Devil and the Deep (The Ceruleans Book 4) - Julie Ann Walker Page 0,72
like he was afraid any sudden movement and whoops! his penis would accidentally slip into her vagina.
Not that I’d complain.
“So let’s scratch the itch,” she said. “Let’s solve this mystery. Let’s make like Nike and just do it. And then once we’ve done it, all the curiosity and tension will ease and we can focus on what’s important, bein’ friends.”
He shook his head slowly at first. Then he picked up speed.
“Why not?” she demanded, fisting her hands on her hips. “It just makes good sense.”
At least it did to her. Because he was in her blood, like a disease. A wonderful disease. And she wasn’t sure she could recover from him any other way. She needed to know. Know him. Like getting a vaccination. She needed an infusion of the live virus so she could eventually become immune.
But he didn’t seem to get it. She decided to change tactics. “Unless…you’re worried it won’t be any good and then it’ll make things weird between us.” She screwed up her face as if she really thought this might be a possibility.
“It’ll be good,” he gritted.
“Well, I figured as much,” she allowed charitably. “What with all the practice you’ve had. Unless…” she said again, cocking her head.
“Unless what?”
“Unless the reason you’ve had so many one-night stands isn’t because you wanted it that way, but because your partners wanted it that way. Oh, Lord Almighty. You don’t do that weird jackhammer thing, do you?” When he lifted a brow, she clarified. “The one that’s all bam, bam, bam!” She clapped her hands together to illustrate her point and was reminded of the splinter. “No real finesse and definitely no real friction on any of the parts that need it. Or, ew…” She made an awful face. “Are you one of those guys who thinks a clitoris is like a magical go button and all you have to do is give it a quick flick and assume that should be enough to—”
“It’ll be good,” he insisted. And now the muscle in his jaw was twitching fast enough to beat the band.
“Care to put your money where your mouth is?” she challenged, batting her lashes, knowing the best way to goad a man into doing something was to challenge his prowess.
Four older brothers, remember?
“Maddy.” The way he said her name, emphasis on both syllables, had her coming right back at him with a slow “Bran.” She made sure to thicken her accent, splitting his name into two parts and stressing both.
“Are you trying to seduce me?” His voice was so dry and hoarse it sounded like someone had shoved a wad of cotton down his throat.
“Nope,” she assured him, glancing pointedly at the bulge straining his fly. Well, hello again, Mr. Wood. So nice to see you! “By the looks of things, that’s already done.”
He expression turned pained. Then he reached down to adjust himself.
When Maddy saw his wide-palmed hand grab the thickness of his shaft through the fabric of his cargo shorts, her throat dried up. Who is this person with the cotton? Heat spread across her chest, tightening her nipples.
There was nothing sexier than watching a man touch himself and knowing you were the cause of his excitement. She’d dreamed of this moment, fantasized about it. And she stared with a watering mouth and aching core as he gritted his teeth, sucking in a breath like his touch brought both pleasure and pain. When he found a position he liked, he released himself and Maddy blew out a ragged breath.
“Next time,” she told him, licking her lips, “let me do that for you.”
“Maddy.” He emphasized her name the same way as before. So, same as before, she met him with “Bran.”
“You’re not a friends-with-benefits kinda woman,” he insisted.
“You’re right,” she admitted. “Sex always equals commitment for me. Eventually. Which is why I’m proposin’ we become friends with benefits just once. Just tonight.”
So she was Paula Abdul-ing it after all. Those three girls were too smart for their britches. “And after tonight?” His pulse was pounding in his neck. Her pulse was pounding decidedly lower.
“After tonight we go back to the present state of affairs. Friends. Email buddies. Pen pals.” She grinned evilly when she used the phrase he would probably prefer she struck from her vocabulary. “With all the appropriate itches havin’ been fully scratched. If we can’t have it all, at least we can have this. And besides, maybe it’ll make things better between us. Easier. Make the friendship that much stronger.”