Page 99 of Hitting the Gap

She turned her head slightly so she could see him. “Wasn’t it obvious?” she asked.

“Are you kidding me? Not even close.”

“Good.” Her shoulders bounced happily as she spoke. Bailey turned and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Thank you for making me feel safe enough to try things with you.”

He ran his hand down the side of her cheek. “Nothing about sex with you is a hardship, Bay. I am more than happy to be your guinea pig for anything you want to try.”

She leaned back and raised her eyebrow at him. “Anything?”

Oh shit, why did she have that look on her face? “Umm, hang on, I retract that. I’ve seen some of the books you read. I’m up for trying anything between you and me, but there’s not a chance in hell I’m letting another man touch you.”

“What about a woman?” she asked.

“Ugh…” He stumbled and damn near swallowed his tongue. Bailey liked girls?

Before he could even formulate a coherent thought, she smacked him in the chest. “Oh my god, what is it with guys and girl-on-girl shit?”

He shook his head. “No, hang on, hang on.” He held up his hand. “Did my mind instantly picture you with a girl? Yes. But do I want to share you with a woman? Honestly, no. I don’t want to share you with anyone. Period. The only person I want to see touching that pussy besides me is you.”

“Good, because the only person I want touching you is me.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up so he didn’t have to keep squatting to be eye level. “Good.”

Bailey slapped his shoulder. “Put me down, I weigh too much. You’re gonna hurt yourself.”

“Bay, the minute picking up my girl hurts me, there’s a problem.”

She tensed. Shit, he’d meant he was a wimp if he couldn’t hold her, not that there was something wrong with her. He backed her up to the wall and pressed her back against the glass. He hoisted her so she had to wrap her legs around his waist, allowing him to lean back slightly to look at her. “Don’t do that, Bay, there’s not a fucking thing wrong with your body. I love everything about it, and I’m pretty sure what just happened in here proved that.”

He watched her. Finally, she nodded. “It did.”

“Good. I work out, Bay. Hard. The only way I’m not going to be able to pick you up is if I have an injury and then it wouldn’t matter if you were a kid, I wouldn’t be able to pick you up. Just because every guy you’ve been with before has been soft, doesn’t mean I am. Now if you don’t like being picked up and carried, that’s one thing, but like I told you before, if it’s because you’re worried I’m like those other guys. Don’t be. I’ve got you and I’d never let you fall.”

Her legs tightened around his waist. “I know you wouldn’t.” She ducked her head and rested it in the crook of his neck. “I love you, Gonzo.”

His body tensed. Did she just say what he thought she did? He pulled back and looked at her. Bailey watched him warily. “Is that okay?” she asked.

“No.”

“No?” Bailey’s eyes widened and she scrambled to get out of his arms.

He held her tight and pressed firmly against the wall to keep her from going anywhere. “I feel like if the woman I love says she loves me, then maybe she should call me by my given name at least at a time like this.”

“The woman you love?” Bailey whispered.

“Jesus, yeah, Bay, obviously I love you. How could I not?”

“You’ve never said it before, not like this, anyway.” Her head tilted to the side as she shyly watched him.

“You’ve never said it either.” His heart pounded in his chest. He’d never told a woman he loved her in this kind of context before. “I think the first time you say it you should call me Ramon.”

“I thought you said it was too intimate for someone to call you by your given name.” She trailed her finger down his chest.

“Doesn’t get much more intimate than what we’re doing, Bailey.”

“I love you, Go…Ramon.” Bailey smiled at him.

It sounded really weird hearing her call him Ramon, not like them at all. “Maybe just Ram instead.”

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