Matched For Love(21)

“Only for me because you want Annie… Wait. Sex research?” Lori finished off her first piece of pizza and started in on the second.

Lori was off limits for him too, so why not explain? “Before I had sex with Annie because she was my first, I did extensive research on how to please a woman. You know. The study of angles, techniques, and erogenous zones to achieve the most intense orgasms.”

Lori choked on her pizza.

He patted her back until she was able to breathe normally again. “Are you okay? Do you need some water?”

“More like a stiff drink.” She shook her head and laid her slice down. “Stiff might have been the wrong word. I’m good now. Go on.”

“I’m thirsty too. Be right back.” He finished off his first slice and then rose and snagged two of the beers Lori had been stocking for him in her fridge, before sitting back down. “Cheers.” He tapped his bottle against hers.

“Salute.” After she had tapped back, she asked. “So, did your research work?”

He shrugged. “Turns out, Annie hadn’t slept with anyone else either, so I was never sure. At least not until she’d left for her dig. She’d insisted we both date and sleep with other people since we’d only ever been with each other. Then we’d know for sure if we wanted to settle down together. By the other women’s comments and feedback, it became apparent that my research had been accurate.”

“Um…wow. That’s…interesting.” Lori’s forehead wrinkled as if she was distressed again before she took a long pull from her bottle.

But she’d said it was interesting, so he elaborated. “For instance. Did you know that the skin on your lips is the most sensitive part of your body? Therefore, when kissing, it’s generally much more gratifying if you angle your heads—it might just be easier to show you. As friends, of course. May I?”

Lori swallowed hard. “You want to show me how to kiss?”

“How to optimize a kiss.” She looked confused. It was a simple concept.

“Um. Okay. Why not?” She laid her beer on the coffee table. “It’s just science, right?”

“Exactly.” He slid closer and laid his hand on her warm, smooth cheek. “To achieve the best results, relaxation is the key…” He tilted her head just right and then did the same to his and laid his lips on hers.

Lori’s lips were soft, warm, yielding, and tasted of his two favorite things—pizza and beer. Perfect. But then something unexpected happened. The heat from their simple experiment shot through his body, setting his cells on red alert, all the way to his toes. He hadn’t meant to add what he’d learned about tongue maneuvers—that just sort of happened on its own. She seemed to have done similar research because her responses to his stimuli were…perfect.

He’d never had a kiss so invigorating.

He pulled her closer, wanting every part of her body touching every part of his. Her fingers tunneling through his hair made his scalp feel as if it was on fire. Then she softly moaned and crawled into his lap.

Her soft curves snuggled against him made him forget about the friendly part of their experiment altogether. While he took pleasure in her hot kisses, his hands explored her enticing curves. She was soft in all the right places and made his Princess Lori fantasies come to life like an Imax theater experience.

Asher’s voice called out, “Dad? Can we go home now?”

Reality hit like a wrecking ball to the head. “Absolutely.” Deek stood up so fast, Lori would’ve toppled if he hadn’t caught her and saved her from a pizza box face plant. “Why don’t you go get our coats, Ash?”

Dammit. Had he just crossed a line with Lori? He studied her face, but she looked more dazed than anything else. Or was she pondering how to end their friendship?

He’d hate that. She was the first woman he’d ever truly enjoyed just hanging out with. Worse, he’d enjoyed that kiss more than any with Annie. Or any woman.

He’d have to tell Annie that he’d messed up. He hadn’t meant to, though. So did it still count?

Had he just ruined his relationship with both women?





6

YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO FOOL THE WORLD—BUT NEVER YOUR SISTER.

Lori wasn’t sure what had just happened between them with that incredible kiss, but Deek’s face had turned pale as he waited for Asher to return with their coats.

He laid his hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes. “I didn’t mean for that to get so out of control.” His fingers gently rubbed at the knots in her shoulders and neck, still there from her tense evening. “Are you mad at me?”