Something dangerously soft crossed his face, followed by a look of possession I’d never seen directed at me by a man before. “First dick you saw. First dick inside you. I want all your firsts.” His thumbs met over the crack of my ass through my yoga pants, and I swallowed deeply.
“Um, let’s not shoot for the sexual Olympics when I’m still riding around with training wheels, okay?”
“Give me time,” he said against my temple.
I didn’t know whether to slug him or shiver at his presumptuousness. So, I did both.
He held my fist against his hard abs and cocked a brow. “You’ve given me some firsts too.”
“Oh, really.”
“Yes. First woman I’ve ever had here.”
“Clarify had.”
He didn’t smile. “First woman who has ever even been inside these four walls.”
I swallowed hard again for a whole new reason. “Why?”
“Because this place is just for me. There was no one I ever wanted to share it with.” He brushed a loose strand of hair away from my cheek. “Until now.”
My heart kicked hard behind my breast, and I whirled away to fumble blindly across his small, sparse counter. “So, I’m pretty sure I saw shaving cream here.”
“Daisy.” He cupped my shoulders. “We’re cool, right?”
“Sure. Uh huh. So, do you have a straight razor, or do you have one of those electric deals? Knowing you, I’d imagine a razor. Low-tech to match your vintage-y man cave. Does it count as a man cave if you don’t even have a big TV? Which boggles my mind, I’m sorry. Poor Noah was bored senseless. And no Wi-Fi is just crazy.”
“‘Poor Noah’ was not invited here, in case you’ve forgotten. And I have a small TV in the bedroom, as you saw. He could’ve watched that.” As calm as could be, Oz opened the cabinet beneath the sink and pulled out a basket with shaving cream and a drugstore variety razor. He handed both items to me without a word.
He knew I was freaking out. I could see it all over his face. Did he think I was freaking out because I just wanted to use him like a bouncy house? Or worse, did he think I was freaking out because any sign of genuine feelings from him would make me try on wedding dresses and start selecting good dates in June?
The truth was somewhere in the middle.
“Oh, nice. And your shaving cream smells like—” I popped off the cap to take a sniff, “nothing. Well, that’s good. No conflicting notes with your outdoorsy mountain man body wash and shampoo.”
“It says fresh, clean scent, and also, my body wash is called alpine, smart ass.”
“Fresh, clean scent must mean nondescript. I love the body wash though. It reminds me of doing a striptease by a bonfire in the darkness. Towel? Soft washcloth? Oh, and I can’t imagine you’d have a badger brush?”
“Say what?”
I sighed. “You’re lucky you have good bones.”
“I thought we were talking about my hair.” He opened the same cabinet again and pulled out a nearly threadbare hand towel and a surprisingly soft washcloth. One out of two wasn’t bad.
“A stool would be better, of course.” I sighed again as I glanced around the small, bare bones bathroom. It wasn’t much nicer than Ever’s, but at least the shower was an improvement. “Okay, sit on the can then.”
“And people accuse me of being unromantic,” Oz muttered, flipping down the lid and doing as I asked. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“It’s my actual job, remember? Someday maybe you’ll let me give you a trim.” I knew it was as unlikely as harnessing the power of lightning with my mind, but I was still rattled enough that I lifted his ponytail to study his ends. “Yeah, you could use one. You have breakage. I’m going to recommend a different shampoo. Do you have pen and paper in here?”
“This is the damn john. Also, did you miss that I have a pair of nuts? I’m not gonna go buy special shit at the store.”
“No, you aren’t,” I said cheerfully as I dropped his ponytail. “This has to be special-ordered.”
He just rolled his eyes.
“I’ll order it for you and have it shipped to Ripper. We can try it there first before you use it at home. Oh, right, no, we can’t, because you won’t let me touch your hair, although I’m skilled at what I do and could make you look so much better.” A little peeved, I tugged on his scruff.