“What’s that?”
“For you to tell me how you got that tongue ring.”
“Story’s not nearly as sexy as you’re thinking it will be.” He shrugged and sipped his coffee. “The kids razz me about stuff. I’m used to it, and it’s sort of a bonding ritual. They say since I’m past thirty there’s no way I could relate to what they’re going through. So one day Jorge’s in my office, and he’s showing off his new tongue piercing, bragging about how all the chicks love it.”
“I bet,” she said under her breath.
“He asked me if I have a girlfriend, and the conversation sort of devolved from there. Next thing I know he’s daring me to pierce my tongue.” He shrugged again. “So I did. And what do you know?” He grinned. “Chicks do like it.”
“So how many chicks have…liked it?”
“Thousands, naturally. Didn’t you see all the notches on the bedpost?”
To keep from smiling at his easy tone and twinkling blue eyes, she distracted herself by wrapping her feet around the rungs of her chair. He kept the place so warm she wasn’t the slightest bit cold, even with the frosty day outside. “I don’t normally sleep with men without knowing their sexual history.”
“Want names and dates?” He scraped egg off his plate and cupped a hand beneath his fork as he offered her the bite. “How about rankings?”
She gripped his wrist and took the forkful into her mouth while her mind whirled. Rankings made her think too much about Rob, who’d never been satisfied with just her. At least not lately. Yet he’d called her cell all night, claiming he wanted to make sure she was all right. She’d finally given in and left him a quick voicemail after her shower, though she’d slipped and told him she was at Justin’s. She’d always been careful to tell Rob that Justin was just a friend—and he had been—but she regretted her slip. She so didn’t want to get Justin involved in her messes.
After chewing and swallowing, she pasted on a smile. What was done was done, and she’d be damned if she spent any more time thinking about her ex. “So where do I rate?”
“You even have to ask?”
She licked her lips. “Yeah, I do.”
His gaze went from warm to hot in a finger snap. “Think I need more evidence before I can say definitively. A scientific study requires plenty of statistics.”
She pushed back from the table and rose, already peeling off the T-shirt. It fell to the floor. With one hunger sated, she was more than ready to sate another. This one, she had a feeling, would take a lot longer to satisfy.
Justin put down his fork and sat back in his chair. “Keep going,” he said when she hesitated.
Her fingers traced the profusion of bruises along her ribs. “Not exactly sexy.”
“All of you’s sexy from where I’m sitting. Keep going,” he said again.
She tugged down his boxers and tossed them aside, feeling more than a little foolish standing naked in the middle of his kitchen. His gaze roamed over her body, his approval evident in the faint quirking of his lips. “Turn around.”
She did, wondering when she’d started to shiver. His voice sounded deeper somehow, richer. If the purely sexual intent she’d glimpsed in his eyes hadn’t gotten her going, his voice surely would have.
“Bend over.”
“You’re lucky I’m feeling charitable,” she muttered, grasping her knees as she gave him the view he clearly wanted. With her ass on full display, she should have felt embarrassed. Or at least a little nervous. But all she felt was the heat growing between her legs.
When the silence stretched, she glanced over her shoulder at him. He was still staring at her, his brows low over his dark blue eyes. “Did Rob spank you?”
Her clit pulsed at the question. “A few times,” she said breathlessly.
“Did you like it?”
She wet her lips and took a shuddery breath. God, just imagining his hand striking her ass had her core clenching. “Yeah.”
“You have a gorgeous ass. Perfect size for my hands. I’d love to see my handprint there, to hear you scream while I reddened your flesh.” He tossed aside the cloth napkin on his lap and got to his feet. “But not today. You have more than enough marks on you already.”
Acute disappointment surged through her as she rose to a standing position. He’d been right when he’d said pleasure was never wrong. So the slightest hint of pain gave her enjoyment. But truthfully, she liked the idea of spanking a guy too. Her nipples tingled. She especially liked the idea of spanking Justin.
“Go in the living room. Start the fire.” He set another pan on the stove. She’d been so wrapped up in her thoughts she hadn’t even seen him cross the room. “I’ll be right in.”
She bent to grab her clothes, but he shook his head. “Leave them here.”