teeth and dazzle them with those gorgeous cerulean eyes and they hop into bed with you. But God, Slade…I want you so freakin’ bad. I mean, I wore the lingerie and all, and I really hope you’ll like it.” It all came out in one long breath.
Slade looked at her with a small smile on his lips and his head tilted as if he was examining her.
“Baby, I have no fucking clue what you just said or what cerulean is. But I think the CliffsNotes version of it was something along the lines of you want to have sex with me.”
She nodded.
“And you don’t want me to think you’re easy.”
She nodded again.
“And you wore a thong?”
She nodded again.
He put the pizza box on the hood of the car and cupped her face in both hands, forcing her to look up at him. “Okay, first of all, I’d never think you’re a slut. Never. Second, I think you’re sexy even without the shit you just talked about, although, not gonna lie, I really want to see that thong. But the point is, I thought you were sexy when you were lounging around my house in old T-shirts and sweatpants nursing broken ribs. You don’t need to do anything other than be yourself for me to think you’re sexy. Also, you’re so not easy, Jessica. The only thing I didn’t do to get you to agree to go out with me was get on my hands and knees and beg—which was next on my agenda if you’d said no to me again. I think in and of itself that might be the definition of not being easy. And lastly, I want you too. Real bad. Okay?”
Her head still between his hands, she nodded.
“Come on. All this talk about thongs is making me lose my mind.” He grabbed the pizza and her hand and pulled her to his big black Ford F-150.
“By the way, it’s blue. Cerulean is blue,” she said as he drove.
“So why not just say blue?”
“Because it’s more than blue. It’s…cerulean.”
“You’re cute.” He pinched her nose with his free hand. The other remained on the wheel.
“Well, I could’ve said cobalt, sapphire, indigo—”
“Or blue.”
“No. They’re not just blue. They’re the most beautiful blue.”
He smiled his best smile, the one that made her heart flutter.
Chapter 5
Once inside her house, Jessica threw her purse on the counter, reached up, and pulled his head down so she could meet his lips.
“Wait.” He drew away and held her at arm’s length. “I want you. I really do. More than you know.” He looked down at the bulge in his pants. “Trust me.” He let out a breath. “But what’s the hurry? I don’t want you to do anything you’ll regret. Let’s take it slow. Let’s have dinner first.”
Jessica stomped toward the kitchen, grabbed a glass, poured water, took a gulp, and slammed the glass down on the counter, hard. She then softly banged her head against the refrigerator. “God. What is wrong with me? I just want—argh! Does it even exist?” Just then she heard a small noise and turned her head to see an amused Slade standing by the door, arms crossed.
“Does what exist?”
“You know, that hot, crazed, lusty, passionate, uninhibited, merciless sex I read about all the time. When you’re so needy for each other you can’t make it to the bedroom. Clothes ripped. Sex on the floor, against the wall, on a table. I want that. Just…just…I want sex, damn it. No thinking, no regrets. Just sex. I don’t want to take it slow. Slow sucks! Sex with Dennis was predictable and boring. I’m tired of predictable and boring!” she yelled to the heavens.
Slade took two long steps toward her and swiftly drew her toward him with one large hand. “Haven’t you ever been fucked, Jessica?” His voice was lower than usual, the deep sapphire of his eyes predatory. She could see a vein in his neck throb. Unconsciously her tongue slipped out of her mouth and moistened her lips.
“I—I’m sorry, what?” she gulped.
“I asked you,” he repeated, his tone serious, “if you’ve ever been fucked.”
She gulped again. “No. I’ve only had sex with two other people, and I don’t think that was fucking. I don’t think that was anything, really.”
“Mouth.”
Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“Mouth. I want your mouth.”
She stretched up to meet his lips, and once their lips touched, she knew sex would never be the same again. Of this she was sure, and they hadn’t even started yet.
The next thing