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“That you do. And you chose me tonight.” He thought of her mom again, and his sister, and how they would both expect him to be a better man than he’d normally be. Jill didn’t deserve a one-night-stand for her first time. She deserved so much more than that. And despite his being categorically the wrong man to give her what she deserved outside the bedroom, inside of it, he had no qualms about his abilities. “For the next few nights as well,” he added.
She frowned. “More than one night?”
Ignoring the ego boost caused by the desire in Jill’s question, Bryan nodded and waited.
“How many? Two? Three?”
He didn’t exactly know. It wasn’t as if he’d planned for any of this to happen between them. Even after her show at the club, he’d tried to convince himself that he’d sought her out just to offer her his protection from the raucous crowd. Whether or not all of his organs below the waist had been on-board was something else and completely irrelevant now.
Just walking away was no longer an option. Meaningless flings weren’t for virgins who also happened to be Vic’s maid of honor. Discreet fling or not, she deserved better.
“I’m only in town until the wedding,” he reminded her.
“No kidding. That still leaves plenty of days between now and then.”
Those days seemed like a lifetime that was growing longer by the second. “Look, you’re my sister’s best friend. We need to at least…date. Even if it’s in secret.” They could date behind closed doors, right? Maybe they could have a movie and a dinner in a quiet neighboring town where no one would ask any questions or even notice they were there. The fewer people who knew his sister—or had camera phones—the better. “We can even put a limit on how many dates. It’s not proper otherwise, considering our shared connections.”
It was a shame he hadn’t recalled them about fifteen minutes before he’d buried his face between her legs, but live and learn.
“We’re not telling Vic about this,” she said. “Discreet, remember? I don’t want anything distracting her from her big day.”
His shoulders relaxed. Vic and Jill confided in each other about every damn thing. Always had. That Jill intended to hold this in confidence sent relief surging through him. “You’re absolutely right. She doesn’t need to know I’m balling you. Good call.”
She flipped her hair off her shoulders. “Must you always be so crude?”
“You didn’t seem to mind when I had my fingers knuckle-deep in your—”
“Stop it.” She flushed and backed up. “You know what? I’m technically not a virgin anymore. Good enough.” She bent to undo the straps of her shoes and kicked them off while his mouth went dry at the flexing of her long legs. “Please see yourself out.”
For a second, he was speechless. Had she actually just dismissed him? First she’d lied about being a virgin—okay, not exactly lied, though that was a pretty big omission—then she’d indicated she didn’t want to tell her best friend they’d slept together…
And now she was showing him the door?
Things were definitely not proceeding the way they usually did for him.
“Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear when I said we weren’t finished.” He stalked closer. That she stood her ground and drew up her shoulders only made him crave her more. “Is this why your previous relationships never ended in the bedroom? Did you try to boss those guys around, too?”
“You’re a presumptuous ass.”
“I am. And I’m not leaving until we talk this out”—he smiled—“or fuck it out, your choice. But if you think you can just send me packing, you’re wrong. I’m not like the other men you’ve dated.”
“No shit, Sherlock. Earlier tonight I thought that was a good thing. Now I’m not so sure.”
He tipped up her chin with his thumb until he could peer directly into her eyes. “I could have you on your back and screaming for it in under a minute. Wanna test me?”
Her mouth trembled before firming into a line. “I’m not looking for a boyfriend.”
“Yeah, well, I wasn’t looking for a virgin, but you took that choice out of my hands, didn’t you? And believe me, sweetheart, I’m not looking for a girlfriend. I just have enough decency to want to make this about more than a quick fuck for your sake. Not mine.”
What did it matter to him if they only had one night together? It wasn’t as if he needed more than that. He was doing this strictly for her. The hole in his gut at the idea of walking away was simply because the night hadn’t proceeded the way he’d planned. That was all.
Jill bit her lip. “What’s the big frigging deal about the virgin thing? I’m fine if we do this once and move on. That’s what I agreed to, right?” She forged on before he could answer. “Look, you’re a player, right? Just…play me.”
His brain scrambled at the heat in her gaze, at her words. Most likely, she didn’t understand what she was asking for, but maybe he was going about this all wrong. He thought she would appreciate his chivalry in
making it seem like they weren’t just a one-time hookup. Instead, she was looking for something quick and dirty.
Far be it from him to deny her there.
