Page 77 of Love You Truly

I get only a shrug. It sets me back because Dash is ordinarily so light-hearted and this mood or whatever this is feels different. Like he’s just closed himself off to me.

“Dash, what’s going on? Did I say something wrong?”

He stares up at the ceiling, contemplative.

“I guess old reputations die hard.” He shakes his head. “Fuck it. Maybe there’s no point in trying to change public perception. Not like it matters what other people think.”

Dash shifts, pulling himself up into a sitting position and shoving a couple more pillows between his back and the headboard of the bed. He puts his arms behind his head again and looks at the ceiling instead of meeting my gaze like he normally does.

“It matters if you care.”

Another shrug. He’s shutting down in front of me, and I start to fear that those storm clouds may not blow away. “I care if what they think isn’t true.”

“Are you saying you haven’t dated a lot of women?”

“Can we not do this?” He turns away or tries to, but I move so I’m still in his sightline. His lips twist into a grimace, but he grudgingly meets my eyes.

“We could…not do this.” I debate letting him off the hook because this seems to pain him, but I’m curious now. And he did promise to be honest with me, so I’m going to take him up on it. “But you said you want to know me better. I’d like to know you too.”

He says nothing, and I get the feeling he’s finished talking. But because I clearly don’t know Dash Corbett yet, he does the opposite of what I expect.

“It’s true and false, the thing about my dating life.” He opens his mouth but seems to think better of what he was about to say next. “I do date a lot, but it’s because I’m a social guy. I like going out, and women seem willing. But I don’t hook up anymore, mainly because it leaves me feeling empty, and it can get complicated. So I just date a woman once or twice and move on. Cleaner. Easier. More fun. I’m not the man-slut you think I am.”

“I didn’t…” I start to protest that he’s wrong about my impression of him, but I can’t lie. I absolutely thought he was a man-slut. It’s part of why I approached him for a date in the first place. Had a feeling he wouldn’t say no. “Okay, maybe I did have that idea about you. People talk and I didn’t know any better. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Not your fault. How would you know?” He slides down lower so he’s halfway between sitting and reclining. His body looks more comfortable. Unburdened.

It takes me a minute before I realize what he’s just inadvertently told me, but when it hits me, I sit up straighter. Blinking as my brain churns through new information, I finally lock eyes with Dash.

He nods, the sparkle returning to his eyes, which mesmerize me anew with their clarity.

“But you slept with me.” I feel the need to say the words out loud even though we both know it.

“I did.”

“Just because I asked?” I say the words slowly because I need to be sure of what he’s telling me even without telling me explicitly. I need the subtitles. And the voiceover. And the footnotes. Dumb it down for me!

Finally, the icy facade cracks. “No, not just because you asked. I’m here with you because I don’t want to be anywhere else. And I’m sleeping with you because I can’t resist you. I can’t stop. Don’t want to stop.”

He lets those new words mingle with the sudden thickness of the air around us. My body buzzes with electricity I feel across every inch of my skin.

The air leaves my lungs in a whoosh.

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

I nod. Then I swivel around, throw myself on top of him, and fuse my lips to his. I don’t have the words to tell him I can’t stop either, so I show him another way.

I kiss his beautiful face and let my tongue slide down his neck while my hands take stock of every inch of his chest and abs.

And then I slide lower, where I already feel him rock hard beneath me. I’ve been wanting his cock in my mouth for weeks now, and I feel like I’ve just been given permission to take everything I want from him.

From the way he groans with pleasure, he’s onboard. “God, honey…”

I tease him a little bit, running my tongue over the length of him before taking him fully into my mouth. He’s large and thick and I love the feel and taste of him.

I love how he groans each time I take him a little deeper and swirl my tongue against him. I love how he runs his hands through my hair and grips it in handfuls as he gets closer. I love making him lose control as he bites out a curse and calls my name. My real name. “Fuck, Mallory. It’s so damned good.”

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