Page 24 of Can't Help Growling in Love
My breath rushes out on a long sigh. “Yeah. That would be great.”
“Okay.” June leans back against her seat. “So, um, I’ve had several partners up until now. One boyfriend of four months was a ghoul, all the rest were humans. No scary breakups or trauma to speak of.”
I force myself to keep my gaze on the road, even though I want to see June’s expressions. Her scent remains calm, no hint of agitation, which soothes me, too.
“As for my preferences, I don’t like pain, it’s just not my thing,” she says, flushing pink. “I don’t mind if you’d like to take the lead. I’m okay with pretty much anything, too, and I promise to tell you if anything feels weird.”
“That’s good,” I rumble. My voice has dropped an octave just from listening to her talk about this. I blow out a long breath and tell myself to calm the fuck down.
She fidgets for a moment, then adds, “I’ve got an implant. I figured we should discuss contraception. And I had my physical exam at work last month. All my tests were clean. I haven’t been with anyone since, but I can show you the paperwork if you’d like.”
I’m sweating now, because if I understand her correctly, she’s saying that she wants to have sex without condoms, andohfuck, I’m picturing sinking my cock into her hot, tight pussy with nothing between us.
Forcing back the haze of lust, I choke out, “I haven’t been with anyone, and I was clean when I left the Army, of course, but I’ll get any tests you’d like. Tomorrow—no, I can go tonight before work. If they can fit me in.” Then I take a deep breath and add, “I’m good with everything you said about limits. I don’t think pain is one of my kinks, either. I’ll have to learn as we go for the rest.”
“That works. As long as we’re communicating, we’ll figure it out.” She grins at me. “Then we’re all set.”
All set for sex?
Gods, do people have this kind of conversation every time they want to sleep with someone new? I thought I’d stop by the drugstore and buy some condoms, since I don’t have any at home, but this better.Somuch better.
I take the last turn, and my house comes into view. For the first time since I moved here, I cringe at the sight of it—or rather my yard. I left it purposefully wild, so it almost blends with the forest the lot backs up against, but now it’s just unkempt. With the dead, brown autumn grass, the overgrown brambles, and the untrimmed bushes lining the front edge of the property, it looks like a serial killer’s lair. The rain and the dark clouds overhead aren’t helping matters either.
June hasn’t noticed it yet—or maybe she thinks the property is abandoned and is expecting us to stop at another house on the street, one that has a neatly manicured lawn and a cheerfully painted mailbox screwed on the fence.
“I’m a little worried about the size of you,” she’s saying. “When—if—we get to that, we’ll have to be extra careful, okay?”
Wait, what?
While I’ve been worrying about the state of my house, June has been planning ahead for sex, including the mechanics of it.
I stop the car in the street in front of my gate. “June.”
“It’s just that I don’t think I’ve ever been with anyone as big as you.” She turns her gaze on me, her brown eyes wide. “That’s not a bad thing—believe me, it’s not. I can’twait. But, um, slowly, okay?”
“June,” I repeat. “We’re here.”
She sits up straight. “Oh! I don’t know why I thought we’d have a longer drive. Is this your house?”
Squinting through the rain, she studies the overgrown bushes lining the driveway beyond the gate. She falls silent, and her scent gains a note of anxiety.
I really should have expected that.
“It’s only the front yard that’s like this,” I mutter. “There’s a nice lawn in the back, and I completely renovated the inside of the house. But this…”
She faces me again, her expression curious.
After a moment of silence, I admit, “I left the front wild so no one would think to bother me. I don’t like people up in my business.”
“People usually put up a Private Property sign,” she quips. “Or a nine-foot fence. I won’t lie, this looks…”
“Like the start of a horror movie?” I supply, hope plummeting.
“I was going to say intimidating,” she counters. “But if you have ingredients for breakfast in there, I’m willing to take a chance.”
I snort. “You’re sure?”
“Asher, I wouldn’t be alone in a car with you if I got anybad vibes from you.” She shrugs, though her scent is still a little spiky. “So I either have to trust you or not, and so far, my Spidey senses haven’t let me down yet.”
