Dirty Distractions (Afternoon Delight 1)

She couldn’t argue, not when he had her nipple between his talented fingers and his tongue was doing insane things to the shell of her ear. She shivered and searched for clarity. “Since you were so forthcoming about your past, you should know I’m an only child.”

“Okay. I trust you’ll explain the significance of sharing that soon.”

“That’s yet another example of why I don’t know how to play well with others. There’s a reason I chose to mak

e my living with birds, you know. I’m better suited to faux rainforests than I am to interacting socially with actual humans.”

“I think we interact well, don’t you?” He rubbed his nose against hers in a gesture more sweet than sexy, and her smile returned. “Especially when we’re not talking. That seems to get us in trouble.”

“Mostly my fault. I—well, I made assumptions about you. Because I thought I knew your type. And while I still don’t think I was altogether wrong, I can acknowledge some room for variation within the sample study.”

“Thank you. I think.” He tugged her close, fitting their damp bodies together like they were made to notch into place. The towel she still wore didn’t shield her skin from the heat of his, and she already ached to feel all of him against her again. Inside her. “What do you say we watch a movie? I downloaded a couple of our favorites.”

“What favorites?” When he started to answer, she shook her head. “No, wait. There’s one more thing I want to say. Your wife—your ex, I mean. She was an idiot. You know that, right?”

“Yeah.” His low reply broke her. “I do.”

“She was horrible to lie to you about something so important. And you were right to divorce her, because a lie like that will eat away at the fabric of a relationship.”

Only once she’d heard herself did she truly realize what she’d said. But it was different. Hers wasn’t even a lie exactly, just an avoidance of the truth.

Again he quieted, the soft hiss of his breath against her trembling lips the only sound in the room. “Lies always do that, Sara. Why do you think I hate them so much?”

“This isn’t the same.”

“No. But that doesn’t mean it’s right to keep something from my sister, who clearly has her own life. As we heard on the way up here.” Even the smile in his voice didn’t diminish the tenseness of his hands as he framed her face. “I want to be with you for as long as it’s good between us. Why does it have to be any more complicated than that? You’re the one who’s making this into some big thing the longer we shut Kim out. We’re all adults here.”

“Maybe the reason things are so easy for you is because you haven’t invested yourself enough. Ever think of that?”

He let his hands fall away from her face. “Oh, here we go again. You’re an adult and I’m just a kid, right?”

“I didn’t say that. I just meant that you’re all about rolling with whatever comes, even when you expect me to lay everything on the line. I’m taking a bigger chance than you are.” Or at least it felt that way, since he’d yet to show her that his feelings for her went beyond deep attraction and friendship. Great building blocks, yes, if she were the type of person who could do things halfway.

She wasn’t. When she opened up the dam inside her, there would be no stopping the flood. How could she take that gamble when he’d yet to give her something substantial to hold on to?

“Easy?” he repeated as if she’d never spoken. “You think it’s easy for me to campaign for you to give us a chance every time I turn around? Especially when I know that my age is only the tip of the damn iceberg of why you don’t see me as long-term material.”

Long-term material. Then her skin chilled at the rest of what he’d said despite the heat from his body. “What are you saying?”

“Who do you usually date, Sara? Doctors, like you. Or lawyers. Or accountants. Men with fancy degrees and money coming out of their asses. What do I have to compete with that? When you met me, I was living with my sister in my mom’s old place. Temporarily, yes, and not for financial reasons. Still counts.” He tugged at her towel, his frustration clear. “Could I move somewhere else? Sure. Does my shop bring in decent money? Absolutely. Will I ever have letters after my name? Never.”

“Do you really think that matters to me?”

His penetrating gaze met hers. “Does it?”

“No. Of course not.” She released a long breath. “Look, I’m not going to say I never wondered if our worlds could mix. But that’s not because I think less of you. You’ve built an incredible business, and you have the kind of tight relationships with your employees that I’m still working on with my coworkers. I don’t draw people in like you do. And well, you know I’ve been way too concerned with what others might think, which just shows I have a lot of growing up of my own to do.” Swallowing hard, she covered his hands with hers. “I’m trying, Brad.”

“Try harder,” he suggested. He rose from the bed and grabbed the remote, settling back beside her without another word.

Yes, she was definitely better with birds.

He’d given her plenty to think about, including how much she was asking of him. Neither of them had made any declarations, and that was probably a good thing. They were still learning to trust each other, and she hadn’t given him much to work with. If she wanted him in her life as more than a friend, she needed to show him that the man he was—without any letters after his name—was more than man enough for her.

No problem. She’d just add that to her growing To Do list.

They watched two movies, Inception and Kill Bill. She loved both, and because he was more considerate than any man should be, he’d remembered that and ordered them for her. He’d even stashed Twizzlers in his nightstand where the condoms she’d once thought he ordered by the case should’ve been.

There was something so comforting about curling up in his bed and snuggling in the flickering light from his big TV, passing a bag of candy back and forth and exchanging the occasional comment about the movie. Something even better about lying together in the deepest, darkest part of the night, arms and legs tangled, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.