there’s something we need to discuss. I didn’t use a condom last night.” He couldn’t resist kissing one saucy, arched brow when her face turned rosy.
“I’m on the pill.” She stared at the base of his neck. Licked her lips.
His erection thickened.
“I know we should have exchanged sexual histories.”
“You don’t have any,” he growled, tempted to delve into the virginity issue but wise enough to know not to get her back up. “However, I do.”
“I knew that .” She squinted at him, and he had to suppress a grin when her mouth settled into a perfect upside-down U.
“I was on a mission for the last three months. Before we start a project, we all undergo a complete medical. The same when we end a mission. I’m not one for casual sex, especially overseas. Too risky. I’m clean.”
Her eyes widened at the casual sex reference. Good. For some reason she’d lumped him into the male-slut stereotype. “I expected nothing else.”
Huh? The minute he thought he had her pegged, she surprised him. Maybe earning her trust wouldn’t be the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest. He spied her clenched jaw, the jutted chin, and abandoned any idea of instant faith in his sound judgment.
“About our buddy arrangement.” She swallowed and darted him a quick peek.
“Did you find an apartment already?” He’d spent the whole morning ensuring no affordable residence would open up for at least six weeks.
“Not yet. I found a couple of possibilities though.”
She folded her arms. Wriggled her shoulders and dropped balled fists to her hip. Glanced down, glared at her hands, and flexed her fingers. Her firm breasts thrust forward on a deep inhale. He pretended not to notice the nervous tick jumping under one eye.
“I know I said I wanted us to wait until I have a place of my own. I don’t want to sound fickle. But can we change those terms?”
He nudged her chin with the back of his hand. “To what?”
She met his stare head-on. “To I don’t want to wait. Period.”
“That works for me. Get changed, missy. I’ll scrounge up a couple pairs of running shorts.”
A hoot burst from his lips when she did a double take. “First we run. Then we see what happens.”
Petulant couldn’t begin to describe the cant of her pinched brows. She would fight his mate claim every step of the way. And he couldn’t wait for the campaign to engage.
He palmed her cheeks, slanted his mouth over hers, and kissed her until all the rigidness went out of her spine. Grinned when he lifted his head and found her eyes glazed and her lips red and pouty. He flicked her nose. “Hold that thought.”
Ten minutes later Joe guided her down to his usual five-mile path. He set an easy pace, for the route veered up a steep slope after the first third of a mile. Her long, tanned legs matched his wide stride effortlessly.
“How long have you been running?”
“I can’t remember not running.” Her white teeth flashed in the dim light provided by the sliver of a moon mounting the eastern horizon. A diamond-bright carpet studded the black sky, and the temperature had dropped into the forties.
“Cold?” He glanced to the shoulder exposed by the tank she wore.
“Are you kidding? This is perfect. I could go for an hour in this kind of weather. Did we just enter the state park?” She peered at the shadowed sign to the right of the dirt trail.
“Hallie Forest Preserve? Yes.”
“Where did you find him?”
He knew right away she’d been worrying about Petey and Barb and Kieran. “About three miles east of where Mudflat River meets the Mahnee. There’s a no-man’s-land strip that runs about fifty by twenty-three acres. The site of a ton of illegal hunting. This time of year the pickings are slim. Not much traffic.”
“Was it far away from Petey’s school?”
“It’s actually not even nine miles away from Hallie Trails Elementary.”
“How’d the police miss it, if it was so close?”
“The school’s at the
“I’m on the pill.” She stared at the base of his neck. Licked her lips.
His erection thickened.
“I know we should have exchanged sexual histories.”
“You don’t have any,” he growled, tempted to delve into the virginity issue but wise enough to know not to get her back up. “However, I do.”
“I knew that .” She squinted at him, and he had to suppress a grin when her mouth settled into a perfect upside-down U.
“I was on a mission for the last three months. Before we start a project, we all undergo a complete medical. The same when we end a mission. I’m not one for casual sex, especially overseas. Too risky. I’m clean.”
Her eyes widened at the casual sex reference. Good. For some reason she’d lumped him into the male-slut stereotype. “I expected nothing else.”
Huh? The minute he thought he had her pegged, she surprised him. Maybe earning her trust wouldn’t be the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest. He spied her clenched jaw, the jutted chin, and abandoned any idea of instant faith in his sound judgment.
“About our buddy arrangement.” She swallowed and darted him a quick peek.
“Did you find an apartment already?” He’d spent the whole morning ensuring no affordable residence would open up for at least six weeks.
“Not yet. I found a couple of possibilities though.”
She folded her arms. Wriggled her shoulders and dropped balled fists to her hip. Glanced down, glared at her hands, and flexed her fingers. Her firm breasts thrust forward on a deep inhale. He pretended not to notice the nervous tick jumping under one eye.
“I know I said I wanted us to wait until I have a place of my own. I don’t want to sound fickle. But can we change those terms?”
He nudged her chin with the back of his hand. “To what?”
She met his stare head-on. “To I don’t want to wait. Period.”
“That works for me. Get changed, missy. I’ll scrounge up a couple pairs of running shorts.”
A hoot burst from his lips when she did a double take. “First we run. Then we see what happens.”
Petulant couldn’t begin to describe the cant of her pinched brows. She would fight his mate claim every step of the way. And he couldn’t wait for the campaign to engage.
He palmed her cheeks, slanted his mouth over hers, and kissed her until all the rigidness went out of her spine. Grinned when he lifted his head and found her eyes glazed and her lips red and pouty. He flicked her nose. “Hold that thought.”
Ten minutes later Joe guided her down to his usual five-mile path. He set an easy pace, for the route veered up a steep slope after the first third of a mile. Her long, tanned legs matched his wide stride effortlessly.
“How long have you been running?”
“I can’t remember not running.” Her white teeth flashed in the dim light provided by the sliver of a moon mounting the eastern horizon. A diamond-bright carpet studded the black sky, and the temperature had dropped into the forties.
“Cold?” He glanced to the shoulder exposed by the tank she wore.
“Are you kidding? This is perfect. I could go for an hour in this kind of weather. Did we just enter the state park?” She peered at the shadowed sign to the right of the dirt trail.
“Hallie Forest Preserve? Yes.”
“Where did you find him?”
He knew right away she’d been worrying about Petey and Barb and Kieran. “About three miles east of where Mudflat River meets the Mahnee. There’s a no-man’s-land strip that runs about fifty by twenty-three acres. The site of a ton of illegal hunting. This time of year the pickings are slim. Not much traffic.”
“Was it far away from Petey’s school?”
“It’s actually not even nine miles away from Hallie Trails Elementary.”
“How’d the police miss it, if it was so close?”
“The school’s at the
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