Pete’s words flash through my mind.
Do whatever you need to get him under you.
I try to pull my hands away, but he tightens his grip, giving me an idea. “You’re hurting me,” I whisper, and instantly he releases me, his eyes widening in alarm. I use that moment of shock to shove his chest backward.
He falls so easily, I have a feeling he’s letting me get the upper hand, but I’m not about to stop and question him when I’m so close to winning. I quickly straddle his waist and grab his hands, pinning them to the mattress beside his head.
“Go, Wren!” Dex cheers from behind as I smile down at Sly. The bed shakes, and I tilt my head and see Dex leap ontoJagger, pushing him onto the other bed, then Pete jumps up, landing on top of them both.
“Woo! I’m the king of the mountain!” he yells.
I turn back to Sly as I ask, “Does that make me queen of this mountain?”
“You’ll always be my queen, whether you’ve got me on my back or between your legs.”
My eyes widen at the double meaning as I glance down, realizing that’s exactly where I have him right now. I lick my lips and swallow the lump in my throat as his eyes roam my face, and I do the same to him, my gaze falling on his lips. Lips I have yet to touch.
The pull of attraction I feel toward him has me leaning closer, wondering why he holds himself back after saying things like that.
“Why haven’t you kissed me yet?” I whisper, feeling a moment of boldness.
My eyes widen, realizing I just said that out loud. I reel back in embarrassment as I try to flee, but he has me wrapped in his arms and pulled into his lap before I can get away.
He presses his chest tightly against my back, his arms completely wrapped around me, holding me tight. A gasp escapes me when his nose slowly runs down my neck and back up again.
“Don’t mistake my speed for lack of interest, little bird.” The words have me holding my breath, afraid of missing a single word he says. “I’ve been holding back because you’re not ready for me yet.” A rush of breath leaves me as I sink into his embrace.
Not ready for him? Does he think I’m a child? Am I toonaive for him? A flood of insecurities swarm my mind as I try to make sense of his words.
I know he has more experience than I do. Does that make me less desirable? No, he said he was interested.
I pull myself from his lap and turn to face him, my brows pinched together as I ask, “Says who?”
“Says me.”
“You’re not the boss of me,” I fire back.
“Maybe not, but I want to be.”
“I—What?” I ask, my head tilting in confusion. “You want to be my boss?”
“In some ways… yes,” he answers cryptically.
“Sly, you’re so confusing sometimes!” I throw up my hands in frustration.
“Am I now?” He raises an eyebrow with a slightly amused look on his face, getting me all fired up about his hot and cold behavior.
“Yes! You tell me you’re interested, but you don’t kiss me. You look jealous when the others do or when I call Dex my boyfriend, but you tell me I’m not ready for you. You tell me you want to be my boss, and I… I have no idea what any of that means!” I yell, flopping onto my back in exasperation.
“If it helps,” Dex says from the other bed, “I don’t understand half of what he says either.”
The bed moves, and suddenly, Sly is lying over me, his weight resting on his forearms, either side of my head, as his fingers brush my hair away from my face. I suck in a breath, feeling him this close has my heart beating wildly in anticipation.
“Let me be perfectly clear, little bird. I don’t care if you call Dex your boyfriend. Or Pete or Jagger. I don’t need that label because I already consider you mine. You belonged tome the moment you wrote that first letter after finding out who I was. And every letter after that just cemented it. To say I’m interested is putting it mildly. I’m obsessed with you, little bird. I want to consume you. It’s not that I want to be your boss, I just want what’s best for you, and for you to trust that I will always have your best interest at heart.”
I stare up into his gorgeous green eyes, trying to remember how to breathe. How does he always manage to say such romantic things? He knows just how to make my heart melt for him.
“I do trust you,” I tell him honestly.
