Never Standing Still (The Never Duet #1)(51)

“Well,” I started. “I was a little too, um, overcome to be talkative. I’m sorry, is that bad?” I had never, not once, had a next-morning check-in about the status of the sex the night before. I had no idea what we were doing, or what answers he was looking for.

“No,” he said hesitantly. He rubbed the back of his hand along the bottom of his jaw, making my skin tingle. “I just wanted to make sure you enjoyed yourself as much as I did.”

“Ah.” I nodded. I picked up a piece of toast and took a small bite, still at a loss as to what I was supposed to say to him. How much information was I supposed supply? I wasn’t even sure I knew everything I was feeling. All I did know was that being with him was, hands down, the best night of my life. But surely I couldn’t tell him that.

“Ah? That’s all you’re going to give me?”

“I thought last night was incredible,” I mumbled quietly. The bed shook slightly and I saw him inching closer to me.

“Incredible?” he asked with a smirk, taking my plate from my lap and placing it on my bedside table.

“Um, I wasn’t finished with that,” I said, watching my food drift away from me.

“You’re hungry?”

His voice was suddenly back to the sexy tone he’d used on me the night before and my body took notice. I swallowed and then replied, “Yes.”

“All right, here’s the deal: you answer my questions and I’ll give you your food.”

“Okay.” I agreed because there was no way I could have said no to him; my body was already submitting to simply the vibration of his voice.

“How many times did you come last night?”

I blinked rapidly at him, eyes wide. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” he said, his cool and sexy voice taking on a playful tone.

“You couldn’t keep count?” I raised my eyebrow at him.

“Of course I counted, I just wanted to see if our numbers were the same, wanted to make sure you didn’t sneak one past me,” he said with a wink.

“Does that happen to you often? Women come and you aren’t sure? Cause that’s a pretty big indication that she actually didn’t.”

“You came once around my fingers and twice around my cock. I know you came because each time I could feel your * gripping me, feel your wetness seeping from you, and your toes curling—each time.”

“Oh,” was all I could manage, because holy shit, that was hot. Not the part about me, but the part about him and what he felt and how, based on the way he was looking at me in that moment, he really f*cking liked the way I came.

“Yeah, oh. Were there any I missed? Any quiet ones? Ones that felt like tremors instead of earthquakes? ’Cause the quiet ones can be fun too.”

“Um, no,” I croaked, and then swallowed, trying to clear my throat. “Just the three.”

“Hmm,” he said, reaching past me and grabbing my toast, holding it up to my mouth. His eyes didn’t leave mine as I leaned forward slightly, taking a small bite. “Now,” he said, after putting the toast back. “Before I ask you the next question, I should probably let you know that last night was not something I’m taking lightly. I know we talked about it not being serious, and it just being one night, but I’m hoping I convinced you to reconsider.”

“Um, that’s not exactly a question,” I stated nervously, knowing exactly what he was alluding to, but trying to buy a little more time.

“You’re right, my apologies. The question is, did last night make you want to amend your previous statements that we couldn’t happen?” He motioned with his hand in between us.

“Riot, look.” I sighed, unsure of even what I was trying to say; there was so much going through my mind. “Last night was wonderful,” I said, putting a hand up on the side of his face, feeling that same stubble he’d run his hand over just moments before. “But I’m no good at this part. I don’t know what we’re doing.”

“We’re eating breakfast,” he said, deadpan, causing me to laugh.

“No, we’re sitting in bed all post-coital and post-spoonage, and you’re trying to ask me if I want more than what I thought I wanted.”

“Do you?”

“Yes! Of course! I always have on some level, but that doesn’t mean it’s something that is feasible. You and I are living very far apart, and I still have Marcus, and my job, and I just don’t see how last night changes anything.”

“I’m not looking for much to change, Kal. I’m not talking about anything more than us, or you, admitting that this means something. That we’re together. I want to call my girlfriend, I want to send her flowers, and I want to miss her and think about her all the time and get on planes to visit my girlfriend.”

“So, you want a commitment?”

“You’d be all right if you knew that when I got back to San Francisco I slept with some random chick?”

The sudden swirling of my mostly empty stomach answered that question before the resounding “No!” came from my mouth.

“Then,” he said softly, soothing a thumb over my chin, “can’t we just make it official?”

“Have you slept with someone else? Since the last time I saw you?” I was suddenly very curious about the idea of him being with another woman. I knew it was a possibility, but I’d tried not to dwell on it. Now, however, I was very anxious to know the answer.