“Was that a request to fuck you again this afternoon?”
 
 “More an expression of hope...that you’ll fuck me as many times as you can get it up this afternoon.”
 
 He tied off the condom and lobbed it into the bin, before settling to the right of her shoulder.“Might need to swallow some egg whites,” he said against her ear.
 
 Jodi rolled onto her side to face him.Paul lifted his arm, and she snuggled in close, resting her head in the indent between his pec and his shoulder.It felt unbelievably right, like that was where she was always supposed to have been, and now she was, he couldn’t fathom how he’d got by before.Her hand splayed over his heart, then she started running curious fingers over his chest, along the swirls of his ink, and up and down the hills and indents of his abs.
 
 “What?”he asked, sensing questions brewing between them.
 
 “You’re not like any other man I’ve ever been wi....like any other man I’ve known.Certainly, none I’ve slept with.I don’t mean physically.I mean, yes, physically, but mentally, emotionally...”
 
 “Well, maybe they just didn’t appreciate you the way I do.”
 
 She sniffed and went quiet a moment as she considered that.“Paul, I’m not sure I understand why you do.I love that you do, but...”
 
 He squeezed her shoulder, and brought his other hand to her face, so that he could gently tilt her chin up enabling him to reach her lips and bestow a kiss.“Why does anybody fall for anybody else?Sometimes the stars just align, and you know that it’s right.That’s how I feel with you.It doesn’t matter if it makes sense.Only that it is.I love you, Jodi.And you still don’t have to say it back.I think I have from shortly after we first met three years ago—you did kill Bertha, but even then, I kind of loved you for that, or at least for the circumstances of it.You’re like mayhem on legs, and that does something to me.”
 
 “Gives you a headache.”
 
 “No, not that.It makes me want to cosset you.Look after you.Protect you.”
 
 “Make mad passionate love to me?”Her hand strayed down towards his cock.
 
 “Ahem.”He caught her hand and brought it back up to the centre of his chest.“We’re still on a scheduled rest break, missy.”
 
 “So, I’m not allowed to play with your jewellery?”
 
 If he hadn’t just had an out-of-body experience, that question would likely have got him perky.He did get all tingly around the root.
 
 “Question.”She raised her hand as if they were in class.“Is it okay to blow you with them in?”
 
 Paul’s lips peeled back off his teeth.Oh, she was a menace and adorable all rolled into one, and damn, those tingles were spreading.Buckaroo might be ready to kick again pretty soon.“Uh, yeah, but I’d never expect that—”
 
 “In a bit,” she said, cheekily cutting him off.“It’s cute that you won’t demand it.I might like it if you sometimes demanded it.”She rolled onto her tummy and lifted herself up on her elbows, so she was looking him in the face, “It’s something I do actually like doing, same as you seem to like licking.”
 
 “I do like licking.I especially like licking you.”He licked her forehead, which was as far as he could easily reach without straining his neck.
 
 “I like doing it best when it’s soft to begin with and my sucking wakes it up and it thickens in my mouth.That’s kinda...”She wriggled, rubbing her legs together and making her bottom wobble in a way that turned those growing tingles into developing perkiness.“It’s nicer than when a guy is like take my whole length in one go with no build up.”
 
 “That so?Note taken.”
 
 “Mmm.”She nodded.“Tell me something you like, and don’t just say me.Tell me something specific.If Paul Reed could have any sort of sex he wanted, what would he choose?”
 
 He lifted his hands up to behind his head, elbows pointing outwards.“I’m not sure the answer to that is the same as what I think you’re asking me.Positions aren’t relevant to the answer.I’d choose sex with an emotional connection, every time.Sex like we just had.But faves on par with your admission...”He made a softhmmas he thought.“So many good options to choose from.”His gaze strayed to the fullness of her breasts, but then he shook his head.“I like a girl who’s not afraid to slip me a finger while we’re at it.”
 
 She opened her mouth in mock shock and swept her tongue over her front teeth.“And have many girls you’ve been with done that, Mister Mighty Rock Star?”
 
 “Is that a sly way of asking me how many partners I’ve had?”
 
 “How many partners have you had?”
 
 “A fair few.You?”
 
 “A few.”
 
 “Not many of them have ever done that, though.”He scrunched up his nose, thinking back.“Like two...And neither of them were women.”
 
 “Ah!”