To her horror, a tear dripped down her cheek. “Do you find me attractive?”
“What the fuck?” He shook his head. “Damn, women are confusing. How does you messing up the stock order have anything to do with me finding you attractive?”
“I just. . .I. . .you haven’t done more than kiss me and I was worried that I’m not. . .that you’ve been turned off. . .I just. . .”
He blew out a breath then leaned his head back on the sofa. “Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.”
“What?”
“Baby girl, I was trying to go slow. I wanted you to feel comfortable with me, for your Little to be comfortable with me, before we moved onto anything more. You don’t have a lot of experience and I can be demanding. I didn’t want to scare the fuck out of you.”
“I started worrying that I was doing something wrong.”
He sighed and tucked her in against him, resting his chin on her head. “I’ve never had a relationship like this, babe. Where I need to care for someone else’s emotional needs as well as their physical ones. Get what I’m saying?”
“Sort of.” Not really.
“I’m saying I should have communicated this shit better, but I don’t want to be too fucking blunt and send you running for the hills. I want you, Sunny. I fucking want you so much that I go home every night with a hard-on that doesn’t seem to ease even when I jack off, thinking about you. I want to tie you to my bed and keep you there all night, exploring every inch of you, fucking you into oblivion then starting all over again. I want to bury my face between your legs and stay there for hours, seeing how many times I can make you come. I want you on your knees in front of me, sucking me off. I want to sink my dick into your pussy and claim you. All of you. I want to take you over my knee and spank your butt then plug it before I fuck it. I want all of that and more.” He leaned back and gently grasped hold of her chin, raising her bright red face up so he could stare in to her eyes.
“What I do not want is to do any of that before you’re ready. Because once I get you in my bed, I ain’t fucking letting you go, Sunshine River. Not that I’m planning on letting you go anyway. But because you’re important, I wanted to get the relationship part of this right first. Because you’re important, I didn’t want to just stick my dick in you at the first opportunity. Because I want more with you than I’ve ever wanted with anyone in my life. I could go down to the club now and find pussy, Sunny. What I can’t find is you.”
“I. . .I. . .” Holy shit what did she say to that? His words were raw and honest. And they washed away the insecurities that had been plaguing her.
Tears dripped down her face and he groaned. “Damn it, baby girl. Say something. That wasn’t meant to make you cry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You. . .you didn’t upset me.”
He wiped away her tears. “Where’s a fucking tissue when I need one?”
She snorted out a laugh. “They were probably on the stock order I messed up.”
“Hold that thought about the stock order, because I’m coming back to that. We’re going to have a little chat about you calling yourself names.”
To her surprise, he shifted her slightly on his lap then drew off his T-shirt.
“What are you doing?” she squeaked as he drew her back against his warm chest. Sugar. He was so ripped. She hadn’t realized someone could have abs like that unless you were a professional athlete or gym junkie.
Her hand twitched with the urge to explore. Then he held his T-shirt up to her face, wiping her tears. “Duke, don’t! Your T-shirt.”
“Got others,” he said, sounding unconcerned. He held the shirt to her nose. “Blow.”
“No! I can’t do that. I’ll go to the bathroom.”
“You’re going nowhere until I’m certain we’re both on the same wavelength. Blow. Now, baby girl.”
She knew she was bright red, but she blew her nose into his shirt. Gross.
But he just balled it up and threw it on the ground.
“I’ll take it home and wash it.”
He sighed. “Sunny, I’m not worried about the damn shirt. Tell me you understand why it seemed like I pulled back from you.”
“I get it now. You were going slow because I. . .because I mean something to you. I guess I got tearful because no one has ever treated me like I’m important. Like I really mean something to them.”
“Well, you do. You need me to tell you that every day, I fucking will.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I want all of you, Sunny. Not just the parts of you that you think I might want. You understand me?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry. I guess I’m still a bit shy about letting completely go. Worried about getting hurt or rejected.”