Those gas-flame-blue eyes—full of a mixture of hot and cold—shot to mine, and I realized instantly what I’d said.
Oops.
My blush heated my skin at least ten degrees, but I fought the urge to cover my face.“I mean … I’m a … a kink club virgin.”
“Is that so?”
I nodded.I was also avirginvirgin, but I figured he didn’t really need to know that.Not like I walked around waving a V flag, signaling that I had yet to be intimate with a man.Since I wasn’t interested in playing pass the baton with the most carnal characteristic of my entire being, I tended to keep it to myself.
“When’s the last time I saw you?”he asked.
“Good question,” I mused.“That birthday party?”
His smile was warm.“Jane’s.Right.I remember that night.”
He wasn’t the only one.I’d found myself captivated by the stalwart Dominant that night.Edge had come alone, and I had caught him eyeing me a few times.Nothing overt.Not a come-hither look or anything.He was not that sort of man.Not that I could tell, anyway.However, there were a few casual glances meant to be discreet.The kind that made a woman’s insides quiver with anticipation.
Yep.That happened.
Once.
Sure, I’d been checking him out that night, too.Unfortunately, the evening came and went without so much as two words between us.So, when Zeke had mentioned Edge would be the one who would show me the ropes at Dichotomy, I’d been slightly giddy.I knew, above all else, that I could trust him to take care of me.
“Thank you for offering to show me around,” I said, allowing my gaze to travel the room.“I’ve been curious as to what goes on in a place like this.”
“Are you interested in D/s as a whole?Or just the interaction?”
“I’d say I have a unique curiosity about Domination and submission as a whole,” I said truthfully.
Although I’d told my brother I wanted to visit the club to get a better understanding of this lifestyle, I wasn’t exactly certain I would categorize myself as a submissive.Sure, I was curious, but I was more interested in picking the brains of those who lived this lifestyle than I was about defining my own sexuality.Would I openly tell my brother that?Absolutely not.With him, I tried to play it off as curiosity.The last thing I wanted Zeke to know was that I intended to make test subjects out of his closest friends.But what Zeke didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
However, I was still trying to determine how to play this with Edge.If I kept it on an academic level, letting him know this was research for my dissertation, he might toss me out on my nearly naked ass.On the other hand, if I played up my interest on a sexual level, perhaps he’d make it a little more personal, give me an in-depth view of this lifestyle.Either way, I didn’t want to scare him off before we ever got started.
When Edge took a step closer, those devastating eyes raking over me slowly, I got the feeling he didn’t scare easily.
“How about we start with the truth,” he suggested.
“Truth?”Was the air thinner in here?It was getting harder to breathe the closer he got.
“Why are you really here, Miss Lautner?”His eyes narrowed.“The men and women in this club like to have virgins for lunch.”
“Do they?”Yep.I’d been reduced to a breathless puddle within five minutes of talking to him.
The backs of his knuckles grazed my cheek.“Oh, yes.And I happen to know some who are very hungry tonight.”
Did that mean he was intimidated by the fact I could be pure, untouched?Was he one of those assholes who thought conquering a virgin was the highest-ranking honor among men?I’d met those guys before, of course.The ones who would gladly open your door, even pay for dinner, but their expectation was clear.If they treated me like a lady and fed me, I was responsible for giving it up.
I inhaled sharply when the tip of his finger trailed along the underside of my jaw, inching lower as he skimmed my neck, my chest, stopping just shy of my cleavage.
It was impossible to think clearly with him touching me.I knew he was attempting to intimidate me, likely hoping to send me running from the room.
“Are you?”I asked, failing to keep my voice from quivering.
“Am I what?”
“Hungry?”
“Starving.”The single word spoken in a dark, seductive growl.“As a rule, though, I steer clear of virgins.”
