as she chewed. The savory dish delighted her taste buds.
“Mmm. This is great.”
“Do you know how rough it is to cook for a chef? I got my balls in a bunch trying to pick the perfect thing.”
“I’d say you did fine. Better than.” She swallowed another draught of cider then bit the bullet. She could be as brave as her date. “And, yes, I’m completely turned on by the idea of the crew but it scares me too. I don’t want you to think I’m a slut. I, um, care too much about you to ruin this for one night of fun.”
“Morgan.” He set his mug on the table hard enough to make the candles shimmer. “That’s bullshit. Is that what you think? That enjoying a ménage with people who know you and respect you is the same as sleeping with any man who needs to get off? If it is, then this isn’t for you.”
18
“Damn, now I offended you.” She bit her lip. “I only meant that sometimes men don’t know what they want. A fantasy that sounds hot in theory can change the way someone looks at you afterward. It can kill a good thing. I don’t want to take that risk.”
Her lip trembled.
“Hey, hey. Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Joe petted her arm. His gorgeous green eyes closed to a slit. “Is that what happened with your ex? Did that douche offer to make your dreams come true then punish you for them once he’d gotten his rocks off?”
She focused on savoring the delicious meal Joe had slaved over. Anything was better than letting it go to waste. Because if she thought about Craig, everything would taste like cardboard.
“He did.” Joe scooted closer until the heat of his thighs bracketed her. “That bastard.”
Morgan set her silverware on her plate when he enfolded her in his embrace. He covered her face with butterfly kisses though his legs quivered with pent-up fury.
“Yeah, he sort of planted an idea in my head. He wanted me to try a threesome with another woman. I went along with it. No, that sounds like I didn’t want to experiment. I was curious, and I liked it. She was soft and lush. So different from a man. It just wasn’t what I want all the time.”
“Holy shit, that’s hot.”
“Yeah, but he’d promised to try a threesome with another man if I did it with another woman. Only he never came through. He told me it was wrong to want to be with someone else if we were in love. He dumped me and asked me to return his ring.”
“What a selfish asshole.”
“Something like that. Actually, he decided he liked her better. They’re together now. I saw them in the grocery store not long after. She was wearing my diamond. Some of my old friends told me they’re living with another woman. I was lucky, really. Everything fell apart before we actually got married, had a house or kids. Before I was too invested.”
“That would never happen with me, Morgan.” Joe cradled her against his heaving chest. “I’d love every minute of making your dreams come true. And I sure as hell wouldn’t change my mind in the light of day. I would expect the same acceptance from my partner. God knows I’ve done things a lot of women wouldn’t condone.”
“You mean fooling around with the rest of the crew?”
“Yeah.” He looked straight into her eyes. “I’ve enjoyed sex with them. I’ve touched them, been touched, even tried fucking James once but it wasn’t really my thing. Don’t get me wrong. It was hot. And I don’t respect his lifestyle any less. Like you said, just not what I want most times.”
She swallowed hard as she imagined the two men together. The raw power and grace they both possessed would have been amazing to see unleashed. She moaned.
Joe laughed. “Glad to know that doesn’t repulse you.”
19
“Exactly the opposite. So what do you want most times?”
“A woman who’s honest and open with her needs. Someone who makes me laugh, who gets me. I’m not rich or a genius, but I’ll never let you down. I want someone who’ll be there for me