Page 17 of Just Past Two

Abby turned to face him more directly, pulling one leg up beneath her on the couch. She seemed to hesitate on this question for a moment before asking it. “Were you the only one watching me?”

He had been. He’d locked the door, actually, so no one else could come in. He’d done it out of instinct. But he hadn’t told her that, and as several emotions flicked over her face, he considered his options. “Do you want me to tell you? Or do you want to imagine it how you wanted it?”

In the blue-tinted lighting of the room, her face still flushed. Interesting. She visibly mulled over the question before answering. “I…think I want to know.”

He could lie. That normally wasn’t in him; he wasn’t the type of guy to lie about anything. Seeing her different emotions, though, the urge welled up inside him to fabricate an incredible story about a dozen people watching her, all of them hanging on her every move. That might be her fantasy, but actually, it was his. Realization hit him hard. He wanted other people to watch her. He shouldn’t have locked the door. He should have let people in, because then he could have experienced the way they became as captivated with Abby as he was.

“I was alone.”

She sagged slightly, relief and disappointment flickering over her expression in tiny micro movements of her eyes and mouth. With her mixed reactions, something lingered under there, the exhibitionism he’d been starting to understand.

“Do you wish I hadn’t been alone?”

Abby averted her eyes, biting her lip. Obviously, the answer was no, based on her response, but he needed her to say it out loud. She’d been holding back a number of her fantasies, and this game was supposed to make her confess them. He needed the truth. Otherwise, how could he ever know if he was enough for her?

She brought her drink up to her lips and took a sip. She answered him, but it wasn’t loud enough to be heard over the music, and he asked her to repeat it.

“I thought about other people being there.” Her cheeks flushed darker. “It was kind of hot. I’ve never been watched like that before.”

“What about the Campus Twenty?” She’d obviously performed for an audience in the past.

“That was about the guys. It’s different when it’s about me.”

That made sense. “Right. Because when it’s about you, you’re the vulnerable one.”

“Exactly.” She nodded, relaxing a bit. “You get it.”

“Do you like being vulnerable like that?”

Abby grinned and ducked her head again, which he had not expected. She was just full of surprises tonight, loosened up by the situation and maybe the alcohol. “Yeah, I do.”

“I think it’s hot.” That was an understatement; her vulnerability jolted his arousal like an electric shock to his senses.

“Really?” She pursed her lips, dubious.

“Definitely.” Watching her lie on that bed, head thrown back, whimpering as she held herself on the edge of climax, making herself wait…the thought of it made his cock twitch, even if he’d just come so hard he’d nearly blacked out.

Abby threw back another long swig of her drink and swallowed, the muscles of her throat drawing his eyes to her long neck. “You know,” she said, “you’re a surprising guy. I don’t know how I feel about that.”

“I don’t know if I should be flattered or insulted.”

Abby laughed. “That’s fair. I don’t know if I’m flattering you or insulting you.”

He gave her a gentle shove, making her laugh more, and knocked back his own drink. This felt more like the Abby he knew, her fun and playful side, but less straitlaced than usual. This was the side of her he’d suspected beneath that composed veneer. His own fantasies, though, were a surprise: he’d never given much thought to voyeurism, and yet tonight was hotter than he’d imagined it could be.

“You know, the next fantasy is yours.” He squeezed her thigh. “You thinking about what you’re going to bring up?”

“I’ve been thinking about it.” She tapped a finger against her lips.

“So many to choose from?” He tried not to sound nervous; if she brought up something really out there, he’d have some choices to make. He could go along with it, prove his open-mindedness to both of them, or he could admit that it was too much for him and live with the knowledge that they weren’t sexually well-matched. The latter was untenable.

Abby made a noncommittal noise. “I have something in mind, but I don’t think you’ll go for it.”

The challenge raised some competitive desire in Sam, adrenaline suddenly flooding his system. “Try me.”

She was still considering, eyes narrowed in thought, her smile now more contemplative and a bit mischievous. “Okay. How about BDSM stuff?”

“Like what?” He may not know much, but he knew enough to know that there were a lot of different ideas wrapped up in that acronym. “You want me to tie you up and spank you or something?”