He shrugged his big, wide shoulders, and Jana reached for her wineglass, reminding herself not to gulp the contents. “I really should’ve ordered coffee.” She drained a third of her glass in one swallow. Forget name, rank and serial number. If she had the keys to Fort Knox, she’d hand them over.
“Because I’ve never had one,” she admitted, and she didn’t even blush.
Much.
Ben nearly choked on his beer. He stared at her long and hard, struggling to comprehend her outrageous statement. “You’re a virgin?”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” she blurted. “No. I’ve just never…” She shrugged. “You know.”
Heaven help him, he still couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. In fact, he couldn’t believe she’d told him something so intensely personal. He had a million questions, but only one managed to get past his shocked-to-the-core mind. “Why not?”
She let out a sigh. “If I had the answer to that, then we probably wouldn’t be sitting here because there’d have been no need for Chloe and Lauren to issue that stupid dare.”
“Can I ask exactly what this dare consisted of?” An endless stream of sensual possibilities swamped him, all of which concluded with him, Jana, tangled sheets and bodies glistening from exertion—sexual exertion.
Her big green eyes widened. “Oh! No. Not that,” she said quickly. “Your virtue is perfectly safe with me.”
Disappointment nudged him. Especially with that tangled-sheet fantasy still going strong.
“So. Ben.” She made a huge production out of folding her napkin into a small triangular shape. “What is it you do for a living?”
“I think I’d rather hear you talk about orgasms.”
She reached for her wine, her slender fingers wrapping around the tall, slim glass.
He shifted in his seat.
“That does appear to be the hot topic tonight, doesn’t it?” she mused.
“It could be a very hot topic.” The only thing more dangerous than lust was ego, and both of his had just redlined.
Her eyes took on a sassy glint and she raked her nails over the damp napkin she’d been folding, shredding it.
He swallowed. Hard.
“Read any good books lately?” she asked him.
“You’re changing the subject.”
“I’m trying to,” she said, then let out another sigh. “You never did tell me what you did for a living.”
He slipped his hand over hers, settling his fingers over her wrist. The rapid cadence of her pulse was a huge turn-on, not that he had far to go in that department. The night suddenly held a wealth of possibilities, and not a single one of them included him returning to his place alone for the night. He was starting to understand why people needed to reaffirm life in the face of tragedy. Maybe, for once, he could forget about being the responsible one, the one always in charge. Maybe Jana could help him forget.
“Let’s not talk résumés when there are so many other interesting subjects up for discussion. Like that orgasm you’ve never had, for instance.”
“Ooh,” she practically purred. “I bet you’re great at seducing women. Do you seduce a lot of women, Ben?”
He detected a hint of apprehension in her voice and understood the import of her question. “No,” he told her honestly. He’d never been accused of being a player. In fact, just the opposite. “Not a lot.”
The tip of her tongue slid across her bottom lip. His libido spiked.
She dropped her gaze and slowly twisted their hands until his was cradled, palm up in hers. She traced the tip of her finger over his ring finger as if feeling for an impression. She continued her inspection of his hand, spanning the length with her fingertips. A sultry smile curved her mouth. “Very impressive,” she said, her voice a low, throaty whisper.
Drawing his next breath took a concentrated effort. When she lifted her gaze to his, his heart stuttered dangerously at the desire he detected in her gaze. One word from Jana was all it would take for him to open the door to a night of incredible pleasure. A night he wouldn’t have to spend alone with his own miserable hide for company.
One word.
“Ben? Let’s talk orgasms.”
She’d just said the magic word.
3
“WHAT WOULD YOU like to know?”
Can you make the earth move?
Got any fireworks in your pocket?
Pertinent questions, Jana thought. At least in her painfully uninformed opinion. Darned appropriate, too, considering the sparks still skimming along the surface of her skin.
Risk it. Those two words held more meaning for her than Ben could possibly know.
“Well…” She drew in a deep breath, gathering more courage. “Are orgasms really everything everyone says they are?”
She hardly thought it possible to surprise him more than she already had with her earlier admission, but obviously the feminine mystique was hardly in danger. Not if she used the distinct hike of his eyebrows and the curiosity filling his pale-blue eyes as a barometer.
He took a long, slow drink from the amber bottle of beer clutched in his hand. “You seriously don’t know?” he finally asked. A dark lock fell across his forehead and he rammed his fingers through his hair to push it back in place. His hand stilled at the back of his neck a moment before dropping to the table.
She shook her head and twirled the stem of her wineglass. “Nope.”
“Not close?” His long fingers flexed, tightening around the bottle. “Not even once?”
Did he have to sound so shocked? “Well…” She considered her answer for a moment. “Maybe. Once.” She shook her head. “No. On second thought, I don’t think it was the real thing.”
He stared at her with that intense, icy gaze, as if she’d just spoken in a foreign language.
“You don’t think?” He laughed. Full, robust laughter that made her smile despite the difficulty she was having discussing her malfunctioning G-spot. “This I do have to hear.”
She held up her index finger and gave him a look of mock sternness. “Hold it a minute. I thought I was the one supposed to be asking the questions here?”
His grin deepened. “Yeah, but your answers to mine are very interesting.”
“More like embarrassing,” she muttered, then took a sip of her wine.
His expression sobered. “Don’t be embarrassed, Jana. Inexperience is nothing to be ashamed of.”
She set her glass on the damp napkin. “I never said I was inexperienced. There’s a difference.”
“Not if you’ve never had an orgasm,” he said as he leaned forward. “Your lovers must’ve been damned selfish.”
She cleared her throat. A sharp stab of self-consciousness pierced her, then she quickly chastised herself for being so silly. Ben was absolutely right. Why should she be embarrassed by their conversation or because she’d had lousy lovers? Tonight, she could say or do anything. It wasn’t as if she’d ever see him again.
“You must find this all very entertaining,” she said.
The color of his eyes deepened