His soothing voice made me laugh, then I stopped, suddenly embarrassed. Though I showed off most of my body nightly, I hadn’t shown him before a little while ago, when I’d been riding the high of adrenaline and the need for distraction. I could pretend with the best of them, but right now, with his thickly muscled arm clasping me close and the rain spritzing down on my bare skin, I felt more exposed than I’d ever been in my life.
Even earlier tonight couldn’t compare, because they hadn’t seen most of me. Besides, they hadn’t really been paying attention to the details.
Gio was.
“Are you sure?” he asked me, brushing a kiss over my hip.
“Yes. I need it. I need to think about this instead.” I slipped my fingers through his silky, shoulder-length hair. “Give me a better memory. Please.”
He eased me down to the bed, shifting me on top of him so smoothly I almost wasn’t aware of the movement. His cock pressed against me intimately, reminding me that what I’d taken with haste sure as heck could give me a panic attack if I actually thought about it.
“I have a condom.” He stuck an arm out, started to drag over the trashcan.
“You’re not serious. You’re going to use one from the garbage?”
“It’s fine,” he snapped. “Not expired or anything. I just threw them out because I wouldn’t be needing them anymore…” He trailed off at my pursed lips. “What?”
“Miscalculated there, didn’t you?”
Again, that slight twitch of his mouth. I so wanted to make him smile, almost as much as I wanted to make him come.
Inside me, with nothing between us. Just like before. I’d already been spoiled by that feeling, only having had it once.
“Barn door’s already open,” I reminded him softly. “Horse nearly broke the fence, but the fence is willing to try again.” As he started to object, I placed my finger over his lips. “I’m clean. I’m assuming you are too. With fighting, you’d be tested often. Blood and all.”
“This is underground fi
ghting. Not exactly the same stringent requirements.”
“So you’re not clean? What did you give me earlier tonight then?”
“Nothing.” He bit off the word. “Of course I’m clean. It’s just not safe.”
“We’re covered. I’ve never missed a single pill in three years.”
“Three years? Did you start having sex in junior high?”
Ignoring him, I peered in the garbage can. “But if you’d rather me dig through that rotten banana peel and other things I can’t identify—”
“Never mind.”
“No, really, I’m sure I can wash off one of the packages—”
“Shut up.” He was actually flushing a little. Mister Suave being thrown off his game would’ve absolutely delighted me, if I wasn’t still so unsteady.
Teasing him helped.
“I normally carry them,” I began, continuing even when his eyes narrowed on me, “but my purse is still in my locker at the club.”
“I’ll take you to get it tomorrow before I drop you at home.”
“Okay. Thank you.” I leaned forward and brushed a kiss over his chin. I still wanted his mouth, but I wasn’t at all sure he’d let me at it. “Can I?” I asked, circling my hips. Unfairly rubbing against him, making his choice hard.
Harder, because he was already as stiff as steel.
He speared his fingers through my hair, tipping my head until I was sure he would kiss me. He’d have to, wouldn’t he? Our mouths were so close, perfectly lined up…
“You’re going to be the death of me, woman,” he breathed instead, grabbing my hip and pulling it forward. Stopping just before I slid over his cock.