“What are you doing?” His hands settled onto my hips. His heart began to race, and the sound gave me an exhilarating, powerfulfeeling.
“Whatever Iwant.”
“Are you sure?” His gaze bored into me, searching fordoubt.
“Don’t read too much into this,” I whispered as I leaned toward him and my wet hair fell over us both. “I just want… Um… I want to at least pretend this isforever.”
“This doesn’t have to be pretend.” He slid one hand behind my neck and kissed me. “I’m not asking for the ring back.” Another kiss. “I wouldn’t take it if youtriedto give itback.”
His lips moved down my throat, and I let my head fall back. His hands tightened on my hips, then slid up my sides, over my shirt, and suddenly that wasn’t enough. I wanted to feel his hands on myskin.
But I couldn’t ask for that. I couldn’t eventellhim that. Somaybe…
I leaned down for another kiss and as I tugged his lower lip into my mouth, I slid my hands beneath his shirt, over each ridge of his abs, pulling the material up as I went. “You’re so…” I murmured against the corner of hismouth.
“So what?” He seemed hungry for my answer. As if he needed to hear thewords.
“So…hard.”
Justus threw his head back, laughing, and my faceburned.
“What?” I demanded, humiliated, as I tried to standup.
“No, don’t go.” He held me in place on his lap, his grip firm, but not unbreakable. “It’s just, that’s not usually what girls are touching when they saythat.”
“Usually?”
He frowned. “No. Never mind. There is no ‘usually.’ There is only now. Onlyyou.”
“But therewasa usually?” I let his shirt fall back into place. Of course there was. Justus was gorgeous, and rich, and funny. He could have any girl he wanted, and he probably had. “How usual was this usually? I mean, other thanIvy.”
“Kaci, don’t…” He stopped and took a deep breath. “Let’s make a deal. I’m not going to ask you that, and you won’t askme.”
I shrugged. “You can askme.”
“But I wouldn’t. I heard you bring guys back to the ranch at least once a week, but I’m not going to ask you for anumber.”
“I’m going to give you one anyway.” I crossed my arms over my chest, careful of the bandage. “Zero.”
“What?” His head tilted in a look of skepticism that would have been adorable, if it weren’t so obviously insulting. “How can it bezero?”
“Because it’s zero. I’ve never…hadsex.”
“Whoa. Wait.” He picked me up and set me on my feet, then stood and backedaway.
“Where are you going? Virginity isn’t contagious,Justus.”
“I know, I just…Howcan you be avirgin?”
I shrugged. “None of the shifter guys were interested, so…” I frowned, my gaze narrowed on him. “You mean, out of all those conversations we had on our ‘wedding night,’ I never told you I was avirgin?”
“No.” He scowled. “And donotput ‘wedding night’ in air quotes. That really happened. We really gotmarried.”
“Then why are you standing across the room now, like you’re afraid ofme?”
“Because… I’m not…” He scrubbed his face with both hands, then started over. “You never answered the question. Which is still, ‘how can you be a virgin?’ You’re beyond gorgeous. None of the guys at school…?” He shook his head again, and I got the impression he was waiting for me to take it all back. To tell him I’d been joking. “None of the guys in the barn? You can’t tell me none of them were interested. Until a few months ago, I was a human guy, and I would have…” He waved one hand in a vague gesture at my body. “In aheartbeat.”
“So then, why are you standing all the way over there? If we’re really married, you’re allowed to…” I threw his hand gesture back athim.
