Chapter Forty-One

“If I kiss you now, I’ll take you here and now, so I’ll continue to talk,” he said in a crooning voice.

“I know.” Her thumb and forefinger played with his chin as she noted, again, how strong and sexy he was. Why was everything in him so sexy?

“I still have to tell you everything I went through after I promised myself I will never approach you until I feel you can deal with me. I mean—before I saw you with that ugly prick by the side of the road and all good intentions left me.”

She giggled again, knowing already that he got jealous of Ruel. “Ugly? Ruel’s not ugly.”

“So you think he’s handsome, huh?” he asked in a highly threatening voice that made her giggle all the more.

“Not as handsome as you, but passable,” she managed to answer when she recovered. “C’mon, Eric. He made an effort. He serenaded me, visited me even if he was tired minding his family’s store in town during the day, and even found a way to see me after you’ve imposed that curfew.”

“Is that all?” His voice was suddenl