Page 91 of 2 Books in One Bundle

“I want you to be my first lover.”

There. I said it.

Evolet’s triumphant thought was swiftly followed by panic.

Oh, God. I asked him to have sex with me.

She gripped her own hands tighter as she forced herself to sit and not run off like a scared little rabbit. The seconds ticked by, the tension ratcheting up with every passing moment.

And all Damon did was sit there, staring at her with an almost lazy air about him as if she hadn’t just made the most indecent proposal of her life.

“Your first lover.”

Finally, he spoke.

“Yes.”

“As in...”

“I’m a virgin,” she said impatiently.

“I see.”

“After the contract is submitted. That takes precedent. Once the proposal is submitted, we can...” She waved a hand between them.

“Have sex.”

“Yes.” She smiled, pleased he was at least considering the possibility. “And then we go on our separate ways. I’ll work at Bradford for the rest of my contract, and then we’ll go on with our lives.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

Another long minute passed where she forced herself not to fidget. The more time passed, the more the weight of what she had just done settled on her shoulders, heavy and smothering. When she’d thought of it last night, she’d still been high on pleasure, desperate for him. Her solution had seemed like the perfect way to regain control, experience the thrills he had promised with his touch while adding an expiration date to their affair.

I want you, Evolet.

The raw yearning in his voice when he’d uttered those words had made her think that he would at least consider it.

But right now, sitting under his aloof, scrutinizing gaze, she felt like she had last night when she’d laid half-naked on top of his desk and he’d turned from her: Foolish. Ashamed. Rejected.

“Well, I guess that answers that.” She stood and smoothed her hands across her skirt, the silky fabric calming some of her frayed nerves. “I’ll make the same offer you made to me last night. If you’re no longer comfortable with me serving in this role, I’ll alert my boss and—”

“Why now?”

She blinked. “What?”

“Why, after twenty-five years of abstinence, are you looking to give up your virginity?”

“Because I’ve found someone I’m attracted to.”

His brows drew together in a considering frown. “And you’ve never been attracted to anyone else before?”

“I have. But not like this.” She shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “It’s the twenty-first century. Women can ask men out, too.”

He stood and circled around the desk, his face darkening into a thunderous expression. “There’s a difference between asking a man out on a date and asking him to be the one to take your virginity.”

The condescension in his tone sparked ire and embarrassment.

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