“What?” I almost wheeze the words.
“Never in a million years did I think I’d trust a woman enough to let her into my bed. Let alone spend more than a night with her. But you’re the one who looks ready to vomit every time you realize how serious this is for me. Should I be asking who hurt you?”
“No. I mean, no one hurt me. Not really.” I shake my head, trying to get a damn grip because he literally just told me this is serious for him. No hints. No suggestions or reading between the lines. Six words say it all. “I’m not trying to be obtuse, but you’re using scary language when we’ve only just met.” He tilts his head, acknowledging I’m right. “And you were literally with two other women that I know of just last week.”
“Again, correct. Didn’t say any of it made sense, Halfpint. Just trust me when I say whatever this is, I’m feeling, I don’t take it lightly. I really don’t trust easily. Or willingly. And I…” He scratches his chin. “I can’t explain anything except when you’re near me, the pain goes away. The anger. All of it.”
“Can I ask who hurt you?” I finally say.
“Nope. It’s not important.”
Well, I guess that he didn’t deny someone did something, right? But if this really is serious for him, shouldn’t he want to share? Do I want him to?
I mean, obviously I do. I have for weeks. But it’s not the same thing. Is it?
Dammit! Why am I all over the place with him? Every thought feels like a damn question. Every question leads dangerously close to him.
Breathe, Poppy, breathe.
He smirks, and I realize I said all of that out loud. Fantastic.
“I mean, I guess it’s not that big of a deal, right? I haven’t had anyone in my bed either.” I joke, switching back to what started this, trying to reset before I unravel further. “Living with your grandmother doesn’t exactly produce the best environment for hookups. It’s just easier to—”
“Two sentences. That’s all it took for me to feel relieved and then homicidal all over again.”
“You really should get over that, you know? Not only do I work with men, but my new job kind of requires a good bit of nudity. Besides, I’m not the kind of girl who will avoid the opposite sex because it might upset my boyfriend.”
His mouth twitches. “We’ll get back to the job part, but boyfriend?”
“That’s not what I…I mean, you’re not. Jesus fucking christ why can’t I think around you? You make me stupid.”
The smirk turns to a soft smile. His eyes take on a look that I refuse to name but makes my insides flutter. “Flustered.”
“What?”
“You get flustered. Not stupid.” He leans closer. “It means you like me.” His lips brush mine, but unlike the massage room, it’s not dominant and overpowering. It’s soft and sweet. Not two words I associate with him, but just like every other time, I quickly sink into the kiss, becoming a puddle.
His fingers tangle in my hair while our tongues caress in a gentle give and take that’s intimate and sensual. So many emotions ignite inside me. Emotions that are terrifying me, but the urge to run is squashed by the way his mouth explores mine.
Desire heats my body, but not the frenzy-filled kind I usually feel with him. This is a deep aching, a yearning to be connected to him on a more profound level. “What are you doing to me?”
“That’s my line,” he whispers as he begins nipping at my neck, parting my robe, and skimming his fingers over my belly. A soft moan escapes me as I shiver at his touch. My head falls back, lips parting as he drifts lower. The lightest of touches against my needy clit takes my breath as he plants kisses down my throat. Like a feather brushing against me, he teases as a slow, building fire trickles down my spine.
“Please,” I mutter into the air.
“Please, what, Halfpint? Tell me what you want.”
“You.” The moment the words are uttered into existence, the world around me ceases to exist. Waves of euphoria wash over me, igniting every cell. “You,” I whisper again when my breath returns. “All of you, Jagger.”
He presses his mouth against my shoulder. “I told you this wasn’t about sex.”
“Then what was that?”
“That was about you and for you. Another first for me.”
“First?”
“I don’t usually give a shit if the other person gets off, Halfpint, as long as I do.”
