"Well, that's bloody fantastic for you."
He's smiling, like he means that.
"You're not, like, disgusted?" I ask. "Or seeing dollar signs floating in front of your eyes? You don't feel the urge to ask me to marry you?"
"No," he says, laughing. "I don't do relationships, Arden, I told you that. But I'm glad you don't need to worry about money. It's awful having to think about that all the time."
"Chance has a lot of money, right?"
"He does, and I'm happy for him too."
"Not being well off doesn't make you a loser or a disappointment."
He lets go of my hand to scratch his chin. "I know that, but knowing it and feeling it are different things."
"You can have half my money if you want."
He chuckles at my offer. "That's generous, but no thank you. I don't know you well enough to accept a gift like that, and I wouldn't accept it even if we did know each other well. It's too much."
"You mean that, don't you?"
"I do."
I clasp his hand again and lead him away from the butterfly garden. "Tell me about your brother Dane. You said he invents things."
"Let's not talk about Dane right now."
"Why not? Does he make nuclear weapons for terrorists?"
Reese chuckles. "No, love, he doesn't work for terrorists. He started his own company a few years ago, to sell the devices he designs."
We pass the gorilla exhibit, but I keep us headed down the path because I have a destination in mind. And an activity in mind. He'll say no, but I'm determined to have my way. Reese doesn't seem like he can say no for long, which means I'll get what I want.
Him. His body. His incredible dick.
Maybe I'm going a little crazy with the "shagging," as Reese calls it, because I was a virgin until last night. But no, I'm sure it's more than that. It's him. Reese Dixon is so... lovable. Getting to know him a little better makes me want him even more.
"What kind of devices?" I ask.
"Devices? Oh, you mean the bits and bobs Dane makes." Reese grumbles, and if he's saying words, I can't understand them. Finally, he says, "My brother designs, manufactures, and sells sexual wellness devices."
I stop, bringing Reese to a halt with me. "Sexual wellness?"
Reese bows his head. "Dane makes sex toys. Vibrators. Dildos. Anything that helps women satisfy their needs."
"Only for women? He doesn't make things for men?"
"No. Only women." Reese's mouth jacks up at one corner. "As you can imagine, Dane is very, very popular with the ladies."
"Making sex toys doesn't mean he's great in bed." I seize a handful of Reese's shirt and drag him closer. "Nobody does it better than you."
"I appreciate the compliment, but I'm the only man you've been with."
"Maybe I should do your brothers, so I have something to compare you to."
"That's not funny." He slides an arm around my waist. "I'd love to do you right here in the zoo, on the main path, but we'd both get arrested for that."
I put my arms around him and raise onto my tippy toes, intending to kiss him.