EXCERPT

Trent sipped from his wine and watched the love of his life stuff another huge bite of lasagna into her mouth. Sex always made her ravenous.

He watched her eat for a moment, enjoying the way her lips moved, the way her long brown hair tumbled over her shoulders, and the way her robe gaped open revealing an enticing bit of skin. Damn it, he wanted her, was infatuated with her, couldn’t get enough of her! He loved her so much, and that was going to make this that much harder because he knew exactly what it would do to her.

She scooped up another forkful and grinned, her blue eyes twinkling. “I don’t know, Trent. A man who knows how to crunch numbers and blend spices? Next thing I know you’ll be doing the laundry and having babies, and then where will I be?”

He just stared at her, his mind a flurry of words and impressions.

She laughed. “Hey. Where’s my witty retort? “

He said nothing.

“Trent?” She set down her fork. “What is it?”

He swallowed, surprised by how hard this was. “Sam, I—”

The ring of the phone cut him off.

“Rats.” With an apologetic glance, she folded her napkin and headed for the phone on the counter. “Hello?” She rolled her eyes. “Hi, Mom.”

Trent couldn’t help but smile to himself. Sam loved her mother and they got along great—at a distance. Planning a wedding, however, had brought them closer and given them more to talk about than Sam cared to acknowledge.

At least they’d gotten past the big issue of the difference in Trent and Sam’s ages. The fact that he was twelve years her senior had been a huge brick wall for Sam’s family and one that he’d had to pound at constantly to make a dint. They’d finally broken through a year earlier, thus paving the way for his proposal, and hopefully a happy and angst-free wedding.

He tuned out their conversation and concentrated on his food.

At last she plunked herself down beside him and reached for her fork.

“Everything okay?”

“Little problem with tulle and mini-lights, but nothing a fuse and a little dynamite couldn’t fix.” She smiled sweetly. “I don’t want to talk about that. Tell me what’s going on.”

He raked his fingers through his hair and dove in. “Do you think we have good sex?”

Her eyes went wide and he cursed himself for sounding like an imbecile. “Well,” she said slowly, “I’m not really sure. Why don’t we do it again and I’ll pay more attention this time. I’ll get back to you in a week or so.”

“Sam, this is serious.”

“No, this is ludicrous. What kind of question is that? Of course I do.” She winked. “You’re the best lover I’ve ever had.”

“Exactly.”

“What?”

“I’m the only lover you’ve ever had, Sam.” When they’d met five years ago, Sam had been twenty and although she’d had a couple of boyfriends, had not yet lost her virginity. Trent had been thrilled and honored to be the one to initiate her into the wonderful world of sex and intimacy, but now he was realizing that what had once been a plus, could just as easily turn into a big red mark in the debit column. “You have no basis for comparison.”

She reached for his hand. “I don’t need a basis for comparison. I love you, and I enjoy being with you. I want to be with you forever, and that’s all that matters.”

“That’s all that matters now, but what about five years from now? Ten years from now? You never got to sew any wild oats, barely got to flirt or date anybody else. What if you get restless? What if you get curious?”

She released his hand and sat back in her chair, arms folded across her chest and eyes blazing. “Jeez, Trent. We’re not even married yet, and you’ve got me having an affair.”

“I just don’t want to wake up one morning and find your side of the bed empty because you had an urge to find out what you missed out on.”

 

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