I opened it again and shut it.
I looked down at the website, taking in a big picture on the home page of a gaggle of utterly adorable German Shepherd puppies that I wanted to scoop up and cuddle. All five of them. At the same time.
I looked back to Deacon, opened my mouth again, and asked, “What’s happening?”
His brows drew together (slightly) and he stated, “I’m gettin’ you a dog.”
I shook my head and repeated, “What’s happening?”
Something shifted across his face so fast I didn’t catch it before he declared, “We’ve changed.”
He said no more.
So I pushed, “How have we changed?”
“Don’t know. Reckon we’ll find out.”
Was he crazy?
“You don’t know? You reckon we’ll just find out?”
“That’s what I said.”
My voice was pitching higher when I asked, “What does that mean?”
“After last night, we changed,” he responded immediately. “And that change can go two ways. Either I drive away and we never see each other again or I don’t and we find out what that change is gonna mean. Read down to your bones, woman, and do it now. Which way do you want that change to be?”
I clamped my mouth shut so I wouldn’t blurt out which way I wanted that change to be.
That being him never driving away so I wouldn’t see him again and we find out what it was going to be.
Then he again threw me when he asked suddenly, “How many men have you had?”
“What?” I breathed.
“How many men have you taken?”
I knew what he meant but I asked for clarification anyway.
“You mean lovers?”
“Yep,” he confirmed indifferently.
“I…you…uh…” I stammered then got myself together. “Why are you asking?”
“Just answer.”
I straightened my shoulders and asked, “How many women have you had?”
“Thirty-eight.”
I blinked.
“Back at me,” he ordered.
“Five,” I whispered.
He nodded like he already knew the answer. “Right. Five. Just five. That means a woman like you would not spread your legs for a man like me if she didn’t want the cock she was taking. By that I mean a woman like you would not spread her legs for a man like me if she didn’t want to find out what bein’ with that man might mean. And you spread your legs for me.”