Fuck. Shit. Crap.
“Can we go get that ice cream now?” she asked in a strangled voice.
“Nope.” He squeezed her hands. “You’re going to answer me.”
“No,” she whispered.
“Okay. Have you ever done anything else with a guy? Oral sex? Hand jobs?”
Was he saying she wasn’t experienced enough for him? Well screw him if he was. . .
“No,” she bit the word out.
He raised one eyebrow. “That makes you angry?”
“I know I’m not experienced like you are, but—”
“Whoa, I think you’ve gotten the wrong end of the stick, princess. I’m not asking because I want you to be experienced. I’m asking because I don’t want to push you for anything that you’re unsure about. If you’d like to do things with me then you only have to say. I’m very willing to let you explore or to guide you. But if you aren’t ready, that’s totally fine too.”
“Even though you’re, ah, doing things for me?”
He grinned. Jesus, would her heart ever not trip when he smiled? “I fucking love going down on you. The taste of you. Listening to those little cries you make when you come. It’s an addiction. Like I said, I’d spend all my time down there if I could. This isn’t a tit-for-tat. Trust me when I say, I’m doing all of that for myself as well.”
She gave him a shy look. “All right.”
He gave her a light kiss on the lips. “You just let me know if you ever want to explore my body. It’s here at your disposal.”
But they wouldn’t have sex unless she gave him all of her. Sadness filled her as he picked her up and carried her out to the living room.
“You should stop carrying me everywhere. I’m no lightweight.”
“You barely weigh a thing,” he told her sternly. “Besides, I like carrying you.”
Fuck. He hoped he hadn’t scared her off. He’d wanted to ask her for a while about her experience, but he hadn’t expected to have that conversation just yet. Then again, it was getting increasingly hard to hold himself back from taking her.
Okay, idiot, you’re not doing anything to help that hard-on you’ve got.
He let out a breath as he set her down on the sofa. “So, tell me, is there any flavor of ice cream you don’t like, baby girl?”
She’d insisted on buying a small tub when they’d stopped to grab supplies on their way here. He hadn’t thought it was necessary but he’d indulged her. He’d also seen a few tubs sitting in the freezer, although he’d check the best before dates before giving her any of those since he didn’t know how long they’d been there for.
He hated that he didn’t know everything about her. But Eden was a private person. If she didn’t want you knowing her business, then you were out in the cold.
And he really wanted to be by the warmth of her fire. He wanted a permanent spot. And he was determined to earn it. He would do whatever he had to in order to guard it. He was very careful who he let close, but once you were there he was loyal to an extreme.
And anyone who fucked with someone who was his would be annihilated.
She gave him a look that clearly said he was an idiot. “A flavor I don’t like? What’s that? Oh, wait, actually, I don’t eat healthy ice cream.”
“Healthy ice cream?” he queried. What the heck did that mean?
“You know, sugar-free, fat-free, taste-free crap.”
“Is that even really ice cream?” he asked.
“Exactly.”
He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I wouldn’t give my girl that unless it was necessary for her health. Ice cream is a treat, it won’t be given out every day, much as I enjoyed your ice cream can make the whole world happy theory. It especially won’t be eaten at breakfast.”