Flirting with the Society Doctor

Not once had she thought of protection. Stupid and immature and something a teenager might do, but she truly hadn’t thought of anything except needing Vale.

So much for being a modern woman.

How much more stupid could she have been?

He stepped back, gently disconnecting their bodies and lowering her to the floor. He held her shoulders a moment until he was certain she was steady on her feet. “Dear God, Faith, why didn’t you tell me you were a virgin?”

His voice held a strangled mix of what sounded like anger and frustration. Great.

She tugged her dress over her hips. “What does that matter?”

“It mattered.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ve never done that before.”

Wasn’t that her line? She glanced at him, grimaced at the regret on his handsome face. “What?”

“Been with a virgin.”

“Really?”

He nodded, wiping his hand over his face, before meeting her eyes. “Oh, yeah.”

Was it wrong that she liked being the only virgin he’d ever been with? His first first?

“I shouldn’t have taken your virginity, Faith. Not me. Not like this.”

“In case you didn’t notice, I wasn’t complaining.” As much as she’d like to let him shoulder the blame for what she’d likely later classify as a moment of insanity, she couldn’t. She’d wanted him, had begged him to make love to her.

“Faith, why were you still a virgin?”

She bit her lower lip and sat down on the end of the bed, all her happiness gone. This wasn’t the conversation a woman wanted following her first sexual experience.

She forced a smile, hoping to recapture the closeness she’d felt to him only minutes before. “Seriously, Vale, it’s not that big a deal.”

“Apparently it is.” He lifted her chin, stared straight into her eyes, and asked a question she didn’t want to answer. “Why haven’t you had sex with any of your past boyfriends?”

Past boyfriends? Yeah she’d had a few, but she’d never let any get close, never wanted to risk having her heart broken when they packed up and left, as they’d inevitably do.

With Vale she’d only acted on instinct, followed her heart. Which was cause for grave concern. “The timing was always wrong.”

“You’re almost thirty. You’re not going to convince me that ‘timing’ is why you were still a virgin.” His gaze pinned her, not allowing her to look anywhere but into his eyes. “Maybe you’d like to explain what your real reasons are.”

Actually, she wouldn’t like explaining her reasons at all.

Because then she’d have to admit to him something she hated to admit even to herself. Whereas her mother welcomed men into her life, believed their lies, Faith did the opposite. She’d pushed away the few who’d tried to get close.

Because she was beating them to the punch.

She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to take his probing blue gaze a moment longer.

“Faith?” His voice was gentle, his thumb stroking along her jaw in a tender caress. “Did someone hurt you?”

She kept her eyes closed. “Let it go, Vale.”

“Not until you tell me why a woman as beautiful as you opted not to have sex until me.”

He wasn’t going to drop this. She knew he wasn’t. This was Vale. He would keep at her until she told him.

Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes, glared at him. “Why would I want to have sex with someone who was just going to leave?”