Page 59 of Puppy Christmas

“Um…let me see.” She paused a moment. Storytelling was yet another in a long line of skills she’d never had an opportunity to practice, but there was a first time for everything.A lotof first times, actually, considering her recent track record. “Her father was a powerful gang leader who kept a close watch on her. He had to, of course. Because of the bosoms.”

“Tell me about them.”

“About her bosoms? Or did you want to hear about mine?”

“Well, I’d prefer to discuss the state of yours, but I’m not picky.”

“Am I allowed to use bad words, or should I spell them out?”

He laughed. Like the growl, it was aninterestedlaugh, with a strangled restraint to it that made her feel as though her limbs were liquid. It was a powerful thing, to reduce a man to such guttural noises using no more than her words.

“I’d prefer you use the real deal,” he said. “The dirtier the better.”

“Well, I don’t know very many dirty words for boobs, so don’t get your hopes up. Let’s see… I know tits and knockers, hooters and melons. Uh, fun bags? Or how about love pillows? My love pillows are all soft and squishy. Well, except for my nipples. Those are growing awfully tight.”

“Oh my God. I’m not going to last very long if you start describing your nipples. Go on with your story. What happened to this ridiculously overdeveloped motorcycle heiress of yours?”

Lila tried to marshal her thoughts in a more appropriate direction, but she was having a difficult time with anything but the physical demands of her body.

So far, Ford had said nothing extraordinarily provocative, but that didn’t seem to make a difference. Just knowing he was on the other end of the line—enjoying her,laughingwith her—made her feel like she was sneaking around under the bleachers with him again. She squirmed more deeply into her sheets, the pressure between her thighs growing stronger with each movement.

“She fell in love, as all overdeveloped motorcycle gang heiresses do, with a rival gang’s equally overdeveloped son. Do you want me to tell you whathe’swearing?”

“Unless he’s in a thong, no. And now that you mention it, I’m pretty sure this is the plot toRomeo and Juliet. Is this normally how you do this?”

“How I normally do this?” She cast a look down at herself, somewhat surprised to find that she was still in her prim pajamas, her limbs twisted up in the crisp white sheets she changed every three days like clockwork. Those things were the same as they always were, predictable and boring.Shewas the only thing that had changed. As was usually the case where this man was concerned, she was forging new territory here—sexually charged territory where she laughed and played and threw all discretion to the wind. “I don’t know. I’ve never had phone sex before. Don’t most people do it via video chat these days?”

“Woman, if you had any idea what kind of agonies I’m in just listening to your voice, you wouldn’t suggest such a thing. I don’t think my heart can take it.” He paused. “Have you really never done this before?”

She squirmed again, this time uncomfortably. How could she admit to this man that her sex life, though not lacking in opportunity, had never been what one would call adventurous? She’d done it in beds and on couches, on the floor and the kitchen counter, but that was about the extent of her experimentation. She’d never even sent someone a nude. She’d tried once, but she couldn’t seem to get the angles to work to her satisfaction.

“To be honest, it hasn’t come up,” she said.

“Never?”

“Not really, no. I’ve only had the ordinary kind of sex.” She hesitated briefly before adding, “Probably because I’ve only had the ordinary kind of partners.”

He paused again, long enough this time to cause her some alarm. It went against her nature to lie about her experiences, but maybe she should have played alittlecoy. She didn’t want Ford to think she was boring.

“In that case, I’m about to rock your world. Are you ready?”

“Ready for what?” she asked, somewhat bewildered. Was there a protocol that no one had told her about? Was this another one of those life lessons that everyone else seemed to be born knowing?

Oh dear.Why, oh why, hadn’t it occurred to her to ask Dawn what to expect when hooking up with a gorgeous, flirtatious man of the world? Her more experienced sister would have been able to prep her accordingly. Or at least provide ample warning.

“Your leather-clad grandmother has nothing on me, I’m afraid. Is your right hand free? Yes? Good. Slip it down your stomach until you get to the top of your panties.”

“What makes you think I’m wearing any?” she asked, her voice only partially strangled.

A low, strangled sound escaped his throat. “You’re such a liar. You’ve done this a million times before, haven’t you? You wouldn’t ask such a dangerous question otherwise.”

“I’m a fairly intelligent woman. I can guess that nudity appeals to your imagination.”

“Youappeal to my imagination, Lila. You could be encased in a bubble made of explosive plastics, and I’d still rip through it with my goddamned teeth to get a taste of you.”

It was the first time he’d ever sworn—reallysworn, the word coming out without a trip or a hesitation, no sound of a spelled-out letter anywhere. She might, under any other circumstances, have been able to hold her own against him, but that loss of control—that tiny slip from a doting father to an uncontrolled, passionate man—was her undoing.

“Oh,” she said, unable to come up with a better retort.