Choking and coughing up my soul, I asked her to repeat what she said through my hoarse voice. She did, and the words didn’t change.
“But Bradly kind of ruined that. Sorry, no seduction tonight.” She lifted her glass of wine and took a sip.
I didn’t even know what to think right now. Taking it slow was my idea, but she was not going to let that happen. There would be no way in hell I would deny this goddess if she truly turned her attention on me and tried to connect with me. Nope, no way in hell. Maybe that made me a bastard, but I didn’t care.
“What are you thinking?” she asked as soon as I regained control of my lungs again.
“I’m thinking you look stunning, and I want you to try again with your plans of seduction.”
Her head tilted to the side, confused by my confession.
“But he ruined my mood and messed up the plan. I was supposed to answer the door. Touch you a bit, talk and connect. Then we would eat, settle in for a movie, and I would try for more. Like kissing and go from there.” She ran through the mental checklist in her head.
“Well, let’s look at this plan. You’ve grabbed my hand. We’ve talked and connected so far. There’s still a lot of checkpoints left that don’t need to be ruined by one drip on the paper, if you will. I’m done eating. Wanna watch that movie you picked?”
I wanted her happy, and if all she wanted to do tonight was watch a movie, then that’s what we would do. But if she wanted more, I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let some prick ruin her night.
She chewed over my words, digesting them and dissecting every angle.
“That’s true. Really, all he did was throw off step one. Everything else has been okay.”
My heart started picking up speed—mostly because it was rushing blood down to my dick.
Images of Gwendolyn under my touch, her lips on mine, our bodies connecting. Yep, I was like one of those drooling dogs at a feast. She didn’t even need to seduce me; I’d knock all this shit off the table and devour her like a buffet.
As soon as we were done eating, we checked off step number five of the seducing Arthur plan: settle on the couch and watch a movie.
Chapter Twenty-One
Gwendolyn
My brain was still buzzing about Bradly coming here, his words, Arthur saying we were engaged, holding hands, and even my stunt with a ring.
I didn’t like surprises, and he messed up everything. But Arthur broke through the crazy in my head and made me realize that Bradly only messed up one step—the rest was still okay. I didn’t feel as beautiful and as confident as before. But I wanted to push past my own head, not letting the Asperger’s rewiring in my head mess up what I wanted. I felt it deep within, this connection with Arthur. It was like a signal between robots. Pops and Cora communicated without words, without my programming. They’d done it all on their own.
That was like us. I didn’t know how to communicate with him like everyone else, but my heart was speaking another language, trusting him and telling me that this was what it wanted. Him. The movie had been on for twenty minutes, and all I’d done was sit next to him.
Making that first move?ThatI was going to need some help with; nerves and self-confidence issues were beginning to weigh on me. What if I didn’t touch right? What if he didn’t like my body? What if my boobs were too small? What if I was too rigid? Bradly tried to get me to open up to him, but I was so tense. It was why things ended with him. I didn’t like the way he made me feel when he was close, and he thought I was a cold woman. I liked being near Arthur—everything about him felt different.
“Hey, it’s okay. I’m not going anywhere.” His smooth voice warmed me as his hand slowly inched next to mine, his pointer finger reaching over to caress the back of my hand.
The touch was simple, but that rhythm in my heart picked up, trying to communicate with his about this desire for closeness that I craved.
One by one my fingers turned toward his, touching his hand. My eyes were completely focused on my skin against his. My body burned, and my hand moved up past his wrist and over the muscles of his forearms. He was all corded and firm, like a machine underneath soft, tanned skin. My eyes flicked up to his—was he enjoying this? His eyes were watching every move I made; his gaze was scorching me everywhere it landed.
“What are you thinking?” Communication. Lynn said if I thought of anything I needed, to voice it. Right now, I needed to know his thoughts.
“I’m fighting back the urge to take control and devour you.”
An ache throbbed between my legs at hearing those words. I wanted that, but I was nervous.
I liked control; it was safe and made me feel comfortable. I did what I could handle and then stopped what I couldn’t. But I needed something from him—more. I wanted him to devour me but not take control. Not until I felt like I knew what to expect.
“Kiss me.”
He heard my whisper, and his other hand lifted to gently cradle my face.
“Just to be clear—in case it wasn’t obvious—I’m yours, and I’m wild as the sea for you.”
