“Stupid bartender,” Zoe mumbled, not even caring that she was pouting.
Trevor chuckled softly as he helped wrap a towel around her. Zoe barely paid attention as she forced her mind past the loss of the fifty dollars and onto the rest of the night, trying not to cringe when she remembered all of the things she’d said to Trevor. Well, at least she didn’t have to worry about explaining why she wanted sex or wonder why Trevor would think she’d be open to a purely sexual relationship because she was.
She just never would have imagined that Trevor was open to having one with her. “What are the rules? Not that I’m agreeing to this, but I want to know what you would expect,” Zoe asked when she couldn’t remember talking to Trevor about that part. It must have been when she passed out, although she did remember one particularly memorable comment Trevor made as he helped her into bed last night.
“And I am not calling you a god after sex,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“We’ll see,” Trevor said, nudging her out of the bathroom and towards the bed.
She sat down, resisting the urge to move away when Trevor sat down next to her, making sure their towel-clad thighs touched.
“The rules are pretty simple,” he began as he took one of her hands in both of his so that he could toy with her fingers. “As long as we’re sleeping together, we don’t sleep with anyone else.”
“Okay,” she said hesitantly. “What if we started seeing other people?”
“Until we get serious or start sleeping with them, then we’re fine, but the minute that happens, our arrangement is over.”
She nodded.
“I need to make one thing clear,” Trevor said, looking at her. “This is just sex, Zoe. I don’t want a relationship any more than you do. If at any time either one of us wants to stop, it ends. No hurt feelings and no drama.”
“That’s fine,” Zoe said, liking this situation more and more. This could really work for both of them. She didn’t want a relationship right now and she wasn’t delusional enough to think that Trevor would want one from her. They were casual enough friends, she guessed, that this arrangement should be able to work out without worrying about becoming too attached to each other. It was a simple arrangement, one that benefited both of them.
When one of them got sick of the situation, most likely Trevor, they would be able to end things without worry and go back to their old relationship, which wasn’t a hell of a lot, but that was a plus right now because becoming intimate wouldn’t ruin it.
“We’re not dating. This is just sex, plain and simple. Can you handle that?” Trevor asked, stopping his ministrations on her fingers as he waited for her answer.
Yes, she could. She was in no position to get involved in a serious relationship. As much as she wanted sex, she also didn’t want the hassle of having to answer to someone or having to take a chance on a stranger. Following through with this arrangement with Trevor would make her feel more comfortable and she wouldn’t have to worry about hurt feelings in the end because they both knew what this was and what they both wanted from it.
“And this arrangement stays between us?” Zoe asked, knowing that if he couldn’t keep this a secret, she’d end it before it started. It was nobody’s business what she did. She also didn’t want to have people talking about her behind her back.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Trevor said huskily as his eyes dipped to her cleavage.
“Can you answer something for me?” Zoe asked, genuinely surprised that he’d be willing to get into an arrangement like this with her. “Why do you want to do this with me? You could probably get any woman you wanted.”
“Well,” Trevor said with a sly little grin as he dipped his head and pressed a kiss to her neck, making her gasp softly, “you’re discreet, you know where we stand, and I want you,” he said, creating a trail of lingering kisses to her ear.
She noticed that he didn’t say anything like she was beautiful or pretty and she forced herself not to be disappointed. It was more than enough that a man like Trevor wanted her at all and she wasn’t about to screw this up before it started.
Chapter 16
“We’re really going to do this?” Zoe asked, sounding nervous.
“Unless you don’t want to,” Trevor said, praying she wouldn’t tell him to stop. If she told him to stop, he would, but he wasn’t sure he’d survive. She tasted so damn good and felt even better.
Her skin was so soft and warm, Trevor thought as he pushed off the bed, never taking his mouth away from her neck as he moved to kneel on the floor in front of her, gently pushing her legs apart as he settled himself between them.
He licked and kissed his way to her cleavage as he reached down and yanked his towel off and let it drop. When he reached up to do the same for Zoe, she stopped him by grabbing her towel and held it tightly against her chest. He pressed one last kiss to the slope of her breast and sat back.
“What’s wrong?” Trevor asked, reaching up to push back a loose strand of that mahogany hair that he’d once foolishly thought was plain. Now, he realized how beautiful it was with natural hues of light brown running through it. He also liked that it made her baby blue eyes brighter, almost as if they glowed.
When she started that nervous habit of worrying her bottom lip between her teeth and looking downward as she noticeably tightened her grip on the towel, he wondered if she was changing her mind. He really hoped she wasn’t. He needed this so damn badly that he was in actual physical pain now. Never in his life had he wanted a woman this badly and he knew that if he didn’t have her and get her out of his system soon that nothing in his life would ever be right again.
“Don’t tell me that you’re getting shy on me,” Trevor teased softly, noting the lovely blush creeping up her cheeks. “Holy shit, you are,” he blurted out, earning a glare from her.
“Sweet-Zoe,” Trevor said, catching himself in time before he said something foolish. This was an arrangement, nothing more and he wouldn’t hurt her or confuse her by using endearments to make her think otherwise. “I just saw you naked not ten minutes ago,” he pointed out gently.
“I know,” Zoe murmured hesitantly as she continued to worry her bottom lip, making him even more nervous.
