Page 42 of Liar & Champion
“Morning, Mrs. Death-Hammer,” he said in a low rumble that brought my body awake. I just wanted to laugh, or sing, or grab my board and fly and fly and fly so the ground could never catch us.
I sat up and beamed at him, feeling all kinds of bubbly. I couldn’t grab his face and squeeze his cheeks like I wanted to. I couldn’t tell him I loved him and was the happiest I’d ever been, either. This was a professional marriage, and that’s how it was supposed to stay. Professional. “Good morning, Mr. Honey. Are you feeling well this morning?”
He raised a brow and looked amazingly rumpled and a little grumpy. I really wanted to squeeze his face up in my hands and then fish kiss him. “Well enough. Are you a morning person even without coffee?”
I nodded soberly. “The truth finally comes out. No, actually I love sleeping in. And I love sleeping on. You are the best pillow ever. I’ve never, ever slept so well. Do you know how beautiful you are?”
I leaned over and kissed him then found myself on my back as he rolled on top of me, pinning me down and then pulling away to look down at me with a slightly furrowed brow. “That’s my line. Do you know how beautiful you are? You are far too beautiful to be with someone like me, but I’m not going to tell you that, no, I’m just going to take advantage of you.”
My heart started beating faster and I slid my hand over his back, his muscles taut and fascinating as he held up his weight so I wasn’t crushed. I arched up and kissed him, nipping his bottom lip before he pulled away, once more frowning down at me.
“Aren’t you going to take advantage of me?” I asked and batted my lashes at him. Not that they were dark or anything,and come to think of it, my hair had to be awful considering I’d gone to sleep in the tub and he certainly hadn’t blow dried it. He wasn’t looking at my hair. He was peering deep into my eyes while my stomach swarmed with butterflies and my whole soul soared.
This was the best. Ever.
“Sunshine, you’re particularly kitten-like today. Do you feel all right? No bad dreams, no negative feelings about last night?”
I thought about it for a second. “Well, I am having some negative feelings about not blow-drying my hair, because it must look like a coon made a nest in it, but otherwise, no, I have very positive feelings about last night. I like you.” I moved to arch against him, but he was holding me down so securely that I couldn’t budge an inch.
He cleared his throat and looked to be in deepest thought. “Sunshine, I like you too. Too much actually. I don’t hurt women. It’s one of the few codes I live by.”
“Because you’re a champion,” I said, wriggling against him, trying to get free so I could kiss him.
“Your first time with a man is going to be painful. It will probably hurt a good deal, and I can’t cause you pain.”
We stared at each other for a long time while his words penetrated and then my mind started squawking in panic. He didn’t want me if I was a virgin? “But, Nix, we’re married. I can’t go out and hire an unconscionable gigolo to deflower me. I’d go to hell for sure.”
He raised a brow, scrutinizing me closely. “I’m glad we straightened that out. No unconscionable gigolos are going to deflower anyone.”
“Oh! I still have some morphine. I’ll go get that and then I won’t feel a thing.” I beamed at him, but no matter how I struggled, he wouldn’t let me move.
“I’m not going to get you high for your first time,” he said with a serious shake of his head.
I lay there beneath him while my happiness drained out of me. It’s like he didn’t want me. Where had I heard that before? Oh, right, Beastie when he chose Christina of the perfect breasts to date instead of me. What was I supposed to say? “So, what’s the plan? Just no sex for six months minus however long and then when it’s over you can go wild with all the women you’ve been holding back on? Okay. Sounds good.”
He downright scowled like a grumpy old man, only, you know, not old and also so beautiful, like a fierce warrior facing his ultimate foe: virginity. “It’s not like that.”
“Whatever. I need to use the bathroom. Do you mind releasing the eternal virgin from your intractable grasp?”
“Eternal virgin?” He didn’t let me go, just kept me there like he could hover over me for the rest of his life.
“If no one wants to deflower me…” Then I remembered Michael Dupre and shuddered at the memory of his touch.
Nix rolled to the side, pulling me into his arms, his hands smoothing over my coon hair and down my back while he snuggled me close. He felt so good, so strong and warm and obliging. “I’ve got you, Sunshine. No one is ever going to hurt you again.”
I took a second to roll my eyes, because that was eternal virginity right there, but honestly, I wasn’t determined to have sex before I died. Being like this, being held and adored was probably just as good. I was only worried about him. Virile beasts couldn’t be contained forever. Of course, we didn’t have anything close to forever.
I kissed his bare chest then nuzzled him with my cheek. “It’s okay, Nix. Thanks for being here, for protecting me even though it freaks you out to marry a virgin. Thanks for making me feel safe.”
He inhaled long and deep, relaxing slightly. “It’s my pleasure, Sunshine. I’ll always keep you safe.”
Chapter Fourteen
LIAR
When I came out of the bathroom, I was dressed in my denim skirt, my favorite smiley face t-shirt, and my sneakers, ready to take on the world and my Aunt Willie. She might not be entirely ecstatic to hear that I’d eloped to Vegas with a home health care specialist, particularly when I told her that I hadn’t told him that I was sick.
He was wearing his designer jeans and a t-shirt that accentuated the positives. Holy heaven, there were so many positives. I wanted to put a sheet over him so no other woman could see how desirable he was.
