“Like a Batman costume?”
Laughing, he took an experimental sip of champagne. He’d never been much of a drinker, but he liked the flush the alcohol put in her cheeks. Plus a little liquid courage never hurt. “Not the analogy I would’ve chosen, but sure. It’s fun to watch you try to shift parts of me around and try to make a whole picture.” He gestured at the photo of a quaint pub in Ireland that she was currently studying with her lower lip caught between her teeth. “You mentioned details. They tell the story, don’t they?”
She caught him in the snare of her alluring baby browns, softly blurred from her drink. “I think I must be on my way to drunk because I’m finding this conversation really deep. Too deep for me. I’m a gift-shop manager with a penchant for balling younger men. That’s why I zeroed in on you, Michael. Not because you’re an intellectual. I don’t give a shit about that.” She licked her lips and his cock reacted as if she’d touched him with her bare hand. “Sexually, you ring all my bells. Which means I need to go find a nearby guest room and play Asteroid Eater on my phone until I fall asleep.”
“Asteroid Eater?” He shook his head, laughing again. Drinking more. Amazing the way the alcohol fuzzed out the edges. He’d missed out on this stuff years ago, back when he’d been a control freak kid who refused to try anything that could dilute his focus from being the hero of his family.
He didn’t have to toe the straight-and-narrow anymore. His family was doing okay. He was too. Getting there, anyway. Sex was one of the last frontiers he’d yet to tackle, and he had faith Kim was different from the other women he’d met. She wouldn’t expect more than he put on the table. And maybe if he moved quickly enough she wouldn’t realize he was completely clueless between the sheets.
He jerked to his feet, cutting her off as she told him all about her game. Another time he would’ve cared. Tonight? He had other priorities. “I have condoms,” he announced. “Let’s head upstairs.”
“Um, excuse me, what?”
Maybe he should’ve stuck to offering her coffee and cuddling. Oh well, too late now. He’d made up his mind, so why should he pretend otherwise?
“You just said you want to have sex with me. I’m interested. Extremely.” He walked slowly toward her, stalking his seductive prey. “You’re clearly not a game player, and I respect that.” She wasn’t coy, which only heightened his attraction. So he was doing his best to be straightforward—mostly—too. “Why don’t we—”
“Hold on, buckaroo. Maybe you missed the part that I like younger men because I like to run the rodeo my way.”
“I didn’t miss it. You didn’t say it.” He shrugged and finished off his champagne.
“Fine. Consider it said. I like everything about younger men. Their outlook, their enthusiasm.” Her gaze sharpened on his mouth. “Their staying power in bed.”
“Not hearing the downside here.”
Her lips twitched. “I like control. Out of bed and in it.”
Difficult for him to argue with that statement. “Okay. I’m open-minded.” He wasn’t sure what she meant exactly, but he didn’t have a problem with finding out. “I have a California King bed. Lots of room for whatever…you prefer.”
She gaped at him, her full damp lips parted with surprise. Or dismay. “No wonder you weren’t interested in Asteroid Eater. You’re from outer space yourself.”
“Why? Because I’m honest?”
“No one is this honest.” She set her empty glass on the hearth. “Look, Michael, I realize you think you’ve got the world by the tail what with all this.” She waved her glittery copper fingernails at his living room. “You figure you just snap and boom, women fall in your lap.”
“I’m sorry, weren’t you the one who waited for me after class? I’m pretty sure you didn’t want to offer me tips on how to pose.”
Moose, his gray and white Maine Coon cat, picked that moment to slink into the room. Noticing the newcomer, he sniffed the air for a moment then proceeded to plop down at Kim’s feet. Kim bent to pick him up, only to have Moose dart away. Typical. The cat took forever to warm up to people. Not that there were all that many around for him to get close to anyway.
Kim sighed and rose. “Maybe I was looking for a friend.”
“Me too,” he countered, driven to touch her hair. “Why are you making this so complicated?”
“Me?” Her indignation nearly made him grin. “Sorry, I’m not feeling this whole pseudo-seduction of yours. Does this routine usually work for you? Unfortunately, I’m not the usual female.” She caught his hand in mid-air and gave him a warning look that could’ve frozen lava. “What happened to your diner speech? You telling me you have condoms is not platonic behavior.”
“Sure it is. Buddies share latex. Isn’t that a thing?”
“You are completely weird. Why am I even attracted to you?”
He didn’t even bother trying not to smile. “So you aren’t offended. I didn’t think so.” He curled his fingers around her hand, still gripping his. “I thought you might appreciate someone on the same page as you. You probably confuse some of those guys. I bet they don’t get what you’re all about. You want a good time and they dare to fall in love with you and fuck up your no-strings affair. Isn’t that right?”
From her quick glance away, he’d nailed her problem in one. “Why do you say that?”
“You’d be very easy to fall for,” he said softly. Back when he’d still been idealistic about love and relationships and thought give and take truly existed.
Not anymore. He was fine with the taking part of the equation. But giving—other than during sex—was off-limits.
“See?” As the question burst out of her, her sweet breath blew over his mouth. His cock stirred, eager to be set free from its restrictive confines. Eager to be gripped in those long, agile fingers still trapped in his. “You pretend to be so candid about how different you are yet you basically admitted you’re the same as everyone else.”