Page 74 of A Million Times, Yes

The grittiness of his voice settled inside me, despite nothing in me actually being settled. Because as soon as his statement entered my body, it meshed with the tingles that already existed.

My body was betraying my heart.

But was it?

Why was everything so mixed? And unknown?

And confusing?

And was time together such a bad thing? Especially if it was just time and nothing else?

“If I bring you to my room, will you promise to behave yourself?” I asked him.

He licked his lips. “Definebehave.”

“Oh, he’s good,” Emily whispered.

I shut her out of my head and said, “Behavingmeans you won’t touch me.”

“That’s all you’re making me promise?” He shifted in the doorway, and that slight movement sent me another whiff of his woodsy-tea scent, reminding me why I loved it so much. “Because, Maya, my words can be as powerful as my hands.” His teeth nipped the same lip he’d been licking. “You know that.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Jordan

That’s all you’re making me promise? Because, Maya, my words can be as powerful as my hands. You know that.

I fucking loved reminding her of that and watching the recognition cause her cheeks to flush. For her to attempt to take another drink of her beer only to realize it was empty when the bottle hit her lips. For her to push all her weight into the wall beside her, leaning her back against it as though her knees no longer wanted to support her.

Her body, I owned.

I knew that.

I saw that.

But her heart needed work.

That was why I was here.

“I’m making you promise to keep your handsandyour words to yourself,” Maya finally replied.

Emily laughed.

But I didn’t. I continued to stare at Maya, assessing where her head was at. “You’re asking me to be silent?”

“I’m asking you to be appropriate.”

Since we both knew how easy it was to make her wet, she didn’t want me to use my words as foreplay. But goddamn it, I loved to. “I can try,” I offered.

“‘Try’?” Her brows rose.

“Listen, I can’t prevent you from taking things the wrong way. If you flip my words into something dirty, that’s on you.”

“Fair,” she responded.

“Now, can I feed you?”

“Jesus,” Emily groaned. “Even that was hot.”