"Different from the guys I've already been with."

"Different how?"

"Just different."

"You're ducking the question."

Was she?

Yes. She was. Be bold, you weenie.

"Okay, sorry. Different like ... I'd like to go out with a guy who's had completely different experiences from me. Like a guy who'll challenge me or drive me nuts sometimes. Somebody who doesn't always feel safe, but always feels interesting."

"Huh."

"You can't just say huh.' "

"Oh. What I meant was, Huh, and here I thought you were going to talk about s.e.x.' "

"You did?"

"I hoped. You're making me curious."

"Why?"

"I'm a man, and you're pretty, plus you like me. You start talking about guys, and I start hoping I'm going to be able to work the conversation around to s.e.x."

"You want to know about my-" She couldn't say s.e.x life. She didn't have a s.e.x life. "-my personal life?"

"No. I just want you to talk about s.e.x, freely, for the next several hours."

Amber laughed, a surprised bark. "That's not going to happen."

"d.a.m.n. Well, just tell me this, then. Are you a virgin?"

"That's none of your business."

"You could tell me anyway."

She could. Why not? She wanted to.

She took a deep breath. "No. I'm not a virgin."

He made a sound, a kind of grunting unh that she didn't know how to interpret.

"What does that mean? Was I supposed to be a virgin?"

"No. Yes. I have no idea."

"Why do you sound like that?" Tight. Tense.

"You don't want to know."

"I thought we were being honest. You made me say virgin' out loud, and now you won't talk to me?"

"I'm a guy. We're talking about s.e.x. Why do you think I sound like this?"

There was a direct question. Amber tried to figure out some sneaky way to avoid answering it, but she couldn't come up with one, so she just blurted out, "You're excited?"

" Excited,' bunny?"

"You said you wouldn't call me bunny.' "

"I'm getting hard. Not excited. Hard."

"You're picking on me."

"No, I'm not. I'm hitting on you. I really shouldn't, but I can't help it. I want to hear you say the word hard.' "

"No."

"Come on. Say it, and I'll stop calling you bunny.' "

"I'm not saying the word."

"Then I'm not going to stop."

"I don't even know how we got on this subject."

"Don't be coy. n.o.body likes coy."

"I thought guys loved coy."

"Just say it."

Another deep breath. "You're getting hard."

And she was getting hot. So hot. Her cheeks, her throat, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and a deep pool of liquid heat between her legs. Holy cow.

"Wow," he said.

"What wow'?"

"Say it again."

"Once is all you get."

"C'mon. Tell me why I'm getting so hard."

He was exasperating. How had he maneuvered the conversation to this point so easily?

Why did she want so badly to keep going?

"Fine. You're getting hard at the idea of my ... actually, which part is making you hard?"

"Pretty much the whole package."

"But mostly the virgin part gets you hard."

He exhaled forcefully. "Okay. You gotta stop saying that word."

"I thought you wanted me to say it."

"Yeah, but every time you say it, I get a little harder, and now I feel like I could hammer nails with my d.i.c.k."

A deep pulse of arousal started between her legs and pushed through her whole body. Amber closed her eyes, overwhelmed. "Oh."

"See, now I've shocked you."

"I'm not shocked."

"You're totally shocked."

"I'm excited." And shocked.

Another soft grunt. "Does excited' mean wet' now?"

"Shut up."

"I would if I could, I swear to G.o.d."

"That's just ... that's just biology, though, right?"

"Don't make this complicated. It's us talking about s.e.x, and me wanting to have s.e.x with you."

"Oh. Like, now?"

"I'm not going to f.u.c.k you on the floor in the dark in the bas.e.m.e.nt, if that's what you're asking."

She hadn't actually gotten that graphic in her mind, no. But now that he had, whoa. Whoa. And also, Yes, please.

It wouldn't ever happen. Still, this was the single most exciting conversation Amber had ever had. She didn't want it to end, so she gave herself permission to keep saying whatever came to mind, with no filter.

"But you kind of want to do that? What you said?"

"Say it."

"You kind of want to-" Oh, Lord. "To f.u.c.k me on the floor?"

She heard something give a soft thunk against the concrete. She thought it might be his skull. "Yeah, honey, I want to."

"That's hot."

Another soft thunk. "Jesus Christ," he said. "You're not a bunny at all."

Chapter Five.

Amber had a million different impulses at the same time.

Crawl into his lap.

Keel over and die.

Ask him to kiss you.

Hide in the corner.

Fumble around in the dark for his fly and find out if he means it.

She liked that last impulse best, but she couldn't move. Running her mouth was one thing, and getting rejected-physically, actually, definitively rejected-was another. She wasn't sure she could hack it.

"Who ever said I was a bunny?" she asked.

"n.o.body, honey."

"Well, I'm not. I'm just a woman, Tony. Just me. And I ... I like you." A lot.

"I like you, too, honey, but I-"

The tornado siren cut him off. It built from a low moan to a wail, surprising her with its volume.

When the siren died down, there was only their breathing and her disappointment. No way to resurrect the conversation-the noise had effectively sliced through the intimate atmosphere-but she wanted it back, all the same.

She wanted to know what would have happened next.

"That was the all clear," Tony said.

"I know. We can go up. You want me to lead the way out, since I know it better?"

"Yeah, that'd be good."