She becomes tense in my arms, then pulls back. Her eyes dart to my shoulder, which no doubt has her teeth mark now.
“Oh my God, Troy. I’m so sorry.”
I chuckle. “Why? I can’t say I was ever bitten before, but damn, it was hot.”
Her face is bright red now. “You must think I’m a psycho.”
“Not at all. And, sweetheart, you can make a snack out of me anytime you want.”
22
CHARLIE
I stare at Troy’s beautiful, sexed-up face without blinking. Did I hear him right? He wants to keep doing this? My heart and my lady parts shout in excitement, but my head has to come in and ruin everything. I don’t regret hooking up with him, but I’m not sure how to progress from here.
“Charlie? Why are you staring at me like that?” he asks through an amused smile.
“Like what?”
“With that deep V between your brows as if you were trying to solve an algebra equation.”
“Not algebra, but—”
“Ah, the but. Is this when we have the talk? Can’t we bask a little longer in the post-sex bliss?”
“I can’t. I’m sorry. My mind is already spinning like a top. I don’t know what will happen next.”
He runs his fingers up and down my arm, giving me goose bumps. “What do you want to happen?”
Oh fuck. He did not just put me on the spot. “That’s an unfair question.”
“Why?”
“Fine. You tell me what you want to happen.”
He leans forward and kisses me tenderly. My toes curl, and tingles run down my spine. My body ignites again, pushing my worrisome thoughts out of the way for now.
“I want to keep doing this,” he whispers, then kisses me again right under my ear. “And this.”
I swallow hard, hating how his answer has wreaked havoc on my body already. Reluctantly, I push him back. “So you want to keep hooking up casually.”
He frowns. “Not casually. I’ve done that for the longest time. But it’s different with you, Charlie. I could never be casual with you.”
Sweet baby llamas. I’m about to turn into flames while my heart goes to a hundred. “What do we do then? You understand we live together, right? Talk about adding pressure to things.”
He leans against the couch, narrowing his eyes. “How about this? We keep acting like roommates in the common areas and save the fun parts to the bedroom.”
“Well, we kind of already ruined that.” I pointedly glance at the couch.
“True, but that didn’t count.”
I nibble on my lower lip, still doubting Troy’s proposal will work.
“Of course, if you keep doing that to your lip, I might have no choice but to ravish you where you stand.”
My face feels hot. I’m not used to being on the receiving end of such raw sexual energy. And that’s what Troy is—sex on a stick.
“Let’s take things slow,” he continues. “We won’t have sex until we go on at least three dates.”
I cross my arms, covering my breasts from his view. “Really? You want to go without sex until we’ve had three dates?”
“What are you saying, Charlie? You can’t be in the same room with me without trying to jump my bones?” He chuckles, a sound that’s quickly becoming one of my favorite things about him.
Who would have thought that I’d actually find positive traits in Troy to appreciate besides his looks? Is this the same guy who’s pushed my buttons and made me see red on multiple occasions?
“I can resist your charms. The question is, can you resist me?” I reply.
He watches me through slits. “Are you challenging me?”
I shrug. “Maybe.”
He keeps watching me with his smoldering gaze while the corners of his lips twitch upward. “Roomie, you don’t know what you’re doing. I never lose a bet.”
Feeling sassy, I lean forward until my boobs press gently against his chest. “Me neither. Let’s make it more interesting, shall we?”
“What do you have in mind?” he asks in a tight voice.
“How about we don’t stipulate a set number of dates before we have sex again? Whoever caves first must pay a price.”
“What kind of price?”
“That’s to be decided by the winner.”
“And what are the terms of the challenge? Is doing this allowed?” He licks my neck, making my eyes flutter closed.
“Yes,” I hiss.
“How about this?” He reaches for my breast and pinches my nipple, sending a zing of pleasure down to my core.
“That’s… gray area. It depends on the situation.”
“What kind of situation, Charlie?” He flicks my nipple again while peppering my neck with open kisses.