thoughtfulness, and I sincerely hope you know how staggered I am by how you seem to make dreams come to life—dreams I didn’t even know were inside me, yearning to come out. I simply wanted you to know that while I’ll never forget these magical moments, you didn’t have to go to all this trouble just to get laid.”
That seemed to freeze him for a long moment before his scowl disappeared and a slow smile took its place. “Jesus. I wonder if you’ll ever stop throwing me for a fucking loop.”
“Probably not, because life would be boring otherwise. I don’t do boring.” She took a bite of salad and sighed in deep satisfaction at the tangy zip of the vinaigrette dressing. Glorious. “I would like to do you, but I’m not sure you’re up for that sort of thing. After all, you didn’t seem too interested in sexing it up with me on the plane, so I’m not quite sure where we stand on this particular subject. Care to enlighten me?”
“I’m going to fuck you nine ways to Sunday the second we’re alone,” he said without hesitation, and a thrill of anticipation shot through her so fiercely it stole her breath. “And it’s not that I wasn’t interested on the plane. I just refuse to treat you like a wham-bam fuck that doesn’t mean shit to me. I also refuse to allow you to treat me the same way.”
That shocked her like nothing else. “You honestly think I would?”
“I’m making sure you don’t,” came the emphatic reply as he refilled her wine glass. “You’re getting to know all about me whether you like it or not. You’re going to have me in your life every fucking minute that I can manage, so that when I’m not there, I want you to miss me like you’re missing a part of yourself. I won’t rest until every thought you have winds up being about me, and when you go to bed every night from here on in, you’re going to want me to be sliding between the sheets with you. That’s what I’m after when it comes to you, Joelle, so you’d better think again if you’re assuming this is just some casual shit you can eventually walk away from. Spoiler alert—it isn’t.”
“I see.” Her heart was pounding so heavily she was pretty sure he’d be able to hear it, and she was grateful to take a couple moments when their servers reappeared with their entrees, beef medallions with red wine reduction, deep-fried broccolini and garlic smashed potatoes. “Well. It’s good to know where we stand.”
“You asked. I answered.”
“You did, indeed.” And it would probably take the rest of her life to recover from that answer, but that wasn’t a bad thing. Not at all. “I have a few more questions for you, if that’s all right.”
He gestured at her with his fork. “Shoot.”
“What’s your opinion on the Kama Sutra? Is it all just a bunch of hype that only contortionists can enjoy, or do you think some of those positions are achievable by normal people?”
“I’ve got a few sex positions that are personal favorites, and missionary’s the least of ‘em.” He watched her as he cut into his meal, twin devils dancing in his eyes. “Why? Is this your version of kicking the tires before taking me out for a test drive? Because you should know I’m not into crazy-ass acrobatics in the bedroom.”
“Neither am I, though I’m glad to hear you like a little variety.” The mere thought of what his preferences were behind closed doors made her a breathless, and her skin felt feverish in the cool, early autumn breeze. The place between her thighs was achy and starting to throb with a need she couldn’t ignore, and she had no doubt her face all but glowed with the growing hunger she had for him. “My first time was a complete and utter disaster. The whole thing was over and done with in just a couple minutes in the backseat of my prom date’s car. Ever since then I’ve made sure to get pertinent information from any would-be lover—you know, just to see if he knows what he’s doing.”
“You’ll be able to judge that for yourself soon enough, and we’re not going to talk about anybody in our past, as of now,” he announced, and there was no mistaking the growl threading through his tone. “One, because I don’t like thinking about any other man touching that perfect body