SEALed With a Kiss: Even a Hero Needs Help Sometimes... by Mary Margret Daughtridge Page B

didn't really mind that she had taken her foot away. With her knees pulled up like that the T-shirt gaped at the neck. If he tilted his head, only a very little, he figured he could see the tops of her breasts.
    He tilted his head.
    "But I don't see how talking about sex in Latin and Greek will clarify the subject." He smiled the smile of a bridge player laying down an unexpected trump card. "The words that were good enough for Chaucer are good enough for me."
    Pickett's eyes widened at the accuracy of his riposte. Good. Let her find out right now that intellectual intimidation wouldn't work.
    Intellectual intimidation wouldn't work on him but he bet it had worked plenty of times in the past to keep men at arm's length. It would take a guy with a lot of confidence and a tough skin to get past her cool fagade. But prissy one-upmanship, combined with her air of vulnerable femininity, would act like an irresistible lure for guys who liked to score for the challenge of it. All right, he was one of those guys, but he damn well made sure that the woman involved knew it was a game and she liked to play it too. That way everybody won.
    "Good sex is messy. But embarrassing and boring are pretty much the opposite of good sex. How much experience have you had?"
    "Enough to know, all right?" Pickett snapped. "I really don't want to talk about this. I've never told anybody—not even my shrink—how I feel."
    "How much experience?"
    "Twice. It didn't take three strikes before I realized I was out. I discovered I was being used ..." Embarrassment wasn't even the right word, although there had been plenty of that. Humiliation was more accurate.
    God, she'd been so stupid. She had thought Doug liked her, a college freshman. She'd been flattered by the sophomore's attention and had believed he admired her for her mind.
    As it turned out, he did. He wanted her to write his term papers.
    He had charmed her, and curiosity, her besetting sin, had done the rest. She wanted to know what all the fuss over sex was about.
    Pickett had been reluctant to let him see her body but he had kissed her softly as he unbuttoned her blouse, overcoming her doubts. He had aroused her skillfully, patiently, and the experience of losing her virginity hadn't been bad. The first time at least had novelty to keep it interesting.
    The second time thoughts about a really good book she was only halfway through and eager to finish kept intruding. She moved her hips to get him to pick up the pace. She'd forego an orgasm to get him to finish this. Though intellectually lazy, he was thorough in other ways, so he held back until he felt her contractions begin. She lay there, with his sweaty body sticking to hers, and wondered how anybody could think this was wonderful.
    The next day, studying at her favorite table tucked in the stacks, she saw one of Doug's fraternity brothers pass down the aisle. He didn't see her, and it was possible he wouldn't have recognized her even if he had. In a few minutes her study was disturbed by low male voices. One of the voices was Doug's.
    "Whatcha doing in the stacks, Doug? I thought you had a way to ace that lit course without doing research papers."
    "I do. But if I show up with the right books, it will be easier to convince her I really need her help."
    Male laughter.
    They were talking about her! Doug had said he would drop by the library today to pick up some books she'd recommended. Pickett's face grew hot. Her heart pounded, and her sweating palms left droplets on the oak table.
    "So, is she easy?"
    "You're wondering if you can get the same deal next semester." More male laughter. "She's easy for me. Who knows if the same would be true for you, my man."
    "Just let me know when you're ready to move over. She's got great boobs and I could use an A."
    "She's okay if you keep the lights off."
    She's okay if you keep the lights off. Pickett could never remember afterward how she got back to her dorm room. All she could remember was that