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His hand dipped the tiniest bit lower, and his laugh was low and sultry.
Crossing the foyer, Damien offered a short nod to a staff member who hailed him. Beelining for the elevators, he cast one hard glance over his shoulder, and the staff member backed off. When a ding signaled the car’s arrival and the door slid open, she noted the interior was empty. Viv breathed a sigh of relief that no one was waiting to board it with them.
They entered together, in lockstep. The moment the door swished closed, he moved close...close enough that his breath fell upon her cheek. Holding her jaw, he tilted her face up and bent to brush his lips against hers.
Sparks erupted at that faint connection, and she quivered, melting against his body, drawn to him as metal was drawn to a magnet.
“Protection?” he asked, his voice low. He seemed the type who preferred to get business out of the way up front, and she appreciated that about him, too.
“I’m on the Pill,” she replied. “And I have no communicable diseases. I had to get a physical for my job, and I haven’t been with anyone in forever.”
He stiffened and stepped away. “Forever?”
Laughter burst from her lips as she realized he’d momentarily thought she meant she was a virgin. Good lord, after the conversation they’d just shared?
“Five months is kind of forever for me. I haven’t gone that long without sex since I lost my virginity to Ollie Winpigler in the computer lab in eleventh grade.”
His tension eased. “Ollie?” His frown deepening, he added, “In the computer lab?”
“He was a nice guy—a total computer geek, not at all athletic, which was why I chose him. He flew under my brothers’ radar. Any of the jocks who tried to get with me found themselves up against the Callahan defensive line and none of them could make an end run around it.”
Huh. Maybe that was why she preferred smart, sexy guys to beefy jocks. And maybe that deep-down disinterest had communicated itself to her coworkers in recent weeks. She didn’t think she’d done or said anything to throw down a gauntlet, to make them compete for her. Was it possible they were competing because they sensed her innate disinterest in their type? It bore considering.
Or maybe not. They were horny, spoiled jerks, and she was an attractive, available woman. End of story.
He cleared his throat. “Should I be worried about these brothers of yours? They’re not going to burst into my room and try to sack me from the ten yard line tonight, are they?”
She appreciated that he’d continued her play with words. He was clever, as well as smart. “Well, we’re all close, but they do live hundreds of miles away. I don’t see them nearly often enough. I haven’t been home since Christmas, though I am going next month to my parents’ anniversary party.”
“So nobody’s nearby to defend your virtue?”
“Nope, you have me completely at your mercy.” She stepped closer, putting her hands on that hard chest, toying with the buttons of his crisp, white shirt. “As to your original question...I’m protected and healthy. So if you’re clean, too, bareback is fine with me.”
Although a pleased smile widened those masculine lips, he also groaned, as if he’d suddenly imagined plunging into her, all heated strength to wet sheath. No barriers, nothing but hot, slick pleasure.
“Thank God I’m not a teenager and I don’t go around with a rubber in my pocket. And, uh, I can say the same. I haven’t been very active lately, either.”
Curious, she watched him, wondering if he’d explain.
All he said was “It’s complicated.”
“As long as you’re not cheating on somebody else with me, complicated is fine,” she said, presenting him with her one unbreakable rule. She’d noticed he wore no ring, so she wasn’t truly worried.
Some women might believe she had no boundaries, but she’d borne witness to what one of her brothers’ affairs had done to his marriage and family. Seeing the devastation the big, dumb idiot and his trashy girlfriend had wrought on her sister-in-law, nieces and nephew, she’d erected a big No Trespassing sign in her head when it came to attached men. Viv abided by it, always. She might flirt indiscriminately, but when it came to men in relationships with other women, she was strictly hands-off.
“I’m definitely not a cheater. I just don’t do relationships. I’m not cut out for them.”
She slipped one button of his shirt free, licking her lips. “Then it’s all good.”
“It most certainly will be. God, I can’t wait to get inside you,” he said, grabbing her hips, his fingers digging in to her curves. Holding tight, he pulled her hard against him so she could feel the ridge contained behind his zipper.
