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“It’s just the truth. And I imagine many guys have said the same, made lots of fancy speeches. Have you ever loved any of the men who gave them to you?”
“Nothing that turned out to be real.”
“Even with your fiancé?”
“I thought it was real at the time. Then I realized it was the glitz he wanted, not to wake up with the real me.”
Jordan let out a painful breath, recalling Nicole’s explanation about why she’d slipped out the morning after they’d been together.
“I want to wake up with you,” he insisted. “I don’t want to keep going the way I have. A vacation with my wife looks much more attractive than drifting into the future without being connected to anything genuine.”
He tugged her closer.
“But it’s nice the way you were trying to give me up for my sake.”
Jerking away, Nicole turned to face him. “Excuse me?” she asked in an icy tone.
“Uh, for my writing and my happiness.”
“Being snide about my so-called nobility isn’t going to win you points.”
“I deserve that, except I wasn’t being snide. I’m truly grateful you’re a generous, caring person, but right now I want you to be selfish. Please grab hold of me and never let go.”
Nicole stuck her chin in the air. “I wasn’t being unselfish, either. I’m simply aware that no one can be truly happy if they give up their dreams.”
Hmmm. She was in an awfully prickly mood. Maybe she needed a distraction.
* * *
NICOLE’S HEAD SPUN as Jordan’s mouth closed upon hers. Giving up the struggle, she slid her arms around his waist and explored his lean muscles. When his hands surrounded the curve of her buttocks and gently squeezed, the pleasure was intense.
A wolf whistle and shout of “Go, man!” intruded into her consciousness. Jordan must have been aware of it also, because his movements changed and softened. He held her no less snugly, but now his embrace seemed tender and protective.
“You realize,” she said, “that someone could have taken a picture of us and be planning to sell it to a newspaper or magazine. Even if they just posted it to their Facebook page, your editor could see it.”
“That wouldn’t bother me,” he answered promptly. “In fact, I’m going to propose another article to Syd about how a man can look at dozens of pictures of a gorgeous woman and never feel attracted to her. Then he finds out that in person, she fires his body and imagination in a way he hadn’t believed possible.”
“Oh?” Her chest was tight, breaths shallow.
“Right. Then he discovers she’s just as beautiful on the inside—smart, logical, caring, hard-working, funny, strong and complex in ways he’ll be happy exploring for a lifetime.”
Jordan dropped his head for a long, sweet kiss.
“Maybe we…we should sit down,” Nicole suggested. “You talked about going for a sail.”
“I think we need to talk more first.”
Her legs were wobbly, so she pulled free and dropped into her chair. Jordan sat close, his gaze fixed on her.
“I know we’ve been on separate paths,” he said. “I know our lives don’t look compatible and we’ll have to make compromises. I still want to travel some of the time, but you’ve talked about wanting to travel more, too, once your partners are on board. We couldn’t jet off to the Bahamas or something on a whim, but it’s fun to plan ahead as well.”
“Studies show anticipation is part of the pleasure,” Nicole murmured, shocked that Jordan was talking about compromise.
“Exactly. Now, in some of your old interviews you talked about wanting kids. Do you still want them?”
“I…yes.”
“Me, too.”
“That’s new.”
He laughed, though with a sad air. “Since I didn’t want to get married, having a family wasn’t in the picture, either. But maybe I’ve also been afraid that I’d be a lousy dad. Now I’ve decided I don’t have to repeat the past. I’m the one who decides what kind of husband and father I’ll be. Besides, aren’t children an adventure that never ends?”
