Abbi gasped. His long, loose tee had been hiding something real special. Stunned, she stared up at him. He was that aroused? And angry?
Suddenly so was she.
“Does this?” she snapped back, squeezing her hand so she cupped his balls tightly.
Breath hissed between his teeth and he jerked his hips, pulling out of her reach. “You need some work on understanding men’s signals.” He glared at her. “I’m interested. In you. I’m not a horndog, happy to bed anything that breathes.”
She swallowed. “Sorry.”
His eyes narrowed. “How sorry?”
“I—”
“Have it wrong.” He stepped forward and towered over her. “I kissed you last night because I wanted you. All of you. I still want all of you. But last night wasn’t the right time or place and you deserve better than the super-quick, semipublic screw we were headed for.”
“Oh?” She couldn’t have gotten much better than that almost-public orgasm he’d given her.
“Some jerk did a number on you. Made you believe you weren’t sexy?”
She held the paper cup in both hands—warming her chilly fingers. “So I’ve been told.” Many times. And she’d proven it again last night.
Joe’s eyes narrowed. “And that’s why you’re building the app. Why you’re so interested in the veracity of the info it’s going to contain.” He studied her for a moment longer, his frown huge. But then he turned away with a sigh. “I’m sorry, Abbi. We can’t do this. I don’t have the time or the need for a relationship.”
Her jaw dropped. “Who said I wanted a relationship?”
“What?” He turned back quickly. “It’s really only about getting the home run?”
He looked like he didn’t believe her. But like he wanted to.
“It’s about learning how to play the game properly.” Abbi waved a hand in a vaguely apologetic gesture. “It’s about learning the skills to break out of Little League and go for the majors.”
He ran his hand through his hair, a rueful quirk to his lips. “Abbi—”
“You’ve done what you came to do. You’ve apologized, you can go now. I—”
“Need me.” He stepped right up close to her again. Smiling this time.
“No, I don’t.”
“Yeah, you do.” He put his finger under her chin. “I think you do. You really want to learn some skills? That’s all you want?”
She stared up at him, still clutching the cup close. Lifted her shoulders in a shrug that so wasn’t careless.
“So you’re studying all those articles and listening to the audiobooks.” His wicked grin appeared as he considered her attempts. “But theory isn’t the same as practice. Don’t all good little computer geeks test things in development before going live with them?”
She hesitated, mulling his words. “Maybe. Are you offering to help me test things?”
“If you like.” He stepped a little closer. “And I think you’d like.”
Yeah, he so knew she was hot for him—she’d come in less than a minute last night—no doubt he thought she’d never say no. And he was right. But she might delay the yes for two seconds. After all, hadn’t he told her not to make it too easy for a guy?
“Nadia’s helping me,” she answered coolly.
“Does Nadia actually do men?”
Oh, he’d figured that, had he? “She’s perfect. She understands what women want, how they work, and that sometimes they don’t get all they should. She reckons everyone, male or female, should enjoy sex.”
He curled an arm around her waist. “That’s all well and good. But to really understand the male psyche, you need to talk to a man.”
Just talk to a man? “Are you offering to be my man-cyclopedia?”
“You once tutored me. Let me return the favor.” He suddenly looked happier than if he’d won some basketball championship by forty points. “You can be my protégé.”
“You want to be some kind of Svengali figure for me?”
“As in control you? Direct your sexuality?” He swept his big hand down her spine and pulled her hips closer against his aroused heat, rendering her grip on the cup—and her thought processes—precarious. “Sweetheart, don’t tempt me more than you already are.”
She gaped, then remembered herself and snapped her jaw shut. “Let me get this straight. You’re going to tutor me? Teach me how to be a sex goddess?”
She shouldn’t be excited about the thought of being his sexual student. But she so was.
“I thought we were going for vixen.” He drew in a breath. “But we can shoot for sex goddess, sure. Why not?”
Why was he pushing this? Was he feeling bad about last night? Was it a pity thing? Some random act of kindness for the geek girl?
“You want help,” he said quietly.
Yeah, she did. She never wanted to be accused of being boring in the bedroom again.
His hand slid up to the nape of her neck. His big palm cupped it and he tugged so she had to tilt her head back, exposing her mouth to his.
“Let me help you out.” His breath warmed her lips.
“Is that what you call this—‘helping’ me?”
His hand on her butt pushed, yanking her so close his erection dug almost painfully against her stomach. “It’s a win-win deal.”
“Win-win?”
“You know I want you.”
Yeah, maybe she did. And she couldn’t say no. She didn’t want to. It was only going to be a lesson—probably only the one—so why would she be so stupid to deny herself the experience?
“What, exactly, are you going to teach me?” She ached to know.
He looked thoughtful. “How to flirt? How to read the signs. Sensuality.”
“But you said I needed a practical component, not just theory. So is sex going to be part of this course curriculum?” She really needed confirmation on that.
He stared down at her, his jaw rigidly defined, like he was clenching his teeth. “You’ve had sex before, right?”
She rolled her eyes. “My last relationship lasted almost a year.” He didn’t need to know it had been her only relationship.
His face tightened. “Almost a year of bad sex?”
He looked like he didn’t believe her. Truthfully it had been more like half a year of not much sex. And she didn’t have much basis for comparison to know how bad it had been. She’d figured lots of women didn’t have orgasms during penetrative sex—Nadia had confirmed that. Though she’d also said more women should.
But Joe was a playboy with way more experience than her.
As intimidating as it was, this was her chance to learn some moves and grow her confidence. But she had to be careful—put some kind of protection in place.
She hesitated. But in the end, she just wanted the full-out fucking she’d been thinking about since last night. In fact, she wanted more.
“Back in high school I gave you six lessons,” she said, going for broke. “That’s all I’ll take from you.”
He didn’t have time for any kind of relationship, and this way she’d retain control of how this was going to play out. A time frame would limit the emotional impact, right? She could keep this as nothing more than an information- and experience-gathering exercise. And it would be more than once.
He stared at her for a long moment—his expression edgy. Then he nodded. “That’s fair. That’s a good idea.”
“They’re launching my app at the magazine’s third anniversary party a week from Friday. I’ll need the testing to be complete by then. Six lessons in less than a fortnight. Can you deliver?” She slipped easily into IT boss mode.
“Of course.”
“Starting now.” She was wet already, and that was only from standing pressed against him for a few minutes.
“Ever the eager, diligent student.” His teasing smile flashed, softening the harsh hunger in his eyes. “That chocolate having an effect, huh?”
“Chocolate is no substitute for sex.” And she’d only
had a couple sips. The effect was all from Joe. To have the guy she’d felt the first stirrings of lust for finally be hard against her? Total turn-on.
He chuckled again. But his emerald eyes glinted with something harder.
“All right then.” He palmed her butt, massaging her against him. “Kiss me.”
Heat balled in her lower belly. “Now?”
“You’re the one who’s so keen on first base.” His gaze lowered, focusing on her mouth. His voice lowered too. “And there’s nothing sexier than red, puffy lips—and knowing I’m the one who made them that swollen and sensitive.”
Oh my.
He lifted his gaze back to hers. “Give me a taste of what might come later. A flash that’s going to leave me wanting.”
Oh hell. How was she to manage that? Her mind blanked. Where were all the data she’d accrued? He was such a tease.