“No, I mean it! You can be passionate without grinding your mouth against mine. That’s a rare skill.”
And now he was hot and bothered. “I hope you know this kind of talk will lead to more of my stellar kisses, and that condom is still lying on the easy chair in the living room.”
She met his gaze. “We’re not using it.”
“I know, but I want to.”
“Save it for tomorrow.”
His eager body was not happy with that timeline. “Did you find an opening?”
“I checked my phone while the coffee perked. I don’t have a one o’clock.”
“But a two o’clock?”
“Yep.”
“Then let’s take the lunch hour plus the hour after that.”
“Can’t. I promised Mila we’d have lunch tomorrow and that’s very?—”
“Important. I get it. Those six weeks were tough on everyone, especially her. I’ll see you at one. Text me if lunch goes long.”
“It won’t. I plan to tell her what we’re up to.”
“Ah.”
“You’d rather I didn’t?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. Your choice, not mine. And you probably should. I thought I’d talk to Luis today.”
She nodded. “Good idea. Get the male perspective.”
“Mine doesn’t count?”
“With all due respect, no, it doesn’t. You’re too close to the situation. So am I. We’re in the thick of it.”
“That I would agree with. Some parts thicker than others.” He winked at her.
“Don’t you dare start with the sexy talk.”
“But it’s so fun to see you blush and try not to laugh.”
“I’ve never seen this side of you.”
“But now you’ve seenallsides of me. And vice-versa. Speaking for myself, I’ve found that invigorating. You look great without clothes.”
“So do you. But then I figured you would.”
“I figured you would, too, after all that time we spent at the water hole.”
“Was that the memory that came back to you yesterday? Something to do with the water hole?”
“Yeah.” Even now it had the power to arouse him, which had to be why he’d stuffed it for years. “The summer I turned sixteen, I dreamed you and I were making out there. And you were naked.”
“So a part of you wanted me?”
“A very specific part. When I woke up, I was hard. And horrified. I wasn’t ever going to think of you that way again. So I didn’t. Not until….”
