Page 18 of Collateral Damage

He chuckled against her skin, sending a shiver of heat down her spine. “But you’re always fair and honest, aren’t you?”

Fair, yes.

Honest.

Not tonight.

“Is anyone always honest?”

Whitt stilled. “No. I would guess not.” It was a few heartbeats before he said anything else. “And you’re smart. You pay attention to things that most people miss.”

It was a little unnerving to have him see so much. “What about you?” Bess pressed her palms against the skin of his chest, moving the tips of her fingers through the sparse patch of dark hair covering his sternum.

“That’s for you to decide, Sweetheart.” His mouth was against her ear, teeth nipping at the lobe and the bit of skin just under it. “What do you think I am?”

“Well.” She closed her eyes as his lips dipped lower, the hot press against her neck threatening to distract her. “You are very good at things.”

“Things? What kind of things?”

She could swear it sounded like he was smiling. “These kind of things.”

“Hmm. You mean bedroom things.”

“That’s all I’ve really had the chance to see you do.”

“I saved your life.”

That was right. Somehow it had become less impressive than what he was currently accomplishing. “Thank you for that.”

“You’re welcome.” Whitt continued his downward path, pausing to suck at the spot where her neck and shoulder met, his mouth pulling her skin hard enough she would probably have a mark in the morning. “Now, tell me more about myself.”

“You are very handsome.” It was about the most superficial thing she could come up with. Digging any deeper would only take her into dangerous territory.

“That’s true.”

She snorted. “You’re a little conceited.”

“But only a little.” His lips skimmed over the swell of her breast. “What else?”

Bess scanned the room. “You’re very tidy.”

“You’re making me sound pretty fucking boring, Sweetheart.”

“I said you were good in the bedroom.”

Whitt leaned up, giving her a devilish grin. “I guess I’ll have to try to get upgraded to amazing in the bedroom then, since it’s my most redeeming quality.”

A second later his mouth was back on her pussy, sucking and licking as if he’d done this to her a million times instead of just once. In minutes Bess was coming again, the nearly empty room spinning around her as the man she was working hard not to like murmured more sweet words against her skin.

She’d never been called perfect by a man once, let alone over and over. It would have been easy to say it was because he didn’t know her. Didn’t know the uglier side of the woman he was showering with praise.

But his assessment of her was disturbingly close, and Whitt seemed almost impressed at the qualities some men found less than desirable.

Not some men. One man.

“Don’t let a man tell you you’re anything but fucking perfect. Understand me?”

And now he was reading her thoughts. That was great.