Page 94 of Honor

“No pun intended, right?” I tease him.

“You are a dream come true,” he says with a serious expression. “I’ve never known a woman like you.”

I can’t say that I imagined the exchange we’d have before we fucked would go this way. I thought he’d dirty talk his way into my pants and I’d give it up easily because the man is as hot as sin.

His gaze jumps to the vase of pink roses by my bed. “You like pink roses.”

He’s right. I do, but I’m surprised he knew that. I assumed when he came back with them earlier that they were a random choice meant to put a smile on my face.

“The day I carried your groceries to your apartment, I saw a few pink roses in a tall glass on the table.”

I stare at him, stunned that he noticed something like that. “I did.”

“You always look so happy when Norbeta hands you a chocolate chip cookie, so I bought you a dozen today,” he confesses in a low tone.

“Her cookies aren’t good,” I tell him something he probably already knows. “Baden made me throw out the last bunch.”

He tugs on the waistband of his trunks as if he’s about to lower them, but then his hands stop. “What else do you like?”

I want to say “you”, but that feels like too much, too soon, and yet it doesn’t feel like enough. I like him a lot, but that’s something I don’t need to share.

“Bandello’s red wine doesn’t make the list,” he answers for me. “Does a bartender with tattoos?”

I smile at the reminder of Zeke, the bartender at Tin Anchor. That was weeks ago. Obviously, Reid hasn’t forgotten that I hung out with Zeke while he shared a drink with Cleo and Baden.

“I don’t know him,” I say, shaking my head. “I only saw him that one night.”

“Are you sleeping with anyone?” he asks.

“That’s an interesting question to ask after you’ve…” My voice trails.

“After I spent most of last night feasting on your pussy.” He approaches me with wide steps, so the distance between us closes quickly. “Is that what you were going to say?”

“Yes,” I whisper, unable to retreat, not only because of the window behind me but because I want to be as close to him as possible.

“Seeing you like this.” His hand reaches out to toy with the same string on my bikini bottoms that I was just tugging on. “When I see you like this, I don’t want to share. I don’t want you to fuck anyone else.”

“Not even Pete?” I tease.

His face is stern, unwavering in its seriousness. “No one, Evangeline.”

“This weekend, or for longer?”

“Much longer.” He tugs harder on the string. “I want this to continue when we go home.”

I didn’t view that as a possibility, but sex with a man this hot has all kinds of pros, including endless orgasms. My career tops the list of cons, and that’s impossible to ignore.

“One day at a time,” I say to slow this down until I can think more clearly. “Or one fuck at a time.”

I know the impact that word will have on him before he even hears it. He tugs harder on the string on the side of my bikini bottoms until the knot unfurls, and before I can register what’s happening, I’m in his arms, pressed hard against him.

“One fuck at a time, Evangeline,” he whispers in my ear before he trails kisses over my neck. “Starting now.”

My bikini ison the floor, and I’m on my back on the bed before I catch my breath. Reid is still wearing his trunks as he hovers above me, his body weight supported by one hand that rests next to my head.

His other hand is charting a painfully slow course down my neck. “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful than this.”

His words fuel me in a way I didn’t know I needed. I’ve never sought validation from a man about my appearance, but knowing that he thinks I’m beautiful strips away the vulnerability I usually feel during sex.

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