“Are you asking me to?” He propped his hands on his narrow hips. “Have we switched sides onthis?”
“I don’t know.” I ran my hands through my hair, just to have something to do with them. “Do you not want to,now?”
“Doyouwantto?”
“Ialwayswanted to. Wanting you wasn’t theproblem.”
“Oh my God, Kaci,” he groaned, as if I’d just said the most erotic thing in the world. He started to reach for me, and my pulse whooshed in my ears. Then he stepped away again and gripped the back of one of the dining chairs so hard that the woodcreaked.
“Okay, you can’t do that anymore, Justus. This back and forth is…not good for my ego. Do you want me ornot?”
Another groan. “More than anything in theworld.”
“Then what’s theproblem?”
“Nothing.” He scrubbed his face again. “Virginity is a lot of pressure for aguy.”
“And it’s not for agirl?”
“That’s not the same. And don’t tell me that’s sexist. A guy’s going to have a good time either way. But a girl is…harder to please. And the first timeis…”
I waited for more, but nothing more came. “So, you wish I’d already been with a few guys, so this would be easier foryou?”
“Hell no,” he growled. “I just…I don’t want to mess thisup.”
I laughed, and I have to admit, I was a little happy to seehimactually flush. “Are you telling me you’re not any good?” I teased. “Because that’s fine, if that’s what you’re saying. I won’t know the difference. I just didn’t expect you to admitthat—”
Justus scowled. “That isnotwhat I’m saying. I’ve never had anycomplaints.”
“Out of all those girls…” I teased. “How many was thatagain?”
“Nice try. I’m sorry. This isn’t a deal breaker, obviously. I just wasn’t expectingit.”
“Well, if being your wife’s first is too much pressure for you, I’m sure I can find someone out there willing to do the job. Weareat an eighty-nine-dollar-a-night-motel, after all.” I stepped toward the door, reaching for the knob. “There’s bound tobe—”
“No,” he growled again as he slid between me and the door, his gray eyes flashing. “Mine.” He picked me up by the waist and swung me around, and I squealed as he tossed me onto thebed.
“Well, that was a quick change of heart.” I scooted backward toward the pillows, ignoring the ache in my bandagedarm.
“Says the girl who wouldn’t even let me see her in the bathtub.” He climbed onto the bed and crawled toward me like a predator stalking prey, his gaze pinning me, his mouth turned up into a heatedgrin.
“You’ve seen me naked,” I said as he crawled over me, sliding his knee between my legs on the way. “You weren’t missinganything.”
“I’ve never seen you naked in the tub.” He kissed his way up my neck, and my pulse raced. “Drippingwet.”
I trailed my hands slowly over his back. “So, should I get back in theshower?”
“Yes,” he said, and I pushed him off, laughing as I sat up on the bed. But he tugged me back down. “Later. First I want to see you nakedhere.”
“Just like that?” I said, as he slid one hand beneath my shirt, his fingers skimming my stomach. Every nerve ending in my body felt like a live wire. I’d been touched before, but it had never felt like this. “Just ‘take it all off,Kaci’?”
“Oh, you want more romance?” he whispered into my ear. Then he bit my earlobe, just a tiny nibble ofpressure.
“Hell yes,” I practically purred as his tongue trailed down my neck. “I wantallthe romance. I think I deserve it, considering that I can’t remember our weddingnight.”
He sat up, abandoning my neck, and I groaned over the loss. “I’m never going to live that down, amI?”
“Never,” I teased. “But maybe you can make up for it with the best night of mylife.”
