“For the yoga and dance classes,” he explained.
Again, all the wood was beautiful. “You take the dance classes?”
He laughed. “I can if necessary, but I’m more the outdoor training guy. Back downstairs with the weights, then we go running to the park.”
“It’s an amazing place.” Functional, yes, but lovely and cleverly laid out. “It’s like an entertainment venue,” she observed.
“Why shouldn’t exercise be entertaining?” Joe turned to her and winked. “If it’s fun, people have a good time, they’re more likely to come back, right?”
“I work out,” she teased, feeling more confident now that they’d struck their bargain. “The app reminds me to. Five sessions of ten reps a day.”
“Ten reps of what?”
She batted her lashes. “My most useful muscles.”
He bent and caught her earlobe with his teeth, giving her a sharp nip that sent a sizzle straight to her womb and made her work those muscles then and there.
“Not bad, baby vixen. Not bad at all.” He leaned back just enough to look down her body. “I want to see you working out.”
“I’m working out right now.” Yep, still clenching her inner muscles, wishing she were clenching on him instead of the dull-aching emptiness.
“I can’t see it.”
“If you’re lucky, you might get to feel it.”
“Now that’s the bait. You have me hooked.” He put his hands on her hips and pulled her close against him.
He half laughed, half groaned. “Here’s your first lesson: anticipation heightens response.” He leaned in. “Arouse. Then pause. It’ll heighten arousal.”
“Delayed gratification?” She shook her head. She’d been delayed over twelve hours already. An entire night tossing and turning and dreaming. “It’s so not what it’s cracked up to be.”
“No?” He reached out to cup her cheek.
“No,” she whispered, unable to hide the thread of yearning in her voice.
His face tightened and he stepped closer. “The things you make me want to do, Abbi. It’s…”
“What?”
His smile faded. “You don’t want to know.”
She put her hand on his wrist, stopping him from withdrawing. “That’s not fair. I do want to know. That’s the whole point of this, right?” She stared up at him.
“Fine. I want to strip you bare, I want to bite on your softest curves, I want to eat you out until you come on my mouth, I want to fuck you so hard you scream loud enough for everyone on the block to hear. Then I want to flip you over and do it again with you on your knees, begging me so loudly and long you lose your voice.” He pushed her backward against the wall. “Is that what you want?”
That was exactly what she wanted. “Please don’t make me wait any longer.” Abbi reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and melted against him. Falling into the kiss, letting him go as deeply as he liked.
And he liked it deep.
Her upper thighs quivered. There was no way she was going to be able to wait much longer. “So”—she sent him an innocent look—“what do we do now?”
“I’m not going to take you upstairs and fuck you senseless.”
He wasn’t?
He burst out laughing. “The look on your face.” He framed her cheeks with his palms. “Not yet, Abbi.”
“Why not?” She leaned closer. “Isn’t that what this is all about? Why the delay? I want to learn. I need to learn.”
He nodded. “We need to work on the basics first.”
“What’s more basic?” She wanted him so bad. How could he do this to her—parade his body, smile, tease and not physically fulfill? She was on edge. Aching. Needy.
His eyes rested on her, his smile tight. “You’re really wound up.”
She refused to answer. She was angry with him. She tried to pull back but his grip tightened. “You’re all talk, you know that?”
“Talk is a good place to start, and you don’t talk enough,” he said. “Though you’re not bad with the flirty innuendo. Yesterday you set me on fire with your pole-dancing tease.”
She shook her head. “It was too much, too soon.”
“No.” He ran a finger around her lips. “Added to the eye contact and the dress, you had me hard in a heartbeat. Abbi, if it’s sex you want, you only have to show off your curves.”
“It takes more than curves to please a guy.” She shook her head. “Once interest is lit, I still need to follow through.”
He looked pensive.