“No, no need to explain.” She took a deep breath, which he was too distressed by his own ineptitude to appreciate. “It’s quite clear what you think of me. I will just point out that you, as a man who just met a woman, were clearly thinking about doing exactly what you’re damning me for. Not that I was offering to have sex with you; I simply wanted a respite from the mice. But you might want to think about that when you’re tarring me with your brush of morality. Since we are at such odds, I will return to my room and remove my unwelcome self from your presence.”
She swung around on her heel and marched to the door, slamming it loudly as she exited.
He winced at the noise, then sighed and punched the pillow next to him. How the hell could he have screwed up something so wonderful? Christ, there was no hope for him if Mercy—patient, thoughtful Mercy—couldn’t be around without him making a complete ass of himself.
The door was flung open again. Mercy bolted through it and closed the door quickly, leaning against it and panting slightly. “That beast is still in my room. It charged me—so help me god, it charged me!”
He looked at her, unwilling to say anything lest it come out wrong and he insult her again.
“Here’s the deal. I get into bed with you, and spend the night. There will be no touching. No kissing. Nothing that could even remotely be interpreted as actions belonging to a woman with no morals.”
“I never meant—”
She climbed onto the bed, covering herself with the duvet before using the edge of her hand to tuck it down between them. “And in the morning, once we’re bothin full possession of our faculties, you can apologize for hurting my feelings. And I will accept your apology because I know that sometimes you say things that you don’t mean to say. Until then, a state of frosty détente occurs between us. Nothing more.”
She rolled onto her side, giving him her back. There was enough room on the massive bed for her to lie completely separate from him, no part of their bodies touching. His penis sang a mournful dirge over that fact. Alden, with a look at the back of her head, said softly, “You don’t have to wait until morning for an apology. I in no way meant to besmirch your character by implying you had low moral values. I was trying to say that... that...”
She rolled over and cocked an eyebrow. “Well?”
“No woman has ever wanted me that way before,” he said in a rush. “Not where they wanted to go to bed on the first date. I was rather flattered when I thought that you wanted to, but now I know better.”
“But we haven’t even had a date,” she pointed out.
“At first meeting, then,” he said, aware that his cheeks were unusually warm. “I’m not like Vandal. Women don’t seem to be attracted to me. Which is why I was surprised that you... well, you were here. In my room. But I was wrong about your intentions for being here, and for that, I apologize.”
“You get points for being adorably endearing and frank, but they will not be applied to your total until morning,” she told him, and returned to her original position. “Good night, Alden. Would you turn off the light? It’s too bright to sleep.”
“Erm...”
“Again with the ‘erm.’ What is it this time? You want me to do it because I’m closer to the light?” She snuggledinto the bed, pulling the duvet up to her nose. “I’m traumatized by the monstrous behemoth charging around my room. Besides, I’m still a bit hurt. You get to turn off the light.”
“I’d really rather not,” Alden said, well aware that just the thought of Mercy in his bed had returned his penis to what he thought of as a raging state.
“Don’t be so lazy.” She snuggled deeper. “Not to mention ungentlemanly.”
“Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He got out of the bed and padded barefoot to the door.
“Why would I—oh. You sleep in the altogether.”
He stopped at the light and turned to face her.
Her eyes widened. “And you’re... hoo! Sorry. I didn’t realize you were fully... uh... engorged.”
“Aroused is, I believe, the preferred term.” The way she looked at him made him harder than ever. He reached for the light switch.
“I don’t know,” she said, her gaze firmly affixed to his privates. “That looks pretty gorged to me. I never understood how men could walk like that. It looks... painful.”
“It can be. It is.” He clicked off the light and, holding out his hands so as not to stumble into the chair, made his way back to the bed. “And to answer your earlier accusations, I fully realize that there are words for men who jump into bed with women they just met, but I like to think of it as a meeting of two like-minded adults who wish to explore their sexuality with each other rather than something disreputable and unsavory. Not that we are going to do that, but I do feel obligated to mention that.”
“Now, you see, I like that description. And if I knew you better, and you were still inclined that way, I mighthave been tempted to indulge in that meeting of minds, so to speak. Only with bodies. Oh well. It is what it is.”
He climbed under the duvet, still warm from his body. “I don’t suppose you’d like—”
“No. I mean, it’s not that I’m against it, per se, but even if I was willing to throw caution to the wind, there’s nothing like almost being called a ho to deflate a girl’s lust.”
“I didn’t! I wouldn’t call you a ho—”
“OK, OK. No need to get riled. I said I’d forgive and forget in the morning.”
