Page 41 of Romancing His Heart

“You know everything will be okay, right? I promise I’ll take care of you. I know this must be some scary shit, but I’m the best at what I do. With Seth and Ashton on our side, we’ll get this figured out.”

“I know.” She sighs again. “I have no doubt you’ll take care of me. That’s what everyone does.”

She says it so melancholically that I wonder if she meant to utter it aloud. “What do you mean?” I finally ask.

“Nothing, never mind. How long of a drive do we have?”

I glance in her direction a couple of times, but she keeps her focus on the road. Monitoring the rearview mirror, I’m relieved we’re not being followed. Either they weren’t expecting us to run tonight, or our decoys worked.

“We should be there in a couple of hours.”

I expect her to ask another question, but she sits in silence. I thought all those dipshits were afraid of her because she asks so many.Why hasn’t she asked me any?How bad can they be? Maybe it’ll loosen her up a little.

“Can I ask you something?”

Finally, she relaxes in her seat. Angling her body toward me ever so slightly, she smiles, and my stomach flips.

For fuck’s sake, don’t tell me I’m going to get the shits right now. I don’t even think there are rest stops along this stretch of highway.

“Shoot, but fair warning, I’m an expert questioner.” Her grin is the stuff that dreams and heartache are made of, and it gives me the same thrill I get right before ambushing a target.Danger, danger, danger,rings in my head.

“So I’ve heard.” She may not notice my smile, but I can hear it in my voice. “That’s what I wanted to know. What did you ask the guys that have them hiding every time you enter the room?”

“Oh my God.” She smacks the steering wheel. “They are such children. Seriously, if you can’t answer a simple question about sex, you shouldn’t be having it,” she scoffs.

“Very true. But you didn’t answer me,” I say, nudging her elbow playfully.

I’m relieved to see her smile. This situation isn’t ideal, but I was truthful when I said I would protect her. She’s safer with me than she would be walking down a random city street.

It has nothing to do with the asinine, innate need I have to keep her close.

“Fine, I guess it started with Dex. Lanie mentioned that he probably had blue balls when he was in London, so I asked him.”

“You asked him if he had blue balls? That’s it? I mean, it’s personal, but it shouldn’t have him running like a pansy.”

“No,” she laughs. “I asked him to explain what blue balls feel like … in detail.”

“I …” The laugh that bursts from my belly echoes in the cabin of the enclosed space. Turning in my seat, I give her my full attention and notice a crooked grin peeking out from the corner of her lips. “That’s a very specific question.”

Red shrugs her shoulders. “I write romance novels from the female and male perspective. I want to make sure I get everything right. Would you want to read a book that said a woman’s vag felt like a warm, wet sandbox?”

“Fuck no.” But watching the words wet and warm leave those pouty lips has me wanting to find out how wet and warm she is.

Jesus, man. Get your shit together.

“See,” taking her eyes off the road momentarily, she gives me a ‘so what?’ look. “Most of my readers are female, but I do have a great male fanbase, too. I don’t want to alienate them by saying ‘he was so anxious to get inside of her tight, warm heat, his balls felt like bean bags’ if what they really feel like are tight—”

“Okay,” I interrupt. “Got it.” If she keeps painting a picture, there will be no hiding mybiological reactionto her, even in the dark.

“So?”

“So what?” I ask, suddenly feeling hot.

“Are you going to tell me what blue balls feel like?”

“No.”

“What about when you go down on a—”