Page 22 of Nothing to Fear

“You know what strikes me about you, baby?”

“About me?” She was almost afraid to find out. “I’m not refined or expensive or—”

“You jump to conclusions.” When her gaze met his, her body relaxed into a sort of trance. “You’re beautiful.” His curled fingers met her jaw. “I get the feeling you don’t know that.”

“Doesn’t sound like talking’s on your mind.”

“I’m whatever you need, baby. What do you like?”

He’d asked that before. “What do I like?”

The heat of his hand trailed to her chin. “Roses? Diamonds? Kittens?”

“Kittens?” She exhaled a laugh. “You plan to fill my apartment with felines?”

“I’ll fill your apartment with anything you want.”

She shifted away from his caress. “Just because I said you are hot, doesn’t mean I’m easy. You are hot. You’re very, very hot, not that you need me to tell you. It just—it wouldn’t be a good idea to—I’m not easy.”

“If I thought you were, I’d have taken you upstairs to my bed.” His bed. Oh, geez, he had a bed in the building. That thought mired her in the moment. “I’m obsessed.”

“Obsessed with what?”

“The sound of your voice.” His palm skimmed over her knuckles on the cushion between them. “The second you touched me… Shit, baby, I can’t get you out of my head.”

No way. It didn’t make sense.

“Why would a man like you ever want—”

“No more of that.” His fingers slipped between hers on the lush fabric. “I’m attracted to you and I want to explore this. My dad’s rich and my mother’s kind. You want to get to know me?” Instinct fueled her nod. “Sometimes I don’t know when to shut up and I tend to be decisive. I value loyalty, family, and women with their eyes on the prize.”

“What’s the prize?”

“Devotion. Growing up with parents like ours, we’ve got a pretty good idea what a healthy relationship looks like.”

True. Put that way, their confidence and courtesy made a lot more sense. Talk about pressure on a generation.

“That’s a lot to live up to. And your mother wonders why her boys aren’t married?”

“Yeah, it’s all her fault. Someone should talk to her about that.”

Even in an intimate setting with serious words in the air, he could still relax her with his easy humor.

“Maybe talk to your dad,” she played a little. “See if he’ll drink some more or start a few extra arguments.”

“Oh, he argues… in defense of her, whenever it’s needed.” Wonder must’ve painted her expression. “Yeah, sick really, they’ve been married thirty-five years, and he swears he loves her more every day.”

She shrugged. “Sex life can’t be too shabby either.”

And there she was talking about sex again. At least his mother wasn’t around this time. She’d take the victories wherever she could, no matter how small.

His brows rose before his smile broke loose. “Oh, yeah? What makes you say that?”

Seemed dumb to state the obvious. “They have sixteen children.”

“Yeah, they do. I get how you could figure that translates to great sex.”

She hadn’t said great sex, but okay. Maybe she had said it. Who could be sure about anything anymore?

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