Page 72 of Dangerous Men

There’s so much of it, hot salty liquid flooding my mouth, and just as I panic, needing to draw another breath, needing to swallow, he pulls out.

“Look at me,” he commands. There’s a dark fire in his eyes I haven’t seen before when I do.

I stare into his eyes as I swallow.

“Fuck,”he gasps. He makes it sound like a prayer, somehow. “Open your mouth. Show me.”

Eyes still locked on his, I open, sticking out my tongue to show him I did exactly what he asked. I swallowed it all.

Ash drops to the couch, crushing our lips together and swallowing my shocked gasp. No man has ever kissed me after…

“You’re so perfect,” he murmurs against my lips. “Fuck, Babygirl, you are so fucking perfect, aren’t you?”

I feel it. In that moment, pressed against him with the taste of him fresh on my tongue, I feel perfect.

When I wakeup the next morning, feeling boneless and pleasantly sore, I can’t stop smiling. Ash carried me to bed afterwards, dressing me in my favorite sleep shirt, tucking me in, and even kissing my forehead before saying goodnight.

But I hadn’t noticed him bringing in my phone and certainly hadn’t noticed him plugging it in to charge. It’s such a small, insignificant gesture, but it makes me feel strangely cared for. Loved.

Venturing out into the living room after my morning shower, I notice even more signs of his thoughtfulness. He cleaned the toys from last night before placing everything back in the box.

He even unloaded the dishwasher.

It’s a stark contrast to the morning after Chase and I had sex for the first time. Wanting to stay in bed and luxuriate in the aftermath of our night together, I’d asked him if he’d go out and get us both coffee. I’d wanted that small token of romance, a gesture to show he cared for me, wanted to please me. He’d refused. And even worse, he’d called me lazy for even asking. It was our first fight.

First, but definitely not the last.

After that experience, I’m not sure how to process Ash’s thoughtfulness. No one has ever cared for me like this before.

I think I love it.

26

SYDNEY

“How many sextoys do you have?” I ask Jade, leaning my hip against the counter and watching her carefully write out a new café specials board in perfect, practiced calligraphy. The soft morning sun is brightening into early afternoon, and traffic to the café has finally hit its usual mid-morning lull.

“Tons,” she answers, not looking up at me.Lavender Bunny Macaroons,she writes on the board. Then, after a moment of contemplation, she adds a little heart next to the words.

“And do you… use them often?” I ask her, genuinely curious. “Like… all of them?”

“You’re going to need adifferentbest friend to answer that question without a fat glass of wine in front of her,” Jade tells me. “What happens between me and Lady Petunia is a complex business, thank you very much.”

“Did…” I blink. “Did you really name your vagina Petunia?”

“LadyPetunia,” Jade corrects me, crossing aTon the board with a flourish. “She’s a classy bitch, and she deserves a proper title.”

“You know, Ican still never tell when you’re joking or not,” I tell her, shaking my head.

“Good.” Jade smiles. “That’s half the fun.” Apparently satisfied with her creation, she sets the sign back in its usual place next to the register.

“Why do you want to know, anyway?” she asks, capping her marker and looking at me. “Did you spend some quality time last night getting acquainted with all those gifts Alec sent you?”

She wriggles her eyebrows suggestively, and I look away, blushing as I mutter “something like that.”

“You can spare me the details,” Jade says with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I’m just glad your own Lady Petunia is finally getting the attention she deserves.”

I roll my eyes and turn away from her, facing the shop. And not for the first time, I find myself looking for one particular person at one particular table.