He sat back, but couldn’t pull his gaze away from the mess we’d made. “You sure don’t talk like a virgin.”
I smiled up at him. “I’ve had a lot of practice talking to imaginary Nate.”
His chest puffed up. “Imaginary Nate has nothing on me.”
“You can’t get jealous of your own imaginary self.”
“You got jealous of your pool self.” He rose and walked to the bathroom, his hard ass a treat to look at as he went.
“Touché.”
He returned with a warm washcloth. After we’d cleaned up, he pulled me to his chest and kissed the top of my head. “Was it like you thought it would be?”
I ran my fingertip around his nipple. “Yes and no.”
“Better, right?” So damn cocky.
I smacked his chest. “It was…” I hated to feed his ego, but I didn’t want to lie, especially not after what we’d just shared. “Amazing.”
He squeezed me closer. “Same here.”
“Really? You’re not just saying that?” I tried not to think of his past, of the others.
“I don’t just say shit.” He laughed. “I mean, I do. But not to you. Not about this.” He gripped my upper arms and pulled me on top of him so we were face to face. “I’ll swear on whatever you’d like that you gave me something sweeter than I ever thought possible.”
“Swear by thy gracious self.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Is this the book smarts thing? That’s what this is, isn’t it?”
A smile pulled at my lips. “You act like you never even went to high school.”
He kissed my forehead, as if he couldn’t go for too long without pressing his lips to some part of me. The thought sent a thrill racing to my achy spots.
“I went to some school, yeah. But I cut class, didn’t pay attention for shit, and I’m pretty sure they just graduated me so I’d quit terrorizing the students and flirting with the younger teachers.”
I ran my finger down the harsh line of his jaw, the scar smooth next to the unmarred skin. “Sounds about right.”
“I’m not educated. Not like you. I won’t be able to keep up with the smart stuff you’ve got going on up here.” He tapped my forehead.
It was as if he were looking at himself in a funhouse mirror. I saw something completely different than what he described. “Do you think an idiot could run the biggest criminal syndicate in Philly? Do you—”
“I—”
“Let me finish.”
His mouth clapped closed, though his eyes narrowed. Meow.
“Do you think that a man could be the youngest boss this town has ever seen and be a total moron? Is that what you think? Because, let me tell you. You’re dead wrong. And I’m the smart one, remember? So I don’t want to hear any more of this nonsense about you not being good enough. I decide who’s good enough to get between these thighs. You made the cut.”
His eyebrows lowered. “No one else is going to make the cut.”
My heart did a backflip. “You saying you want an exclusive?”
He gripped my chin. “I thought I already made that clear.”
“I don’t know. You didn’t actually say the words.” I cut my eyes away from him. “And I’ll have to check my calendar—”
“I wasn’t going to.” He shook his head and sat up, taking me with him. “I really wasn’t, but that smart mouth of yours.” He pulled me over his knees.
“Hey!” My protest was loud, but the kitten inside me purred and stretched.
“But after that stunt you pulled in front of the Irish, and then again in the pool, and right now teasing me with some bullshit about other men.” He rubbed my ass and kept me steady on his knees as I made half-hearted attempts to escape. “Tell me you’re mine.”
“I don’t know—” Smack. That one. Burned. So. Good.
Smack. I squealed at the second hit that landed in the same spot as the first. Wriggling against him, I could feel his growing erection pressing into my side. Smack.
“Okay.” I scratched his ankle with my nails. “Okay!”
Smack. “Okay what?” He soothed the burn with a steady circular rubbing motion.
“Okay it’s only you.”
“That’s right.” Satisfaction dripped from his words.
Smack.
“Hey! What was that for?” I craned my head around.
He peered down. “For the Irish.” Raising his hand again, he brought it back down with a crack. “And that’s for the pool.”
“Asshole.” I tried to kick my leg out and roll away, but he yanked me back and added another smack.
“Have any more sass for me?” He grinned and slipped his finger between my legs, probing my wet entrance. “I could do this all day, Sabrina.”
I bit my lip, torn between wanting more and needing some time to recover.
“Good girl.” He pulled me up and snuggled back on the bed, pulling the sheet over us.
I bit his neck. “You’re mean.”
His low laugh curled my toes. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”