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The confession caught him by surprise. “You lost your virginity that young?”
“Yep, my brother and cousins took turns,” she replied tartly.
Incredulous, he shook his head. “What?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m joking. I didn’t do the deed until I was nineteen. No, it wasn’t with my cousin. I lost it to a guy I dated in high school.”
“Why did you start the pill so young?”
She blushed. “I had an irregular cycle. I’ve also been boy crazy since I was eight years old. I never went through a ‘boys are yucky’ stage. Mom didn’t want to take the chance of any unexpected surprises.”
He frowned. “I suppose that makes sense.”
She tilted her head. “Why don’t you look relieved? You just dodged a bullet.”
His head shot up. He tugged her closer, digging his fingers gently into her hip. “The thought of you carrying my child would thrill me immensely. I want to chain you to my side in any way possible.”
She grinned, raking her hand through his windblown hair. “Aren’t you jumping the gun a bit? The rhyme clearly states, first comes love, then comes marriage . . .”
He smirked. “And then comes Nicole with a baby carriage. Who says I’m not steering in that direction?”
Nicole flared backward, nearly falling off his lap. “Whoa, slow it down a bit, Mr. Woodhouse. Just because we’re back to doing the nasty doesn’t mean we’re in it for a lifetime commitment.” Was he serious? He was looking to marry her?
“First comes love.” He held up a finger. “And you know how I feel about you. Then comes marriage.” Another finger shot out. “I want a lifetime commitment with you.”
She sprang up, moving across the deck. This couldn’t be happening. She wasn’t ready for it. “Do you remember the other day when I asked you to take it slow? Why the sudden rush?”
He stood, stalking toward her. “Because the real world is closing in on us. I want you in my life.” Her eyes were huge in her face. “I know I’m spooking you by talking this way, but I don’t want to lose this—to lose us. I just got you back.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Colin. My feelings aren’t going to change overnight. We can take our time and do it right.” She stared out at the waves.
“Don’t you want to marry me?”
“Are you kidding? Every woman in your fan base fantasizes about marrying you, but real life is not a fantasy.”
He nudged her shoulder. “No, real life is better than a fantasy.”
With the sunlight in her eyes, she squinted up at him. “You think so? In that case, we’ll both be out of a job soon.”
He tucked his hands in his pockets, leaning his hip against the porch rail. “You haven’t answered my question, Nicole. Don’t you want to marry me?”
Her brow furrowed. “If you were just Colin Woodhouse, I’d jump at the chance to be your bride, but you’re not. You’re Reece Collins. That name comes with an image and expectations. You could lose a lot of fans. I could too.”
“I’m not following you.”
“I’m not proud of it, but a lot of my initial success stemmed from the scandal. The publishing company decided to strike while the iron was hot and while my name was circling around the water cooler, so to speak. Women came to the book signings, hoping to hear about you. It got so out of hand, I stopped doing anything unless it was at conferences or workshops. Even then, there were rabid fans asking about you, speculating. When I started out, I wanted to be a success because my books were good and the stories were enthralling. I’m starting to build a solid fan base now. Women are buying my books because of the stories inside the pages. I don’t want to revert to feeling like the only reason I’m popular is because my name is linked with yours. Does that make any sense?”
He was silent, staring out toward the endless water.
“Then there are your fans, the ones who live off those magazines. They have expectations of you. They want you to be with who they think you should be with. And that’s not always the same as who you want to be with.”
She combed back the hair blowing in her face. “Besides, I don’t think I’m built to live with a camera in my face all the time. I’m a private person, Colin. I don’t like my name, my face, or my ass being spread across a front page of a magazine for the world’s pleasure.”
His body jerked in her direction. “And you think I do?”
“No, but you’re used to it. I’m not.”
“So, you won’t marry me.” He turned completely away from the beach, facing into the house with his buttocks propped against the wood rail.
