“Nadia’s helping me,” she answered coolly.
“Does Nadia actually do men?”
Oh, he’d figured that, had he? “She’s perfect. She understands what women want, how they work, and that sometimes they don’t get all they should. She reckons everyone, male or female, should enjoy sex.”
He curled an arm around her waist. “That’s all well and good. But to really understand the male psyche, you need to talk to a man.”
Just talk to a man? “Are you offering to be my man-cyclopedia?”
“You once tutored me. Let me return the favor.” He suddenly looked happier than if he’d won some basketball championship by forty points. “You can be my protégé.”
“You want to be some kind of Svengali figure for me?”
“As in control you? Direct your sexuality?” He swept his big hand down her spine and pulled her hips closer against his aroused heat, rendering her grip on the cup—and her thought processes—precarious. “Sweetheart, don’t tempt me more than you already are.”
She gaped, then remembered herself and snapped her jaw shut. “Let me get this straight. You’re going to tutor me? Teach me how to be a sex goddess?”
She shouldn’t be excited about the thought of being his sexual student. But she so was.
“I thought we were going for vixen.” He drew in a breath. “But we can shoot for sex goddess, sure. Why not?”
Why was he pushing this? Was he feeling bad about last night? Was it a pity thing? Some random act of kindness for the geek girl?
“You want help,” he said quietly.
Yeah, she did. She never wanted to be accused of being boring in the bedroom again.
His hand slid up to the nape of her neck. His big palm cupped it and he tugged so she had to tilt her head back, exposing her mouth to his.
“Let me help you out.” His breath warmed her lips.
“Is that what you call this—‘helping’ me?”
His hand on her butt pushed, yanking her so close his erection dug almost painfully against her stomach. “It’s a win-win deal.”
“Win-win?”
“You know I want you.”
Yeah, maybe she did. And she couldn’t say no. She didn’t want to. It was only going to be a lesson—probably only the one—so why would she be so stupid to deny herself the experience?
“What, exactly, are you going to teach me?” She ached to know.
He looked thoughtful. “How to flirt? How to read the signs. Sensuality.”
“But you said I needed a practical component, not just theory. So is sex going to be part of this course curriculum?” She really needed confirmation on that.
He stared down at her, his jaw rigidly defined, like he was clenching his teeth. “You’ve had sex before, right?”
She rolled her eyes. “My last relationship lasted almost a year.” He didn’t need to know it had been her only relationship.
His face tightened. “Almost a year of bad sex?”
He looked like he didn’t believe her. Truthfully it had been more like half a year of not much sex. And she didn’t have much basis for comparison to know how bad it had been. She’d figured lots of women didn’t have orgasms during penetrative sex—Nadia had confirmed that. Though she’d also said more women should.
But Joe was a playboy with way more experience than her.
As intimidating as it was, this was her chance to learn some moves and grow her confidence. But she had to be careful—put some kind of protection in place.
She hesitated. But in the end, she just wanted the full-out fucking she’d been thinking about since last night. In fact, she wanted more.
“Back in high school I gave you six lessons,” she said, going for broke. “That’s all I’ll take from you.”
He didn’t have time for any kind of relationship, and this way she’d retain control of how this was going to play out. A time frame would limit the emotional impact, right? She could keep this as nothing more than an information- and experience-gathering exercise. And it would be more than once.
He stared at her for a long moment—his expression edgy. Then he nodded. “That’s fair. That’s a good idea.”
“They’re launching my app at the magazine’s third anniversary party a week from Friday. I’ll need the testing to be complete by then. Six lessons in less than a fortnight. Can you deliver?” She slipped easily into IT boss mode.
“Of course.”
“Starting now.” She was wet already, and that was only from standing pressed against him for a few minutes.
“Ever the eager, diligent student.” His teasing smile flashed, softening the harsh hunger in his eyes. “That chocolate having an effect, huh?”