“Oh, please.” Disappointment in him descended like a curtain while her heart latched a little too hard on to that outrageous statement. “It’s been nearly two years!” He could have his pick of supermodels. He’d gotten the maid with a wink and a smile, hadn’t he?
“I already told you that I slept with Faustina once. Weeks before you.” He opened his eyes to scowl with affront at her distrust. “I didn’t cheat on her, and given the way my marriage ended, I haven’t been feeling very amorous.”
She found that believable, actually.
“Until very recently,” he added pointedly, pretty much flinging sexual awareness at her and leaving her coated in it. “All of which could impact my performance. You’re not the only one with high stakes here.”
“Oh, I’m sure we’re on exactly the same level of nerves,” she muttered sarcastically.
He relaxed slightly, eyeing her. “Do you think about it?”
“What? Sex?” The whole world tilted like a magnifying glass. One moment certain things had loomed large, now all of that went out of focus while a bright ray of heat singed into her bones. “With you, or...?”
“Anyone. But sure, me.”
She was not going to admit that she thought about him all the time. “I can’t believe you’re asking me these things.”
“This is exactly the sort of conversation a husband and wife should be able to have.”
“Do you?” she challenged.
“Think about you? Of course. I’ve often recalled our lovemaking and imagined doing things with you that we didn’t have time to enjoy.”
He was admitting to fantasizing about her. And he wasn’t flinching in the least. He was staring right into her eyes and making her think of things she wished they’d done.
His brow went up in a light challenge.
She swallowed, hot all over.
“I imagine you’re in the shower with me. For instance,” he provided in a drawl that somehow pulled all her nerve endings tight. “If you’re looking for a seductive move, I guarantee you an invitation to join you will always pique my interest.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t appreciate you making fun of me.”
“I’m not joking,” he assured her, but amusement lurked around his mouth.
“Fine,” she said with annoyance. “Let’s move this to the shower, then.”
* * *
“Poppy.”
His voice caught like a hook in her heart, pulling her around without even touching her before she could hurry down the hall.
She caught her breath. If he said he didn’t want to, she might lose her nerve and never find it again.
“What?” she demanded when he waited until she quit spinning her gaze around the room in avoidance and made herself look at him.
“This isn’t a test.” His voice grew grave. Tense. “If you’re not ready, say so.”
“I said I want to!” She waved in the direction she’d been headed.
He came toward her, brows raised in a mild scold. “You’re nervous. Maybe instead of barreling into the shower, we should slow down.”
“I want the awkwardness over with,” she admitted, bordering on petulant.
He gently peeled her hands off her elbows and held them in a loose grip. “But if I’d been in less of a hurry last time, I might have noticed you were new to this. I want to be sure you’re with me every step. Why don’t we start with a kiss?”
“Really?” She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “Fine. If that’s what you want.”