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“With me?”
“In general, I suppose. But yeah. With you.”
Her eyes slid away. She put the brush down and swept her hair back from her shoulders. What was it? What didn’t she want to say? His pulse sped with a mix of excitement and trepidation. He wasn’t a prude, but there were some things he probably wouldn’t try, even with Beth. Then again…there were a lot of things he would.
“I’m not into anything,” she finally said.
His excitement smashed into bits at his feet. “Come on. I can handle it.”
Her mouth turned up in a brief smile. “Is there something you want me to be into?”
“No.”
She sat down on the plain black comforter that covered his bed. This room was too spare for a woman like her. She deserved to be surrounded by pillows and silks and bright colors.
“Eric…I’m not that exciting.”
“Ha!” That was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard.
“I’m serious,” she said quietly. “I know what people think. I get that. But I’m just a regular girl.”
There was no amusement in her tone now. As a matter of fact, she sounded so somber that Eric’s neck prickled. He crossed the room and sat down next to her. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“I know that. It’s just that I…I’m nothing more exciting than this.” She spread her hands over her bare thighs. “Honestly. That’s not to say I haven’t tried things. I’ve explored the options, just because of my job and my friends, and…in the end, I’m only…regular.”
Did she think he wanted something more than what they had? Did she think he expected her to perform tricks? Eric took her hand and cradled her curled fingers in his. “There’s nothing regular about you, Beth.”
“That’s nice of you to say, but—”
“Nice? Are you kidding me? You think I’m being nice? When I say there’s nothing regular about you, I mean every single time I touch you it blows my mind.”
She rolled her eyes. “Eric—”
“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation. Whenever you call me, I think you’ve got me mixed up with someone else. That you’ve made a mistake, because what the hell could you need from me?”
Her hand turned until she could weave her fingers between his. “I’m not like this with other men, Eric.”
“Like what?”
“Normal.”
“Christ, what does that mean? You don’t have to tone things down for me or keep the training wheels on or whatever it is you—”
“That’s not it.” She tried to tug her
hand away, but he wouldn’t let her, and eventually she relaxed again. “That’s not what I mean at all. What I mean is that it’s comfortable with you. It shouldn’t be, but it is.”
“Comfortable? Are you sure that’s a good thing?”
Beth took a deep breath, her lips parted as if she was about to say something. But then she just sighed and laid her head on his shoulder.
Comfortable? Like a harmless friend? He didn’t get it. He felt alive with her. So aware of her that it hurt sometimes. And she wanted to…what? Braid his hair? “Beth—”
“You have no idea how nice it is to feel comfortable.”
He frowned. “I don’t think of sex on a table as being comfortable,” he grumbled. “Or on the floor.”
Beth lifted her head and smiled at him as if he was being silly. “No?”
