Page 82 of Panty Dropper

CHAPTER 35

Billy

As my pickup bounced along the country backroad, I found myself stealing glances at Reagan sitting next to me on the bench seat just about every two seconds. With every rut or bump in the road, I worried the ride would be too much for her. When I’d thought about bringing her out here, I hadn’t factored in the terrain after her rough night.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked for the half dozenth time.

“No.” She shook her head, her gaze focused straight ahead. “I’m not.”

I immediately pulled the truck to the side of the road. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have—”

“I’m joking!” She chuckled. “I’m fine. Seriously. You don’t have to keep asking me that. If I’m not okay, for any reason, you’ll be the first to know. I promise.”

Her blue eyes sparkled, reflecting the sunlight pouring in through the windshield and leaving me speechless. Well, not speechless, really—I had a lot of things to say; I just knew she wouldn’t want to hear any of them. I wanted to tell her that I was mesmerized by everything about her. I felt the need to vocalize how she had me hypnotized. But she’d been clear that she didn’t want to hear any “pretty words.”

“What?” Her eyes widened as her fingers brushed her cheek. “Do I have something on my face?”

“Yeah. Me.” I leaned over and, just before our mouths touched, she closed her eyes and her breath hitched.

The kiss started off soft and slow. I pulled her bottom lip between mine, sucking on it gently and a moan vibrated through it. I cupped her face, tilting her head to give me better access, and arousal shot through me. As badly as I wanted to deepen the kiss, to taste her tongue, I knew that if I didn’t stop this now things would go too far.

Would it be fun to strip her out of her clothes and take her on the side of the road? Sure.

Was that how I wanted our next time to be? No.

The next time we had sex might not mean anything significant to Reagan, but it held a hell of a lot of significance to me. It would be our third time together. She would be the first person that I would be breaking my two-fuck limit for. I wanted it to be special.

My body screamed in protest as I leaned back, breaking our kiss. Her mouth was swollen and her eyes were glossy. She looked half-dazed and disoriented. I could relate. The chemistry between us was undeniable. Urgency overwhelmed me as we stared into one another’s eyes.

“Can I add one more clause to our friendship contract?” Was I pushing my luck? Possibly. But since I’d never had to hold back what I was feeling, because I’d never really felt before, I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to do it.

Her lips curled as a flash of hesitation lit in her deep blue eyes. “What are you proposing?”

“Pretty words.” I ran my thumb along her jaw.

“Pretty words?” she repeated as her face scrunched, making it clear that had not been the direction she thought this conversation was going.

“What did you think I was going to suggest?”

“I don’t know.” Her shoulders lifted. “Something freaky.”

“What like whips and chains? Butt stuff?”

Her head fell back and she let out a belly laugh as she said, “Yep. That’s exactly what I thought. Whips and chains and butt stuff.”

“Well, we can circle back to that, but I was just going to see if it was okay if I gave you some compliments. Strictly as a friend, mind you. I know you said that you didn’t want any pretty words, but I have some, and I’d like to share ’em.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Is this a quid-pro-quo thing where I’m going to have to come up with nice things to say about you?”

“I think it’s only fair.” I couldn’t help but smile.

She cringed and teased, “That might be tough, but I’ll do my best.”

“Fair enough. That’s all I can ask.” Her blue eyes were staring up at me expectantly. There were so many things I wanted to tell her. That she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. That I couldn’t stop thinking about her. That the atmosphere changed when she walked into a room.

I wanted to wax poetic about her eyes, her hair, her lips, her body. But none of those things came to mind. As I sat staring into Reagan’s eyes, all I could think about were the three words I’d spoken to her the night before. I love you.

Since I didn’t trust myself not to blurt them out if I spoke, I gave her a brief peck before shifting back into my seat and placing my hands on the wheel. I could feel her stare boring into me expectantly. I glanced over as I put the truck in gear. “What?”

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