Free First Kiss (Emma's Arabian Nights, #1) by Ann Mayburn Page B

anything Emma could want that I couldn’t handle.”
    “What about bringing another man, or woman, into the bedroom with you?”
    Ryan struggled to keep his expression blank. “I could deal with it.”
    Shaking his head, Justan sighed. “Give me a fucking break. If another man as much as looks at Emma, you’ll go ape shit. You need to wrap your caveman brain around the fact that your sweet Emma won’t be satisfied with a vanilla relationship. She’s a wild one, you lucky bastard, and if you want to keep her happy, you’re going to have to learn how to share.”
    “Fuck.” Ryan ran his hands over his head.
    “I don’t see what the problem is. You shared the Mistress you trained under with her husband. And we’ve had more than one crazy night with a woman between us, so it’s not like you wouldn’t enjoy it.”
    “Yeah, but that was different.”
    “How so?”
    “Well…I didn’t love the women I shared in the past.”
    “Oh buddy, you are so fucked.” Justan laughed.
    Scowling at his friend, Ryan took a sip of his cold coffee before setting the cup back down. “What should I do?”
    “How the hell would I know?” Ryan glared at Justan, whose usual mocking smile faded. “Look, life is short and nothing’s guaranteed. You need to weigh the risks versus rewards of your actions against the facts as you know them, then plan your course of action.”
    “So you’re saying I need to create a flow chart of my relationship?”
    “That’s not a bad idea.” Justan grinned and some of his natural cockiness returned. “I think that if you can get a handle on your jealousy, you just might have a chance with that badass bitch. And if you ever need a backup, you can always call on me.”
    “Asshole,” Ryan muttered.
    “Oh, come on. You know that I know how to keep it strictly physical. Emma is hot as fuck, and I won’t lie and say I’m not more than a little curious as to what it would be like to bottom to her. But she’s your dream girl, not mine. I will tell you this, if you ask her to choose between you and her job right now, you’re going to lose.”
    The truth of his friend’s statement hurt and Ryan tried to fight off the depression threatening to engulf him. He finally had the chance to be with the woman who’d been haunting him for most of his adult life, and he didn’t know if he could handle her. The thought of anyone touching Emma made him see red, but Justan was right. If Ryan wanted to win her heart, he’d have to show her that he would love and accept her for who she was, no matter what. Starting out a relationship with the intent of changing someone never worked.
    Justan reached over the table and clasped Ryan’s shoulder, then released it. “Hey, don’t look like someone just kicked your puppy. It isn’t a hopeless situation.”
    Frustration filled Ryan. “Why the fuck can’t anything be easy in this world?”
    “If it was easy, you wouldn’t value it. Now when are you seeing this chick next?”
    “She’s coming over to my house later today.”
    Shock widened Justan’s eyes. “Wow, you got her to see you outside of the dungeon already? Does she know who you are?”
    “Yeah, I got her to agree to come over, and no, I don’t think she knows who I am.”
    “Well then, you need to tell her.” He shook his head. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if she flips out on you. Shit, I’d be pretty fucking pissed if someone lied to me like that.”
    “I didn’t lie to her.”
    Justan raised an eyebrow in a sarcastic expression even Spock would have envied.
    “Okay, maybe I omitted a few thing, but I wanted to prove that I could bring her pleasure. That I could submit to her.”
    “And did you?”
    The memory of the desire burning in Emma’s beautiful blue eyes and the liquid evidence of her need glistening on her inner thighs beneath her short chain skirt made Ryan’s cock surge behind his fly, causing him to shift to adjust himself. “Oh yeah.”
    “You really got off on