Three Little Words

I leveled my eyes at her. “And who benefits from that?”

“I do.”

“Anyone else?”

“No,” she said reluctantly.

“So let me see if I understand,” I said. “I don’t look, sound, smell, taste, or feel different. The only thing different about me is I’m pretty good at sex.

And you’re the only one who gets to benefit.”

“It doesn’t sound so bad when you put it that way.”

“What way does it sound bad?”

“When you say you’ve been with thirty women!”

“Okay,” I said, a touch pedantically, “let’s go over this again. I don’t look, sound, smell—”

“All right, I get it! You’re the same. Fine!”

“And who benefits?”

“I do! Dammit! Sometimes you’re infuriating.”

I actually laughed.

“This isn’t funny,” she muttered darkly.

“No, you’re right. But you’re really cute when you swear. That’s… what?

The second time I’ve ever heard you do it?”

“So I’m human. So sue me.”

“Can I use you instead?”

She rolled her eyes. “Why can’t you be serious?”

“Because this is sort of a ridiculous fight.”

“It’s not ridiculous to me. I’m serious. I’m really scared! What if you don’t like something about me and decide to go back to Gina? Or Kendall?

Or any of the other twenty-eight! What if you get tired of waiting for me?

What if you find out how many guys I’ve been with? What if—?”

“What if you shut up and kiss me?”

“What if—? Huh? What?”

“Shut up and kiss me.”

She frowned and tried to figure out my angle.

I leaned forward and brought my lips close to hers without actually touching her.

“What’re you doing?” she asked softly.

“Kiss me and see.”

She touched her lips to mine, tentatively at first, but she didn’t resist as I pulled her toward me. I cupped her ass and urged her closer still, so she spread her legs and knelt with her shins on my thighs. Our kiss deepened until I felt her relax and surrender to it.

“There,” I said at last, softly. “Does it feel like I want to go back to Gina?”

“No.”

“Kendall?”

“No.”

“Any of the other twenty-eight?”

“No. I get it. Shut up and kiss me again.”

I did.

She had to stifle a laugh when Mr. Big nudged her insistently.

“See?” I said. “I told you, sex is mental. He’s in the mood because you are.”

“I am.”

“And… does it feel like I care how many guys you’ve been with?”

“No. I can tell.” She dithered and then looked at me. “Even if it’s… six?”

“Even if it’s twenty-six.”

“Oh my gosh, no! What kind of—?”

“I think you’re the kind of girl who likes sex,” I said evenly. “And especially giving head.” I held her eyes until she calmed down. “Now, do you know anyone who likes getting head?”

She rolled her eyes. “Duh. You.”

“Ding, ding, ding!”

She grew quiet and gathered her courage. “Can I… um… ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Remember, you said I could ask you anything. You might like it, you said. Remember?”

“I remember.”

“I know it sounds weird, but not any weirder than what you like.”

“Fair enough,” I said. “What is it?”

“Will you… shave?”

“Is my face scratching you? I shaved this morn—”

“No, not your face. Um… down there. You know, like I do. For you.” My eyebrows must have tried to do a backflip, because she immediately said,

“Never mind. It’s dumb. Forget I said anything.” She buried her face in my shoulder. “Oh my gosh. You must think I’m so weird. First biting and spanking, and now this.”

I chuckled and kissed the side of her head gently. “No, I don’t think you’re weird. Sexy as hell and wilder than I ever imagined, but that’s a good thing.” I waited until she peeked through a curtain of blonde hair. “So,” I asked, “you want me to shave my pubic hair?”

She hesitated and then nodded.

“More than I do already?”

Another nod.

“All of it?”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. It was only a dumb idea.”

“No, it sounds kinda cool.”

“You mean it? Really? None of the—” She shot me a nervous look.

“You can say it,” I prompted. “None of the other guys…”

“Only, I don’t really know. I never asked. I didn’t think they would.”

“But you think I will?”

“Well, you want me to shave,” she said reasonably. “What kind of hypocrite are you?”

“Ha! You got me there.”

“Thank you.” She looked hopeful. “So you’ll do it?”

“All of it? Every last bit?”

“All of it,” she said. “Every last bit. As smooth as me.”

“Sounds like fun.”

She clapped and bounced.

“Happy Birdy?”

“Oh my gosh, yes! I’ve always wanted to try this. But I couldn’t imagine a guy who’d actually want to. I’d always heard about ones who did,

especially swimmers, but never any of the ones… um… I ever… I mean…”

“None of the ones you ever… saw?”

“Not in person, no. But I saw one in a magazine once. Oh my gosh, Paul!

Brooke’s mother had it, and we used to sneak—”

“Hold on, who’s Brooke?”

“My best friend in high school,” she said, as if I should’ve known. “In San Diego. I thought I told you about her?”

“Oh, yeah! Right. Sorry. It’s hard to keep track sometimes. I mean, you have so many things about your past that you haven’t told me. But I like learning about you, especially your girlfriends.”

“It’s a little weird. I’ve always had to keep so much secret with other guys.”