My phone buzzed with a text from Hatch.
Hey, you okay?
Me
Yeah, met a friend. Don’t wait up.
Hatch
Very suspicious, but okay.
“One of your teammates?”
“Hatch. I told him I was staying out for the night.”
Another blush, and while I wanted to tease, I held off. The vibe between us was too enjoyable, and I didn’t want to ruin it.
The food arrived and we settled in to eat as I asked her more questions about her research. Then she dropped this bomb.
“Another reason the mating ritual is dangerous for some species is the risk of apophallation.”
“Do I want to know?”
She had a sly smile on her face. “They can become locked together during mating and when wiggling apart won’t work, one snail bites the penis off the other.”
“Jesus!”
“Sometimes the penis-owner will even bite its own member off.”
“Seems a bit over the top.”
She assessed her half-eaten burger. “Some guys will do anything to avoid staying the night.”
I snorted. Christ, she was funny. How had I not known this?
“What?” she asked, because I was staring at her like a lovesick fool.
“It’s just strange that we never knew each other. Like this.”
Her smile was like a secret I wanted to unlock. “I suppose it is.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Franky
* * *
There had been a distinct shift in the energy between us. Sex had a habit of changing the game.
But there was more to it than that. We were talking, and color me shocked that he was interested in my work. He had no problem following along, either, and had even asked intelligent questions.
Not such a dumb jock after all.
It had been a long time since I slept in the same bed as a man—Marcus, actually, two years ago—and I was nervous. I took a shower after dinner while Jason tidied up and called room service to pick up the dirty dishes. Cleaning up would make me feel better, and I imagined the sperm had already made their way to my uterus (probably high fiving each other on the way). There would be another chance during the night.
I shivered at the thought. More sex. More orgasms. More of that perfect weight on me, his calloused hands kneading my butt, maybe his mouth on my breasts. He hadn’t done that yet, and I longed to have him imprint himself on every part of me. I was at risk of becoming attached here. Hopefully I’d be brave enough to metaphorically bite the penis off and send him on his way.
When I came out of the bathroom, the lights were dim except for one nightlight on his side.
