who will simply complete the task at hand, or do you want more?”
“Just the task,” she said. “Nothing more.”
“No romance, no dating, no dinner and a movie?”
Emma shook her head. “Just the task.”
“You’re sure?”
She nodded.
“You’ve given me a lot to consider. I guess I’ll let you know.”
“You have to consider it? I thought men were able to just do it.” She drew a ragged breath. “Is it because you don’t find me attractive?”
Didn’t all single men love sex? And she’d assumed they weren’t very discriminating about where they got it. Was her offer that repulsive to him?
He chuckled. “No. I find you incredibly attractive, as I mentioned at the beginning.”
“Then why don’t you want to—do the task?”
He paused, as if to collect his thoughts. “Emma, you’re the kind of woman who deserves the best in life. You deserve so much more than I can give you.”
“You can’t give me a single night of mind-blowing sex? Because that’s really all I want. Just one night.”
“One night,” Mac murmured. “All right, I’ll get back to you. I promise.”
With that, he turned on his heel and walked to the front door. But Emma couldn’t leave it at that. She ran after him and grabbed his arm. “You think I’m crazy, don’t you? That’s it.”
He shook his head. “No, I think you’ve taken a very sensible approach to your problem.”
“Exactly. It’s sensible. I’m Emma, the virgin librarian. You’re Mac, the handsome, itinerant pilot. It makes perfect sense.”
“Does it? I mean, what are you going to do after it’s finished? It’s kind of a life-changing event.” He met her gaze.
“That’s just it. I want it to change my life. So it isn’t my life.”
“May I ask you something?”
Emma nodded. “Yes, of course. Ask me anything.”
“We’ve established that you’re twenty-seven years old and you’re still a virgin. We’ve also established that you’re beautiful and smart and sexy. Just how is that possible? Is this some sort of religious thing?”
“No. It just happened. I’ve never dated much, never had serious boyfriends. Believe it or not, the opportunity only presented itself a few times when I was younger and I decided to turn it down. And then the years just got away from me.”
“And you want me to take care of this for you?”
“Yes, I would appreciate that. It would only be one night. Not even a full night. I mean, it could go pretty fast, I think. At least that’s what I’ve heard. And I can guarantee that it wouldn’t be horrible. I’ve done a lot of reading so I know what’s what.”
“You realize that being aware that this is your first time changes everything.”
“I’m kind of just getting that,” Emma said. “Why, though? It’s still sex.”
“There’s a lot of pressure,” Mac said.
“You mean performance anxiety? Believe me, I can relate. Is that why you’re afraid to...do the deed?”
Mac cursed beneath his breath. “No. I don’t get performance anxiety.”
“Then why?”
He thought about her question for a long moment, then shrugged. “Maybe I want more,” he murmured. “Maybe a one-night stand isn’t enough for me.”
The notion that a man like Mac might prefer romance over pure lust surprised her. On the surface, he seemed to be the perfect playboy type, a guy who could easily love ’em, then leave ’em.
“I don’t expect it to be special,” Emma said.
“I want to make it special for you,” Mac said. He glanced over at her and smiled. “Listen, why don’t we just delay negotiations on this tonight and pick it up at a later date.”
“I understand,” Emma said. “If you don’t want to, you can just say so. I won’t be hurt.”
“Oh, I want to,” he replied. “Believe me, I’ve been thinking about it since the moment you walked into the shop. But I’m not sure you understand what you’re asking. So I’d like to take a little time.”
“All right. But if you change your mind, just call.”
“I will,” Mac assured her. “There is one thing we could do right now.”
“What’s that?” Emma asked. It all happened so quickly, she didn’t have a chance to prepare. He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, his gaze meeting hers. And in a heartbeat, his mouth came down on hers in a long, delicious kiss.
Emma had already grown to love the way he kissed. His attention fixed on her lips for just a moment before his mouth descended on hers. And after that, a wild whirl of sensations assailed her body. His kiss was a demand, not a request, and she had no choice but to respond.
When he finally drew away, his eyes were closed and her breath came in short gasps. A thrill raced through her. It was obvious the kiss had affected him in the same way it had her. Maybe she should count this as a victory.
“I’ll talk to you soon?” she asked.
“You will,” he said.
She walked him to the front door and opened it. “Thanks for the kiss. It was really nice.”
“Emma?”
“Yes?”
“You don’t ever have to thank me for kissing you.”
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