His fingers, still wrapped around hers, gave her a little squeeze. “What do you say?”
She searched his face, and he hid nothing, it was all there—heat, determination, curiosity. She released the breath she’d been holding and jumped off a cliff. “Yeah, I’ll give you that chance.”
“Yeah?”
She nodded, smiling because the guy did that to her. “I’d like to get to know you too, Reid.”
The smile he offered was wide and looked extremely good on him. “That’s good, baby.”
He’d been honest with her, and he deserved the same in return. Her tummy flipped at the prospect. She took a bite of her pizza to stall…and moaned. He was right. The pizza was delicious. Reid continued to watch her, making her heart beat a little faster.
She knew she came across a certain way, and it didn’t take a psychic to work out that Reid had been with more than his fair share of women. Pipe and Alex knew about her past, knew what had happened and why she didn’t date. Her experience where sex was concerned was limited, as in, born-again-virgin status. Maybe he wouldn’t care, but in the spirit of honesty, no matter how humiliating, she knew she had to open up, at least a little. It would be a hell of a lot more embarrassing if, when they finally got down to business, rather than burn up the sheets, she disappointed him.
It had been a long damn time since she’d wanted a man like she did Reid. She didn’t want to screw this up before it properly began.
Lifting his glass, he took a sip of wine, licking the ruby liquid from his bottom lip before placing the glass on the table. Shit, he even made drinking wine look hot. A shiver of need moved through her. God, she wanted that mouth, that tongue on her.
“What’s on your mind?” he said, jarring her from her wandering thoughts.
She finished chewing her last bite of pizza, then took a gulp of her wine, folded and unfolded the napkin in front of her, trying to find the right way to start. “Um…well, you see…”
“What is it, Rusty?” He’d stopped eating, wiped his mouth and hands on his napkin, and sat back, watching her with an intensity that made her squirm in her seat. His jaw tightened. “Is there someone else?”
“What?”
“I don’t share. We see where this is going, we do it exclusively.”
His posture was stiff, fists clenched in front of him, but dammit, all she could hear was the word exclusively. He didn’t want to share her, and he didn’t plan to date anyone else. She liked that, a whole lot. A smile lifted of its own volition, and then she realized he didn’t look quite as happy as she felt.
“That’s it? You’re seeing someone…”
“No.” She held up her hands. “No, I’m not seeing anyone. I haven’t dated, well, not seriously, in a long time…like, a looong time.”
“Yeah?”
She nodded.
“How long?”
She inwardly winced. “Eight…um, years.”
Silence. “You want to repeat that?” he finally said.
No.
She did some more squirming. “I mean, I’ve had the odd date, but nothing, um…more.” Then, without giving herself a chance to chicken out, she blurted, “What I’m trying to say is, I haven’t slept with anyone in eight years, and that was only the one time. So if you’re expecting some freak between the sheets, you’re dating the wrong woman.” There, she’d said it.
She risked another look at him. He sat there, motionless, like a damn statue, eyes locked on her. She’d shocked him. “Um, Reid?”
“You’re telling me, you have only had sex with one guy? And that was eight years ago…once?”
“Yes, that’s what I’m telling you.” Great, she’d put him off. She’d hoped her lack of experience wouldn’t be a problem, but judging by the expression on his face, she’d been wrong.
“You were what? Seventeen?”
“Eighteen.”
He sat back in his chair again, more emotions moving behind his eyes, but this time she had no hope of figuring them out. “This guy took your virginity, then…nothing?”
