Julian pressed the full length of his body against her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Definitely getting warmer. Still a little cold, though.”
Holding his face in her hands, she guided his lips to hers. A surge of heat shot through his veins as they touched. When her tongue grazed along his own, he was nearly warm enough to take off his jacket. That simple, innocent touch was enough to set his blood to boiling with need for her.
He traveled the line of her jaw, leaving a trail of kisses until he reached the sensitive curve of her neck. Gretchen gasped and clung to him as he nibbled at her flesh. The sound was like music to his ears, sending a chill through his whole body. Desperate to touch more of her, he moved one hand from her waist, sliding it up her side until it cupped her breast.
He was rewarded with another gasp, but it was quickly followed by insistent palms pressing against his chest. He moved back, dropping his hands to his sides. “What’s the matter?” he asked between panting breaths.
“I...” she started, then shook her head. “It’s just a little too fast for me, Julian.”
Fast? “It’s Thursday, Gretchen. By Monday, I’ll be back in California. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, but we don’t have forever.”
Gretchen sighed and shifted her gaze to look over his shoulder. “I know.”
“What’s really bothering you?” It didn’t seem as though her body and her words were lining up. “Tell me.”
Swallowing hard, she nodded. “I told you I hadn’t dated much, but it’s more than that, Julian. It’s not that I don’t want you. I do. Very badly. And I would gladly take this as far as you’re willing to go. But I think if you knew the truth, you’d...”
“I’d what?” He couldn’t think of anything she could say to smother his desire for her.
“I’m a virgin,” she said, almost spitting out the words as if to get them out before she could change her mind.
Julian’s eyes widened and he stumbled back, as though her words had physically hit him. Was she serious? “A virgin?” he asked.
“Yes. Like I said, it isn’t a problem for me. Frankly, you’d be doing me a huge favor by ridding me of this burden I’ve carried around for all these years. But I find that people don’t react well to the news.”
He could understand that. He wasn’t reacting that well himself. It wasn’t as though she’d just announced she was a hermaphrodite or something, but still, it had caught him off guard. In an instant, the idea of a fun, casual romance while he was in Nashville had just gotten instantly more complicated.
“Damn,” Gretchen whispered.
Her curse snapped him out of his own head. He looked at her with a frown. “What?”
“It’s happened again,” she said. “I’ve scared you off. You can’t get away from me fast enough. I can see it in your eyes.”
“No, no,” he said, shaking his head adamantly. “It’s just not what I was expecting. But I should’ve...” His voice trailed away. All the signs had pointed there; he just hadn’t thought it was possible.
“Well, it’s getting late and you’re probably freezing,” he said, the words sounding lame even to his own ears. “We’ve got a long night tomorrow, so I’ll let you get home. I’ll see you here at the rehearsal at six?”
“Yeah.” Gretchen didn’t even try to hide the disappointment on her face and in her voice. His quick backpedaling had hurt her feelings, but he didn’t know what else to do. “Good night, Julian.”
Without so much as a goodbye peck on the cheek, she opened her car door and got inside. He’d barely closed the door when the engine roared to life and she backed out of the parking space.
As her taillights disappeared into the distance, Julian realized he was a schmuck. Apparently he was much better with women when he had a script to follow.
Six
Gretchen should’ve kept her damn mouth shut. That was it—she wasn’t telling a guy the truth again. The next time she got someone interested in sleeping with her, she’d let him find out the hard way. It might be rough going, but by the time he realized it, it would be done and she wouldn’t have to go through this embarrassment again and again.
At the moment, it would be easy to believe that nothing had happened last night. She and Julian were seated together at a table with a few other members of the wedding party. The rehearsal dinner was wrapping up, and waiters were coming around with trays of desserts. His arm was draped over her shoulder, a devoted smile on his face whenever he looked at her. Ever the actor, this was easy for him. It wasn’t so easy for her, especially with Bree hovering around the edge of the room taking pictures and smiling knowingly at her.