Fuc
k, that hand dipped any lower and they were gonna have a totally different wake-up call.
“Jess.” His hand clamped over her wrist, keeping hers from straying any further south.
“Hmm,” she groaned.
He moved to slide out from under her, swinging his legs over the side of the bed as he glanced back to find her blinking her pretty sleepy eyes at him. And then she smiled, and it took his breath.
“Good morning,” she murmured.
“Mornin’,” he grunted back.
Her hand slid across the sheet and up his back. When she spoke, her voice came out breathy, low and sexy as hell.
“Come back to bed.”
Tempting. Very tempting. Eve holding out that apple again.
He stood, yanking his jeans on, needing to put some distance between them before he turned back to look down at her.
Confusion. That’s what he saw on her face. Better than the hatred that someday would replace it.
“Time to roll, baby doll.” He lifted his chin toward the bathroom. “You want to go first?”
She shook her head, clutching the sheet to her chest as if she were now unsure of herself. Fuck he hated doing that to her. Making her feel insecure in her own sexuality. He suddenly felt the need to say something.
“Look, Jess, last night—” He broke off. How the hell should he say this?
She looked up at him then, meeting his eyes, but with a wariness that he hated seeing there.
Fuck, just say it, you pussy.
“It shouldn’t have happened. I shouldn’t have let it go that far.” He watched her face harden, and her jaw tighten.
“Please, spare me the blow-off speech like I’m some…some piece of club ass you picked up for the night.”
That got his anger up, and he gritted his own teeth. “Didn’t say you were. And for your information, I don’t give club ass a blow-off speech. I don’t have to. They know the score. They know what this shit is.”
“This shit?”
Goddamn. The look on her face tore at him. He hadn’t meant to snap at her like that.
“Jess—”
Her hand came up, palm up. “Don’t. Just don’t, okay? I don’t need your damn excuses, or your—”
Oh, like hell! Fuck this shit. He grabbed her hand, jerking her closer. “Just fucking listen to me a minute, will you?”
That shut her up.
“You said you’d be okay with this. You said you could handle this.”
She tried to pull her hand free, but he held tight. She glared up at him as she ground out her answer. “That’s because I didn’t think you’d be regretting having sex with me before the sheets were even cold!”
He let her go then, staring down at her, stunned. “I don’t regret the sex, Jess. Christ, is that what you think?”
“What the hell am I suppose to think?” she bit out.