Drawn Deep (Afternoon Delight 2)

“Do you have one?” Even that didn’t seem to scare him like the remote chance of pregnancy. She had a feeling she could’ve told him she had a raging case of Frisbee-sized warts and he would’ve calmly toddled off to the clinic.

“Absolutely not,” she snapped. “I was talking about you. I don’t know your history. Should I be worried?”

His shoulders visibly relaxed. “I’ve had all the standard tests but even if I hadn’t, there’s very little chance I could have anything.”

She snorted and shook her head. “Your certainty is reassuring but anyone who’s sexually active could get something. No matter how careful you are.”

“I’m not just careful. Before last night, I’d never had sex.”

Chapter Seven

Kim stared. “Say what?”

“I’m a virgin, Kim.” He smiled wanly. “Was a virgin.”

She backed across the bed so fast that she would’ve pitched over the side if he hadn’t reached out to catch her. She batted at his hands, willing her mind to clear. She hadn’t drank that much last night. Why couldn’t she make sense of any of this? “Your idea of a joke isn’t very funny.”

“Do you think I’d joke about being inexperienced? To a woman like you, isn’t admitting that basically the kiss of death?” He blew out a breath and dropped his hands when she stopped flailing. “I pulled it off last night. You didn’t know.” His lips quirked, though his gaze remained on the bed. “Told you I had good reason to fear becoming addicted to sex. I can’t get enough of you.”

“Yeah well, don’t get too used to it because—”

He looked up, heartbreaking hope on his face. “Because?” he repeated.

“Because I have no intention of sticking around.” She said it fast and clean, ripping the bandage off the wound. And watched shock fissure that hope right down the middle until his expression blanked out.

“Got it. Message received.” He moved across the bed, swung his legs over the side.

“A virgin,” she whispered, her vision blurring on his muscled back. That single word was the culmination of all her nameless fears. That he would want too much. That she would. That somehow they’d have a dual hallucination that they could develop actual feelings for each other in four freaking days. “How? Why? You were in a long-term relationship—”

“It’s a painfully simple story. I didn’t know Roch didn’t want intimacy beyond kissing and that kind of thing until we’d been together for months. I was already living here then. Taking care of her.” He pushed his hand through his messy dark hair, standing it up in all directions. “All I’ve ever done is take care of people.”

Now it’s your turn. Someone should want to take care of you—and not with money.

Kim shut her eyes and forced the unbidden thought away. “I deflowered a virgin. A twenty-five-year-old fucking virgin.”

He didn’t reply for the longest time. “I’d say that’s redundant but I’m guessing you’re using the word fucking as an adjective.”

Somehow she smiled. Her oddball Michael was back.

“I’m sorry I lied to you. I should’ve been honest about everything but I was concerned you’d take off.”

“That’s the point of telling the truth. Giving someone the option to make their own choice based on the facts.” She sighed heavily. “Two lies in two days, Michael. You ever hear about the three strikes rule? You’re about to be out of the game.”

“No more lies. No more strikes.” He glanced back, his expression so sincere it actually hurt her chest. “I promise.”

“I’m not sure that’s good enough. Or if it even matters.” She crawled forward and slid her arms around him, holstering his torso in case he decided to make a run for it before she’d said her piece. “Pretending I’m someone I’m not will only hurt us both. I’m not the woman you think I am.”

“And obviously I’m not the man.”

Her throat tightened, threatening to close up entirely if she didn’t spit the words out quick. “Is this where I’m supposed to rom-com it up and say we should get to know the people we really are?”

“No.” He turned his head, meeting her gaze. “Say you don’t hate me for lying to you. And mean it. Please.” He swallowed hard. “I couldn’t stand it if I hurt you.”

“My guess is we’re running neck and neck on hurt levels at the moment.”

“Kim.”

She brushed a kiss over his scruffy jaw. Friends only. That’s all they could be. “I’m not hurt. I’ve told a mistruth a time or two myself, for what I thought were good reasons. Though these were whoppers. And your good reasons only involved sex.”