Dante glared at her, wondering if she was being sarcastic. “What’s amusing? Your safety is not a joke. It’s dangerous for a woman to walk alone at night.”
“Nothing is actually amusing. I guess I’ve just never had someone worry about whether or not I was safe,” she answered carefully. “It’s . . . strange.”
“Then it’s about time somebody did,” he told her in a low, graveled voice, astounded that she’d never had anyone who looked out for her. But she’d told him about her mother, a woman who seemed to only be interested in her daughter’s scholastic achievements, and she had no siblings. It was highly possible that everyone assumed that because she was so gifted, so special, that she’d never needed any backup or support. How asinine was that? Because of her situation, what she’d really needed was a champion, a protector. Sarah dealt with things in black and white, logic and reason. Unfortunately, the crazies in the world didn’t analyze things in their brains the same way Sarah did.
Mine!
He’d gladly be the man who watched out for her. She might be more intelligent than he was, scholastically, but he was street smart, which was exactly what she needed.
He started the engine, backed out of the parking lot, and headed toward her house. They didn’t talk much, but every time he turned to look at her, she was still smiling.
CHAPTER 7
I just had an incredible orgasm on a dark beach like an overheated teenager!
She should probably be mortified, but she wasn’t. For the first time, she felt . . . normal. Dante had just opened a portion of her soul that she hadn’t known actually existed. She hadn’t lied when she’d admitted to him that he made her feel alive. When he’d said that to her, it was like her body was echoing the same emotions¸ as if some part of her that had been dormant her entire life had finally awoken.
Sarah’s entire world had revolved around study. The only enjoyable thing about her years with her mother had been her music, those moments when she could express her loneliness by playing the piano. Unfortunately, no one had ever wanted to actually protect her . . . until Dante. He treated her like she was special, but for the first time, it had nothing to do with her intelligence level.
He wants me.
Somehow, it was significant that he looked at her and liked the woman he saw in front of him, accepted her so easily. He didn’t keep his distance from her because he was intimidated. In fact, he didn’t seem the least bit daunted. He certainly had no problem trying to boss her around when he was trying to protect her, and her female hormones were standing up and taking notice. Maybe Dante did have a serious testosterone overload, but he was pushing her boundaries, making her aware of herself as a female. Yet she knew he had his own vulnerabilities, and that made for one hot male¸ a guy who was pretty much irresistible to her.
Brilliant deduction, Einstein. He’s so irresistible that I lose all lucid thought every time he touches me.
The problem was, she really didn’t want to resist him. She wanted him to touch her, teach her everything she’d missed. Her education was definitely lacking in the carnal pleasure department. If a simple kiss, a simple touch had rocked her world that much, she could only imagine what it would be like to get naked with him.
I can’t do that. He’d probably be turned off completely if I actually did get naked.
“What happened?” Dante asked curiously from the driver’s seat of the truck.
Sarah pulled herself out of her own thoughts. “Nothing. Why?”
“You’re not smiling anymore. I don’t like it,” Dante replied gruffly.
Had she been smiling? Maybe she had. Basically, she had been focused on him and the afterglow of a stunning, eye-opening orgasm. She also liked the fact that he wanted to protect her. If that hadn’t made her smile, nothing would. “Nothing happened.”
Except I was thinking about getting naked with you, and how sad it is that I can’t. Maybe in the dark . . . ?
“You didn’t tell me your favorite food, or your favorite color,” Dante said hoarsely. “Talk to me.”
Dante’s request to share something about herself with him hit her straight in the heart. No man had ever been curious about her as a person. Even the man who had taken her virginity had been using her, probably to help him get through a class that had been giving him problems. Either that or she’d been a lousy lay. She never really figured out why he’d dumped her after their first sexual encounter, but she hadn’t really cared. The only thing they’d had in common was med school, and she’d been way ahead of him in class even though he’d been older. And she’d decided, after that uncomfortable experience, that she wasn’t really missing anything. Now she was pretty certain she was wrong. She’d just been missing the right man to teach her.
“I don’t know how to ride a bike, or dance. I never had a doll when I was a girl; I had a piano. I never had friends when I was young because it took time away from studying, and it wasn’t essential in developing my potential. I’ve always felt odd because I was young in an adult world, but I don’t ever remember actually being a child. And the only game I was ever allowed to play was chess because it was an intellectual game, but I was only allowed to play it with someone who could beat me because my mother wanted me to be challenged.” Dante’s desire to learn about her had opened up a flood of information that she’d never shared with anyone. “I never had real friends until I came to live in Amesport, and I’ve been lonely my whole life because I was different. I’ve never felt normal.” Sarah took a shaky breath before adding, “My favorite color is red, although I never wear it because my mother felt it wasn’t an appropriate color for an intellectual woman. Too flashy. You already know I love lobster rolls, and I love classical music, but I also like to listen to country. Honestly, I can find some musical merit in just about any type of music.” She hesitated before adding, “I’m pretty certain that you’re right: there’s a lot more to sex than the mating of the human species.”