Page 83 of Playmaker

“Yes. It’s a yes.”

“And you’re not going to regret it? Because that’s hell on a man’s ego.”

I blinked at him. That was the second time he mentioned my regretting it. Once could be a throwaway, but not twice. Did he think I had regrets?

He shrugged and stood up. “Okay, bedroom.”

“Wait.”

His body froze, eyes meeting mine before skittering over my shoulder. “Changed your mind?”

I shook my head. “No. But so you know, I don’t regret last night.”

Now he met my gaze. “You sure?”

“I hate the thought of stroking your ego. It’s already incredibly inflated. But last time was good. Very good. Top ten good.” Best ever, but I had to save some of myself with this man. “I don’t regret how much I enjoyed myself, but it scares me.”

His confidence was back, and his gaze on me was too perceptive. “What are you afraid of, Callie, if you lose control in my bed?”

A shiver ran down my spine. Something about the way he said those words—lose control in my bed—made a part inside me push to the surface, want to show him how out of control I could be. I was familiar with that part, and it led to bad decisions. I reined it in. “Of doing something incredibly stupid.”

“What stupid thing could you do? Aside from whips and shackles, I’m pretty open when it comes to sex.”

I twisted my lips. “Yeah, well sometimes sex gets mixed up with feelings. I won’t risk that.”

My life had derailed, almost ruining my future, when I thought men fucking me meant they cared for me. My stupid heart opened to them, desperate for affection. I’d learned that they were using me, and I wouldn’t allow that again.

His eyes narrowed. “Do you…want a relationship?”

I snorted. “Please. I’m not that stupid. Neither of us wants that.”Talk about ego.“I mixed up sex and love when I was young. I won’t do it again. But I haven’t let my control go like last night in a long time. It could be a problem.”

He nodded slowly. “Are you afraid you can’t control yourself if we do this again?”

“Maybe last time was a fluke. I’ve been on my own for too long.”

That got to him. “I promise, Callie, that wasn’t a fluke. And cards on the table, I’d like to continue having sex with you while this chemistry thing works. How about we agree to call a halt if either of us starts to feel like this might be more?”

Did he saywebecause he was being tactful? Was he worried about developing feelings? Not likely. People didn’t fall for me. In any case, some amazing sex was my treat. An indulgence for a brief time. If it started to get out of hand, if feelings got involved, we’d end it. “And this doesn’t affect our agreement?”

A strange look crossed his face but I couldn’t read it. He held up two fingers. “I swear.”

“So, can we get to where I tie you up and use you?”

The familiar confident expression was back on his face. “I’ll do the tying. But yeah, we can see if this works for you.”

“Go get your ties, then. We’ve got work to do.”

Chapter24

We’ll sacrifice these

Callie

I followedhim to his bedroom.

He pulled the tie from around his neck and inspected it. “This might not be recoverable when we’re done, but I’m not sure I want to wear it again anyway.” He picked up his tie from the previous day. “Okay, we’ll sacrifice these.”

“Take off your shirt.”

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