AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That was not a quickie,” I say. “Quickies are, like, scratching an itch. A moment of fun.”
“So … you’re saying I’m no fun.” He smiles in a wicked way.
I smack him for being obtuse, and he grabs my hand and kisses it. “I’ll try harder next time.”
Chapter 16
Iniquity
We’re sitting at the best table in a sumptuous restaurant. My hair and makeup is fixed, but I’m a mess down there, swollen and slick. We keep exchanging knowing glances and hidden smiles, and I’m feeling so good in my body. Being around Alistair makes me feel beautiful, desirable, intelligent. It makes me wonder how much of falling in love with someone is actually falling in love with yourself. I love the version of myself I see through Alistair’s eyes. The real me is plainer, less exciting, less, well, everything.
He takes my hand. “Ready for round two?” he asks politely, as if discussing the menu.
I quickly swallow the sip of wine in my mouth so that I don’t splutter.
“Already?” I ask, looking around the establishment. “I don’t think they’d approve.”
“I don’t care what they approve of,” he says, pressing his thumb into the palm of my hand.
“I’d prefer it if round two were at home,” I say, then rush to correct myself. “At the hotel, I mean.”
“You like playing it safe,” he says.
“Not always,” I reply.
“Hmm. How do you like it?”
Luckily, our waiter arrives at the table, so I have time to think. How do I like it? I don’t know. I have no idea. I feel like an absolute beginner in the bedroom compared to Alistair Ravenscroft.
He orders steak and salad for us; I change mine to salmon and pray it’s ethically farmed.
When the waiter leaves, Alistair looks at me expectantly, waiting for my reply.
“I don’t know how I like it,” I say, feeling shy again. “I mean, I’ve never really thought about it.”
Alistair frowns at me. There is a look of concern on his face. “Never thought about it?”
My cheeks warm, and I take another sip of wine, hoping for some Dutch courage.
“Did you grow up in a conservative household?” he asks, trying to puzzle it out.
I guffaw. “Hardly. My parents are out-and-out hippies. The real thing.”
He grins. “I knew I was right about you. Being a hippie at heart.”
“I guess I’m just not used to talking about it? Or thinking much about it in … words. Like, it’s just a physical thing.”
So much for sounding intelligent.
Alistair leans closer. “Now I’m really curious.”
“Stop,” I say, smiling. “You’re making me blush.”
“I love it when you blush. You don’t act like someone who doesn’t think about sex.”
“That’s because sex with you is … different.”
“You’ll give me a complex.”
