Shame the Devil (Portland Devils #3) - Rosalind James Page 0,183

went. He waited until she was good and warmed up—by which he meant that she was calling out, coming hard, and grabbing at a sheet that twisted in her fists—then said, fighting for control the whole way, “I’m going to … touch you a little back here. That’s all I’m going to do. That OK? Or no?”

“Uh—yes.” She had her head on one side, was lying on one cheek, and he could see her mouth open and hear her panting. “Yes.”

“If you want me to stop,” he said, with the last of his control, “tell me so.”

She didn’t answer, just moaned, but when he did touch her? She tensed hard.

He stopped. “OK? That slippery feeling—that’s just lube.”

“Do it … some more,” she said, and, yeah, that was pretty good, too.

If there was any better feeling than being inside a woman while she was coming, while you had the tip of your finger in there just a little, and she was calling out, backing into you, and writhing some, like she was trying to get free? He didn’t know what it would be.

Except maybe looking at that woman now in her soft, pretty dress and her soft, pretty hair, your baby in her belly, your bracelet on her wrist, and your necklace around her neck, with the padlock, because she wanted everybody to look at that padlock and wonder, and thinking about doing it all again tonight.

He’d never been a possessive guy. He’d had a good time and made sure a woman did, too, and then he’d gone on his way. But the things she stirred in him came from somewhere down deep. It wasn’t comfortable. It wasn’t easy. But it was undeniable.

Oh. She’d asked him for something. To come into the back of the plane and talk to him. So maybe she hadn’t liked all that after all. Even though she’d sure seemed like she was going for it.

He followed her back there, got on the couch with her, and asked, “Need anything? Water? Juice? You staying hydrated?”

“I’m fine,” she said. “It’s an hour flight. And you know, for a guy who babies me this much, you’re pretty demanding.”

“Well, yeah.” He took her hand. “That it, then? Was that too much?”

“What? No. Of course not. Did I seem like it was too much?”

“Well …” He knew Dyma and Annabelle couldn’t hear. He lowered his voice anyway. “Maybe a little. When you were sort of … twisting.”

“Because it felt so good, I could hardly stand it. I wasn’t expecting it to feel that good. How did I have all this inside me and never know it? It’s like … you opened the door to the secret garden, you know?”

“Oh, baby,” he said, “I know. So this what you wanted to tell me? Are you bringing me back here and begging me to do it all again tonight, just to make sure I’m as uncomfortable as possible today?”

She smiled. Sweetly. “No. I wanted your advice.”

“Oh. OK. Shoot. Keeping in mind that my expertise is pretty much limited to catching a football.”

“Harlan.” Her eyes were serious now. “Your expertise is so much more than that. You’re smart about people, for one thing. Smarter than any man I’ve ever known. Most men stay on the surface. You see so much further.”

Wow. That was a whole different kind of glow. He said, “Well, thanks. So—shoot, and I’ll do my best.”

“Dyma.” She spoke low, with a glance at the front.

“They both have headphones on,” he said. “Go.”

“You know that I’ve had … reservations about Owen.”

“Uh-huh.” This was going to be one of those dilemmas. His buddy, and his … whatever Jennifer was.

That brought him up short. Why didn’t he know what she was? Or did he know? He was going to have to figure that out, because it felt urgent.

For right now, he told himself, tell the truth. It’s only a dilemma if you’re lying, or trying to weasel out. So tell the truth.

“Yeah,” he said. “I know.” And waited for the rest.

“Dyma’s graduating,” she said, then laughed. “Well, obviously. And it still seems like a big gap. Not just age. Life experience, too. Money. Everything. She’s never even lived on her own. But … she’s almost nineteen. How much say do I really have here? How much say should I have?”

He thought about that, then he did his best to marshal his ideas and said, “OK, a few things. First—at some point, yeah, a person’s grown. Not to say they still can’t be stupid, not