A Baby of Her Own. Brenda Novak

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      SO THAT WAS DELANEY’S STORY. Conner had known something was up. All the warning bells in his head had been going off. But now that he understood her agenda, he could definitely see her point. He wouldn’t want to be a virgin, not with one-third of his life already over.

      Hesitating, Conner stared down at the hand that held him, then at the honest appeal in the woman’s face. He didn’t want to be tempted, but he was. He’d been tempted since he’d seen her in the mirror, because of her eyes, not her dress. But he knew he was only setting himself up for more self-defeating behavior. One-night stands didn’t do anything for him. He always woke in the morning feeling empty inside, as though he was missing something important. And yet here he was, hovering at the brink of taking the uninitiated Delaney to his room and giving her exactly what she was looking for, probably more than once.

      “Don’t you have a boyfriend?” he asked.

      She gave him an “I’m not that low” look. “Do you think I’d approach a complete stranger if I did?”

      Conner shrugged. “Some people get off on it.”

      “That’s not my style.”

      Judging by the way she kept hiding behind her arms and chewing her lip, Conner believed her. She was far too nervous to be enjoying this. “You know it would be better to wait for someone who means something to you, don’t you?”

      “I’m thirty. I’m not sixteen,” she said with just the right amount of pique to convince him he didn’t need to coddle her.

      “I realize that. I just don’t want you to have any regrets later.”

      “Like I said, I’m thirty. I’m old enough to know what I want and to worry about my own regrets. I won’t bother you with them.”

      “And if I still say no?”

      “Then, I’ll find someone else.”

      There he had it. She’d do it anyway. And hanging out at bars, shopping for a guy to relieve her of her virginity, was dangerous. If Delaney wasn’t careful, she could wind up with someone who liked things rough. Or she could contract a communicable disease. At least Conner knew she’d be safe with him. He liked women, he treated them kindly and he was clean. He could do her this one favor, couldn’t he?

      He smiled at his thoughts, and she smiled shyly back. “What are we going to do with your friend?” he asked.

      “Don’t worry about Rebecca. She’s engaged to be married. She’ll just get a room by herself.”

      “You should know, I’ve never been with a virgin,” he said, still half hoping to discourage her, “so if there are any special tricks for making it more comfortable the first time, I don’t know them.”

      She couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “I’m not asking for any special treatment. Whatever you normally do will be fine. I just want to, you know, get it over with.”

      Get it over with? No wonder Delaney was still a virgin. She was acting like she was about to go in for surgery, which, perversely enough, made Conner that much more eager to show her how good sex could be.

      He glanced over to make sure the bartender was out of earshot. “Do you have protection?” he asked. Condoms weren’t something he’d packed. Neither were they something he’d expected to need, at least not on his first night.

      “You don’t have to worry about that.”

      “You’ve already taken care of it?”

      She nodded. “Unless I need to worry about protecting myself from—”

      “You’re not going to get anything from me.”

      Delaney seemed relieved. To her credit, his physical health had apparently been a big concern.

      “That’s great,” she said. “So, are we good to go?”

      She was back to the “get it over with” attitude, which wasn’t natural. She was too attractive to continue equating sex with having bamboo shoots shoved beneath her nails.

      Maybe by morning, she’d have a different take on physical intimacy. Conner sure hoped so. “I’m in room 431,” he said. “Tell your girlfriend goodbye and meet me there.”

      CHAPTER THREE

      ROOM 431. For a minute, Delaney sat at the bar and stared at the doorway through which Conner had disappeared. She might have stayed there all night if not for Rebecca, who came up from behind to see what had happened.

      “So?” she asked. “How’d it go?”

      Delaney wasn’t sure what to say. The cowboy Rebecca had drawn away was still at the table, but the bartender hovered close in case Rebecca intended to order a drink and Delaney didn’t really want him or anyone else to know what she was about to do. She still couldn’t believe it herself.

      Taking Delaney by the elbow, Rebecca tried to steer her away from the bar, but Delaney wasn’t ready to go anywhere yet. “Give me a shot of tequila,” she told the bartender.

      He seemed a little surprised that someone who’d just ordered soda water would suddenly go for the strong stuff, but he got her the drink, and she downed it in one gulp.

      “I take it that’s a yes,” Rebecca said, pounding her on the back when she coughed and sputtered. “Or a very strong no.”

      “It’s a yes,” Delaney managed to say, when her eyes stopped watering. She hated tequila, but she needed something to calm her down so her legs would be capable of carrying her to room 431. “Give me one more,” she told the bartender.

      “Whoa, slow down, Laney. You don’t want to pass out before you get there,” Rebecca said, when Delaney swallowed the second shot as fast as the first.

      “I’m done,” Delaney croaked. Her eyes were watering all over again but the alcohol was doing a slow burn in her stomach, and she felt heartened already. Grabbing her purse, she slid off the stool. “What are you going to do while I’m…while I’m…busy?” she asked.

      Rebecca frowned at the cowboy waiting for her at the table. “I’m going to lose Lover-boy there and get a room. I’ll leave you a key with my room number at the front desk.”

      “Okay. I’ll be in room 431. With Conner,” Delaney added. Then she squared her shoulders and started for the door, her eyes on the elevators beyond, but Rebecca called her back.

      “Will you be all right, Laney? You’re whiter than a sheet.”

      “I’ll be fine.”

      “The hard part’s over, you know. You’ve just gotta—”

      Delaney raised a hand. “I really don’t want a pep talk at the moment. Not for this.” She frowned. “I keep expecting to wake up and realize I’ve been dreaming.”

      “You’ll СКАЧАТЬ