The vibration in my chest hummed happily. "Do you like me enough to play strip poker with me?"
"Spencer." She rolled her eyes, pushing away from the door to slump back to the couch. "Are you ever serious?"
"If I wasn't serious on our wedding day, I'm not sure when I could be." I followed her, fighting a smile, and then went to the living room closet to retrieve her blankets again.
She folded her body onto the couch, her features drawn. "Of course. Not sure what else I expected."
I snapped open the thick, brightly colored quilt and then placed it over her small body. "So, that's a no to strip poker?"
She squinted one eye wearily. "Your chivalry doesn't have to extend to lying to me, Spence. You don’t need to feel obligated to flatter me just because we slept together.”
How could one intelligent woman be so catastrophically wrong abouteveryrelationship in her life? I crouched down in front of her, lifting one eyebrow. "I thought we weren't talking about that night."
Her cheekbones went rosy. I loved how translucent and telling her skin was—she was like a pink-haired mood ring. "We're not."
"Sure sounded like we were talking about it," I insisted ruthlessly. "And if we're talking about it, then you should know that Ihavesalivated over it." I let my eyes rove over her even though most of her was covered by a quilt now. "I think about it a lot."
Her light blue eyes widened, and she froze, like she'd stopped breathing. "Bullshit."
"I wouldn't ask to play strip poker otherwise, would I?"
Her throat slid. "I don't know."
"Hilariously," I said, reaching out to tuck a bubblegum pink strand of her hair behind her ear, "I don't think youdoknow." I tugged on the lock teasingly. "You might be the most badass virgin who ever lived, Arabella Rook."
She puckered her lips off to the side. "Not a virgin anymore."
I let some of the heat in my pent-up body smolder through my gaze. "I recall."
Like she was transfixed, Ara didn't blink. "And you don't regret that?"
"Bee, do you really think I'd fly all this way and barge into your life like this as a favor to your brother? Really?"
She seemed incapable of moving even a breath. "I'm rethinking it."
"Good." I tucked the blankets around her securely. "You keep thinking on it. Let me know what you figure out. I'll be here."
"You'll be here," she repeated with disbelief coloring her tone.
I stood, still leaning over her, supporting my weight on either side of her body. "Not going anywhere."
She took that in with owlish eyes, and then she blinked, seeming to recover some of her composure. "Thank you for confusing me."
"Anytime."
Chapter twenty
Arabella
You think on that.
Spencer's words played on repeat in my brain until I wanted to vacuum out my gray matter. Everything I thought I'd come to terms with had gotten shaken up and churned into a congealed mess, and no matter how I ruminated over the implications of Spencer's words and actions, I couldn't make sense of him.
You feel like heaven.
Do you really think I'd fly all this way and barge into your life as a favor to your brother? Really?
I had wanted to scowl and yell at him thatyes, that was exactly what I'd assumed. I'd wanted to demand that he explain himself. But the thought of him being here for me was so crippling, I'd allowed my confusion to tie my tongue into knots instead. Because if he wasn't here for Knox, then the alternative was…
