"I don't get all crazy obsessive or anything." She huffs out a nervous laugh. "I have to feel a connection before sex, and I like knowing there's a chance for a connection after sex too."
That's not how I view sex. I can sleep with a woman if I don't know her name and then never think about her again. I've done it dozens of times.
Her hands focus on the belt of her dress. She tugs on the end, knotting it more firmly in place. "I know it's probably different for you. I get that. I'm not saying that I need a relationship if we sleep together, but I don't want you to ignore me. If you think that's what will happen, I'd rather we make an agreement now to just be friends."
There's no way in hell I can just be friends with this woman. I'll always want more. "I don't want to be friends, Sophia. I want more."
"Sex?" Her jaw tenses. "You want to have sex with me?"
"Yes," I answer evenly. "I want to fuck you. I also want to take you out and spend time with you here and at your place. I want us to date."
Her fingers nervously yank harder on her belt, but her eyes stay trained on my face.
"You want it too." I sigh. "You feel the same things I do. You know this will be different. I'm not like the other men you've been with."
"You don't know them." Her arms cross. "I don't know the other women you've been with and I don't want to know."
"That suits me fine." I step closer. "We start tonight with a clean slate. Our pasts are just that. They're in the past. We agree to leave them there."
She pauses for a breath. "Agreed."
I take that as a cue and reach forward to touch her shoulders. She doesn't pull back. "You set the pace although I want to be clear that I've wanted to fuck you since you sat down next to me on the subway."
Her hands leap to the front of my sweater. "I know."
"It was the same for you," I state. It's not a question because we both know it's the truth.
"You're right." Her head tilts back as she looks up and into my eyes. "The chase is over. You caught me."
I close my eyes and move my lips to hers before I take her mouth in a deep, lush kiss.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Sophia
A grin spreadsacross his face as he pulls back from what was a toe-curling kiss. "I have one thing I need to say, Sophia. I don't want you to fight me on this."
"We have to use condoms," I blurt out without thinking.
He cracks up. "I agree, but that's not what I was going to say. I didn't think using condoms was up for debate at this stage."
"Oh," I say with mild embarrassment. This is an important discussion. I don't want there to be any question about what I'm comfortable with. I take the pill but I know it's not foolproof and my five-year plan has no place in it for an unexpected newborn. "It's just that the last guy I dated wanted to go without and I walked out on him right before we fucked."
"You left him with a stiff dick?"
"Technically, he had a sheet covering that area." I circle my finger in front of his jeans. "He told me he didn't have condoms and when I went to get my purse to get one, he insisted that I skip the trip to the other room."
His eyebrow perks. "He sounds like an asshole."
"I never saw him again after that night." I smile. "I won't compromise on certain things and protection is one."
"Duly noted." He taps his forehead. "Condoms are mandatory. What else?"
I gaze up at the vaulted ceiling as if I'm in deep thought. This is what money affords a person in Manhattan. It's my second time here and I'm still noticing all the little touches that make this space spectacular. "I think that's it for tonight."
"Fair enough." He takes both my hands in his and rests them against the soft fabric that covers his chest. "I'll go back to what I was going to say originally."
I cringe. "I'm sorry. I took over the conversation."
