Page 14
His blunt question pleased her. She refused to blush, liking the way he wasn’t afraid to tell the truth. “Both.”
He slowly chewed a bite of bread and swallowed before answering. “My wife, romantically. Five years ago. As for sexually, I’ve had three extremely short weekend flings. I made sure I was upfront about my limitations, and they accepted what I couldn’t give. I guess it’s been a long time since dialogue with a woman stimulated me as much as a kiss.”
She lifted a brow. “I’m surprised our conversations were memorable enough since we haven’t kissed yet.”
“Ah, but that word is all I need for stimulation.”
“What word?”
He leaned over and whispered in his dark, sexy voice, “Yet.”
She shook her head at his naughty humor and sipped her wine. “Three encounters aren’t much over five years,” she said thoughtfully.
He winced. “Yeah, let’s just say no one knows about my low number, especially the press. The state wants me to be both celibate yet exciting like Clooney. It’s an odd balance to keep, so I began taking dates to various functions but keeping things platonic. It’s been easy to focus on work. It’s all I ever needed, other than Chloe.”
She thought over all the women she’d watched him take to splashy, glamorous events. How many nights she’d forced herself not to think of him taking them to bed, giving them the right to touch and taste and kiss him. How she’d pleasured herself in the dark with his face in her memory, imagining that she was enough to enthrall him. “Yet, here we are.”
The words popped out before she could stop them, but she refused to cower. This was too important to tiptoe around what they were doing. Or not doing. Or thinking of doing. She needed to know the rules and what he expected after this date.
He locked his gaze on hers. Her breath caught as she tumbled into a flood of piercing, startling blue. “My favorite word again. Let me ask you this, Alyssa. When was your last relationship? Both romantic and sexual.”
The waiter glided by, dropped off a few platters, then silently retreated. She helped herself to a generous bowl of shrimp capellini doused in fresh parmesan. “Romantically? A decade ago, in college. We dated for a year when he was a senior, but then he took off to California for sunshine and bigger opportunities. It was my first broken heart because it was the first time I’d stayed around somewhere long enough to fall in love. Sexually, I’m also a bit of a disappointment. I’ve only had a few brief affairs that ended quite pleasantly.”
He frowned. “Somehow, I don’t think the word pleasant should be used with the term affair.”
She sighed. “Exactly. That’s why they fizzled out. No true passion. Plus, I’m like you. I prefer work, and at home, I love my books and solitude. There’s been little time for play.”
“I love books, too. And I’m in the public eye so much, solitude is a slice of heaven.” He cocked his head. “So we’re both celibate and nerds.”
“Guess so.” The random fact floated in her head. “Did you know if a female ferret doesn’t have sex for a year, she can die?”
He sat back in the seat and grinned at her. “Nope. But I don’t think I’ll ever forget it now. And I’m glad we’re not ferrets.”
She winced. “Sorry, I tend to do that. Too much info sometimes.”
“I like it. Your big old brain is sexy as hell.”
Startled, she looked up from her plate, but he was busy eating, looking as focused on the food in front of him as he was with his team in closed-door meetings. Which probably meant he brought the same intensity into the bedroom.
The thought stalled her out, but he was still speaking, so she refocused.
“I’m glad you found me interesting enough to come to dinner. I bet there aren’t many men out there you’d find worthy,” he said.
She blinked. “Oh, I’ve found interesting before, but never with someone like you.”
“Like me how?”
“Hot.”
He laughed with delight, and she almost rolled her eyes at her awful habit of blurting out anything in her head. And then he slid his hand across the table and enfolded her fingers with his. The shocking heat of his skin on hers made her belly clench, and a primal need roared through her blood. She returned the pressure, and then they were holding hands, staring at each other in the flickering candlelight.
“If we’re gonna talk hot, you should know I’ve been having some wicked fantasies myself.”
She scoffed. “I highly doubt it. I’m the first one to admit there’s not an ounce of sexpot within me.”
His eyes darkened, and his fingers tightened over hers. “Oh, if you only knew, Alyssa,” he said softly. “The hot librarian image is a cliché for a reason. And when you start rattling off statistics like a master, I get a bit weak-kneed.”
A laugh burst from her lips. “You’re insane.”
