Page 164 of Cross Checked
“I’m not getting possessive.”
“You just turned into a tiny blonde ball of pissiness.”
“I did not.”
“You asked if there were a lot of them like you were about to request names and addresses.”
“I was gathering data for academic purposes.”
“You were getting jealous.”
Her cheeks flushed. “I hate you.”
“No, you don’t.” I kissed her harder, not because I wanted to shut her up, but because I wanted to feel what that jealousy did to her. Wanted to feel her pissed and wanting and refusing to admit either thing. When I pulled back, her mouth followed mine for half a second before she caught herself, and the sight of it nearly wrecked me. “Yeah,” I murmured. “That’s dangerous.”
“What is?”
“You wanting me enough to hate who had me before you.”
Her expression shifted before she could hide it.
I let my mouth brush her jaw, then the spot beneath it, careful around the bruise because even now, even with heat clawing at my ribs, that mark kept me from losing my mind completely.
“I’ve been with a lot of women,” I said against her skin. “I’m not going to lie to you about that.”
She swallowed.
“A lot of puck-bunny bullshit. Parties. Road trips. Girls who knew exactly what they wanted and didn’t want anything afterward.” I lifted my head so she could see my face when I said the rest. “But I’ve never had this.”
Her eyes searched mine. “What’s this?”
I knew that tone. Fishing. Wanting the compliment and terrified of needing it.
So, I didn’t give it to her right away and I kissed her instead.
Slow enough to make her impatient. Deep enough to make her forget she was supposed to be protecting herself. My hand slid beneath the hem of her shirt to her waist, grippingwarm skin as I pulled it over her head. She made the softest sound into my mouth, and my whole body went tight with it.
I lifted my head just enough to look down at her.
“That,” I said.
Her chest rose hard beneath mine.
“Never had that, Pip. Just kissing you, and you get affected like this.”
Her lips parted, but no words came out.
“That’s not benefits,” I said, voice rough. “That’s chemistry. That’s you and me. That’s whatever the hell this is deciding it doesn’t care what we call it.”
Her hand slid to the side of my neck, her thumb brushing my jaw. “What if I started telling you about all the guys I kissed?”
My body went still.
Her eyes sharpened because she felt it instantly.
“What if I told you about who touched me?” she asked, quieter now, testing the edge, like she knew exactly how dangerous it was and wanted to see if I’d bleed.
I lowered my mouth to her ear, letting my body press just enough into hers to make her breath catch again. “I’d rip your clothes off and fuck you until you remembered who your man is.”
