And here I was coming in hot and fast all over again.
This is why I don’t date women.
I pulled out, dropping my eyes away from hers.
Chloe grabbed my arm. “Tex, I think that wassweet.”
Furrowing my brow, I grumbled, “The fucking?”
“No, what you said. No one has ever told me they loved me before, except my ex. And I suspect that he said it as a controlling tactic.”
We’d both been bruised by love before. But that didn’t mean we shouldn’t try again with each other. And it seemed like Chloe might be open to that.
My heart grew warm and soft all at the same time. I hugged her and pulled her into a cuddle with me.
Then I said, “It sucks that your ex was such an ass. I guess the only saving grace is that you didn’t have kids with him.”
She flushed pink and started stammering.
I watched her for a minute while she worked to compose herself.
It was unclear what I’d said that had set her off, and I stared at her curiously. I still had the warm afterglow of sex running through my body, but poor Chloe was getting tense. It was in sharp contrast to how relaxed I felt right now.
Chapter 15
Chloe
“That would have been impossible. I didn’t. I’ve never… you were my first.”
He cocked his head, looking absolutely handsome and completely confused. “But we didn’t do anything wild. Oh! You mean your first Santa fuck? Yeah, this was a first for me, too. I’ve never had an elf before. Ilikedit.”
Tex had misunderstood me.
This was one of those moments where I could breeze past it, and he’d never know.
But Ilikedthis man. A lot.
I couldn’t say why. I mean, the mountain of muscle was a draw, and his gorgeous eyes seemed to suck me in until I couldn’t think straight. And he knew how to use his body to make me squirm with pleasure.
But it was a lot more than that.
Tex was also kind, and he cared about people. Like Rod and Holt. Even Ellie.
And I just felt safe with him.
Which is why, in the quietest voice ever, I whispered, “No, Tex. What I mean is, I’m a—well, Iwasa virgin. You’re the first man I’ve been with.”
His eyes widened, and he pulled away from me.“What?!?”
“It doesn’t have to be a big deal,” I said in a rush. “It’s just, you’re the first man I ever felt comfortable doing that with. No one else ever felt right.”
“You were avirgin? What about the ex? You lived with him!”
My shoulders drooped. “I know it’s weird. He talked me into moving in fast. Looking back, I can see he was love-bombing me to get me to move in. But he knew I was a virgin, and I told him I didn’t want to be intimate until I felt ready…. I never felt ready.”
Tex’s jaw hung slack. “And you chose me? Why me?”
I drifted my fingers across his Santa jacket, admiring the firm muscles I felt underneath it.
