“I want you to expect thingsfromme.”
“Don’t go there,Grady.”
“Whynot?”
She sat back on her heels. Beautifully, unselfconsciously naked. And a little pissed. “Because I accidentally expected things lastyear, and they didn’thappen.”
Ah. Damn. “That’s fair.” He pushed up, too, and leaned back against the wall. “I’m sorryaboutthat.”
She shook her head. “It’s on me. I didn’t want anything serious. I toldyouthat.”
“Maybe we can’t control what this is between us. Maybe we shouldn’t try this time. No false limits, just see wherethisgoes.”
She made a face. She didn’tlike that answer, clearly. “Do you ever gettoldno?”
“Are you tellingmeno?”
“Of course not. Our time together is limited, that would be against my owninterests.”
He tugged her into his lap. “Okay. No, I don’t get told noalot.”
“That’s lucky.” She said it drily, because it wasn’t luck.Itwas—
“It’s privilege, and I know it.” He cupped her cheek. “I tryto live up to that. Do the right thing, not take advantage.” His dark gaze searched her face. “Have I pushed youtoohard?”
She shook herhead. “No.”
“We have some good memories. They might be the foundation of something.” He wanted to figure that outtogether.
“Or they might turn bittersweet if we aren’tcareful.”
“What are yousaying?”
She kissed his hand,keeping her eyes carefully on his face as she twisted her head. “I’m saying a few good memories don’t make a friendship. Don’t get mad. Yesterday when you were telling me about your job over lunch. When I said I was asking as a friend, we both felt something weird there,right?”
Because she wasmorethan a friend to him. Not less, God damn it. “I want to be your friend,” he said gruffly.“I want to be a hell of alotmore.”
“And maybe you will be. But let’s not put the cart before thehorse.”
Her legs were spread for him. Her wet pussy was rocking against his cock, which was hard despite the fact he was getting grumpy. Or maybe because of it. He bucked his hips against her. “Is that what we’re doing? Being toohasty?”
She bit her lip. “It’s possible I’moverthinkingthis.”
“You think?” He grabbed another condom and made an obscene show of rolling it on his heavy length. “Comehere.”
She raised herself up and fit herself right against him. “This isjustsex.”
“Keep tellingyourselfthat.”
Her hips rolled in a slow, teasing circle that drove him out of his mind. “I’m tellingyou,too.”
He pressed his face into her neck tokeep from retorting. He wasn’t going to change her mind with words. He’d have find actions that mattered. She’d told him that when he arrived. Actions were louder thanwords.
Thrusting into her, he swallowed everything else he wantedtosay.
He’d show her. And by the end of the week, all her doubt would beerased.
