“I trust you.”
He blinked. “What do you mean?”
“It means I trust you. You’re not like all the others, and I see that now. I have been burned a million times, and I swore to myself never again, but you’re different, and I trust you. For the first time in decades, I’m trusting someone, and it feels great.”
Jesus, he looked crushed all of a sudden.
“What did I say?” I asked him, feeling alarmed. “I thought it was a compliment.”
“No, of course it was,” Jordan muttered, staring at his lap. “I was just surprised, that’s all.”
When he rubbed the back of his neck, I spotted a hickey above his collar. A mean one. He yelped when I left it there, if I remembered correctly. It wasn’t the only hickey I left on him, either, but he managed to cover the rest with whichever cosmetic product he used.
“You have been trying to cover this up, have you?” I said, grinning.
“Well, I tried,” Jordan countered. “Since you have branded me like a cow.”
“You should be branded,” I said, smiling into my drink before taking a sip. “How else am I supposed to fight off Skull Crushers of the world when they come knocking?”
“Oh, give me a break,” Jordan said, rolling his eyes. “What about that perfumed what’s-her-name drooling all over you? What am I supposed to do? Shove my dick in your mouth in front of her to make my point?”
I cocked my eyebrow. “And what’s your point?”
“I don’t know, okay?” Jordan replied, sounding frustrated. “Because I don’t know how you feel about all of this.”
“You mean us?” I suggested.
“No, me, and Virgin Mary,” he growled. “Of course, I mean us. I know you have doubts. In fact, you probably regret the entire thing. If you do, just say it. Don’t give me false hope, okay?”
To make my point, I grabbed him by the groin. Just like that. In the middle of Pete’s, in front of anyone who cared to see it. I cupped his semi-hard dick and shut him up.
“Jesus,” Jordan gasped, hyperventilating.
After he got the memo, I pointed a finger at him in warning. “First, I shouldn’t have done this because we’re on duty, but it was either that or kissing you, which is even worse. Second, a slip-up like this can’t happen again, so don’t provoke me. Are we clear on that?”
He nodded, wide-eyed.
“Third, what the fuck about ‘you’re mine’ don’t you understand, Jordan? If you want me to say it in Chinese, I’ll learn the fucking language, but try to pay attention, please. You’re mine. Your ass is mine, and your mouth is mine. In fact, you have been mine since we met. Next question?”
“But you’re straight,” Jordan blurted. “It makes no sense.”
“I don’t know what I am, but you make my dick hard. Next?”
“You hate me!”
That was more difficult to explain.
“You annoy me at times, but pineapple on a pizza also annoys me at times. At other times, I devour it. On a more serious note, I don’t hate you, Jordan. I like you. I think I always have.”
When he got in my face, I blinked in surprise because he looked angry, as if I’d said something bad.
“Listen to me, Markland. If you’re fucking with me, I will shoot you. I have a gun, which I’m authorized to use, and I workfor the LD. It means I can kill you and bury the evidence. Do you get what I’m saying?”
I grinned. “Loud and clear. Now stop yapping, or I’ll put another hickey on you, which you won’t be able to hide. Not with concealer, not with paint. Do you get me, princess?”
Finally, Jordan Slade smiled, and it made me feel as if I had won the lottery—ten consecutive times.
“You’re a possessive fuck, Markland. Just tell me what happens next.”
