Page 40 of Trust

Was it possible that he gave women screaming orgasms regularly, and what he did in the shower was of no more significance than, say…the odd trip to the market? She glanced over with what she hoped was an expression of mild interest and tried to determine if the intimate act had affected him in any way.

The tick in his jaw could mean something. So could the slight bounce in his knee. Tearing her eyes away, she looked down and watched his hand cover hers.

“Olivia…”

Tuning back into the conversation, she looked between her grandmother and Zane. “Yes?”

“My goodness, dear. You’ve barely said a word since we sat down.” Margret clucked her tongue. “Perhaps I underestimated Zane’s powers, and his fear of intimacy won’t be quite the barrier we imagined.”

“Wait, my fear of what?” Zane asked, sitting forward.

“Well, look at the time,” Olivia said as she stood and wrestled the almost empty glass out of her grandmother’s hand. “You should head back to town before it gets dark.”

Margret laughed and kissed her granddaughter’s cheek. “Good for you.”

“Liv, you don’t have to hustle Margret out. I’d love to hear all about what you two have been discussing.”

“Grams needs to get home.”

“I do,” Margret said firmly. “I have the ladies coming over.”

“Well, don’t keep them waiting,” she interrupted, praying her grandmother would keep the details of their earlier conversations to herself. There was no need for Zane to know that she’d been talking about him with some regularity.

“You two will have to come to dinner this week.”

“I’ll call you,” she replied as Margret swanned out of the room.

The porch screen door slapped shut, and she felt the muscles in her neck relax. “Well, I’m sure you want to be getting home.”

“Not really,” Zane said as he picked up the plate that held the remnants of the cheese and crackers. “We could make some dinner and…”

Spinning around, she speed-walked toward the kitchen, wrestling with her second thoughts about getting involved with Zane. She set the glasses next to the sink and calculated the risk of heartbreak resulting from a short affair. How low did the number need to be before she moved forward?

“Are you having second thoughts?”

She accepted the plate and set it on the counter. “About what?”

“You and me.” Zane lifted Olivia and set her on an empty section of the counter. “Are you still interested in giving me that raincheck?”

She closed her eyes. “Yes. As long as we don’t talk too much.”

“That’s not real encouraging, Liv.” He ran his thumb over her cheek. “Especially since you love nothing more than sharing your thoughts on everything great and small.”

“Not anymore.” She opened her eyes. “If we do talk, there will be no doubt about our incompatibility. It might be best just to tear each other’s clothes off and keep conversations to a minimum.”

“Considering you’re a chatterbox, I’m gonna say that’s damn near impossible.”

Olivia mimed, zipping her mouth closed. “Bet I can find something better to do with my mouth.” Zane’s eyebrows shot sky-high, and she laughed. “It’s not that shocking?”

“Maybe not, since you were discussing big-dick energy within days of meeting.”

“Be that as it may…”

“Liv, just tell me what you want.”

How did the man manage to be both menacing and romantic? She looked up, sensing there wasn’t much difference between him and a wolf.

What would he do once she gave him the go-ahead? “I’d like…”

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