“Maybe you’re right.” Imogen ran her finger along her bottom lip. “Do you think there are personality types that are truly incompatible? Like can a cautious person and a risk taker actually tolerate each other long term? Or a highly sexual person live with someone who has a low libido?”
“The first one, yes. The second one, no. If one person is wanting some action all the time and the other is constantly begging off? That’s going to be a huge source of tension.” He could say with absolute certainty that he would be really frustrated if he was with a woman who thought having sex once a month was plenty. He’d get more if he was single. Of course, the upside to a relationship was that when you did finally get around to sex, there would be intimacy along with the physical connection, but he still didn’t think he would be anything short of chronically horny and irritable if he had access to a woman but got the black flag every night.
“I think I would have to agree. One person will always feel like they’re having to ask for sex instead of sharing it freely with each other. And the person who is not highly sexual will fall into a pattern of simply giving in to the other in order to stave off the argument, which isn’t conducive to intimacy or uninhibited and enthusiastic sex.”
Ty gave Imogen a long look. “Are you trying to tell me you gave in last week to prevent an argument?”
She snorted. “Hah. If anything, it would have to be considered the other way around. I offered it even before then, and you turned it down.”
“I explained that. We’re not going there again, are we?” Because that didn’t sound like anything he wanted to bumble his way through a second time.
“No, we’re not. I said I understand and I do.” She smiled at him, a wicked gleam in her eye. “I mean, it’s okay if you’re the one with the low sex drive. We’ll just have to adjust and learn to accommodate that.”
Well, wasn’t Imogen the funny one? Ty refused to give her smug little self the satisfaction of smiling, even as he thought her wit was damn amusing. “Oh, is that right? I’m the one with the low sex drive?”
He leaned over and kissed her hard, his tongue thrusting inside her mouth as he tasted the traces of her coffee. He ransacked her, squeezing her breast with one hand as he buried the other into the hair of her ponytail. He kissed her until her glasses had fogged up from their heavy breathing, her ni**les were tight buds beneath his fingers, and he would bet his career she was sopping wet in her panties.
Imogen yanked herself back from him and sucked in a deep breath. “I . . .” she panted, “was being facetious.”
“I know.” Ty grinned. “But it gave me a good excuse to feel you up.”
“I thought we had established you never needed an excuse.”
Brushing his finger over her nipple, loving the way her mouth slipped open on a breathy sigh and her eyelashes fluttered rapidly, Ty kissed a trail down her jaw. “I don’t think that we did establish that. But it’s nice to know I have the green light at any time.”
“Well.” She tipped her head a little to give him better access. “Maybe not at just any time.”
“No?” Ty loved the way her skin felt, smooth as satin, free of makeup, just fresh and clean beneath his lips. “What times are off-limits?”
“In the presence of other people should be off-limits. I think that covers most awkward situations that might arise.”
“But in the woods is okay?” Ty was getting hot in the car, an erection pressing hard against his jeans. There was something about the way Imogen looked at him, so intelligent, yet so trusting that he could give her pleasure, that just did him in every time and made him want to strip her and lick her from head to toe.
“I would imagine the woods are okay.”
Ty pulled back. “Then let’s set up camp, babe, before I regress to seventeen and try to nail you in the backseat.”
Imogen glanced in the backseat and just wet her bottom lip.
Fighting the urge to groan, Ty said, “No. We’re not having sex in this car. There are a million better places right on up this path, so change your shoes and let’s head for the site.”
“Why do I need to change my shoes?” she asked, pulling her backpack up from between her legs.
It was possible he might have failed to mention to Imogen that their site was so remote it wasn’t drive-up. They had to hike several miles from the car to get there. “We just need to go off-road a bit here to get to the site.” He tried to downplay it as he opened his door. “So maybe boots would be a better choice.”
Ty got out of the car before he could see her expression. If she was irritated, frankly he didn’t want to see it. He had packed light, since it was only an overnight, but between water and food and all the necessities like a sleeping bag, bug spray, and a flashlight, he was loaded heavily on his back when Imogen stepped out of the car wearing different shoes. Which, while technically could be called boots, weren’t any hardier than the little flats she’d had on. These were shiny black ankle boots and looked to cost somewhere in the hundred-dollar range. At least they were flat and appeared to have a tread.
“These were the only boots I had,” she said apologetically. “Other than my fur-lined snow boots, and I thought that was perhaps overkill.”
Ty grinned. He liked the way Imogen figured out the score immediately. She was definitely trying, despite not really knowing a damn thing about camping, and he really appreciated it. “Probably snow boots would be overkill. But I’m sorry, babe, I should have picked you up some hiking boots or given you better suggestions on packing. I hope your feet don’t start to hurt.”
“They shouldn’t.” She smoothed back her ponytail. “I wore these tromping all over the Village when I was in school.”
“Alright, well, if they do, you let me know.” Ty winked. “I’ll carry you.”
She laughed. “I think that will be completely unnecessary, but thank you. Do you need me to help with anything? You have a lot of . . . stuff on your back.”
“Could you grab that little cooler? Then just your backpack and we’re good to go.” Ty started down the path to the site. “So you went to college in New York, too?”
“Yes. NYU. I probably should have gone away from home for school to assert my independence, but it seemed a little ridiculous when there were so many quality schools to choose from in New York. I did live in the dorm, so that helped, but this little adventure in Charlotte is my first time living out of New York.”