Caged(17)

"That's the point."

Her gaze moved all around the table as she avoided his eyes.

"Molly," he said sharply. "Am. I. Hurting. You?"

"No."

"Listen to me. Look at me." He leaned closer. "Even if you would've slammed the door in my face tonight, I would've come back tomorrow. And every day after that until you let me in. I didn't give Maddox a date when we'd be together. I just knew I'd do whatever it took to make sure it happened. Whatever. It. Took. Understand?"

That soothed the sting a bit. "Yes."

"Good." He pressed his lips to hers and dropped his hand. "I'm relentless in getting what I want. And I want you. I've wanted you for a long damn time." His eyes gleamed. "And you're wrong about something else."

"What's that?"

"That men don't have fantasies about you. You never noticed how hard my dick was in class whenever you reached up to adjust the chains on the heavy bag?"

"Ah, no." She paused. "Why?"

"I imagined chaining your wrists above your head and keeping your back against the heavy bag as a cushion for how hard I wanted to pound into you."

Molly clenched her thighs together.

Deacon placed a soft kiss on the corner of her jaw. "My woman likes dirty talk."

"Uh. Yeah." She traced the thick vein on the inside of his arm. "Thank you. I get the you're so sweet a lot."

"When I look at you, sweet ain't the first word that comes to mind."

"What word comes to mind?" Please don't say full-figured or curvy-both euphemisms for fat. 

His low-pitched snarl startled her. "Whatever popped into your head just now, get it out. I never wanna see that look on your beautiful face again-understand?"

Deacon really thought she was beautiful?

"Did you hear me?"

She managed a half shrug. "Easier said than done when it's been ingrained in me for years."

"By who?" he demanded.

"By my cousins. Which means I won't be taking you to Nebraska to meet my family either."

The waitress dropped off the check.

Deacon stopped and spoke to the owners as he paid.

Another tidbit she learned; he spoke Spanish fluently. Maybe it made her perverted, but she'd love to hear him whispering in Spanish in her ear as he moved inside her.

When Deacon's eyes met hers, she swore he'd read her mind.

She didn't find it odd that he didn't strike up a conversation on the drive back downtown.

At the parking lot where she'd left her vehicle, he helped her out of the passenger side before walking her to the driver's side of her car. "You still hungry, babe?"

"No. Why?"

"You've been eyeing me like a juicy steak all the way back here."

"I can't help it that you're one thick, delicious-looking slab of hot man meat." When his piercing blue eyes pinned her down, Molly imagined him pressing her against the car, or on the ground, or to the tree behind them-any vertical surface would suffice.

He cupped her face in his hands, then sifted his fingers through her hair. The tenderness in the move surprised her, until his fingers tightened, allowing him to maneuver her head wherever he wanted. "Should I kiss you right here"-he licked the curve of her neck-"where I marked you? Where the touch of my mouth to your skin makes you squirm?"

"Deacon."

"Put your hands on me," he ordered hoarsely. "I need proof this is really happening."

With that admission, she untucked his T-shirt and inched her fingers up his warm skin. The hardness of his body and the way his stomach muscles quivered beneath her stroking fingers spurred her on. Then she formed her hand around his rib cage and shifted her thumb to tease his nipple.

He hissed.

Well, if he liked that, he oughta really like this. Molly slid her right hand down to his groin and cupped him.

Deacon jumped back. "Jesus H. Christ, woman, stop."

Startled, she looked up. Lord, the man had the sexiest, fiercest expression on his face.

"You are making it hard-shit, I mean difficult-to rein it in."

"And if I don't want you to rein it in?"

"This is our first date."

"So? You think I don't put out on the first date?" she teased.

He stayed silent a beat too long. Then a smile ghosted around his lips. "Maybe I don't put out on the first date."

They stared at each other.

Then Deacon kissed her. "Thanks for giving me another chance. I swear you won't regret it."





CHAPTER FIVE



DEACON showed up on Knox's doorstep an hour before he headed for training. He hadn't called ahead. It'd give his friend too much time to come up with a hundred ways to say I told you so.

Knox answered the door with baby Nuri propped on his hip. "Deacon? What's going on?"