“Whoa, who said anything about sex? It was just a kiss, Landon. But if that’s an offer, sure. I’ll take you up on it.”
Regardless of her concussion, Mercy’s memory was fine. I couldn’t believe she’d thrown that line back at me. “Are you fucking with me?”
She shrugged. “Would you like me to?”
I laughed. I couldn’t help myself. She was so damn funny and ridiculous, and I’d never had such a strange conversation about sex before. Scratch that, I’d never had any conversation about sex. It wasn’t something I talked about. Normally, I just went for it. I could not figure the woman out.
“Are you sure you don’t have a split personality or something?” I asked.
“Why would you say that?”
“A half-hour ago, you were scampering down the hall like a scared little mouse trying to get away from the big scary cat.”
Her eyes sparkled with humor. “And you think you’re the big scary cat, do ya?”
“If not, then why did you run away?”
She straightened. Smoothing down the front of her pajama top while the slightest pink colored her cheeks. “I had business to take care of.”
“What does that mean?”
“If you must know, it’s been a while since I had sex. Thought I’d do a bit of landscaping.”
I stared at her.
“It means I shaved, Landon.”
“I know that. I’m just trying not to imagine you in the shower and it’s really hard right now.”
She arched an eyebrow at me. “How hard are we talking about here? Hard like it could easily break the crust of a warm apple pie? Or hard like if I had a picture to hang you could use it to pound the nail for me?”
I stared at her for a moment before throwing my head back in laughter. “I think that concussion made you funnier.”
“Well, it sure as heck didn’t make me breakable. Come sit by me.” She patted the seat.
It wasn’t so much an invitation as it was a dare, and damn if I didn’t want to take her up on it, but I held my ground. “I’m not going to take advantage of you while you’re hurt.”
She stared at me for a beat, and then laughed.
“What?”
“Iwas the one unbuttoningyourpants. Do you really think you were taking advantage of me? Landon, I’m not drunk. I knew what I was doing.” Her gaze drifted down my body, landing on the front of my jeans. Eyes widening, she said, “It kind of looks like you’re ready to pick up where we left off, too.”
This was a side of her I hadn’t seen yet. Sure, she was responsive when I kissed her, but I never expected her to initiate anything. She stood and approached me.
Hips swaying, nipples poking out of her shirt, breasts bouncing, it was the hottest thing I’d ever seen.
Needing her to stop moving and looking at me like I was a treat unless she wanted me to attack her, I replied, “I thought you said you don’t do casual. Sex or conversation.”
I’d expected that to hit a nerve, but she kept coming until our bodies were inches apart. I could feel her heat and smell her hair.
“Our conversations haven’t been casual, and you’ve done all right. There’s more than attraction between us, Landon, and I think you’re ready to handle some non-casual sex.”
“But your head—”
“Is fine. What I really need is a distraction from this day. Would you like to distract me?” She laced a leg through mine.
“I’m only here until the end of January,” I reminded her in a last-ditch effort to do the right thing.
