be more buildup to what we just did.”
“You think?” Sweet Lord, his body heat was like being wrapped in warmed cashmere in front of a roaring fire. “You’re supposed to be the expert.”
He puffed a humorless laugh. “Not on kissing.”
In other words, his talents lay in the more serious sexual arts.
“Oh.” Jealousy crackled in Georgie’s belly, surprising her. She’d never been enough of a masochist to get jealous over Travis Ford. What was the point in living her life in constant flux between shades of green? This jab of unpleasantness was new but sharp. Real. Maybe it had something to do with how he looked at her, brow furrowed, a muscle bobbling in his throat. The lines of their relationship had just been irrevocably blurred, but Georgie hated the thought of him looking at someone else like that now that she’d been on the receiving end. There had been no reason to be jealous over a man who was basically an untouchable movie star to her. This man, though . . . he was just her star for now. No one else’s.
Adding the stroke of envy to this morning’s uptick in confidence . . . and Georgie found herself anxious to leave a mark. She could wake up from this dream at any moment. Or, let’s face it, Travis could lose interest, reject her fake-dating proposal, and go after someone more like Tracy. Chalk up the kiss to momentary insanity. Why shouldn’t she reach out now and grasp this chance to achieve a fantasy she’d been playing out mentally since she hit puberty?
“Show me what you’re an expert in.”
Travis stopped breathing, his hands dropping to her elbows. Holding tightly, but not pushing her away. “Georgie.” He expelled her name on a breath, but she saw something primal flare to life in his eyes. “I’ll eat you alive. No.”
“You won’t.” She tugged her arms out of his grip and—saying a prayer to whichever saint bestowed courage—reached back and unzipped her skirt. “Oh.” She frowned. “In my head, the skirt was going to drop and I was going to cock a seductive hip.”
His lips parted. “How do you do that? Make me this hot and want to laugh at the same time.”
“See, I’m teaching you something new.” She was painfully aware of the vulnerability written in her every feature. “Your turn.”
Hesitation battled with need in his expression, and it was so intoxicating up close, Georgie’s knees wobbled. “Once we find out how this feels, though . . .” His hands stayed fisted in the air beside her hips, hesitating, clenching and unclenching, before finally settling on them. “We won’t be able to forget.”
“You’re worried I’ll never forget how bad you were. I understand.”
His right eyebrow went sky-high. “Are you employing reverse psychology to get me into bed? I’m impressed.”
Georgie shrugged a shoulder. “Not bad for a virgin.”
“There it is.” He dropped his head forward. “Christ. I had a feeling you were a virgin. But I wasn’t positive.”
“Glad I could clear it up. We don’t have to—”
“We’re not.”
“Cool. But we are . . . ?”
“On-top-of-the-clothes stuff only.”
“Do panties count as clothes?”
“I don’t know. Yes.”
“Sweet.” Before she could lose her nerve, Georgie wiggled the skirt down over her hips and nudged it aside, feeling her face turn pink but staunchly ignoring it. “I’m ready.”
The world tilted when Travis picked her up by the waist, tossing her into the center of the bed like she weighed less than a feather. He crawled slowly up her body. “No. You aren’t.”
“I lie corrected,” she breathed.
“Stop being cute.” Without breaking eye contact, he unbuttoned her blouse. The entire thing in seconds with quick wrist twists. “Your bra counts as clothes, too.”
She gave a jerky nod. “You make the rules.”
“That’s right.” He surged forward and growled against her lips. “I’m no one’s entertainment anymore. You want to play? I decide how.”
Those words cut through the waves of lust plowing through Georgie. That statement was so at odds with the Travis of her memory. The arrogant baseball player who’d strutted to the batter’s box, doffing his hat to the crowd. Taking requests on which part of the outfield he should aim for. She wanted to explore the change he’d shown her now more than once.
His mouth dominated hers, leading the dance, giving no quarter. Almost as if he wanted to scare her off. His body said he needed her, though. To Georgie, inexperienced or not, Travis had all the classic signs of an aroused male. And Georgie was an expert