Page 55 of Laila Manning
Or I thought he had been relaxing.
“Reading.” He replied, not even glancing up from the paper.
“Stop it.” I rushed forward and lunged for the offensive test, but he moved faster than I did and pulled it just out of reach, leaving me sprawled out across his lap, empty-handed. “Don’t read it.”
“Why?” He cocked his head to the side and moved the paper when I tried to reach for it again. “Where did you get this?”
“Carly.” I groaned, defeated, as I tried to stand up, but he was prepared and wrapped one arm around my waist, anchoring me to his lap.
He smelled so divine up close like this, and my eyelids wanted to flutter closed and give in to the feeling of his body under mine.
“Were you going to talk to me about these things?” He raised one eyebrow at me, making me still and relax in his hold.
“No,” I admitted, and his eyes widened at my answer. “I’m not kinky.” I shrugged, trying to fight the feeling of inferiority trying to come over me. “There’s nothing to tell.”
He tilted his head back and cleared his throat as he started reading from the list. “Desire to play a role or a part other than your own during intimacy.” He flicked his eyes over to me, then back to the paper, “Interested.” I winced slightly, but he wasn’t done with me yet as he read another line. “Desire to be dominated during intimacy.” He looked right at me, “Not interested.”
“Can you stop now?” I shuddered. “I’m more than mortified.”
“Why are you mortified?” He laid the paper down on the couch next to him and put both hands on my hips like we were a couple that was comfortable with touches like this.
“Because you’re digging into my head,” I replied. “Like you always do. But I don’t want you there.”
“Why don’t you want me to get to know you?”
“That’s not—” I stammered, “It’s not that I don’t want you to know me.”
“That’s what it sounds like.” He countered. “You don’t want me to know what you like or don’t like sexually?”
“I don’t—” I sighed. “I don’t even know what I do or don’t like.”
“Exactly.” He tilted his head to the side in that unnerving, calm and controlled way he always did. “This may be beneficial for both of us.”
I rolled my eyes and tried to stand up so I could think straight. The pajama shorts set that I put on after my shower left a little barrier between our bodies, and I couldn’t feel all of him against my skin and think at the same time.
But he wasn’t interested in letting me go and tightened his hold on my hips when I tried to move again.
“Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I only took that stupid paper with me because they were shoving it down my throat.” I huffed.
“Did they force you to answer these questions?” He challenged.
“No.” I groaned and tilted my head back to the ceiling. “I did that after I got home from therapy. And it just further points out my shortcomings and how incompatible we are.”
His brows rose, and anger flashed behind his blue irises quickly before it disappeared. “You think we’re incompatible? Seriously? Even after what I made you feel in that office?”
“I didn’t—” I bit my lip, struggling to find the words.
“Tell me you don’t feel the connection between us, and I’ll leave you alone.” He said, and panic filled my heart instantly. “Tell me you really think we’re incompatible and I’ll never touch you again.”
“No.” I gasped and shook my head, “I don’t know how to be interesting for you. I don’t know how to give you what you need. Tokeepyou interested.”
He growled and wrapped one hand around the back of my neck and held me to him as he kissed me, silencing my fears. “This.” He whispered against my lips, “Talking, sharing, and discussing what you like and don’t like, that’s how we learn what each other needs.” He kissed me deeper as I softened in his hold, “I’m so fucking interested in you, Laila. Just like this. I don’t need flashy kinks to get me hard.” He rocked me forward in his lap so I could feel the proof of his words. “I’m always fucking hard for you, Dove.”
“Zeke.” I groaned, fighting the war in my head that was trying to tell me I wasn’t good enough.
“Don’t think.” He demanded, “Just feel. Just let your body tell you what it wants.”
