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Authors: Vicki Lewis Thompson
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expression turned serious. “No, it’s not one I carry in my wallet, and that’s a really bad idea. Don’t ever have sex with a guy who takes a condom out of his wallet. It could fail, and then what?”
“Yes, that would be a problem.” She was more tickled than irritated by the spontaneous lecture. His sweet Virgo self meant well. “Thanks for your concern, Dr. Bradbury.”
He groaned. “Sorry. That sounded patronizing. And you know all that, anyway.”
“No guy has used a wallet condom with me since college, I promise. But if you don’t carry one in your wallet, where did it come from? Do you automatically pack them in your suitcase?” She really couldn’t picture that.
“I bought a box in the gift shop this afternoon.”
There was another shocker. “You bought them today ? So you expected to have sex with me tonight?”
“Of course not! But . . .” His flush deepened. “I wasn’t sure what you expected from me, and if you really wanted to have sex, then I didn’t want to disappoint you.”
She thought about that, and it made some kind of crazy sense. It was gallant, in a way. She couldn’t help smiling though. “As it happens, I really wanted to have sex, and you said you had to think about it.”
“Well, yeah, because earlier we talked about not moving too fast.”
That was humbling. He’d kept track of that and she hadn’t. She’d read his chart and knew he needed more than a surface relationship before committing himself to something intimate like sex. She’d given him some information about her, but it wasn’t nearly enough for him to feel as if he knew her.
“You’re right,” she said. “I lost focus there for a minute. We do need to take it slow.”
“We absolutely do.” He looked into her eyes. “I don’t want a one-weekend stand with you.”
“Do you have those?” It didn’t fit his profile, but his condom run today had surprised her. She never would have guessed he’d think to do that, but he was a sexy nerd. Maybe, contrary to what she’d found in his chart, he had a different girl in every port, or in this case, at every conference.
“One-weekend stands? No. Harcourt seems to think I should, but that’s his style, not mine. On the other hand, if that’s all I can have with you, then, as I said, I’ll take whatever you’re willing to give.”
“So if I told you to strip down and come to bed with me because I crave your body, you’d do it?” It would go against everything she knew about him except for one thing. He did have a daredevil streak. It wasn’t an overriding trait, but it was there.
“I would.” The daredevil spirit flickered in his eyes.
“You wouldn’t care if I was just using you for a quick and easy sexual release?”
“I would definitely care, but if that’s all you wanted, then I’d take it. Something’s better than nothing.”
Maybe he would be fine with accepting that emotional risk, but she thought he’d be better off skydiving than having meaningless sex. “Just my opinion, but if I were that shallow and selfish, I think you’d be happier with nothing.”
“No, I wouldn’t.” His tone sparked with intensity. “I’ve dreamed about being with you for . . . a long time.”
“Now I’m the one who’s afraid of disappointing you.”
“You couldn’t.”
Ah, but she could. He had some idealized version of her in his head, and she needed to replace that with enough reality that he wouldn’t treat her like some goddess who’d deigned to bestow her favors on him. “Nolan, don’t put me on a pedestal.”
“Maybe you belong there.”
“I don’t. Nobody does. Listen, I have an idea. Let’s go for a walk under the stars and I’ll tell you about my many flaws.”
He laughed. “A walk under the stars sounds perfect for an astrologer and a space geek, but I refuse to believe you have flaws.”
“See how you are?” She stood. “I’m taking a sweater. Do you want to get a jacket?”
He put on his glasses.
“Yes, that would be a problem.” She was more tickled than irritated by the spontaneous lecture. His sweet Virgo self meant well. “Thanks for your concern, Dr. Bradbury.”
He groaned. “Sorry. That sounded patronizing. And you know all that, anyway.”
“No guy has used a wallet condom with me since college, I promise. But if you don’t carry one in your wallet, where did it come from? Do you automatically pack them in your suitcase?” She really couldn’t picture that.
“I bought a box in the gift shop this afternoon.”
There was another shocker. “You bought them today ? So you expected to have sex with me tonight?”
“Of course not! But . . .” His flush deepened. “I wasn’t sure what you expected from me, and if you really wanted to have sex, then I didn’t want to disappoint you.”
She thought about that, and it made some kind of crazy sense. It was gallant, in a way. She couldn’t help smiling though. “As it happens, I really wanted to have sex, and you said you had to think about it.”
“Well, yeah, because earlier we talked about not moving too fast.”
That was humbling. He’d kept track of that and she hadn’t. She’d read his chart and knew he needed more than a surface relationship before committing himself to something intimate like sex. She’d given him some information about her, but it wasn’t nearly enough for him to feel as if he knew her.
“You’re right,” she said. “I lost focus there for a minute. We do need to take it slow.”
“We absolutely do.” He looked into her eyes. “I don’t want a one-weekend stand with you.”
“Do you have those?” It didn’t fit his profile, but his condom run today had surprised her. She never would have guessed he’d think to do that, but he was a sexy nerd. Maybe, contrary to what she’d found in his chart, he had a different girl in every port, or in this case, at every conference.
“One-weekend stands? No. Harcourt seems to think I should, but that’s his style, not mine. On the other hand, if that’s all I can have with you, then, as I said, I’ll take whatever you’re willing to give.”
“So if I told you to strip down and come to bed with me because I crave your body, you’d do it?” It would go against everything she knew about him except for one thing. He did have a daredevil streak. It wasn’t an overriding trait, but it was there.
“I would.” The daredevil spirit flickered in his eyes.
“You wouldn’t care if I was just using you for a quick and easy sexual release?”
“I would definitely care, but if that’s all you wanted, then I’d take it. Something’s better than nothing.”
Maybe he would be fine with accepting that emotional risk, but she thought he’d be better off skydiving than having meaningless sex. “Just my opinion, but if I were that shallow and selfish, I think you’d be happier with nothing.”
“No, I wouldn’t.” His tone sparked with intensity. “I’ve dreamed about being with you for . . . a long time.”
“Now I’m the one who’s afraid of disappointing you.”
“You couldn’t.”
Ah, but she could. He had some idealized version of her in his head, and she needed to replace that with enough reality that he wouldn’t treat her like some goddess who’d deigned to bestow her favors on him. “Nolan, don’t put me on a pedestal.”
“Maybe you belong there.”
“I don’t. Nobody does. Listen, I have an idea. Let’s go for a walk under the stars and I’ll tell you about my many flaws.”
He laughed. “A walk under the stars sounds perfect for an astrologer and a space geek, but I refuse to believe you have flaws.”
“See how you are?” She stood. “I’m taking a sweater. Do you want to get a jacket?”
He put on his glasses.
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