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“Troy.”
Something about her tone made him instantly wary. He forced his body to stay relaxed, resisted the urge to pull her to him, make her lie down against him and stay there all night. Once again he was horribly raw and open to a woman who could hurt him viciously just by walking out the door. “Yeah?”
“I have something to tell you.”
“Sure.” He was glad she wasn’t lying against him because his attempts to relax had just gone out the window and she’d feel the rigidity of his muscles. Here came the lecture, the I-don’t-want-to-get-involved lecture, the this-was-just-sex lecture. “What is it?”
“You took care of my sexual needs tonight and it was really great. And I really appreciate it.”
“Okay.” He clenched his jaw, pain hovering at the ready. Here it came.
“But now…” She gestured toward his door.
“Right.” He felt a deep burning disappointment in his chest. “Now you need to leave.”
“No.” She giggled and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. “Now I need those potato chips.”
8
“SO TELL ME.”
Darcy pushed closer into Troy’s embrace. She couldn’t believe how peacefully she’d slept, couldn’t believe how peaceful she’d felt waking up to him. Usually she came to with a jolt, ready to attack the day’s challenges. This morning she’d felt as if her brain had to push through molasses to surface.
He’d already been awake when she opened her eyes, must have been studying her while she slept. His expression was tender and sweet—until she’d yawned and stretched, pressing her nakedness against his side, and then he’d been ready to go again, bless his young male heart.
Now, after extended languorous lovemaking, she was a boneless jellyfish of a woman. “Tell you what?”
“Tell me what you have against men.”
Darcy’s lovely relaxation fled. “Oh, there’s a nice one. ‘Good morning, Darcy, how about sex followed by a nice stroll through a minefield?’”
“I’m going to want to see a lot of you, Darcy.”
“Do I have a say in this?”
“Not really, no.”
She ignored the thrill and snorted derisively. “Well, there’s a good start to answer your question about what I have against men.”
“Hmm. I’m guessing your boyfriends didn’t give you much say in anything.”
“They let me dress myself.”
“Oh, hey!” His eyes lit up. “I can allow that, too!”
“Oh, you’re a prince. All that freedom? I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.”
He squeezed her to him, nuzzling her hair. “I’m not out to control you, change you or enslave you, Darcy. I’m asking for the chance to be with you, to find out what this is. If it’s just lust and burns itself out, fine, nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned sexual marathon.”
She giggled, relieved the discussion had stayed light. “Hey, you could add that to your events. Running, biking, swimming and sex. A quadrathlon.”
He laughed; she loved that he got her humor. She was stupidly loving everything about their time together. Shouldn’t warning bells be going off like mad? They were frustratingly silent. How was she supposed to panic properly at a time like this?
She needed to remind herself that relationships—yes, okay, okay, this was starting to look like one—were always beautiful at the beginning. Even her parents must have been utterly enthralled with everything about each other at one time. Impossible to imagine given the deep discontent bordering on hatred that comprised most of their interaction through her childhood.
“Men…?”
Darcy sighed and curled his arm tighter around her. “Men. Right.”
“They haven’t treated you well.”
“I haven’t chosen well. I finally decided since I was doomed to repeat the same punishment in my relationships, I’d be happier and healthier avoiding them.”
“So what happens if you find a man who is nice to you?”
She blinked sweetly at him. “Got anyone in mind?”
“No, no, no. A completely random question.”
