I abandoned the cart then and walked over to him, touching his arm. When I was confident that he wasn’t about to snap at me, I shifted my attention to the woman in question, who turned away the moment she noticed my presence. Neil then looked at me in irritation, and I braced myself for an outburst, but he surprised me instead.
“Just the dark kind,” he said calmly, looking straight into my eyes.
“What?” I asked stupidly.
“Chocolate. I only like it dark.”
He was letting me know that he’d heard while at the same time making it clear that he didn’t want me asking any questions about why he’d been staring at that woman so entranced.
“Okay, then. We’ll also get something with dark chocolate,” I said with a small, tight smile, trying to hide how disappointed I was by his behavior. I crouched down to get a candy bar from one of the lower shelves, but as I got back to my feet, I felt a sudden dizziness that made me stumble. Neil’s arms caught me in midair.
“Selene, are you okay?” He held me by the waist, staring down at me in concern, and his smell wrapped around me, making me forget about everything else.
“Yes, it’s just…a little vertigo,” I answered, rubbing my forehead. “Ever since the accident, it happens occasionally. I’m fine, though.” I tried to regain my balance while I deposited the candy bars in the cart, but his golden eyes refused to move away from me for even a second.
“Maybe you’re overtired. Do you want to go home?” he asked kindly, and I shook my head.
“No, it’s gone now. They never last long, and I’m fine.” We stared intensely into each other’s eyes, and I could tell that Neil was probing for some hesitation in me. When he found none, I let go of him, and we continued our journey. Except now Neil insisted on pushing the cart, his elbows resting on the green metal bar. His bulging biceps did not escape the sly eyes of the various women in the store.
“You doing okay back there?” I glared over my shoulder as I walked ahead of him, focused on getting the rest of our necessities.
“Only because I’ve got such a great view of your lovely ass. You know how partial I am to it,” he answered, openly leering at my butt.
“Okay, we’re in a grocery store, so—”
“Here, this is the aisle you need,” Neil teased as we turned down the feminine hygiene section. The shelves, packed with intimate cleansers, pads, and tampons, made me remember an outlandish question I’d been meaning to ask him.
“Why didn’t you ever use a condom with me?” I turned to find him already watching me. This wasn’t exactly how I wanted to have this conversation, but as usual, I’d moved too fast. Immediately, I felt embarrassed.
“Because you told me you were on the pill,” Neil answered flatly, still frozen in that cocky stance with his forehead wrinkled in thought.
“That could have been a lie, though. But you trusted me,” I said.
“You wouldn’t have the balls to lie to me about something like that,” he said confidently.
“So that’s your decision-making process? A woman tells you she’s on the pill, and you just take her word for it?” I lowered my voice, burrowing my hands into my coat pockets. And yes, I probably did look like a little kid just then, but I didn’t care. Neil just gave me a mocking smile.
“No. You’re the only one I went bareback with. I already told you that; you don’t have to keep asking me the same questions to verify that I’m telling the truth,” he answered quietly and honestly, and knowing that aspect of our relationship was in fact unique did make me happy.
“Why…only me?” I walked slowly back toward him, looking him in the eye and hoping for an actual explanation. A grocery store wasn’t the best venue for this conversation, but with Neil, I had to take advantage of the rare moments when he seemed open to answering my questions.
“Because I know you. I know your sex life and your history. I was your first and only, thus far. Besides, I like feeling you skin on skin. It’s different when I sleep with the others,” he said, shrugging a shoulder. “I also usually have strict rules about oral. I like to receive, but I don’t give.”
“But you…uh…to me…” I paused, too embarrassed to continue. Neil just sighed.
“No more questions,” he said in a weary mutter.
“I’ve already got it figured out: I’m special,” I said in tones of satisfaction as I watched his eyebrows fly upward. Neil’s face grew severe—more severe than usual.
“No, you’re being an annoying girl, and that’s it,” he shot back and walked away from me, but I decided I wasn’t going to give up.
“I saw how you stared at that blond woman before.” Neil halted the cart at my words and then let go of it to look at me.
“Jealous?” He shot me a born seducer’s grin, but I ignored him to grab a few more items and tossed them into the cart.
“No, not at all,” I answered, taking the metal cart handle in my hands and pushing it forward. Almost immediately, though, I felt Neil’s chest plastered against my back, his huge palms resting over my hands, and his chin balanced on the top of my head. I stopped abruptly, an uncontainable fire spreading throughout my body until it came to rest deep in my heart.
“One day, you’re going to have two incredible children. A boy and a girl. You’ll have a dog, a beautiful home, and a husband who loves you…” I tilted my face to one side, focused on his deep voice.
