Page 70 of Rock Bottom

“Why did you trust me with your virginity after only knowing me for a few hours?”

“It wasn’t really trust,” she said thoughtfully. “I was tired of being a virgin, not knowing what sex was all about. And you were…” Her voice trailed as she chewed the inside of her cheek. “I don’t know. Hot. Sexy. Famous. You clicked all the boxes when I asked myself why not.”

“Okay, but if you were so anxious to get rid of it, why not just sleep with your friend Sam or some other good-looking guy you met?”

“It didn’t feel right, I guess.”

“Exactly.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It felt right for me too. It just did. There’s no way to explain it, you have to feel it. Trust it. Trust me.” I covered both her hands with mine and brought them to my chest. “I won’t hurt you, Presley. If things don’t work out, I’m still going to take care of you and our son.”

“Money solves a lot of your problems, doesn’t it?” she asked after a moment.

“It can. Yes. But that’s not what this is. I have the money to make things easier for us, but it won’t change our situation or what happened in the past. All it will do is give us the opportunity to move forward.” I paused, hating the uncertainty on her face. “I want to make your life better, not worse.”

“You’re hard to refuse,” she whispered.

“Say yes, Presley. You have my word this will be a good thing.”

“So, we’re going right from barely knowing each other to living together?”

“We don’t have to. If you’d rather I find you somewhere else to live, I can do that.”

“That’s a waste of time and money,” she said softly. “And even if I say yes, Aunt Meg has to weigh in.”

“Absolutely. And we’ll get with her doctors to discuss her recovery. If we have to wait four or five weeks until she’s able to travel, we’ll make it work until then.”

To my surprise, she leaned forward and kissed me. It wasn’t chaste, but it wasn’t the same as the passion-filled kisses we’d shared a little while ago either. She was promising me something, but it wasn’t as cut and dried as a simple yes or no. She was giving me a gift, but I knew instinctively it was one I would have to unwrap slowly. This wasn’t sex or romance or even love; this was a type of soul baring. Something I was sure neither of us had ever experienced before. Her trust was her most prized possession.

And she was going to make me work for it.

The light, promise-filled kisses turned to something more and before I knew it, she was straddling me, her mouth hungrily demanding my attention.

“Baby, I promised you no intercourse,” I moaned as she ground against my steely erection. “But this isn’t fair.”

“Consider it payback for nine months of morning sickness,” she whispered, sliding her tongue back into my mouth.

Oh, fuck.

There was no way I would be able to control myself if we kept this up, in this position. But I had another idea. I playfully pushed her off me and then got off the bed. I tugged her toward me by her feet, and she clapped a hand over her mouth to cover her squeal.

“What are you doing?” she hissed as I picked her up and tossed her over my shoulder.

“It’s morning.”

“So?”

“Time for a shave and then breakfast.”

“What?”

I carried her into the bathroom and set her on her feet. “Hop up on the counter, baby, and spread those beautiful thighs.”

Her eyes widened and her mouth formed a little “O.”

“Are you…” She gazed up at me.

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