Was she?
From across the lobby, through the people and the chatter of conversation and laughter, he smiled at her, one of his slow, heated smiles that rattled her knees and liquefied her bones.
Then he was walking toward her. With that long-legged stride and sense of purpose. Other women watched him, wanted him, and yet he didn’t even look.
And despite what she’d told herself about her heart, it tipped on its side and began the fall.
“Hey,” he said when he reached her side. He took her hand. “Ready?”
If he only knew just how ready she was, he’d go running into the night, putting as much distance between them as he possibly could. “Ready,” she said, and put her hand in his. “Where are we going?”
“Anywhere. Everywhere.”
He was true to his word. They walked through Soho, looking at art displayed on the street. Not pretty, neat museum art, but dark, deep stuff that she’d never experienced before, from artists who looked as if maybe they’d lived by train tracks their whole life, or out of cardboard boxes.
Jacob didn’t say much, just waited for her reaction. She didn’t know for certain but thought maybe this was his way of testing her-could she understand his world?
She studied the art, while Jacob studied her, appearing to be watching her for any signs of revulsion or discomfort, but she felt neither. In fact, with his big, tough body at her side, she’d never felt more comfortable, or safe.
And the art honestly captured her, entranced her. She told him so, and felt more than saw some invisible string of tension break free.
After that, he took her for a very late dinner at a tiny Thai place with only three tables, where no one spoke English, where it was possible that everyone here had just gotten off a boat from Thailand. The place was clean but dark and furtive, as if the entire staff was ready to pick up and run at a moment’s notice of the immigration authorities.
It was some of the best food she’d ever tasted.
It was Jacob, she knew, still trying to scare her off his world, which was so incredibly different from hers, but he didn’t know that while she might look sweet and act sweet, even taste sweet, she could dig in her heels with the best of them. She didn’t care that he’d had a vagabond, wanderlust life, and that hers had been relatively sheltered. She didn’t expect anything more than what they could have in this moment right here, right now.
So the test continued.
They browsed through a magic shop for fun, then went through the back and ended up in a porn shop. Tasteful as the interior was, with lace and silk curtains dividing the DVDs from the whips and chains, Em still blinked in surprise. Dildos and vibrators and cock rings, oh my.
Jacob just watched her in that way he had of never hesitating, never fumbling, never looking flustered or confused.
God, to have half that confidence.
“Need anything?” he asked, deadpan.
“Um…” She eyed a row of anal plugs, each bigger than the last, and swallowed hard. “No, thanks.”
“Sure?”
“Yes.” She cleared her throat. “I’m good.” She managed to look him in the eye. “You?”
For the first time all night, he tossed his head back and laughed, the sound real and rich and warming her belly.
And in that moment, she knew. Whether he liked it or not, whether he even knew it yet or not, she’d passed his test.
9
EM LOOKED AROUND HER at the porn shop. She was going to do it, she was going to buy something, just to see the look on Jacob’s face when she did so with mature ease and without embarrassment.
Oh, he was standing there, so positive that he’d shocked her, so confident that she’d never have the guts to actually do it.
Ha! Watch her.
She stalked right up to the counter, telling herself she’d purchase the first thing she saw that she could name, heart racing at the selection of vibrators right in front of her. Gulping, she pointed to the one called The Rabbit-
Behind her, Jacob choked, but when she looked at him, he’d pulled himself together.
“Problem?” she asked loftily, taking out her credit card.
Jacob put his big, warm hand over hers and pulled out his wallet. “No way. This baby’s on me.” His eyes locked on Em’s as he said to the woman behind the counter, “Add batteries.”
Em was too mortified to argue with him, and the next thing she knew, she was walking out of there with a brown bag heavy with The Rabbit, and a body zapping with sexual energy.
Unbelievable, but she was twenty-seven years old and had just bought her first vibrator.
“Don’t worry, you’ll like it.”
“I wasn’t worried.”
His dimple flashed. “Were, too.”
Damn it, did he have to read her mind, and then toss her own humiliating thoughts back at her?
He leaned in. “If you need any help with that thing, you just let me know.”
Before she could formulate a response to this, he directed her into a bar.
A live band played with more decibels than talent, and the youthful, free-spirited crowd danced and laughed and talked over them. The servers wore jeans and suspenders-and no shirts. Including the women.
“Thought you could use a drink after that last adventure.” Jacob gestured for the bartender, then looked at Em.
“A beer,” she said, definitely needing it.
Jacob lifted up two fingers. When the drinks came, he looked at her over his bottle as he drank, his eyes filled with laughter and heat, God, so much heat.
She downed her beer. “I could probably use another.”
“It’s supposed to bring you pleasure,” he said.
“The beer brought me plenty of pleasure.”
“The vibrator.”
“Oh.”
“Gotta have trust, Em. There’s easy pleasure there.”
“Fine for a man to say. It’s simple for you to-” She clamped her mouth shut. Had she just been about to say it, really? That it was easier for a man to masturbate?
Interested, he cocked his head. “What is it easier for men to do, Em?” His expression assured her she was still providing him with great entertainment. “Jerk off?” Leaning in so she could see nothing but that sinfully perfect face and yummy mouth, he whispered in an extremely naughty voice, “If you can’t say it, how do you expect to be able to do it?”
“I can do it,” she said, then wished she hadn’t, because his grin widened.
“Sure?”
“
“Because like I said, I could help-”
“I said I’d be fine! Now I need another beer. Please,” she added in a more civil tone.
He tossed down the money to cover the beers they’d already consumed. “If it’s serious drinking you’re in the mood for, let’s hit Patrick’s.”
She had no idea what exactly she was in the mood for, but it would be nice to assuage the odd ache deep inside her belly.
The one between her thighs was another story.
