“Yes, you did,” he agreed, reaching out to trace a circle around one nipple—which immediately tightened. “But then you lay there looking unbelievably gorgeous and smokin’ hot, and suddenly I was wound up again.”
Her eyes went heavy, a flush climbing up her throat—then without warning, she scrambled out of the bed and stood beside it, feet braced apart, hands on naked—luscious—hips, frying him with the fierceness of her gaze. “Get out.”
Baxter considered her before cautiously sitting up. “Get out now, but return tomorrow?”
She rolled one shoulder. “That’s up to you.”
“Doesn’t matter to you either way?”
Her chin went up. “Hey, you’re the one who is so squeamish about staying over. I’m just following your cues.”
That bit of honesty surprised him. He would have bet money that Ridley would have gone the rest of her life swearing that she was the one who didn’t want him sleeping over. Instead, she shamed him by putting it all back on him—where it rightfully belonged.
He gave her an apologetic look. “I’m a dick.”
“No argument from me.” She turned to walk away, a hard-ass to the bitter end.
He caught her wrist, very gently, and pulled her back around. “Let’s talk.”
“Sure. Tomorrow.”
Admiration had him smiling. “Since you’re being so upfront, do you really want me to go? You know I will. But if it’s just that you’re still rightfully pissed, then I’d like to explain.”
“Ohhh, you have an—” she made air quotes “—explanation? Why didn’t you say so?” Like a princess, all haughty and smug, she perched on his lap.
With them both naked.
Baxter sighed. “You don’t make it easy.”
Wiggling her ass, she smiled at him and said, “Don’t you mean I make it hard?”
“So damn sassy.” He turned suddenly, pinning her under his chest on the mattress, her legs still draped over his thighs.
Her mouth pinched and her slim brows drew together. “This is not a position for discussion.”
“It is if we both try really hard.” He waited, his expression a question, until she nodded. “Thank you.” Why he was suddenly into self-torture, he didn’t know, but this? This defined torture.
But what else could he do?
He felt caught in the middle of two impossible situations. Wanting Ridley, while not wanting to want her.
As if that made sense.
Hating the humiliation of his past, but for some reason, driven to explain it to her. Maybe because she hadn’t pried.
Maybe because he wasn’t sure if it would matter to her. To them.
He was tired of fighting her, while also fighting himself. So he manned up and started with, “I got dumped once.”
Her bottom lip poked out in a silly, sympathetic pout. “Oh, poor baby.” Then in a meaner voice, she asked, “Is that it?”
“Not entirely.” Dropping his attention to her boobs made it easier. And besides, he liked looking at them. “I was getting serious, but apparently she was just confused.”
“Well, you’re confusing, so I can understand—”
“She was gay.” He winced at how he spit that out there, but getting it over and done with was easier than dragging it out. He didn’t want to tell Ridley about the girl’s reticence even while insisting they had sex, or how disconnected she’d been—definitely not about how she’d cried afterward, or how fucking sick he’d felt about it all.
Silence, and then: “Oh?”
She said it like a question, as if she needed him to spell it out for her. Great. He tried for some flippancy. “Yeah, see, she wasn’t sure, but apparently sex with me convinced her.”
Ridley snorted. “Don’t be an ass. I’d say if she gave up sex with you, then she wasn’t confused at all. Macho, hot, well-hung studs with crazy, mind-blowing moves just wasn’t her thing.”
Baxter almost laughed. Almost. Ridley gave him hell with both barrels, and now she’d just defended him the same way. “Well hung?” he asked, to hide how pleased he was with her very Ridley-like reaction.
“Like you don’t know it.” She slipped her arms around his neck. “How old were you?”
To hide some of the embarrassment, he played it down, saying, “A very tender twenty-two.”
“Tender? You?” She gave another rude snort. “But hey, I can see how that might kick your ego.”
Talk about an understatement. He’d been madly in love for the first time in his life—and she’d told him he was part of an experiment. A failed experiment. “She dated a lot of guys,” he admitted. “She definitely seemed into the opposite sex. Then she hooked up with me and turned to women.”
Humor curved her sweet mouth. “Bet your buddies had a field day with that one.”
To put it mildly. He’d been the butt of every joke for a damned year. None of it had been deliberately cruel, just guys being guys, and he’d done his best to take the gibes with chuckles...but it had still sucked. If he hadn’t been personally involved with her, if he hadn’t thought she was the one... “Yeah, everyone really yukked it up.”
“If I’d been around then,” she said, leaning up to nibble on his bottom lip, “I’d have taken advantage of your weakened state and used. You. Up.” She sealed her mouth over his and kissed him in that scorching way she had, using lips and tongue and teeth. “No one would have dared to tease.”
“Yeah?” The past slid away into the recesses of his mind, overshadowed by the present—with Ridley in it. “Why don’t you show me?”
She dodged his reciprocal kiss. “We’re talking, remember?”
Right. The talk. “We’re not done?” Because he was definitely done.
Ridley rolled her eyes. “Where’s that woman now?”
“In a happy five-year relationship.” He smiled, thinking of the only good thing to come out of that time. “Great job, great partner, good life.”
She tipped her head, studying him. “How do you know?”
“We live in the same neighborhood.” Which, of course, since they shared some of the same friends, meant the jokes resurfaced every so often. Hell, sometimes even she told them. Sometimes he did, too. They were past it, he was happy for her...but it had definitely been a lesson learned.
“And you chat with her? You two are friends?”
“You realize there’s no reason to be jealous, right? I mean, she’s definitely not into me—proved that years ago.”
Ridley smacked his shoulder. “I’m not jealous. I’m...awed.”
That didn’t make any sense. “Why would you be?”
“Because this woman impacted you, and not in a good way, right?”
“I got over it.” Eventually.
“But you don’t resent her for it?”
Ridley’s boobs were really distracting him now. “Wasn’t her fault, was it? She had a right to be happy, same as everyone else.” He’d mostly blamed himself for falling in love—or at least as in love as a horny twenty-two-year-old could.
Something strange brightened her eyes. Her lashes half lowered and she wore this odd smile. “You’re not such a dick after all.”
“I have my moments.”
“Well, if you were a saint, you wouldn’t be nearly so appealing.” She pushed against his chest until he rolled to his back so she could climb atop him. “Here’s the deal. Are you listening?”
Baxter clasped her ass with both hands and pressed her closer. “You have my undivided attention.”
“I’m not interested in a serious relationship, but like anyone else, I enjoy a good cuddle now and then. If you want to stay over, ask. I’ll either say yes or no, but it won’t be vindictive. If I want you to stay, I’ll ask. If you say no, I’ll assume you have a good reason and I won’t be offended. But no more darting off unexpectedly. I don’t like that.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Was she into him sleeping over? He got hard, or rather harder, just thinking about it. “How’s tonight looking?”
“I don’t know,” she said, all sassy attitude. “Will you make it worth my while?”
He grinned. Somehow, in some bizarre way, having what should have been a very uncomfortable talk with Ridley had turned into a very relaxed thing, a sexy thing. Damn, she was unique. “You have a quick answer for everything, don’t you?”