His Girl Friday by Diana Palmer Page A

waited for her to open the door and then he stepped inside. Unfortunately Norman had just come out of the bathroom, and was in the hal that led to the living room. Norman was in a temper, and he wasn't used to men. He took one look at Cabe and bristled, twisting his body and dropping his dewlap and opening his pink mouth.
    "My God!" Cabe backed out into the hal .
    "Norman, you show-off!" Danet a sighed angrily. "Go on. Scoot!" She shooed him into the kitchen. He went, glancing over his shoulder at her as if she'd mortal y offended him. She fil ed his food bowl and the dewlap went down as he began to eat shredded carrots and avocado.
    "It's safe now!" she cal ed to Cabe. "He's eating!"
    He came into the apartment warily, his blue eyes narrowed and cautious as he searched for the iguana. "He doesn't like me," he said with pure irritation.
    "He isn't used to men," she explained. "In fact, I don't think he's ever seen one, except for my father. He's nervous because he had a fright yesterday and then he got moved into a strange place last night and shut up. Iguanas are nervous creatures. He's real y more frightened of you than you are of him.'
    He glared at her. "I'm not frightened of him," he said stiffly. "I just didn't want to rush him, that's al ." She smiled up at him. "He'l get used to you." She paused and cleared her throat. "For the weekend, I mean." He studied her face for a long moment. "I expect to be around longer than a weekend, Danet a," he said quietly. 'Much, much longer than that.'
    Her heartbeat seemed unusual y loud as they looked at each other and she felt her knees going weak. "I don't know if I can handle an affair," she whispered.
    "I don't know if I can, either," he replied huskily. "I've never had one."
    "Never?" she asked, her eyebrows arching.
    "Never. The occasional one-night stand, and once I thought I was in love when I was younger." He smiled gently. Then the smile faded. "But I've never felt like this with a woman. I don't quite know how to cope." His hands rested on her shoulders. "And to be blunt, that first time scares the hel out of me." She searched his eyes, puzzled. "Why?"
    "I told you I'm not a rounder." His broad shoulders lifted and fel . "I don't know a lot about virgins, and I've never had to hold anything back." His eyes held hers. "Restraint is difficult for a man after a long dry spel , you see." His hands contracted. "That's what it's going to mean if we have each other," he said curtly. "I'l have to hurt you. Deliberately. You understand?" He sighed roughly. "I don't know if I can."
    She'd never considered that from a man's point of view, and it touched her that he cared about her comfort. She rested her forehead on his jacket, sighing because of the way he brought her close and held her so tenderly.
    "I've always been a lit le afraid of it before," she confes ed shyly. "But if it's uncomfortable, it wil only be that once, and afterward.. " She swal owed, her nails clinging to the smooth fabric of his jacket. "Afterward, you won't ever hurt me again, wil you?"
    His hands slid down her back, gently cares ing. "Afterward," he whispered in her ear, "I'l arouse you very slowly and make the sweetest kind of love to you, and you'l go to sleep in my arms."
    She shivered with the thought, closing her eyes as she clung to him. "I can't believe this is happening."
    "If you want the truth, neither can I," he said gently. His lips brushed her forehead. "But I'm not sorry that it has. Are you?" She looked up at him and shook her head. "No mat er what happens, I'm not sorry."
    He was breathing deliberately, his eyes frankly adoring. He let her go and moved back. "You'd bet er get your things together," he said. "They're expecting us by six."
    "Al right." She left him pacing the living room while she put what she'd need for a weekend into her suitcase. Then she went into the kitchen to pack Norman's snacks.
    "What are you doing that for?" he asked, scowling as she took food out of the