Page 64 of Nothing to Deny

After a longer, slower, more intimate kiss, he seemed to relax. Good. She offered some benefit.

Opening his eyes to slits, he caught a section of her hair between two fingers and tucked it behind her ear. “How are you, Lil’ Skit?”

“Did you talk to Pres?”

He nodded. “He says we’re good so long as we don’t flaunt it in front of him.”

Tucking her feet to the side, she rested an elbow on the back of the couch under the arm he lay along it. “We’ll be gone for two weeks, so…” the youngster wouldn’t have to see them together for that. “I do feel awful though.”

“Shouldn’t have fallen for me,” he said, exhaling and stretching to lock his fingers behind his head.

Pushing off the back of the couch, she lifted a knee over his lap, surprising him with her straddling.

Scooping his hands onto her ass, he blinked at her.

Her answer to his unasked query was a saucy smile. “You’re just so irresistible.”

“This went a new, and damn good, way fast,” he said, skimming a hand up her back to lose it in her hair.

Pulling her down, he kissed her.

She resisted just enough and leaned back to nuzzle his mouth. “How does it look like they’re getting along?”

The other couple, he probably wasn’t expecting her concern.

Still, his eyes shifted past her shoulder to check. “She’s a little nervous, little awkward.”

“I feel like we should give them some privacy.”

“We’re supposed to be getting our stories straight,” he said, combing his fingers through her hair, using her locks as cover to cup and squeeze her breast. “Not getting fresh.”

“We don’t have to worry about our story,” she said. “You’re Baer Clayton, we’ve been seeing each other a while, not sure if we’re serious.”

“Yeah?” he asked. “What do I do for a living? Do I have family?” Her mouth opened, but she had nothing. “Mm, yeah, Lil’ Skit, not so confident.”

Crunching up, he plumped the swell of her breast above the neckline of her dress and sucked her warm flesh.

“Well, there’s no time for the heavy petting stuff now you’ve said that,” she said, swatting him away, climbing off his lap to put a foot of space between them. “Teach me.”

“Are you kidding? I just talked myself out of sex?”

“We weren’t going to have sex,” she said. “Tell me about Baer Clayton… please.”

Drawing in an almost grumpy breath, he huffed it out. “Actually, you have to tell me… We have various profiles you can pick from, or you can make one of your own…” He opened his arms, letting his hands flop onto the couch. “I am whatever you want me to be.”

That was… There was only one thing she wanted him to be.

“Huh, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”

Sensing her confusion, he slid a hand to her face, directing her focus to his. “What’s wrong, Little Skit? Talk to me. What do you want me to be?” He smiled and ran his thumb across her lip. “It won’t upset me. I’ve been just about everything, and I still have time to do research if you want me to be something—”

“I want you to be you,” she said. “Except, I know I can’t ask that of you… I don’t want you to be anything you’re not… But if we tell my family what you do—”

“That I’m a hooker?”

She frowned. “I’m not ashamed of you, Baer, or what you do.” Though it was a little rich of him to be curt with her about it when he hadn’t told his own family what he did. “I know why you do it and I have a lot of respect for that. I can’t even imagine the position you’re in.”

“I don’t need your approval,” he said, shifting to sit straight. “But having it means something to me.”

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