Almost Romance Read online

  That was definitely a ten, but she did not want to encourage him. For a very legitimate reason. That she would tell him as soon as she found out how she rated.

  “What’s your rating for all the women you slept with?” she asked casually.

  His brown eyes twinkled with amusement. “You get a ten, even the first time.”

  “Oh!” She tittered. “A ten! I—you flatter me.” She giggled in a very uncharacteristic way and smoothed her hair. “I was so inexperienced. I didn’t even know what I was doing.”

  “You were open and honest, and you let me do whatever I wanted.” His fingers slid into her hair, cradling her head with one large hand. Her breath caught, but she couldn’t seem to move away. “And I realized sex is only special with the right person. Kate, you’re that right person for me.”

  “Ian,” she said nervously, “I-I don’t know why you’d say that. I was a dopey desperate virgin. And that last time I was drunk.”

  “No, you were tipsy from one beer.” His mouth grazed her earlobe as he spoke in a low, husky voice. “And the virgin thing, well, it was a privilege to be your first.”

  She shivered. “Oh.”

  He pulled back, his eyes hot on hers. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

  “In my office?” she asked inanely.

  “In your office,” he confirmed.

  “Why?” she asked softly in a voice that sounded like an invitation even to her ears. This was a very bad idea. But his hand was so warm and large and strong, tipping her head back in delicious anticipation. And he smelled so good.

  “Wrong question.” His gaze dropped to her mouth. “Ask how long I’ll be kissing you.”

  “Ian,” she breathed.

  His arm wrapped around her waist and with a quick tug made her tip into him. “Until you agree to let me give you a ten.”

  She melted against the heat and strength of his body, but even so, a voice in her head was shouting at her to protest. There was a small problem with this line of experimentation. “Ian—”

  She was cut off when his lips met hers, hot and demanding, and that electrifying chemistry that always happened when he kissed her shot straight through her body, making her mind shut down, a blissful break from its usual constant cranking. Only Ian could make her forget the world and lose herself in the moment. She clutched his sweater as he palmed her ass and pulled her up on tiptoe, pressed against his long, lean body. The kiss went on and on, and she just let go, lost in the feel of his mouth claiming hers, his taste, his scent. Nothing mattered except this heat that consumed her, made her ache and remember what they had together.

  He lifted his head just as she attempted to climb his body, one leg lifted and wrapped around his. He gazed into her eyes with a warm smile. “Let’s go.”

  She set her leg down and released her hold on his sweater, smoothing it back in place. And then she was forced to admit a very unfortunate fact that just proved her theory that their timing would never be right. “I have a boyfriend.”

  Chapter Two

  Four years ago…

  Kate was a desperately horny twenty-one-year-old virgin. And she was determined to change that status tonight. It really wasn’t fair that she’d spent the last seven weeks listening to her older sister, Amber, get it on with her boyfriend, Barry. She didn’t want to listen. They’d get busy at the drop of a hat, and she could barely get out of the apartment fast enough. She was spending the summer between college and grad school at her sister’s place. And, right across the hall, was an eligible, experienced twenty-four-year-old man.

  Ian was much more of a man than any of the boys she went to college with in her brief three years on campus. He was tall with broad shoulders and large hands that she desperately wanted on her. Not only that, he had a deep, masculine voice, a regular five o’clock shadow, and an easygoing confidence that told her he’d know what to do in the bedroom. Also, Amber had told her Ian was a player and had slept with many women in the computer science, physics, and engineering departments of MIT. That meant she was his type, and he’d know exactly what to do with a woman like her. The problem was, Ian was Barry’s younger brother, staying at Barry’s apartment for the summer, and that made him off-limits. According to Amber. And Barry. No one wanted the player Ian to touch the innocent Kate, except Kate herself.

  The first time they’d hung out, while their siblings burned up the sheets, she’d told him she was saving herself for marriage because she didn’t want him to think she was a total inexperienced dork for no good reason. He’d said he respected that. He offered her a beer and they sat together on the sofa, watching the Sox game and talking. At least he watched the Sox game, she watched him. She’d never hung out with an older, good-looking man before and surreptitiously checked him out. He was lean with wavy brown hair that often fell over one eye. His eyes were a deep brown. He had a stubbled jaw that she wanted to feel, just to stroke it, a quick smile, and a mellow demeanor that made her relax and feel like she might actually be cool enough to hang with him. And he was so smart too, halfway to a PhD in computer science, which was just as big of a turn-on for her. The brains and the manliness made him the total package.

  They talked about math and computers that first night, and she was feeling so tipsy and, yes, lusty from the beer. She never drank beer in college because she was too busy studying. She’d completed a double major in math and physics with top honors in three years.

  Ian kept smiling at her as they talked. Her libido cranked higher. She finished her second beer, her hormones at an all-time buzzing high. She pulled the band out of her hair, shook out her usual bun, and finally made her move, putting her hand on his upper thigh and stroking inward. She’d seen the move before in a movie.

  His head snapped away from the TV to her, his brown eyes wide. And then he put his large hand on hers and held it still.

  “Do you want to do something?” she asked, unsure how to phrase her request to please take her virginity.

  He looked at her quite seriously and for a moment her hopes soared. Then he gave her hand a little squeeze and moved it off his leg. “I respect you too much to…do something.”

  “You can!”

  His lips formed a grim line. “That’s the beer talking. I know you’re saving yourself. So, thank you, but no, thank you.” He went back to watching the game, and she sat there, completely mortified and on the edge of tears. She never, ever cried. Finally, she couldn’t take the humiliation of his rejection anymore and rushed back across the hall to the safety of her sister’s apartment.

  “Hey, where’re you going?” he called. “The game’s not over!”

  She’d cried all over her sister, who’d reassured her that she’d find someone special one day, and then took her shopping for clothes that would make her more appealing to the opposite sex. Because, according to Amber, Kate’s usual oversized, baggy T-shirts and frayed jeans were hiding her body. Right away her new clothes—halter tops and short skirts—had Ian’s attention. But she’d been hurt by his rejection and ignored him at first. He’d backed off and went back to being friendly, which was not the intended effect. She resorted to wearing her sister’s summer pajamas, which were practically see-through (short-sleeve top with shorts) with no underwear. And while she knew she had his attention, Ian was frustratingly still acting like they were just friends hanging out. Seven weeks getting to know Ian as a friend had been enough for her to know two things: 1) she trusted him implicitly, and 2) she heated wherever they accidentally touched. That was plenty. There would be no better candidate. There would be no better time.

  When Kate had returned to the apartment late on the night soon to be thought of as The Deflowering, after spending the evening browsing at a nearby bookstore, she’d discovered Amber had returned early and was sound asleep. That meant there was no one to stop Kate and try to talk her out of it. Kate had even peeked into her sister’s room to be sure Amber was asleep. She snagged her sister’s pink satin robe and returned to the living room. Then s
he texted Ian that she wanted to hang out. He replied: come on over. She texted back one more time inquiring where Barry was because he wasn’t with Amber and the last thing she needed was him seeing what Ian was about to see.

  He’s sleeping, he texted back.

  It was strange that Amber and Barry had gone to sleep separately, early even, but she didn’t spend any time thinking about it because she was about to cross over into the world of pleasure. She quickly stripped down naked, put on the robe, and shook out her hair. She left her glasses behind and hoped she could get from point A to point B successfully without slamming into anything sharp or pointy. She could only see things that were very close, as she hoped Ian would be for the remainder of the evening.

  She quietly left the apartment, went across the hall, and gently knocked. Ian answered the door and gave her his adorable lopsided smile. “Hey.”

  “Hi.” She stepped inside and dropped the robe. “Take me, Ian.”

  His jaw dropped, and then he grabbed the robe and covered her up, holding it in front of her, pinned to her shoulders in a tight grip. “I thought you were saving yourself.”

  He was close enough that she could actually see the stubble along his jaw. She desperately wanted him to kiss her, to feel that rough scraping against her.

  She lifted her chin. “I’m not.”

  His eyes searched hers. “Why did you say you were before?” Still not making any move toward her.

  Her confidence plummeted, and she reluctantly admitted, “Because I didn’t want you to know that nobody wanted me because I’m not…” She swallowed hard. “…beautiful.” She knew she wasn’t. She was just a nerdy girl with messy hair and glasses and zero fashion sense. A tear escaped and then Ian released his grip on her shoulders, the robe dropped to the floor, and his arms wrapped around her. She sank into his embrace.

  “That’s a damn lie,” he said. “You are beautiful.” He wiped the tear on her cheek, and then he kissed her. His large warm hands cradled her face as the kiss got deeper and a fire ignited between them. Her mind went shockingly blank for the first time ever as his mouth claimed hers. He nipped her bottom lip, which made her gasp, and his tongue thrust inside. She’d never been kissed like this in her life. She clutched his shirt for balance because her knees were weak. His hands were stroking all over her body, her shoulders, down her arms, her hips, her sides, and finally stopping to cup her breasts. She moaned as he stroked his thumbs across her nipples.

  “Kate,” he growled, leaning down to taste and suckle one hard nipple into his mouth.

  Heat flooded her. She was ready, way past ready. She tangled her hand in his hair. “Please, Ian, hurry up and take me.” She pulled at his shirt, and he took it off.

  He kissed her again. “There’s no rush.”

  “Just take my damn virginity!”

  His mouth slammed over hers, and she was thrilled at the victory. His hand delved between her legs, and she moaned, rocking against his hand. She tore her mouth from his. “Please, please,” she chanted. She couldn’t wait anymore. She had to get this done.

  And then he was ripping off his clothes. His erection made her doubt for a moment because she was petite and that was definitely not. And then he was kissing her again, his hands stroking down her back to her bottom, rocking her against him. She was crazed by the tantalizingly close touch, and she kissed him with wild abandon, her hands seeking out what she needed, guiding him to her. He stilled her hand and dropped his forehead to hers. “Are you sure about this, Kate?”

  “Yes! Hurry up!”

  He threw a blanket over the sofa where he’d slept all summer and gestured to it. She hurried over, opened her legs, and waited. He grabbed a condom from a nearby duffel bag, rolled it on, and settled between her legs. Finally.

  “Now!” she demanded.

  And he listened. Slowly, oh so slowly, he pushed inside her, watching her. Her lips parted, and she closed her eyes, waiting for the good part. He stilled and kissed her gently.

  “Hurry up,” she told him, grabbing his ass and pulling hard, which surprisingly worked. He thrust all the way inside, and she cried out from the sharp pain.

  “I was trying to go slow.” He kissed her, distracting her from the fading pain, his tongue delving, making her melt. She ran her fingers through his soft hair, relaxing with his wonderful kisses. After a while, he lifted his head. “You doing okay?”

  “When does it get good?” she asked.

  He groaned. “Now.” He started moving and it did get better, and though he did try with a lot of good pumping action and hot kisses, she didn’t have an orgasm like she’d hoped. He did, moaning into her neck with it.

  He stroked her hair, still inside her. “How was it for you?”

  “I didn’t have an orgasm.”

  “You were in such a hurry. I didn’t have time.”

  She patted his shoulder. “Thank you, Ian. I really appreciate your gentle, but firm initiation. If you could just lift your weight off me, I’ll be going.”

  He smiled against her mouth and kissed her again. “You need to spend the night. Your initiation isn’t complete until you’ve done a little more. In the morning I’ll make sure your virginity is completely gone.”

  “It is gone.”

  “Don’t move.” He pulled out, took care of the condom, and returned to the sofa, settling them on their sides so his front was curled around her back. Surprisingly, given their height differential, they fit together like nesting measuring spoons. He grabbed another blanket off the back of the sofa and covered them both. “I’ll show you what I mean in the morning. You need more experience.” He kissed along her neck, which tingled like crazy. “It’ll be better the second time.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “Like a full-tilt boogie orgasm?” She really, really wanted to know what that felt like. She only had regular kinds on her own.

  “Exactly like that.”

  She believed him. And it was true that she really did need more experience. “Okay.”

  She woke the next morning to Ian kissing her neck. He was on top of her and she giggled as he nipped at her. And then they heard the bedroom door open and footsteps. His brother, Barry, must’ve woken up. Ian nuzzled into her neck on the other side, and she smacked his shoulder. She’d hoped if they stayed still, Barry might think it was just Ian under here. The blanket ripped away from their heads. Luckily Ian covered her nakedness with his body.

  “Kate!” Barry exclaimed.

  She pulled the blanket back over them. “Don’t tell Amber.”

  “Ian,” Barry growled.

  “Go away, bro. Geez.”

  Barry left, and Ian went right back to kissing her. He kissed her for a long time, down her neck, across her collarbone, her breasts. She never knew her breasts were so sensitive and when he sucked one nipple hard, her hips came up of their own accord. It was like a direct line of throbbing pleasure to her groin somehow. After she was thoroughly worked up, moaning and grabbing at him, she thought they’d do it, but then he kissed his way down her body and settled between her legs, kissing her where no one had ever put their mouth before.

  She jerked against him. “What are you doing?”

  He lifted his head. “I’m helping you lose the rest of your virginity.”

  “Like that?”

  “Shh, yes.” And then his mouth was doing deliciously dirty things that sent shockwaves of sensation through her. She moaned loudly, unable to keep quiet at the incredible pleasure. Her nails dug into his shoulders as he lapped at her.

  “Don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop,” she chanted. He kept going and it quickly got intense, the pressure building unbearably. She was going to die if she didn’t get her release. She whimpered incoherently.

  He lifted his head and said, “Come for me.”

  A thrill went through her at the raunchy talk even as she decided she couldn’t possibly—her mind shut down again as his mouth worked magic, and she broke
helplessly against him, the sensation radiating outward through her entire body. He kept going, wringing every last drop of pleasure out of her and didn’t stop until she went limp. She’d barely recovered from that when he thrust inside her again. And though the second time they did it was more pleasant, she didn’t have an orgasm. She was forced to conclude that sex was just okay with him. No full-tilt boogie. Except with the mouth thing. But that wasn’t actual sex.

  When they’d finished, Ian held her again, but she really had to go. She’d accomplished her mission and was now an experienced woman ready to take on the male population of MIT. A whole new world awaited her.

  She stood and wrapped the robe around her. “See you,” she said.

  “Come over later,” he said.

  “Maybe. I have some studying to do.”

  He stood, crossed to her, and rested his hands lightly on her hips. “I want to see you again.”

  “Thank you, Ian. I don’t want you to get the wrong message. I’m grateful to you, but I’m only twenty-one, and I’m about to leave for grad school. I can’t be hydrogen.”

  “Just with one guy?”

  “Yes.” She knew he’d understand. “I need to stay open to other male possibilities.”

  “Sowing your wild oats?”

  “In a manner of speaking, yes.” She left, and he let her, but even though she’d been very clear and had thanked him, he hadn’t been quite done with her. He became puppy-eyed, following her around until they both left for grad school. By that time, he’d gotten the message, and she’d thought, with a mixture of relief and a strange pang of longing, that was the end of her and Ian.

  Chapter Three

  Present day…

  Ian stepped back from Kate after the kiss he’d been looking forward to for months. “What do you mean you have a boyfriend?”

  She took off her glasses and industriously cleaned them on the end of her dress, which gave him a glimpse of shapely thigh. He yanked the dress back down, and she scowled at him before sliding the glasses back in place. “I have a boyfriend. What don’t you understand?”