River Wolf(71)

“Is it a before coffee question? A coffee question? Or a two coffee question?” She asked prior to draining her mug then she held it out with a grin.

Sitting up, he used the carafe to refill her mug. “Well, that will depend, too.”

Nicely played. She liked this game. “On?”

“Do you trust me?” Setting his fork down, he rested on one elbow, watching her. Over the last several days, she’d grown used to his regard. The tangible weight of his attention surrounded her, and he seemed to embrace her with a single look.

She’d been his guest, let him shepherd her around, and he’d even talked to her at length on a multitude of subjects. They’d had sex. Lots of glorious, bone-melting, mind-bending, over-the-top orgasmic sex and the thought sent a shiver through her. He’d asked her for a week and they were closing in on their last couple of days.

Buying more time, she took a drink of her coffee. He didn’t push, didn’t have to. The man possessed an aura which drew her—whether it was the power he wielded or the loneliness she sensed underscoring every action—and she wanted to trust him.

“I want to trust you. I had sex with you.” She grinned at the heat flaring in his eyes. “Lots of sex. Unprotected sex, even. So, I think I trust you more than I think I do.”

It was his turn to look guarded.

“Hey…” She raised a hand before he could unleash whatever dark thoughts she’d spawned with her comments. “No worries about pregnancy here. I get shots every three months. Prior to last night, it’s been about eighteen months since the last time I had sex. Just so you know, I’m healthy and all that.”

Amusement burst the cloud of concern in his gaze. “I do not get shots, but I am also—clean.” The way his mouth twisted on the last word earned a smile. He didn’t look terribly comfortable with that admission.

“Not going to tell me when you last had sex?”

“No.” When he didn’t elaborate, she laughed.

“Okay, can you promise me it wasn’t anytime since you met me?”

The corners of his mouth curved. “I can.”

“That’s all that matters.” Though determined to ignore the pitted feeling in her stomach, she didn’t want to think anyone had shared his bed the week before. None of her business, dammit. He didn’t lie or blow off her question. He gave her an honest answer. “I trust you. It’s not absolute yet, and I think we’re still getting to know each other, but yes, I trust you.”

His sudden, heart-stopping grin, as though she had presented him with some fantastic gift, robbed her of speech. Handsome didn’t begin to describe him and, while most men didn’t want to be called beautiful, between his good looks, scars and mannerisms—he was, in a word, incredible. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Dragging her ogling gaze away, she took another sip of coffee before reaching for the bacon he’d left on the corner of his plate. His smile turned tender and indulgent. Yes, he’d left it for her. Yes, she knew he’d done it. Yes they both knew it. She took a bite and gave him an expectant look. “So you had a question?”

“Will you tell me why you had community service? What you were arrested for, specifically?”

That wasn’t a big deal. While she wasn’t proud of the events, she certainly wasn’t ashamed either. “It all comes down to a guy I was dating…”

“A guy?” The careful way he phrased the syllable set him so firmly on her side, it buoyed her mood.

“Yeah. I’d like to say I never made any stupid choices in my life or that I always carefully thought out every action, but I haven’t and, since I leapt at bringing Luc here, we might label my judgment questionable.”

“I’ll reserve opinion on that.” He refilled his coffee mug then hers and motioned for her to continue.

Blowing out a long breath, she adjusted her position on the bed so she could sit cross-legged. It required fixing her towel so she didn’t give him a free peep show. Not that he hadn’t seen it all already, however the speed at which he focused on her breasts suggested if they wanted to finish the conversation she’d do better to stay clothed or at least toweled.

“Let me give you the Reader’s Digest version here. My mom is a very conservative woman, and she was born in South Korea. She immigrated to the U.S. years ago, but she brought most of her customs with her. I had a very…I hesitate to say restrictive childhood because I didn’t know any different for years. In fact, I made it through most of elementary not getting that I lived in a different household from most of the kids I went to school with.”