“Stop talking,” he gritted.
She did as told and looked relieved to do it.
Noc took a deep breath and endeavored not to lose his mind and fuck up like he did the night before.
When he got his shit together, he stated, “Okay, I’m gonna make this crystal clear right now, Frannie, so we don’t fall into this again. That means I want you listening close, baby. Are you listening?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Right. Good. Here it is,” he began, took a big breath and gave it to her. “On a night months ago, after me and a bunch of folks I did not know saved a world, no matter what happened just before, I sat down to wine and whiskey with a beautiful woman and by the time I watched her walk out of that room, she had me wrapped around her finger.”
He heard her intake of breath but he kept talking.
“She didn’t know it and obviously still doesn’t know it, but since that day, it’s all been about her. That her being you.”
“Noc.” His name came husky and sweet, it was gorgeous, he loved hearing it, but he still kept at her.
“And now I’ll take the time to share that I’m not that guy. When I’m with a woman, I’m with that woman. I expect her to be with me too. If I have a woman in my life, it’s about her, getting to know her, seeing where things are gonna go and focusing on only that. It’s not about playing the field, being sure to keep myself open so I don’t miss anything or getting as much pussy as I can. It’s about her and me. Right now, I’m with a woman. Very with her. And in that current scenario, Frannie, I’ll repeat, that her is you.”
“All right, darling,” she said soothingly.
“I’m not done.”
By the dashboard lights, he watched as she closed her mouth.
He did not.
“So what I do with my time is your business and what I do with my dick is definitely your business, is that understood?”
A quick nod with her “Yes.”
“And I expect the same from you. I’m in your business and that beautiful body of yours, Franka, is only for me. You still with me?”
Now her “Yes,” came breathy.
He loved hearing that too.
But he still kept at her.
“And to demonstrate what I’m talking about, no one has gotten what I’m gonna share with you, and no one is going to get it except you. When I say that, I mean I haven’t shared and I’m not going to share with anyone but you. I expect you to keep this between you and me as well because it’s only your business due to what you mean to me, who you are in my life, where I’m hoping what we got is gonna go. Other than that, it would be only Circe and my business.”
He gave her a chance to let that sink in, she indicated it did by slowly nodding, and then he kept going.
“She approached me. You could call it coming onto me, because mostly, in an inexperienced way, it was. I don’t know why she did. Maybe she was feelin’ it after helping to save the world. Maybe she was beside herself the world had been saved and she wanted to celebrate. Maybe it was just the time for her to do it. I don’t know what it was and I didn’t ask. That’s only hers. I did know about her. Valentine told me everything about everybody before she took me to that world. So I knew what her approach meant, how huge it was, and what an honor it was she picked me. Serious…and I am not saying this shit to make you feel better, it’s just true…she’s not my type. She’s gorgeous and we shared something that was intense and all good, but normally, I wouldn’t go there. I went there with her because I knew what her choosing me meant for her and I’d just put my life on the line to help save a continent. I was feelin’ in the mood.”
“Of course,” she whispered when he took a breath.
“That’s it,” he continued. “Before we took it there, she made it clear she wanted no more and I made it clear I was down with that because I felt the same. We parted friends. We’re still friends. She’s phoned since I’ve been home but I’ve been too busy to catch up with her. But again, she’s just a friend, that’s all she is and that’s all she’ll ever be. We got what happened between us in our history and it means something to me. It was a beautiful moment in my life, her trusting me like she did, and I hope I gave that beauty back to her. But then it was done. And by the way, to make something else clear, you are my type. That hair. Your eyes. That fuckin’ mouth of yours. Your neck, which is the most beautiful thing I’ve seen on any woman. The uppity cute shit you got going. Totally my type.”
When she got it that he was done speaking, she said softly, her words carrying a shit ton of feeling, “Thank you for sharing all of that with me.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Frannie. The gig is, you should expect that shit from me because that’s who I am to you. I’m yours. I’m your guy. And there’s nothing of mine that’s not yours to have.”
She leaned his way as far as her seat belt would let her and put a hand his knee.
“I, well…that means everything to me, Noc, and I wish you to know you should feel the same way about me.”
“I already do,” he returned.
He saw her lips tip up and he wanted to kiss her, looking at her face, the relief there she didn’t hide, the emotion she had for him she also didn’t hide, feeling her hand curl on his knee.
But they weren’t done.
“Now we got that clear, what are you and Valentine planning to do with Circe?”
Her hand disappeared from his knee and she leaned away.