“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Maybe I should put some clothes on first.”
I bite down. The thought of her getting dressed makes me want to howl. Let the animal rule me. Pounce on her like a jungle cat and throw her to the floor, pound her into the carpet as her ass reverberates and dances alluringly.
No, no. I’m not just a beast.
And there’s no damn way I’d ever try anything my woman wasn’t comfortable with.
I sigh. “Okay, I understand.”
She giggles when I turn away. “What are you doing?”
“If I keep looking at you like that, Autumn, I won’t be able to hold back anymore. I won’t be able to stop myself.”
I close my eyes and breathe slowly, dropping my hands away from my pants.
“Okay, I’m dressed.”
I turn back around to find her sitting on the couch, pulling her sleeves up around her hands. She looks vulnerable again, but not in a sexual way.
Maybe I’m not as much of an animal as I thought.
I sit next to her and wrap my arm around her, even as my manhood wills me to do so much else.
“What is it, Autumn?” I ask.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve said that before. I didn’t mean to lead you on. I just got so carried away and… I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize,” I say. “I won’t lie. I want to fuck you. I want to claim that tight little hole of yours. But I’m not going to force you.”
“It’s just… Well, I don’t know if it’s a big deal. But I think you should know. If we’re going to—” She breaks off with a humorless laugh. “Why is this so hard?”
“Tell me,” I say.
“Asher, I’m a virgin…”
Her words slam into me, the force of them, the reality of them. The implications.
“Asher?” she murmurs after a pause. “Um, any thoughts? Don’t leave me hanging here.”
I’ve got thoughts, a never-ending number, coursing through my mind.
But can I tell her how I really feel?
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Autumn
My body still feels like it’s on fire after what we did. But the little voice in my head is telling me I’m an idiot for telling him I’m a virgin… I should’ve taken him while I had the chance, pushed down any nervousness, and given myself to this man so we could make babies together.
I should’ve swallowed my anxiety and given into the irrepressible passion Asher provokes in me.
But it all happened so fast.
I couldn’t believe it when he kissed me, and then when he pushed me onto the couch and brought his mouth to my sex…
I couldn’t think.
All that existed was the sensation of his hands on my body, his tongue stroking across my clit, his deep growls every time I twitched and quivered for him.
Now he sits opposite me. He dropped back onto the chair like news of my virginity was a physical blow, sending him backward. I risk a glance at him, trying to read his face.
He’s back to his difficult-to-read expression. Maybe he’s trying to figure out the best way to tell me he’s no longer interested.
It’s a miracle he’s attracted to me in the first place, and now I’ve ruined it by not giving him what he so clearly wants…
When he reached for his belt, I knew where it was going to lead. I wanted to give in, but then I started thinking about what would happen if I couldn’t go through with it. I let my nerves cripple me.
Surely it was better to be upfront?
“Are you going to say something?” I ask him again, feeling like minutes have passed when it’s probably only been seconds. “Asher?”
“I—”
His words are cut off by my cell phone ringing from the coffee table, vibrating next to my laptop. I cringe when I see who’s calling.
“What?” Asher growls.
With a sigh, I show him my cell phone. “It’s Declan.”
“Give me the phone, Autumn.”
His tone is dark like he’d tear Declan to pieces if he was in the room.
“What are you going to say?” I ask, but I pass it over anyway.
There’s something so commanding and alluring when he talks to me that way. Asher is a man completely in control, a man who doesn’t need to make others feel small to make himself big. Not like Declan.
He swipes the answer icon and puts the phone on speaker, gripping it so hard his knuckles turn white. I’m surprised the phone doesn’t shatter.
“Do you really think moving will make me go away, hot stuff?”
“You need to stop calling Autumn,” Asher snaps.
There’s a pause, and then Declan lets out a nervous-sounding laugh. “Who is this?”
“I’m the man who’s going to make your life hell if you ever bother Autumn again. I’m the man who’s giving you a chance to stop this bullshit before I lose my patience. I’m the man who’s going to seriously hurt you if you keep this up.”