Page 31 of Marriage (Red, White &) Blues

“Do whatever you’re moved to do.”

“I can’t. You’re everything a woman could want in a man, but men have needs, and if you don’t tell me what you need, I’ll mess it up.”

“Mess it up?Glory.” He stared me down waiting out an explanation which he deserved, but given my propensity to be a chicken when it came to talking about my shortcomings, I hesitated until tears pricked at my eyes and leaked out the corners to wet the curls closest to my face.

If we were truly married and he didn’t want a divorce, then he had the right to know. It just sucked to have to do this.

Nodding once to give myself courage, I went for it. “I’m bad at sex.” There, I said it. “That’s why I wouldn’t sleep with you in Europe.”

Telling him hurt, like really hurt. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable putdowns like, “If I’d known this in Europe, I wouldn’t have wasted my time on you.” I waited. And waited. But when I got too anxious to wait any longer, I cracked my eyes open to see him staring at me, a smile spread teasingly over his lips. A smile?

“Sorry?” he asked instead, holding off a laugh. Maybe he didn’t hear me. I searched his face, and all I found was humor.Humor?

No, hedid notget to laugh at this. I shoved his shoulder. “Didn’t you hear me? I’m bad at sex, Blake.” My answer coming a little more forcefully, considering he wasn’t taking this conversation as seriously as the situation deserved.

“Oh, I heard you. I just don’t believe it.” Didn’t believe it?

“My ex wasn’t the first to run me down, he was just the worst.”

“What exactly did he say?” Blake held a firm grip on my hips keeping me from moving.

“He told me I was worse at sex than I was at kissing and I was a shitty kisser. He said that if I were better, then he wouldn’thave had to cheat on me to get better. And he cheated on me a lot.”

“I already know that’s not true. Your kisses do it for me, Glory. Every damn time.” And somehow, we fell into one of those kisses. He pressed his lips to mine in a slow, deliberate way, driving me out of my mind.

“No—” I managed to push him back. “This is serious. You only think you like it because I’m the shiny new toy in the box. Once my newness fades, then what will you have?”

“A sexy woman who I’m lucky enough to wake up next to every morning because we’re married and she owns my heart.”

“But the sex,” I protested.

“Glory. Please hear me.” His eyes bore into mine making it impossible to look anywhere else. “I want to make love to you.” To prove his point, Blake dragged my hand down to the bulge still very present in his pants. “This is what you do to me. If you don’t want to, I won’t force the issue, but, sweetheart, I’ve kissed my share of women. None of them made me feel how you make me feel. Your ex was an ass. I’m not. I see the beauty in front of me. I already know how good it’ll feel to move inside you. You just do it for me, Gloria Kowalski.”

“But,” I whispered.

“No buts. The question now is: Do youwantme to make love to you?”

“Before I answer, I’d just like to know what happened to cinnamon roll in the streets and alpha in the sheets. If you’d stuck to that agreement, then this conversation wouldn’t have had to happen.”

He shrugged. “I got caught up in the moment. Now I know it’s truly what you need, and knowing, as some smart person said, is half the battle.”

“So, you promise. You’re my cinnamon roll alpha.”

“Does this mean you want to make love?”

“More than you know.”

Because yes.Allthe yes. I’d never been made love to before. My stinking ex and I never came close tomaking love. But Blake’s said it twice. He wanted to make love tome. Gloria. His wife.

You can do this, Gloria. He’s yours.I sucked in a slow breath, then let it out even slower. Then I held my hand out to him.

“Glory B!” he whisper-shouted, helping me up off the sofa.

Glory B.

I sure hoped so.

Chapter Eight

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