Page 47 of The Challenge

Even as the words left my mouth, I felt an emptiness inside. Was I really going to pigeon-hole my relationship with Evan, cut off all hope of anything developing between us just to avoid someone getting hurt? I’d just friend-zoned myself. Great job, Chloe.

“That’s a very mature way of looking at things,” he said.

“I can be mature when I want to be.”

“Speaking of immaturity, remind me sometime to tell you what I did with that letter you sent me.” A low chuckle rumbled from his chest as he took another swig of wine.

“Oh God.” I laughed, feeling the wine going to my head. “Do I really want to know?”

He flashed a mischievous grin, and I yearned to reach across and run my hand through his hair. It was curling around his ears, which always drove me crazy. I definitely had a buzz now, and as was typical, that made me horny. Everything about Evan was turning me on, from the way his white T-shirt stretched against the muscles of his chest to the veins visible on his arm as it wrapped around the couch.

Evan set his glass on the table and settled farther into the couch. “Tell me what it was about Scott that didn’t do it for you.”

“You want to have this conversation right now?”

“Is there a better time than alone in the living room over wine while Effie’s asleep?”

“Probably not.” I blew out a shaky breath and collected my thoughts. “It was just…a feeling that he wasn’t the one. He comes from a great family. They all seemed to love me. They would’ve made a great second family, but that wasn’t reason enough to stay with him. My feelings for Scott just weren’t strong enough.” I hesitated. “And sexually, we weren’t as compatible as I’d hoped we’d be.”

Evan studied me. “Compatible. Meaning the sexual chemistry wasn’t there. I know it wasn’t the other way around. Compatibility is a two-way street. Sounds to me like he was just a dead end, even though he wanted you badly.”

The roundabout compliment put my nipples on alert. I wanted Evan to want me that way, even if anything happening between us seemed impossible. Since way back in the day, one of my favorite things to do had been to provoke a reaction from him and analyze his response.

“He couldn’t make me come,” I confessed, certain I turned red.

Evan’s lips parted. “Well, that would do it.”

“I never told him. So maybe that’s on me.”

“Trust me, if he couldn’t make you come, there’s nothing you could’ve said that would’ve changed anything. It would’ve just made him feel like shit.”

“Do you know that from experience?” I teased.

“I’ve never been perfect when dating women, but I am happy to say, one thing I’ve never failed at is making someone come.”

I felt a little lightheaded. “As far as you know.”

“Pretty sure I felt all of them.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I mean…you just know.”

“How?”

“I told you, I can feel it.”

“But how? What does it feel like?”

He looked up at the ceiling for a moment. “It’s like a tightening…but multiple times in a row. Like a pulsating tightness, almost rhythmic. It feels amazing.”

My panties were about to combust. This man had no clue what he was doing to me right now. Just hearing him talk about that put my body in a state of painful longing. Was he intentionally driving me crazy? If he wasn’t, he had no idea how damn sexy he was, especially when he was talking like that.

Then he looked back at me. “How bad was it? Like, you never came or…?”

“Not once.” I coughed. “With him. I mean, I made myself, but…”

“Yeah.” He swallowed hard. “I got it.” He smirked. “Hair wand and all…”