your legs for me, Meadow. I called you a slut because I wanted to hurt you.”


    For a moment, I was taken aback by his response. I wasn’t expecting him to be honest about it. I thought


    he would ignore it like everything else.


    “And it worked, didn’t it?” he finished softly, cupping my face again.


    My throat tightened.


    His eyes narrowed, the smirk turning into something colder. “And now you’re here, wet. Shaking. Pretending that one word is enough for you to keep your thighs shut.” He tilted his head, eyes raking over me as he parted my bottom lip with his thumb. “But it’s not. You’ll still do it, because you want me more than you want to win this little argument.”


    A gasp escaped my throat, and before I realized what was going on, he pulled on the strings of my bikini bottom. The smirk appeared again as he moved away from me, swimming toward the edge of the pool


    while I watched it float.


    I waspletely naked now. Shivering, not because of the cold, but because I realized that he was right.


    As much as I wanted to fight him, as much as I wanted to hate him for spying on me, I wanted to do as he


    said.


    I wanted to touch myself in this pool in front of ric.


    ric pulled himself up, so now he was sitting on the edge of the pool. And then he took his shirt off, and


    my breath caught. Casually, he tossed it aside, his gaze shifting to me again. And he arched a brow.


    “What are you waiting for?” he asked smoothly.


    I drew in a breath so deep it made my ribs ache. My chest felt tight from how carefully he was watching


    me, his forearms resting against his knees


    Oh my god.


    I was going to finger myself in front of ric.


    My jaw clenched and I swallowed, taking another deep breath. “I’ve been in this water too long. My body’s


    probably already wrinkly.”


    He smirked wider. “Better get to it then.”


    I scowled at him, rolling my eyes. And after a full minute of stalling and pping my arms gently, I let myself tip backward, kicking my legs lightly to stay afloat. The water cradled me until I was floating. Naked. In the pool. In front of ric.


    My core throbbed at the thought of him doing things to me inside this pool. Touching me, holding me like


    he did…


    I wanted more of that.


    I missed it.


    And maybe I needed to show him just how much I did, and how wrong he was for leaving me.


    I was going to show him what he missed.


    I peered up at ric through my wetshes. He scraped his teeth over his bottom lip, eyes raking down my body<b>. </b>


    “Fucking sexy,” he murmured. I almost didn’t hear him because of how low his voice was.


    My head was spinning, my clit pulsating. I slid my hand down my body, pausing at my breasts to fondle my nipples for a little moment. I bit down on my bottom lip, and then my hand moved downward.


    “What do you usually imagine me doing to you, Meadow?”


    I swallowed. “Touching me.”


    “Just touching you?” he teased.


    <b>“</b>No… just… other things–you know what I’m talking about,” I snapped, frustrated.


    ric’s mouth curved. “I want to hear you say it. Every filthy thing you think about whenever you touch yourself.”


    My face heated and a sigh escaped my lips. “How about I just show you instead?” My voice was a murmur, and I shut my eyes, finally giving in to the pleasure. epting the fact that there was no escape from this.


    My fingers barely brushed over my belly before slipping between my thighs. The first stroke against my clit made my breath stutter.


    I looked over at ric to see that his eyes had darkened. “That’s it, baby.”


    Just the damn image of ric drained my brain of all rational reasoning. I imagined him taking off the rest of his clothing–his pants and briefs–to join me in the water. I imagined the muscles in his back flexing and contracing as he swam to me, reaching me in a few quick strokes.


    My fingers circled slowly around my nub, and I whimpered, feeling hot and cold at the same time. I could feel ric’s eyes boring into me and all I wanted was for him to rece my fingers with his rough, thick


    ones.


    “Faster,” ric ordered, voice low but loud enough to get through the fog in my head. Doing this alone was a peaceful event. But doing it with the object of my fantasies watching?


    I could barely stay afloat.


    I obeyed, my hips jerking in the water as my fingers stroked my clit harder. The water and the wetness from my core mixed together made the perfect lubricant. My mouth parted and I turned to him again, keeping my gaze locked on his as I slipped my middle finger into my hole.


    A loud moan escaped me. “ric…”


    Heat spread throughout my entire body and his eyes gleamed wickedly.


    “Tell me what you’re thinking about. Right now.”


    My cheeks burned. “You,” I breathed without hesitation.


    He leaned forward. “Doing what?”


    I swallowed hard, the words tasting heavy even before I said them out loud. “Holding me under. Making you take me until… until I can’t breathe.”


    ric’s jaw tightened, his eyes shing with a hunger I couldn’tprehend. “Careful, Meadow,” he warned. “Say things like that and I could make theme true faster than you can blink.”


    Two of my fingers were inside me now, and the heel of my palm ground against my clit as my other hand reached for my nipples, pinching and twisting. My body pulsed with an electric–like current and I knew


    my orgasm was close. So close.


    “That doesn’t sound like a warning, ric,” I moaned, feeling the pressure build higher and higher. “I want you to take me. And I hate you for thinking that I’m not ready for you when all I’ve been since I met you is… ready. I want you to show me how intense things can get. I want you to stop holding back on me.”


    I watched him through half–closed eyes. His expression was indifferent, and I couldn’t decide whether it was bordering on his usual coldness or… desire.


    I just couldn’t read him. He didn’t say a word.


    My body tingled and vibrated as the water rippled around me. And one more nce at ric and I came hard, eyes shut tight, gasping for breath as my orgasm washed over me, flooding my entire body.


    It took a moment to gather myself, and when I finally did, I opened my eyes, wondering what ric would say to me. What he would think about this.


    And my heart dropped into my stomach.


    He wasn’t there anymore.