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Marin sensed he’d glossed over something. Tension was there in the set of his shoulders, but she wasn’t going to push. “No way Pax said ‘fucking.’”
“Oh, I promise he did. He was pissed. He made me feel like a dumb shit. But it was what I needed to hear. I was acting like an idiot. He strong-armed me into getting my shit together and taking an interview here. I haven’t looked back.”
“Wow.” Marin shook her head. “Guess this is where Pax sends his problem students.”
He smiled. “Let’s pretend it’s where he sends his favorites.”
“So, you’re happy here?”
He glanced toward the dark window then took a sip of his water, something uneasy filling the silence. “I love what I do here. The job challenges me, and I feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. I’d like to work on some research, too, but until I get a director position, there won’t be any time for that.”
He hadn’t answered her question, not exactly, but she let it slide. They ate in silence for a few minutes, letting conversations of the past drift away in their rearview mirrors. The wine started to take effect for Marin—nothing dramatic but a softening of the sharp-edged nerves from earlier. The muscles in her neck and shoulders began to unwind.
“I think I could be happy here once I get more comfortable with everything. The clients definitely will keep me on my toes. I like knowing that each person is a new riddle to figure out.” She wiped her hands on her napkin. “And the training is turning out to be very . . . interesting.”
Donovan looked her way, amusement lighting some of the darkness that had entered his eyes earlier. He reached out and took a sip from her wineglass. “Yeah? What have you learned so far, Dr. Rush?”
“Well, I’ve learned that there are sex toys I would’ve never fathomed existed. And that there are still sexual surrogates. That blushing is a plague upon my house. Oh, and that there is chocolate-flavored lubricant—which I’m still trying to figure out.”
Donovan choked a little on the wine and then laughed and set her glass down. “What exactly is there to figure out?”
She gave him a well-duh look. “Why the hell would anyone want it to be chocolate flavored?”
He pressed his lips together like he was trying to contain a laugh but mirth danced in his eyes anyway. “You really need to ask? Some people don’t like the tastes associated with oral sex.”
“Is it that bad?”
“Which side?”
“I’m assuming you’ve only sampled one side of that equation.”
His lips curved, a pirate smile. “Not entirely true. I’ve never given a guy a blow job, no, but I know what I taste like. I suspect you know what you taste like, too.”
The heat that rushed through her hit her face in an instant. Her cheeks burned like she’d been slapped.
“There’s the patented Marin blush.”
She groaned. “Shut up.”
He shifted toward her, his gaze holding hers. “Take off your panties, Marin.”
She stilled. “What?”
He got up from his chair and grabbed hers, turning it away from the table. “Your nerves are going to get the best of you if we take things too slow. You can always say no, but I’m asking you to trust me. Do you trust me?”
“Yes.” The word popped up automatically.
But before she could say anything else, he lowered himself to his knees in front of her and his lips met hers in a s
low, teasing kiss. One that made things melt. One that made the tension in her body unfurl. She gave into it. And as his tongue stroked along hers, he pushed her dress along her thighs in a slow glide, exposing her bare legs. Her heart picked up speed, her stomach tensing. But she didn’t stop him. Wouldn’t.
He hooked his fingers in the sides of her underwear and broke away from the kiss, his gaze colliding with hers. “I said, take them off.”
“Oh.” So they were doing this. Now. She tried not to have a panic attack.
Just listen. Let him guide you. This is Donovan. The words whispered through her head, calming some of the nerves. She lifted her hips when he tugged, and she let him slide her underwear down. Shivers chased the fabric down her legs as he dragged them all the way to her feet. He tossed the panties aside and put his hands on her knees.
“Open for me, Marin. I want to see you.”
