Love, Tussles, and Takedowns (Cactus Creek #3)(28)

She grinned. “Is that a yes?” More eye dancing.

He leaned in and gave his fierce little negotiator a hungry, but brief kiss. “Yes.”

She beamed and jumped up into his arms.

Smiling, he conceded that maybe she was right. Not having her in his arms for the next few months no longer seemed like an option. Maybe they could just enjoy each other’s company and not have it be such a big deal.

“So now about these ‘benefits,’” she pressed.

Aaand they were back to it being a very big deal.

“I’m still not taking your virginity. You’ve held onto it this long.” You’re not wasting it on me. He kept the last statement to himself but the darkening of her eyes made him wonder if she could hear his thoughts.

She studied his not-up-for-argument expression for a bit before revealing quietly, “To be clear, my virginity isn’t something I’ve been ‘saving’ or anything like that. I told you I’ve dated. But there was never a real connection with anyone. Beyond that, you and I have talked on the phone enough these past few weeks for you to see that I’m mostly just busy with work.”

Chewing on her lip, she added quietly, “So honestly, I haven’t really thought much about sex…until I met you.”

Holy hell.

“Honey, you can’t say things like that to a man who’s always followed the celibacy-during-deployment rule to the letter.”

Her eyes widened. “How long was your last tour?”

“Two years.”

If possible, those twin pools of adorableness widened even more. “And since you’ve been back…?” she ventured.

“Never thought about it much,” he gave her back her words on a silver platter. “Until I met you.” Her breathing hitched and he leaned over to brush his lips against her cheek. Fiery hot, just like her. “So I guess we’re at a stalemate.”

A damn mean one at that.

“Not necessarily,” she countered quickly.

He buckled in for what was undoubtedly going to be a doozey of a comeback.

“Now while I don’t know exactly what each constitutes,” she gave a disgruntled little frown, “and online searches have been surprisingly contradictory, I was thinking maybe we can just…round some bases.”

He almost swallowed his tongue. “You want to ‘round some bases’ with me?” Never had an offer sounded so sweet.

Or so dangerous.

Blushing cheeks and all, she gave him an avid nod, her gaze holding onto his firmly. Even in this, the woman was fearless. The smallest shuffle of her feet, and a slight waver in her voice were her only signs that she was way the heck out of her comfort zone.

Definitely dangerous.

“Honey—”

“Before you say no, I’m not just some sex-crazed virgin just wanting to use your body as my own acrobatic playground to sow all my wild oats.”

It was growing increasingly fuzzy which side of the argument her words were supporting.

For crying out loud, he barely knew which side of the argument he was on right now.

Those witchy catlike eyes of hers got bedroom soft in an instant. “I just want the freedom to stop ignoring all these feelings I’ve only really ever felt with you, the freedom to experience everything you make me want to experience. I get that my virginity is your hard line you don’t feel comfortable crossing, but other than that, can’t we just…be together in every other way but that? Without restrictions? Does it really need to be an all or nothing sort of thing?”

For the sake of his sanity, most assuredly.

But when he saw just how strongly she felt about this, he answered gently, “No. It doesn’t.”

The more she talked, the more he realized she wasn’t looking at him like the women he’d hooked up with in the past who’d talk about blowjobs and sex toys as a means to get him to sleep with them. No, Lia was looking at him like… Hell, he’d actually never had a woman look at him the way she was right now.

That was enough to help him tamp down the raging hard-on her bold little suggestion had inspired long enough to pull her into his arms and consider her proposal seriously.

“Honey, I’d consider myself the luckiest man alive if I got to be the one to share that freedom with you, to be with you without restrictions. But are you sure? Because we don’t have to go that far. Honestly, I’m happy just kissing on you every night.”

“But that would mean cold showers every morning throughout our entire relationship,” she retorted with a frown.

Yeah, probably. “But I’m okay with that, sweetheart.”

“I meant for me,” she muttered, her cheeks positively burning against his skin. “That’s all I seem to be doing lately after I see you or talk to you.”

Well, damn. “That makes two of us,” he assured her. “So then your solution to our showering problems is that we ‘round some bases’?”

“Yes.” She rested her face against his chest. “Preferably all the way up to third.” More deep-breathing bravery. “Or at least what I hope third base is. For both of us.”

That ‘both of us’ had him nearly falling to his knees.

“Lia, you’re killing me here.”

“Is that a no?”