raised one eyebrow. “The heart?”
“Nah.” Ryan grinned. “The penis.”
“In that case, you should be asking strippers at the VaVaVoom Bar to marry you.”
His brows rose. “Ha, ha, ha. Don’t turn this around to me. I’m not the one about to make the second biggest mistake in my life.”
“Right. You’re the one not making any mistakes. When was your last serious relationship? What’s the matter? Why are you afraid to commit?”
“Told you, it’s not me.” Ryan gave him the same smile that made women slip him their phone numbers and bra sizes. “It’s my penis.”
“Your penis drives your brains. Now I know your problem.”
“Every man thinks with his penis when it comes to women.” He nodded his chin at Holden. “Except you. And that’s your big problem. Your marriage to Portia will be like Grandma and Grandpa’s.”
“They were married for sixty years before Grandma died.”
“And I’m sure they were sixty looooong years. How often do you think they had sex?”
Holden shuddered. “I don’t even want to think about that.”
“Neither did they. There was a reason our father was an only child.”
“You’re an asshole.”
Ryan shrugged. “I’m telling it as I see it. When was the last time you and Portia got sweaty together?”
Holden glared at him, his lips clamped together.
If he said anything out loud, Ryan would know.
Ryan unhooked his leg from his knee and sat up straight. “Shit, don’t tell me. You aren’t having sex with her.”
Holden stood, wishing he’d never come back this afternoon. “What Portia and I do or don’t do isn’t any of your damn business.” He grabbed his suit jacket. “I’ve had it for the day. I’m going home early. If any important calls come in, I’ll tell Sherry you can take them.”
“Yeah, but can you trust me?” Ryan grinned again, but his shoulders were stiff, and his gaze didn’t leave Holden’s face.
“If I didn’t trust you, you think I’d let you take care of the business?”
A ripple of emotion flashed through Ryan’s face, then he looked the same, still grinning, but the tension gone. And as Holden stepped past him, Ryan grabbed his arm, and now his grin was gone, too, the serious look on his face making him appear more mature and less of an overgrown frat boy.
“Hey, I don’t give a damn who sleeps with who—except my own sleeping partners. I’m concerned that you’re making another huge mistake. The first time out, you married a woman just like Mom, and that was disaster number one. This time you’re marrying Grandma. I can practically see disaster number two coming.”
Holden stared at his brother. “If you need to know, we did have sex.”
His brother’s forehead creased. “You ‘had sex.’ Like, it was once?”
“I’m not talking about this anymore.” He jerked his arm away, grabbed his briefcase, and strode out. He was leaving early, but this day was a bust. And no way was he going to tell his brother that the sex was fine. That it happened the night he’d proposed to her, and she’d said yes.
She’d been a virgin, the fact shocking him. Pleasing him. Not because he wanted to be a woman’s only lover. It pleased him because it was proof of her self-control and that, after their wedding, she wouldn’t turn into a wild child like Juliana.
So what if fireworks hadn’t gone off? After all, she wasn’t experienced. And after that one time, she’d asked if he minded if they waited until after the wedding “to do it again.”
Even if their lovemaking didn’t get better with marriage, it wouldn’t matter. It wasn’t as if most married couples he knew had a hot sex life. Years of living together had a way of making sex dull. But if you had respect and shared values, it could still be a good marriage.
His brother was a fool. That’s what marriage was about.
But as he walked away, his mind wanted to stop thinking about Portia and think instead about Abby. About the way she loved
“Nah.” Ryan grinned. “The penis.”
“In that case, you should be asking strippers at the VaVaVoom Bar to marry you.”
His brows rose. “Ha, ha, ha. Don’t turn this around to me. I’m not the one about to make the second biggest mistake in my life.”
“Right. You’re the one not making any mistakes. When was your last serious relationship? What’s the matter? Why are you afraid to commit?”
“Told you, it’s not me.” Ryan gave him the same smile that made women slip him their phone numbers and bra sizes. “It’s my penis.”
“Your penis drives your brains. Now I know your problem.”
“Every man thinks with his penis when it comes to women.” He nodded his chin at Holden. “Except you. And that’s your big problem. Your marriage to Portia will be like Grandma and Grandpa’s.”
“They were married for sixty years before Grandma died.”
“And I’m sure they were sixty looooong years. How often do you think they had sex?”
Holden shuddered. “I don’t even want to think about that.”
“Neither did they. There was a reason our father was an only child.”
“You’re an asshole.”
Ryan shrugged. “I’m telling it as I see it. When was the last time you and Portia got sweaty together?”
Holden glared at him, his lips clamped together.
If he said anything out loud, Ryan would know.
Ryan unhooked his leg from his knee and sat up straight. “Shit, don’t tell me. You aren’t having sex with her.”
Holden stood, wishing he’d never come back this afternoon. “What Portia and I do or don’t do isn’t any of your damn business.” He grabbed his suit jacket. “I’ve had it for the day. I’m going home early. If any important calls come in, I’ll tell Sherry you can take them.”
“Yeah, but can you trust me?” Ryan grinned again, but his shoulders were stiff, and his gaze didn’t leave Holden’s face.
“If I didn’t trust you, you think I’d let you take care of the business?”
A ripple of emotion flashed through Ryan’s face, then he looked the same, still grinning, but the tension gone. And as Holden stepped past him, Ryan grabbed his arm, and now his grin was gone, too, the serious look on his face making him appear more mature and less of an overgrown frat boy.
“Hey, I don’t give a damn who sleeps with who—except my own sleeping partners. I’m concerned that you’re making another huge mistake. The first time out, you married a woman just like Mom, and that was disaster number one. This time you’re marrying Grandma. I can practically see disaster number two coming.”
Holden stared at his brother. “If you need to know, we did have sex.”
His brother’s forehead creased. “You ‘had sex.’ Like, it was once?”
“I’m not talking about this anymore.” He jerked his arm away, grabbed his briefcase, and strode out. He was leaving early, but this day was a bust. And no way was he going to tell his brother that the sex was fine. That it happened the night he’d proposed to her, and she’d said yes.
She’d been a virgin, the fact shocking him. Pleasing him. Not because he wanted to be a woman’s only lover. It pleased him because it was proof of her self-control and that, after their wedding, she wouldn’t turn into a wild child like Juliana.
So what if fireworks hadn’t gone off? After all, she wasn’t experienced. And after that one time, she’d asked if he minded if they waited until after the wedding “to do it again.”
Even if their lovemaking didn’t get better with marriage, it wouldn’t matter. It wasn’t as if most married couples he knew had a hot sex life. Years of living together had a way of making sex dull. But if you had respect and shared values, it could still be a good marriage.
His brother was a fool. That’s what marriage was about.
But as he walked away, his mind wanted to stop thinking about Portia and think instead about Abby. About the way she loved
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