I quickly walked back down the long hallway and up the short staircase to Goldie’s room. With excitement building up in the pit of my stomach, I lightly tapped on Goldie’s door to let her know I was coming in, and then opened the door.

The soft glow from the light on her nightstand greeted me as I walked in her room and saw her sitting cross-legged on the bed, wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top that clung to her every curve. Her hair was tied up in a high bun on the top of her head and her face was free of all make up. She looked absolutely beautiful.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she said, pointing her finger at me.

I shut the door and walked toward her, reminding myself to keep my hands from getting too frisky with her.

“Like what?”

“You know, like you’re thinking about all the different ways you can bend me over and fuck me till morning.”

“Actually, I was thinking how beautiful you are, but now I’m thinking about what you said,” I said casually, as I started to untuck my shirt from my pants and unbutton it.

“Hey now,” she said, while backing up on her bed. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“You don’t expect me to sleep in my street clothes, do you?”

“You don’t expect to sleep naked, do you?” she countered.

“No, just in my boxer briefs,” I said casually, as I undid the last button of my shirt and let it fly open as I started to undo my belt. As if she hadn’t seen a man’s physique in years, she ate me up with her eyes in a matter of seconds, making this night that much harder on me.

“Can’t you borrow pajamas from Diego or Blane?” she asked while she gulped.

“I’m a grown man, Goldie. I’m not about to ask Blane and Diego if I could borrow pajamas, something they probably don’t possess anyway. You lost the bet, now you have to deal with the consequences, and honestly, I think you’re getting the better end of the deal.”

“Is that right?” she asked, while crossing her arms over her chest. “And how is that?”

I took off my pants and shirt and folded them as I spoke to her. “You’ll see. May I use your bathroom?”

Confused, she nodded her head as I went to the bathroom to quickly brush my teeth with my finger, of course…anything is better than nothing, and then use the toilet. Once I was ready for bed, I turned off the bathroom light and walked toward her. She was leaning against her wall while sitting on her bed waiting for me. I was one lucky son of a bitch who she’d stuck through everything with. I still had a way to go, but she was still here, and that was all that mattered.

I rounded her bed and casually slipped under the sheets. Holding them up for her to crawl in, I said, “Why don’t you join me, Little One?”

“I don’t trust that you’re not going to get all handsy with me.”

“You have my word; I just want to hold you, nothing more.”

“When have you ever wanted to just hold me?” she asked, as she crawled up the bed and under the covers with me. She rested her head next to mine on her pillow and curled up into a ball while staring me in the eyes.

Sincerely, I moved a stray wisp of hair out of her face and let my fingers caress her soft cheek as I said, “Since the minute you walked into my life; I’ve just been too damn afraid to admit it.”

Carefully, I placed my hand on her hip and pulled her in a little closer, forcing her to unfold her legs and stretch them out so she couldn’t use them as a barrier between us. The quick intake of air from her made me realize she wasn’t quite expecting my intimate touch, but she wasn’t protesting either.

“Is this okay?” I asked, making sure she was comfortable.

“I guess so,” she responded, while trying to study me. “Do you really mean the things you say? Or are you just trying to win me back so you can go all dominant on me again?”

“Why do you say that with a negative tone?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “Because you like controlling my life.”

Disappointment ran through me, as I saw for the first time how she truly saw me as a person. She didn’t see me as a protector or someone who truly cared about her soul. No, she saw me as a controlling man, who wanted nothing more than to tell her what do in her life.

“I see,” I nodded, while I refrained from getting out of the bed and putting my clothes back on. If I wanted Goldie in my life, then I was going to have to fight for her, in every aspect of our lives.

“Am I wrong?”

“Yes, Little One. I’m afraid you are. I don’t want to control your life; I want to protect you, to take care of you, to erase any worry that might come across that beautiful face of yours.”

“I don’t want to talk about that right now.”

“Why? Do you not believe me?” I asked, while slightly running my thumb up and down on the side of her hip.

“I do, that’s the problem. I’m still mad at you, remember?” she scrunched her nose all cute like, making the need to kiss her that much stronger.

Clearing my throat, I nodded and asked, “Then, what do you want to talk about, Little One?”

She pondered my question before answering. “Tell me about Kace as a kid. Was he a trouble maker?”

I didn’t think I could be caught more off guard. Out of all the questions she could ask me, I didn’t think she would ask about Kace. I didn’t like it one bit, her wanting to know more about Kace. She was supposed to want to learn about me, not the man who was stiff competition for Goldie’s heart.

“Didn’t think you were going to ask about Kace,” I responded, trying not to sound sour.

“Why not? The man is so mysterious, so hot. If he was a main character in a book, I would want to know all about him. He’s always brooding and umm, hello, he’s an ex-boxer; if that doesn’t scream panty pudding, then I don’t know what does. I want to know everything about the man, what makes him tick. So, tell me, what was he like as a kid?”

Goldie’s eyes lit up as she spoke of Kace, making me that much more jealous.

Trying not to blow up, I shifted on the bed, trying to get comfortable. This was not the way I’d envisioned my night.

“Well…”

I was about to tell her Kace was an ass most of his life, until she threw her head back and laughed, making the most amazingly beautiful sound slip from her lips. I watched as the column of her neck moved up and down with her laughter, enticing me to run my tongue along it, to take what I’ve wanted since the first moment I met her.

She was so fucking mine.

“Why are you laughing?” I asked, enjoying her laugh too much.

She looked at me with tears in her eyes, tears of laughter, and said, “Oh, my God, you should have seen the look on your face.” With a scrunched up face and a deep southern voice, she said, “I’m Jett Colby and I’m mad because the girl I like wants to talk about another man.” She threw her head back and laughed some more, hopefully more at her terrible impression of me than at my expense. A man could only hope.

“Oh, you’re too easy,” she said, waving her hand in front of her face. “If I knew life was going to be this much fun dating a dominant man, I would have dated one a while ago. You can fuck around with them so easily.”

Damn was she right. One thing that didn’t go my way, and I was ready to have a coronary over it.

Pulling her in closer, I rested my forehead on hers and lined our bodies up properly while I stared into her eyes.

“Does that mean we’re dating?” I asked, while moving my hand to her back and lightly stroking her bare skin. I felt her breathing grow heavier with every stroke, making me an extremely satisfied man.

“Umm, maybe,” she said, while licking her lips and looking at mine.

Temptress, but hell if I was going to make the first move.

“Do you know why it’s so much fun dating someone like you?”

“Why?” she asked, pulling her eyes away from my lips for a brief moment in time.

“Because, with one touch, you’re putty in my hands. I don’t have to do much, just a light graze or a soft whisper in your ear,” I said, while leaning forward, brushing my lips against her ear lobe.