Page 61 of Kiss an Angel

He sat down at the foot of the bed. “Daisy, taking a lover here and there wouldn’t have made you promiscuous. You’re a passionate woman. You deserved to have a sex life.”

“I wasn’t married.”

“So what?”

“Alex, I don’t believe in sex outside of marriage.”

He regarded her blankly.

“I don’t believe in sex outside of marriage,” she repeated. “Not for women. And not for men either.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m not judgmental about it, but that’s the way I feel. If you want to laugh, go ahead.”

“How could anyone in this day and age think that way?”

“I’m illegitimate, Alex, and that sort of thing tends to change your perspective. You probably think I’m a prude, but I can’t help it.”

“After what happened between us tonight, I would hardly call you a prude.” For the first time he smiled. “Where did you learn all those tricks?”

“Tricks?”

“Like that ‘hands against the wall’ stuff, for starters.”

“Oh, that.” She realized she was blushing. “I’ve read a few dirty books.”

“Good for you.”

She frowned, suddenly unsure. “Didn’t you like it? I can take constructive criticism. I want to learn, and you can tell me the truth.”

“I liked it a lot.”

“But maybe it wasn’t inventive enough for you.” She thought about the whips. “To be honest, I don’t think I can get much kinkier. And you should probably know right now that I’m not interested in physical pain.”

For a moment he looked confused, and then he smiled. “You’ve got a real thing about those whips, don’t you?”

“It’s a little hard not to think about them when they’re lying around all the time.”

“I guess I’m having a tough time believing someone who’s so interested in kinky lovemaking has such a narrow view of sexual morality.”

“I didn’t say I was interested; I was just trying to make certain we understand each other. And as to my narrow views—just before Mother died, she had lovers who were younger than me. I really hated that.”

He rose from the foot of the bed. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a virgin from the beginning?”

“Would it have changed anything?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. I sure as hell wouldn’t have been so rough.”

Her eyes widened. “You were being rough?”

The hard lines around his mouth eased. He sat down next to her and ran his thumb across her lips. “What am I going to do with you?”

“I have an idea, but you might not like it.”

“Tell me.”

“Could we—I don’t know exactly how long it’ll take you to recover, but, when you have . . .”

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