Page 35 of The Mech Who Loved Me
"Dead," Kincaid muttered. "His heart gave out on him three years ago, a month before I finally escaped the enclaves. There's irony for you. I never got to see him again. I spent ten years in that hell, and his heart couldn't bloody wait one more damnedmonth."
Ava slid her hand over his, a pulse of sympathy sliding through her, but Kincaid shook it off. "Sorry, luv," he said, shooting her an insincere smile as he sat up. "There's things a man can speak of, but I draw the line at beingpitied."
"I wasn'tpityingyou."
"No?"
"No. I was seeking to... to offercomfort."
This time, the look he gave her was hot and slow. Kincaid finally sighed. "It would be almosttooeasy."
"What doyoumean?"
"Nothing." Kincaid rolled onto his knees. "Don't ever change," he murmured in her ear, before pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek. The heat of his breath ghosted across her jaw, and a shiver ranthroughher.
His face lingered there, and Ava turned wide eyes toward him, holding her breath. It would be terribly easy to remove the distance between them, but she was suddenly shyagain.
He backed away, as if he knew precisely what was going through her mind. Ava cleared her throat, feeling awash in an unknown wave of heat. Good lord. He'd barely even brushed his lips against her cheek.Yes, but he's practically naked. And suddenly her mind was taking her down dark avenues she'd never truly explored. "I won't change. I don't think I'd evenknowhow."
"It's part of yourcharm."
"Charm," she scoffed. "Now I know you'rejesting—"
Kincaid captured her jaw, forcing her to meet his suddenly steely gaze. "There can be charm in honesty, Ava. Charm in a woman who is so blatantly unaware of her own enticements. Charm in an innocentlycuriousgaze."
And she was blushing again, for he'd noticed where she was looking. "I'm a scientist. I cannot help feelingcurious."
"So I've noticed. But if you were truly scientific, then you'd be more interested in putting a theory intopractice."
Those eyes twinkled with mischief.Daringher.
Ava looked down. To the thumb just brushing against the pulse at the inside of her wrist. Sheswallowed.
"You know what I'm talkingabout,Ava."
"I thought you refused to have anything to do with virgins." Somehow she managed to meet his gaze, though her cheeks burned. "You told me that once. So how can I consider your proposition to be aseriousone?"
"There's a part of me that is reevaluating that rule. Every damned time I look at you, lately. My rules are simple: don't play with virgins. Don't break hearts. Make the rules clear from thestart.But—"
"But?" she dared, the sensation in her chest expanding, leaving her slightlydizzy.
"Ava," he warned. "Don't start a game you won't finish. I will play along. To a certain point. But I don't like beingtrifledwith."
Ava couldn't help thinking about her earlier realization that although she'd survived and put her life back together, there were quite a few things she hadn'texperienced.
A proper kiss, forexample.
Her gaze slid to Kincaid's mouth. Paul—her ex-fiancé's—kisses had been dutiful, and she'd seen Perry and Garrett steal enough kisses in the Nighthawks guild to know when she was missing out. Those types of kisses did not seem anything like the chaste caress Paul pressed upon her once uponatime.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Kincaidbreathed.
She crossed her arms over her nightgown. It was strange how safe she felt with him in her room, at night, when she wore little more than thin cotton. Kincaid gave the devil a run for his money when it came to mischief, but he obeyed a peculiar set of rules he'd sethimself.
Maybe I could use him to test out some of my theories?a little voice whispered.Maybe we could both give each other pleasure?He wanted her, after all, and she was very curious about what, exactly, he would dotoher.
Suddenly she felt like she had an answer to hisproposition.
Nobody would get hurt. She knew what she was entering into. An experiment. A purely physical one. Exactly what Perry had recommendedshedo.
