stop there unless you plan to follow through.”
“Oh, but I would follow through . . . if you’d saved my life.” I swung around the banister onto the stairs. “Not that you’d let me, though. No sex unless it’s you I want, remember? No chaos sex. No reward sex. That’s your rule.”
He muttered something and followed me up the stairs.
A t Marsten’s suggestion, the first thing I did was remove my dress . . . which sounds a whole lot more interesting than it was. As he pointed out, heels and a slinky yellow dress didn’t make good late-night commando gear. While he cleaned up, I put on jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers. Then we headed for my bedroom. Yes, I have a separate dressing room. It’s a three-bedroom townhouse—I’m just trying to make efficient use of space. Really.
I walked into my darkened bedroom, flicked on the light, then made a face.
“Sorry,” I said. “It’s a mess. I wasn’t expecting company.”
“Poor Doug.” Marsten walked to the unmade bed, plunked down on it, and gave it a test bounce. “Doesn’t get a lot of use, I’ll bet.”
“I’m picky. Sorry.”
A wolfish grin. “Don’t be. I like picky.” He pushed to his feet. “Well, no, usually I don’t like picky, but this time, I think I do.”
With a sidelong glance through the window, he put his arms around my waist, leaned down, and kissed me. It was a slow kiss, easy and relaxed, with none of the practiced attention to art of his first one.
“Setting the scene?” I murmured with a nod toward the window.
“A good excuse.” He kissed me again, then sighed. “You really are immune, aren’t you?”
“To what?” I caught his look and rolled my eyes. “Oh please. You really are vain, aren’t you?”
“I already admitted that. I can’t help it—I’m accustomed to having my attentions returned.”
“Ah.”
“Not even going to bite for that, are you?”
I stepped back and sat on the edge of the bed. “What? You admit that you find me attractive, so I’m honor-bound to return the compliment? Fine, yes, you have your charms.”
A twist of his lips. “Oh.” “That’s not good enough? Okay, let me try again. I think you’re the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen and I can barely keep my hands off you . . . well, not when there’s a decent source of chaos around.”
He growled and scooped me up off the bed, kissing me again.
“Enough already,” I said, squirming free. “I admitted you were—”
“Charming.”
“I said you had your charms.”
“Which means you find me charming.”
“No, well yes, you are charming, but I don’t find that charming.”
He laughed and shook his head. “All right, you find me physically attractive then.”
“Yes, you are, but, no, I don’t find that particularly attractive.”
He bared his teeth in a quick grin and stepped closer. “My wit?”
I moved back and shrugged. “Witty enough, though not as witty as you think you are.”
“Ouch.” He gave an almost self-mocking grin. “Then it must be my undeniable sense of style.”
“Because you can pick out a decent tux?” I snorted. “There’s what, one color option and two or three styles?”
A feigned look of shock. “You mean you don’t find me irresistibly suave, debonair—”
“Where I grew up, guys learn suave from the cradle.”
His grin only grew. “Then whatever you find attractive about me has nothing to do with any of this—” He waved his hands over himself. “This infinitely polished package?”
“Nope. Sorry.”
“Good.”
“Good?”
“Very good.”
He caught me up in a kiss. As he did, a distant vibe twanged through me.
“They’re here,” I whispered.
Marsten glanced out the window, his body blocking mine, gaze scanning the dark street.
“They’re across the road,” he murmured as he turned back to me. “They must have just arrived. On the count of three, I’m swinging you past the window and onto the bed.”
He did. As soon as I hit
“Oh, but I would follow through . . . if you’d saved my life.” I swung around the banister onto the stairs. “Not that you’d let me, though. No sex unless it’s you I want, remember? No chaos sex. No reward sex. That’s your rule.”
He muttered something and followed me up the stairs.
A t Marsten’s suggestion, the first thing I did was remove my dress . . . which sounds a whole lot more interesting than it was. As he pointed out, heels and a slinky yellow dress didn’t make good late-night commando gear. While he cleaned up, I put on jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers. Then we headed for my bedroom. Yes, I have a separate dressing room. It’s a three-bedroom townhouse—I’m just trying to make efficient use of space. Really.
I walked into my darkened bedroom, flicked on the light, then made a face.
“Sorry,” I said. “It’s a mess. I wasn’t expecting company.”
“Poor Doug.” Marsten walked to the unmade bed, plunked down on it, and gave it a test bounce. “Doesn’t get a lot of use, I’ll bet.”
“I’m picky. Sorry.”
A wolfish grin. “Don’t be. I like picky.” He pushed to his feet. “Well, no, usually I don’t like picky, but this time, I think I do.”
With a sidelong glance through the window, he put his arms around my waist, leaned down, and kissed me. It was a slow kiss, easy and relaxed, with none of the practiced attention to art of his first one.
“Setting the scene?” I murmured with a nod toward the window.
“A good excuse.” He kissed me again, then sighed. “You really are immune, aren’t you?”
“To what?” I caught his look and rolled my eyes. “Oh please. You really are vain, aren’t you?”
“I already admitted that. I can’t help it—I’m accustomed to having my attentions returned.”
“Ah.”
“Not even going to bite for that, are you?”
I stepped back and sat on the edge of the bed. “What? You admit that you find me attractive, so I’m honor-bound to return the compliment? Fine, yes, you have your charms.”
A twist of his lips. “Oh.” “That’s not good enough? Okay, let me try again. I think you’re the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen and I can barely keep my hands off you . . . well, not when there’s a decent source of chaos around.”
He growled and scooped me up off the bed, kissing me again.
“Enough already,” I said, squirming free. “I admitted you were—”
“Charming.”
“I said you had your charms.”
“Which means you find me charming.”
“No, well yes, you are charming, but I don’t find that charming.”
He laughed and shook his head. “All right, you find me physically attractive then.”
“Yes, you are, but, no, I don’t find that particularly attractive.”
He bared his teeth in a quick grin and stepped closer. “My wit?”
I moved back and shrugged. “Witty enough, though not as witty as you think you are.”
“Ouch.” He gave an almost self-mocking grin. “Then it must be my undeniable sense of style.”
“Because you can pick out a decent tux?” I snorted. “There’s what, one color option and two or three styles?”
A feigned look of shock. “You mean you don’t find me irresistibly suave, debonair—”
“Where I grew up, guys learn suave from the cradle.”
His grin only grew. “Then whatever you find attractive about me has nothing to do with any of this—” He waved his hands over himself. “This infinitely polished package?”
“Nope. Sorry.”
“Good.”
“Good?”
“Very good.”
He caught me up in a kiss. As he did, a distant vibe twanged through me.
“They’re here,” I whispered.
Marsten glanced out the window, his body blocking mine, gaze scanning the dark street.
“They’re across the road,” he murmured as he turned back to me. “They must have just arrived. On the count of three, I’m swinging you past the window and onto the bed.”
He did. As soon as I hit
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