Wicked Ties(25)

“And he was the first?”

She nodded. “When I was a sophomore in college, yes.”

“When did you see him last?”

“About four years ago, just after he graduated. We only dated six months or so. It wasn’t that serious.”

“But you gave him your virginity?”

“I already said that.”

“Why?”

“I’m not answering that. That goes beyond name and vital statistics.”

“I need to establish motivation, cher. Maybe he still thinks of you as his little virgin and doesn’t like the thought that you’ve shared the pretty pu**y he considers his with other men.”

Morgan held in a gasp. She wasn’t used to those words, not with a born-again mother. She’d never dated a man like Jack who used them so unapologetically. Her mother would have fainted dead away…even more than she had after seeing the first installment of Turn Me On.

“Not likely. When we split up, he encouraged me to date his roommate, who was a major horn dog. Trust me, he was as over me as I was over him.”

Jack shrugged, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. “Number two?”

“Brent Pherson.”

“The Brent Pherson drafted by the Raiders a few years ago?”

“The same. If you want his vital stats, look them up on ESPN.com.”

Jaw tight, he asked, “How’d you meet?”

“At a press party. He was doing a reality show about athletes during the off season for the same parent company that airs Turn Me On. I doubt he’s stalking me. We… It was just one night.”

Jack scowled, looking decidedly unhappy about that. “Why did you let him f**k you?”

“Do you have to put it like that?”

“That’s what happened, right? Why did you let him? Did you have feelings for him?”

Brent had been built like the side of a mountain and the supposed leader of his football team. He’d been quiet and seemingly in control. That illusion had drawn her in, along with his good looks. A night had been all she needed to see how insecure and out of control he’d been.

“That’s really none of your business.”

Jack stood, approached the bed, towered over her. Morgan looked up, past the ridged abs and rippling shoulders that screamed power. Having him this near…it wasn’t good for her mental health. He was part aphrodisiac, part beast. And she responded way more than she wanted to.

“If you want my help, I need to know your past. It’s not uncommon for previous lovers to turn stalker, since they know where you live, who you’re close to, and may even know some of your friends and can get his information through them. You being modest and treating me like an auditory voyeur is only giving him more time to hunt you down. Do you have a death wish?”

“If I did, I would have just sat there in Lafayette and let him use me as target practice,” Morgan grated out. “Do you think he followed us here? Did you see anyone follow us on the road?”

“No, I don’t think he followed us. We’re dead in the middle of a swamp, so he’ll be hard-pressed to find us. But it’s not impossible. You can’t afford to underestimate someone like this.”

Jack was right. Morgan’s stomach quivered with that truth. “I know.”

“Good, then cooperate. You holding back is tempting me to put you over my knee and spank your ass.”

Morgan gaped. “You’re not touching my ass!”

“Don’t challenge me, cher. I’ll make those pretty cheeks fire-hot in about three minutes.”