“That,” he said, “is not what I just said.”
I went to speak but he pressed a finger to my lips and shushed me.
I growled and bit his finger.
Instead of flinching like a normal human being, he slipped his finger past my lips and pressed lightly on my tongue.
I went still and blinked at the kitchen in front of me. I assumed it was still there. I was suddenly so turned on that my vision had whited out.
Adam slid another finger in my mouth and kissed my jaw. “I want you. I’d very much like you to get that through your head. I think we could be great together and I want to find out. But Ray, believe it or not, I have an ego, too.”
I sucked on his fingers, felt his smile curve against my cheek.
“No one likes to be rejected,” he said. “I want you to tell me, Ray, is this happening or not? I don’t want you to want me despite the fact I’m younger, or despite the fact Fraser cheated on you with me, or despite anything. I just want you to want me back.”
He slid his fingers free, and eased me up and off his lap. He stood and looked down at me. After a moment of silence, his smile turned tense.
I didn’t know where to start.
I’d been cautious and wary. From Adam’s perspective, had I been callously shutting him down?
I had the sinking feeling that my personal insecurities had, in fact, made me quite cruel.
I stepped into his personal space. “I don’t get this,” I said, and barrelled on when he frowned, “but I do want you. If it’s any consolation, I overthink every hook-up, one way or another. I’m not as certain about things like you are. I can tell you that I do want you. Very much. More than anyone. Um. Ever.”
His hand had been resting on my hip; it slid around to the small of my back and pressed me into him. He had a rueful, exasperated grin on his face. “This isn’t a hook-up.”
“...it isn’t?”
“Nobody works this hard for a hook-up,” he said grimly. “If all I want is an orgasm, I can walk into the pub and point at a guy. That’ll do it.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. I don’t even have to try. With you, I try. And no, before you fling off in the wrong direction, you’re not a challenge I must conquer to maintain my fuckboy stats. I like you. I want to take you apart. I want to feed you and calm you down when you’re freaking out about whatever—”
“I’m really not that highly strung—”
“Shush, or I’ll put something in your mouth again.”
He sucked in a sharp breath when I cupped his dick and said, “Promise?” in a flirty voice before rearing back and saying, “Holy crap.”
“Yes, I have a big dick.”
“Adam, that’s—”
“It’s not porn big. Can we stay on topic? I—” He gasp-laughed and pulled his hips back as I ran my hand wonderingly down his length. He caught my hand, brought it up to his mouth and kissed my palm. “Ray. I want to have sex with you. It is not a one-night stand. I’m going to want it more than once. I don’t want you because you’re a challenge. God help me, I want you for your personality.”
“That last bit was mean.”
“I can be mean. Don’t pretend you don’t like it.”
“As for the more than once thing, you’d better show me what you’ve got. Convince me to give you another go.”
He smiled at me. Slow and filthy. “Okay, then,” he said. He rested a hand on my chest, stopping me when I went to move forward. “If you run out on me again, Ray? I won’t chase you. It’s your turn.”
“Okay,” I said, filing that away for later.
Adam hummed. I’d wondered if he would grab me or kiss me again, or toss me over his shoulder. He didn’t. He lifted his chin at the door and raised an eyebrow.