in a relationship. Friends. Sex. They’d agreed. It wasn’t as scary or daunting as it had seemed a month ago.
She was a little concerned about whatever was eating at him. It was strange that he couldn’t tell her even after everything she’d shared with him. Maybe she should have felt snubbed, but when she considered all the possible reasons he might have to be worried, she’d come up with a decent option that was plausible.
His brother had recently died, and he was obviously close to his parents. It seemed reasonable that perhaps one of his parents needed full-time care. With his brother’s recent death, the stress on his parents would have increased tenfold. Maybe his brother had been responsible for the caregiving. So, in Raeann’s overactive brain, she’d decided that Deacon was probably on the cusp of moving his parents in with him.
That would explain everything. His reluctance to get into a serious relationship would make sense if he was going to need to take on that kind of responsibility. In addition, the entire situation was probably depressing and he was too sad to talk about it yet. Totally reasonable.
There was also the possibility that Raeann was way the fuck off base and had made up this entire story to avoid feeling frustrated that he couldn’t open up to her.
She took a deep breath as she parked in Deacon’s driveway and grabbed her small bag as she exited the car. She didn’t want to make a big deal out of this possible sleepover, so she’d simply brought a larger purse. Toothbrush, tank top, spare undies, yoga pants, and a workout shirt. Things that didn’t take up much space but wouldn’t look suspicious if she wore them home tomorrow.
Deacon opened the door as she approached, a soft smile on his face. He reached out and took her hand when she was close enough, pulled her inside, shut the door, and cupped her face. “I’ve been thinking about kissing you all day.” So he did.
Her bag slid to the floor as his lips met hers. She had no resistance to this man. He made her feel things she’d never felt or dreamed of. The stuff of romance novels. Not what people felt in real life.
She leaned against the wall when her knees grew weak, and he pressed his body against hers. His hands slid from her face to her hips, and he finally eased back. “Yep. Just like I remembered,” he murmured.
“How do you do that?” she whispered in response.
“Do what?”
“Make me forget what planet I’m on.”
He chuckled. “Magic talent. My saliva has superpowers that cloud your brain and make you malleable to whatever I suggest.”
She shuddered. “I almost believe that’s true.”
He lifted a brow. “You doubt me? Wait until I put my mouth on your pussy. You won’t doubt my powers again.”
Heat rose up her face at his words. Forget dinner. She wanted his mouth on her body. It was amazing how affected she was by his suggestion. “Deacon…” She grabbed his waist. She wasn’t sure if she was reprimanding him for his naughty words or begging him to make them true.
He kissed her one more time before bending down to pick up her bag. He hefted it a few times. “You didn’t bring much,” he said as he carried it toward the couch and set it on the cushion. All the while, he had a grip on her hand, pulling her along.
“I didn’t figure I needed much. I can borrow your toothpaste, right?” she joked, though this was incredibly surreal and should be awkward.
He pulled her in close again and cupped her face. “You can use anything in my house you’d like. Shampoo. Conditioner. Soap. Bubble bath.”
“You have bubble bath?”
He chuckled. “Well, no. But I can get some.” He continued to hold her hand as he led her to the kitchen.
“It smells good in here.”
“Product of my amazing culinary skills,” he joked. “Hopefully it will taste good. You never know.”
“What is it?”
“Pork tenderloin. It’s been cooking all day in the crockpot with veggies.”
She groaned. “That sounds delicious. I never end up using my crockpot because when I think of something I want, I’m not willing to wait six hours to fix it.”
“That can be a problem.” He pointed to a stool at the island. “Sit. You want a glass of wine?”
“Yes. Thank you.” It felt like there was a giant elephant in the room. Sex. If she’d had any doubt they were going to end up sleeping together before she’d