Page 53 of Nothing to Deny
Because this was important.
“‘Cept all I’ll be able to think about is you lying here under me telling me bareback is okay.”
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she squeezed herself closer. “Bareback is okay,” she whispered. Gritting his teeth, he groaned. “As long as you’re using protection with everyone else.”
“Always,” he said, running his tongue along the seam of her lips. “I wouldn’t endanger you… and I’ll get tested more often.” This was an odd conversation; not one she could’ve predicted being a part of her life. “Next time tell me what’s in your head, don’t hide the truth from me.”
She shook her head. “No, it wasn’t… I wasn’t thinking about whether or not we should use protection, I just…” Exhaling, she resigned herself to revealing the truth. “It felt professional. Stopping like that for protection, it felt practiced… Sometimes I… You’re so calm and controlled…”
While, in contrast, around him, she kept losing her head.
“You think it’s still an act?” he asked, sounding sort of offended. “You think I—”
Touching his lips, she silenced him. “Just don’t ever forget you’re with me when we’re together,” she said. “Promise me?”
Nodding, his half frown was still dubious. “You will learn to trust me. You will.”
“I do trust you.” What kind of woman got herself involved with a man whose job required him to sleep with other women and didn’t trust him? If that was the case, they’d be doomed before they started. “Now where’s that condom, Hound Dog? You’ll never catch the pussy if you don’t prepare yourself.”
“On it,” he said, kissing her quick and leaping off the bed.
Glancing back, he seemed to appreciate the view spread out on his sheets as he unbuckled his jeans and kicked them off in a heap. His dimple flashed in unison with a wink before he disappeared into the bathroom, tossing the door into the frame behind him.
In almost the same second, her phone buzzed. Rolling to the edge of the bed, she fished it from her purse on the floor. She sat up, reading the unknown number, and frowned as she answered.
“Hello?”
“Freya? It’s Conrad.”
Uh, and he was calling because…? He couldn’t know what they were doing right then… could he?
“Hello,” she said again. “Is there a problem?” And then she remembered with a groan. “I didn’t sign the paperwork.”
“No, you didn’t, but this is about something else,” he said. “We had to move up Holly’s next date. She and Marlin are available tonight, but she said you had agreed to continue double dating with her. So I was wondering if—”
“Tonight?” she asked, tucking her heels on the frame of the bed. “Sure.” Ah, an opportunity for mischief. “Long as I can have Baer.”
Silence. Five seconds. Ten. “Baer… uh…”
“You know, it’s a shame I didn’t sign that paperwork yet because—”
“Sure! Yes. Yes, you can have Baer, just let me call him and I’ll call you back.”
The line died. Sharing a quiet laugh with herself, she tucked her phone under the edge of the blanket and lay down again. She’d just relaxed when the bathroom door opened.
“Rubbers are expired.” Baer raised a hand to his forehead to toss the box into the trash can under the window. “But, no worries, I have some from last night.” Oh, did he now? “I know work product is less than ideal, but the rubbers don’t care who paid for what.”
Neither did their body parts, but…
“That’s not what I was thinking,” she said, rising to her elbows. “I was wondering why you were carrying protection on a date with my cousin who you promised not to sleep with?”
His mouth opened, but it took a second for anything to come out. “Muscle memory.”
Her head tilted just as his phone rang. Apparently, more than happy to save himself, he ducked to snag his phone from his jeans pocket. To his credit, he didn’t look at it or answer. Instead, he came to join her on the bed, laying over her to reignite their kiss.
Although he tried to push harder, to urge her onto her back, she stayed on her elbows.
“Are you going to get that?” she asked, accepting his kiss, eyeing the phone.
