“Yeah. Though you seem tense.”
She tilted her head back to look up at him. “I do?”
“Yes. And it kind of pisses me off.”
Uh-oh. “I’m not tense. And why are you pissed off?”
“Because I just worked hard to relax you. Obviously I didn’t do a good enough job.”
She laughed. “Oh. First, you did a phenomenal job. I came twice. Second, I might have been a little tense. I’m sort of out of practice with the post-coital thing.”
“Really.”
“Yes. My ex and I hadn’t done it in a really long time before the divorce. And you, lucky guy, are my first since then.”
He smiled down at her and didn’t seem at all nervous or upset about what she’d just revealed to him.
He smoothed his hand over her back. “Now I do feel lucky. Thanks for choosing me.”
She didn’t know how to answer him. A “you’re welcome” seemed weird.
“So why were you tense?”
She rolled over onto her back. “I don’t know. I guess I don’t know how things are done now.”
He laughed, then shifted to lean over her. “First, I highly doubt it’s been so long for you that some unnamed rules of sex have changed. Second, there aren’t any rules. We’ll do whatever feels right for you and for me, okay?”
That did make her feel better. “Okay.”
“Now tell me. What feels right for you about now?”
“I’m a little thirsty.”
“Me, too. You want some wine, iced tea or ice water?”
“Water sounds great.”
“Good. I’ll be right back.”
He hopped off the bed, giving her a wonderful view of his amazing ass as he made his way out the door and down the hall. She propped herself up against the headboard using the pillows. When he came back, he handed her a glass of water.
“Thanks.”
“I see you managed to hog all the pillows while I was gone.”
“Hey, you left. You snooze, you lose.”
He took several long swallows of water, giving her ample opportunity to ogle his incredible shoulders and abs while he did. Then he set the glass on the bedside table and climbed onto the bed, situating himself right beside her.
When she gave him a look, he said, “You have all the pillows, remember?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Besides, you want my hot body keeping you warm, don’t you?”
She wasn’t going to complain about that. “Absolutely.”
After taking another sip of water, she set her glass on the table, then shifted to face him. “What I’d really like is to explore your tattoos. They’re intriguing.”
“Sure. Touch me all you want to.”
She let her fingers map a trail over his shoulders and down his arms, as if she were reading a treasure map. There were scrolling patterns and sharp points, but no words.
“What do they mean?”
“Nothing, really. I just like the ink. At some point I might think about putting some literature on here. Maybe something that inspires me.”
“They’re beautiful.”
“Thanks.”
She sat back and looked at him. “So nothing like ‘Mom’ or some ex-girlfriend’s name on here?”
He laughed. “No. I’m not a momma’s boy, and so far no woman has inspired me enough to ink her name on my body.”
“So far.”
“Yeah. Maybe when I get married I’ll do something permanent like that.”
“You do realize that fifty percent of marriages end up in divorce.”
He frowned. “Mine won’t.”
“So sure of that, are you?”
“Yes.”
She leaned back and he shifted, moving down the bed so he could pick up her foot to massage it. He really did have great hands. She thought about what he’d said about marriage.
“While I admire your confidence, I can assure you that everyone goes into marriage thinking it’s forever. It doesn’t always work out that way.”
He lifted his focus from her foot onto her face. “While I can appreciate you’re coming from a point of cynicism since you’ve gone through a divorce, I only intend to get married one time. And I intend for it to be forever.”
“I’m sure the guy who had ‘I Love Patty for All Time’ tattooed on his body and then had to have a giant Chevy truck tattooed over it thought his tattoo would last forever, too.”
He arched a brow. “You know this guy?”
She laughed. “No. I made it up. I’m just using it as a random example.”
He picked up her other foot, and she couldn’t resist a moan when he dug his thumb into her sore arch.
“I think your ex made you lose faith in love.”
“Maybe. I’d think all those women who prefer camera time over their interest in you would make you lose faith.”
He shrugged. “They just weren’t the right one.”
“And you still think the right one is out there for you.”
He wasn’t focusing on her foot. He was looking at her. “Yes, I do.”
His gaze was warm. Intense. And she had to admit, she felt relaxed with him, all that tension and after-sex weirdness completely gone.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why do you believe in love, Flynn?”
“Because I’ve seen it in action with my parents. They’ve had difficult times and through it all, their love for each other has never once wavered. I’ve seen it with my brothers, who’ve all found amazing, smart, beautiful women who love them unconditionally. And believe me, my brothers aren’t easy guys to love. If they can find it, so can I.”
This was a new side to him. She’d seen the business side of him and the sports side of him. In both, he was driven. She’d seen him be funny and fun. But she’d never seen this serious side. This was a man ready to fall in love.
Too bad she wasn’t the woman for him. Because she was never going to give her heart over to a man again. She’d had it crushed once by someone she trusted, and it had hurt horribly.
Flynn was a nice guy, and she liked him. She was sure there was a woman out there who deserved him. It was really too bad it couldn’t be her.