Contemplating how best to reassure her, I fight a grin. “The top floor. Penthouse. Nothing but the best.”
She whips her head over and scorches me with wide, fiery eyes. “Are you kidding? This building has at least twenty floors.”
“It’s twenty-six, actually.”
Her eyes quadruple in size, and her face blanches. “That’snotbetter.”
“Relax. I’m kidding. I’m only on the fifth level. We’ll enter directly from this floor into the interior hallway leading to my condo. Until we get inside my place, there aren’t any windows. And once inside, we can keep the drapes closed.”
Her frame sags. “Oh, thank goodness.” A whoosh of air sails out of her pretty pink lips. “I can handle five. Probably.”
My shoulders shake with laughter, but I feign coughing to conceal my amusement at how fucking cute she is.
“Are you laughing at me?”
Shaking my head, I cup my fist at my mouth and fake another cough. “No. Something caught in my throat.”
“I can’t believe you’re mocking me for my phobia.” She clicks her tongue at me in a chiding gesture. “If you die before me, I’m gonna crunch on a big bag of kettle chips during your eulogy.”
“Wow. I knew you had an evil streak. But that’s especially harsh.”
Shrugging, she tosses, “You reap what you sow in life.”
“At least you aren’t worried about my building’s height anymore.”
Her jaw drops, mouth rounding with a soft gasp. “That’s why you teased me?”
I pull into my parking spot and turn off the car before answering. “It’s always been a good way to distract you. Better for you to be mad at me than upset about something else.”
Her nose crinkles, making me itch to smooth the skin between her brows. “That’s sort of sweet. But also messed up.”
“Whatever works.”
Her expression softens, a grin slipping into place. “You know...?there are nicer ways to distract me.”
Leaning over the console to get closer to her, I hold her gaze and whisper, “I thought I was pretty nice to you earlier when I had my fingers in your pussy. Unless I’m mistaken, you seemed to like it.”
Licking her lips, she fights a shiver, her shoulders shimmying. “Are you fishing for a compliment?”
“It’s called a praise kink. Look it up.”
I don’t even bother trying to keep a straight face through the quip. We break out in laughter, and it does wonders to ease my mind about her mood shift.
Once we’re inside, I give her a quick tour of my two-bedroom condo. “First bathroom is in there.” I point at the door, then lead her down the hall. “Over here is my office. If you get bored, my bookcase is at your disposal.”
Considering safety precautions, I tell her, “My guns are in there, but they’re locked up, so don’t worry about them.”
“Okay. I’m not especially scared of guns. Unless they’re up high.”
Grinning, I open the hall closet. “Towels are in here in case you want to take a shower. Help yourself to any of my toiletries or clothes. There’s food in the kitchen. And text me if you think of something I should pick up for you on my way back.”
“Pick up for me?” she parrots.
“Yeah. Like clothes from your place or hair care products. A favorite pillow, perhaps. Whatever you need to feel at home.”
She tugs my arm to stop me. “Reed, how long do you plan on keeping me here?”
Probably shouldn’t sayforeversince I barely managed to convince her to come for the evening.
