“So I was using all your air?”
“Yeah.” I swallowed back the emotion that refused to stop building in my throat, my chest, every part of me. Every glance she gave me had me feeling better and worse at the same time, her life was in my hands, and any life, regardless of how bad, was a treasure.
But that was the difference with her.
She was at her core…
Good.
Innocent.
Untarnished.
Undeserving of my bad.
And yet at the same time, it didn’t stop me from giving her a tug as she collapsed against my chest, my hands digging into her hair, massaging, exploring.
“Guess we have to get married now.”
“Huh?”
“You know since we just had sex.”
I froze. “Are you serious right now?”
She burst out laughing. “I was kidding. Holy crap how innocent do you think I am?”
I didn’t respond.
She smacked me in the chest. “That’s insulting. I read.”
“Oh.” My eyebrows shot up, “So you read about sex? Is that what you’re saying?”
She jerked away from me landing beside me on the bed, her face guilty. “No. I read romance. Huge difference.”
“Oh yeah?” My eyes searched both nightstands until I located a book. I grabbed the first one I saw and opened. “He sucked a nipple until she screamed out with pleasure, his arousal pressed against her inner thigh as he moved to the next and—”
“I swear.” Val held up her hands. “I had no idea!” She snatched the book out of my hands and read through, her frown growing more and more intense as she read.
“Problem?”
“It doesn’t say that!”
“It doesn’t?” I grinned. “Sorry, must have been living out my own fantasies there for a moment.”
She gasped.
I took advantage of her outrage and captured another kiss.
With a sigh, she pulled back. “Am I allowed to kiss you, too? You know… first? I just I need ground rules if we’re going to do this.”
“Ground rules,” I repeated, my good mood slowly waning.
“Yeah.”
“All right.” I moved to the edge of the bed and threw my feet over, they came into contact with her white fuzzy rug. “No falling in love.” I stood.
“No problem,” she said quickly moving to her feet.
Too quickly.
But I didn’t have a leg to stand on, so I continued. “We can kiss each other, that’s fine.”
“All right.”
“And, don’t pry.”
“But—”
“Wife, not therapist. Just, don’t pry, don’t poke around where you aren’t wanted.”
Her face fell. Shit. I reached for her hand, but she jerked away.
“Two steps forward ten steps back?”
“I didn’t mean that how it came out.”
“Yeah, you did.” She nodded, another step backward. Damn it. “All right, so tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow.” I forced a smile and reached for her, she stepped out of the way.
“I should…” She yawned. “Sleep.”
“It’s five.”
“Nap,” she corrected quickly. “Thanks, Sergio. For… the talk.”
“No thank you for the kiss?” I asked in a teasing tone.
Her smile was weak. “And that too.”
I walked out of the room feeling more lost than I did when I’d charged into it yelling. At least when we fought we figured things out.
Would I always walk on eggshells around her? Would I always say the wrong things and come out of it wondering if I was the ass or if she was just immature and not getting it?
I was still frowning when I made my way into the kitchen. Phoenix was drinking water while Tex chugged wine directly out of the bottle.
“Classy.” I pulled out a chair.
He shrugged and offered the bottle. “You want in?
I stared at the bottle then at Phoenix’s water and let out a helpless laugh. “Hell yeah, I think I do.”
Phoenix’s eyes narrowed. “New leaf?”
“Yeah, something like that. What? You want in, too?”
Phoenix held up his hands. “Water’s good.”
“Pussy,” Tex grumbled taking another swig before handing me the bottle.
“Hardly.” Phoenix grunted. “You’re chugging a cab. Who do you really think has the pussy? Think long and hard.” He grinned. “Now, if you were tossing back whiskey like a man—”
Before Tex broke the bottle over Phoenix’s head I intervened. “So, whiskey it is, and you’re in Phoenix?”
“I’m in.”
“In?” Nixon waltzed into the room. “What are we in?”
“Shots.” Tex rubbed his hands together just as Chase nearly ran into Nixon.
“No.” Chase shook his head. “The last time we had shots I found a horse head in my bed.”
Tex grabbed his side and doubled over laughing. “It was a prop, but worth it.”
Chase flipped him off.
“You in, Nixon?” I eyed him.
He shoved his phone in his pocket. “Oh, what the hell. It’s been years since I’ve been drunk over a woman.”
“Chase.” Tex coughed.
“Yeah thanks.” Chase flipped him off for the second time. “Let’s just roll in giant elephants and family drama. Oh wait, didn’t Sergio kiss your wife?”