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“You did.”
“Yeah.” He stared moodily at the lake. “Some values and traits I’m glad and proud to have inherited. Others...”
“I think parents are put on earth to mortify all of us in front of our friends.” She spoke bitterly, surprising him.
“Tell me—”
“But I want to know about this woman.” She gulped from her drink. “The one you had here.”
Her question derailed him. He’d wanted to ask her more about her parents, but she’d shut him down every other time he’d tried, too, so he let it go, though it bothered him she wasn’t interested in sharing. It was another barrier she’d put up—one he was increasingly interested in breaching. “Ah, the woman. Practically a girl.”
“You knew her a long time ago?” Allie wrinkled her nose. “Or recently and she was jailbait?”
Jonas held up his hand. “No, I was the young one, barely sixteen. She was wildly experienced, a couple of years older than me. I was sleeping alone in the cottage that night, and then suddenly I had company.”
“Hmm.” She grinned at him. “That sounds familiar.”
“Mmm, yes, it does.”
“So she just crawled in with you?”
“Sally. She was pretty wild. Had a rough life since then, I’ve heard.”
“Oh.” Allie tsk-tsked. “You ruined her.”
“Must have.” He got up and brought the bag of potato chips back to the table, along with a bowl of carrot sticks and sugar snap peas he’d found at the market. “Tell me about your first time.”
She shook her head sorrowfully. “Awful. I’m surprised I ever did it again.”
He lifted his glass to her. “May I just say how profoundly grateful I am that you decided to stay with the program.”
She giggled and sipped more gin. She was emptying her drink faster than he was. Maybe he wasn’t the only nervous one here tonight. The thought made him relax a little.
“Let’s see. I was eighteen, first year of college, feeling very grown up and very independent, until a group of us girls got together one night to gab, and it turned out I was the only virgin.”
“Or the only one admitting it.”
“Wow.” She looked up in surprise. “I bet you’re right. I wish I’d thought of that then.”
“So you decided to lose it immediately?”
“Uh-huh.” Another sip, then she glanced at the level in the glass and put it on the table. “Let me tell you, there is no shortage of guys in college who’ll help you out with that little problem.”
“Ooh.” He winced, immediately jealous of the undeserving jerk. “Tell me you didn’t take out an ad online.”
“Not quite. But...well, I could have chosen better.”
“His first time, too?”
“I would hope so. Because anyone with that little clue after a decent amount of experience should just be taken out of circulation.”
He cracked up. Allie had an extra edge to her tonight—maybe nerves, maybe not—but he was enjoying her even more than usual, and was thrilled she was actually talking about her past. “I’m truly sorry.”
“Aw, that’s okay. I learned my lesson.” She sent him a wicked smile. “And went on to bigger and better things.”
“Not touching that one.” He got up, still too restless to sit still, and moved toward the grill. “I’m about to start cooking. How do you like your burgers?”
“Medium.”
“Same.” He spread the lit coals in the grill, put on the rack and closed the lid to let it heat. “Tell me what your dating life has been like since then. Serial boyfriends? Casual flings? Always someone in your life? Seldom? For one-night stands, press one. For serious boyfriends, press two. For—”
He loved the sound of her laughter, and the way she threw her head back and opened her mouth wide for the initial shout. Last time she’d come to him here, she’d been all cool sophistication and control. He liked her this way better. Around her he felt funny, sexy and, frankly, a little crazy. In a good way for the most part.
“I date when there’s someone worth dating. There hasn’t been lately. I had a serious boyfriend in college—as serious as you can be when you’re too young to be serious. Then another one who broke up with me a couple of years ago. Nice guys, but...I don’t know, not that exciting.” She frowned, mouth bunching adorably, looking as though she was starting to feel the alcohol. “No, that makes me sound shallow. I’m not looking for nonstop thrills. Just...someone who accepts me as is. Wait, not that I wouldn’t have to change anything ever, I mean that’s impossible, obviously. But what I mean is—”
