His reasons weren’t nice, but on the other hand she got it.Her own brother had proved that Spook had every reason to be cautious.
She stretched her jaw.“I get it.”Didn’t like it one bit, but she understood.“Truth’s easily manipulated, and rock stars are easy targets.Everyone wants to sell a story.”
“Also, I have got off to the images I have of you… of us.I like us, even if I’m still not sure any of it’s a good plan.I’m not balanced, Alle.I don’t want to wind up hurting you.And your brothers certainly don’t approve of us.I don’t know where that leaves us exactly, but it is the truth.”
Fuck her brothers.“They don’t know you.Haven’t even met you.Marshall doesn’t count.The other three aren’t him.”
She could see from his clouded expression that it would take more than a few reassurances to convince him of that.
“Spook, we’re written in the stars.Fuck what my brothers think.This is my life, not theirs, and I’ll spend it with who I choose.Trust in us.Believe in us.I know you’re not going to hurt me.”He’d been the one to put a stop to the spanking with the hairbrush.He’d known that one more strike would have been one too many, when she hadn’t.As it was, she’d spent the next few days wincing if she bent the wrong way, and popping up jack-in-the-box style every time she sat down without bracing herself for the discomfort first.
“Are you sure that what you’re scared of isn’t that you’ll get hurt?”
He blinked, and his brows furrowed.Then he gave a swift shake of his head.“I’m not worried for myself.”
That was a lie.One he was fooling himself with as much as he was attempting to fool her.He was afraid.Deeply afraid.She could see it now, looking at his pretty, pretty eyes, how much he craved her touch, but conversely, how much he wanted to shy from it.She wished she understood.It seemed that every time they kissed, or she touched him, a battle commenced inside his head.
“Someone really hurt you,” she muttered under her breath, not meaning to say it aloud, but realising that having done so, and Spook having heard, she needed to add something.“I’m not like them, whoever they were, and whatever they did.I only want to make you happy.There’s something good between us, Spook.I know you can see and feel that too.”She sought his hand and laced their fingers together.Squeezing him tightly.“Believe in us.Let’s take it one step at a time.”
He sighed, deeply enough to stir a few stray strands of their hair which were clinging to one another: white blond and vibrant copper.“Isn’t that what we’re doing?”
“Please, I’ll even let you off shagging me tonight, if you like.”
“You’ll let me?”
Alle grinned, pleased her attempt to lighten the mood seemed to have worked at least a little.He smiled and chuckled.“Come here, you.”Spook tugged her forward on his lap until there was no space left between them.He claimed her lips.Kissed her until they were both breathless, and she was antsy for more.“So, if climaxes are off the agenda for this evening, what did you want to do?Movie?Game of Scrabble?Sit staring at the ceiling.”
Alle poked out her tongue.“I didn’t say I didn’t want to.I said if you didn’t want to.And by shagging, obviously I meant of the non-penetrative, your cock sadly isn’t going to be ploughing my pussy variety.We have other options.”
“Hm,” he mused, folding his arms.
Alle fluttered her eyelashes at him, then peeped up through them.The coy glance made him smile, then full on laugh.
“You’re torment.You know that, right?”
“Likewise.You could do anything you want to me, and instead you won’t do a thing unlike pretty much every other straight-inclined man on the planet.It’s… it’s infuriating.I’d dance naked if I thought it would tempt you.”
He tilted his head and seemed to consider.
“Or you could tie me up, drape me over a stool, and tan my naked rear with a spatula.”
His smile broadened over that one.“Not happening.”
“Naked bubble bath?Drinking wine from one another’s navels?Blowjob?I’ve been doing some research, maybe you’d like to judge how I’m progressing?”
His eyes brightened, whether because he’d extrapolated enough to have worked out what she meant or because he was simply intrigued by her vagary, she wasn’t certain.
“You’re probably still not tempted, right?”
“I’m intrigued by your research.”
“Enough to want a demo?You’d have to unzip, and I’d want you to put your hands behind your head.”
“Like this?”He reached up so that his elbows were bent and his hands clutched the sofa back either side of his head.
“Exactly like that, but you missed the first step.”
He captured her gaze.The corners of his mouth tilted upwards.“Did I?”
