“You’ve been a good girl,” he murmurs under his breath. “A very good girl.”
Which makes me blush all over again.
“Let’s go buy some vegetables.” He turns me around and pats me on the ass. “And make sure you haggle a little.”
“Wait,me?”
“Goldilocks wanted the shopping experience. It’s all yours.”
I dig out our shopping list and rub my chest, where my heart is beating double-time.
At the first stall, I ask if there’s a discount for buying apples in bulk. Justin gives me a thumbs up.
At the second, I pick a cheese that’s already on sale. That gets me a murmured, “Good girl.”
At the third, I pick out the mushrooms I want, as well as green beans.
“Don’t forget to haggle,” he murmurs against my ear.
I clear my throat. “Can you toss in a bulb of garlic?”
“How about three of them for a dollar?”
“Sold.” I’m not even sure I got a deal there, but it was thrilling anyway.
Once we have everything on our list, we head back to the truck and stow our groceries in the backseat.
“That was well done,” Justin says, and there’s a sincerity in his voice that surprises me, even after everything we’ve done and said to each other. “I’m proud of you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. That was out of your comfort zone, and you rocked it.”
“It doesn’t seem like something to be proud of, though.”
“Let me tell you about this wedding I don’t want to go to next month, and howyouwould ace that experience without a second thought.” He presses me against his truck, and I’m grateful that we’re hidden from the crowds on the other side. “Let me show you how proud I am of you doing something new to you, and doing it with enthusiasm.”
His mouth is hot and hungry, his kiss just as much an indulgence for him as a reward for me. He groans as his tongue slides past my lips, like he’s tried to be patient, but he really didneedthis, and I cling to all of that. His earnest desire for me, and his clearly stated pride.
I impressed him.
It makes me want to curl up in his arms and let him take care of me forever.
* * *
That feeling carries through the rest of the day. And Justin seems attuned to my extra layer of vulnerability—and my knee-jerk instinct to hide those feelings beneath dirty sex.
For a girl who thought of herself as uptight just a few days ago, it turns out I am very muchnota prude.
“This is what you need, isn’t it?” He kisses the back of my neck, an open-mouth suck that makes me gasp. “Because you’re ripe. You need Daddy to hold you down and breed you. I’m going to enjoy taking you over and over again, my tight little wife. Won’t stop at just one baby. Every time you need a reminder of just how much I love you, I’ll—”
We both freeze.
I can practically hear his heart pounding in his chest, and I can definitely feel it against my back.
“You…” I twist, and he lets go of my hair. “What?”
He braces himself above me, his handsome face tight with tension. “Is it too soon?”