Page 53 of Virgin's Stolen Nights with the Boss

‘Not that I know much about that, but—’

‘You don’t sleep with virgins?’

‘No.’

‘Were youevera virgin?’

He smiled at her loaded question, his first smile of the day, and she wished she could see his eyes.

‘Not for long.’ Then he was serious. ‘Carmen, I date women who know what they’re getting into. Who understand that I mean it when I say I don’t want to get involved—’

‘Then I’m glad you were my first,’ Carmen cut in. ‘Because I don’t want a relationship either, Elias, and I don’t want to get involved. I’m here in America to get to know myself better—not anyone else.’

‘Fair enough.’

‘I have a lot going on at home, and I—’ Carmen halted herself. ‘I don’t want to talk about it.’

‘I had noticed.’

‘What’s the point?’ She turned accusing eyes to him. ‘We both agree we don’t want to get involved, so...’ She held out her hands, palms up, and shrugged.

‘Agreed, but that doesn’t exclude all conversation. Carmen, neither of us wants anything long term, but there’s one hell of a difference between commitment and connection,’ Elias said. ‘We connected long before last night.’

Carmen blinked at the impact of his words. ‘True,’ she acknowledged quietly, because therewasa connection, and there had been since the moment they’d met. ‘I wanted to come over to you when I saw you outside that night...’

‘I wanted you to come over,’ Elias replied. ‘But we’re not dogs in the street,’ he said. ‘We’re capable of conversation. And you should have told me that you’d never had sex before.’

‘I disagree.’ She shook her head. ‘Because if I had told you then I’dstillbe a virgin.’

Yes, Carmen, you would be, Elias was about to say. Because absolutely he should have walked away.

Yet that would make him a liar. Because that was what he would have donebeforehe’d met Carmen—before this stunning woman had dropped into his life.

Elias wasn’t certain he’d have walked away at all.

‘I don’t know,’ he admitted. ‘Maybe.’

When she smiled at his answer, he returned it.

‘Can I get back to you on that one?’ he asked.

‘You may.’

Elias looked at her mouth, and then back to her very black eyes. He’d stopped making out in cars close to two decades ago, so instead he clicked on the indicator and pulled back out onto the highway.

And then he made an attempt at something rather more challenging than kissing.

Getting to know Carmen.

‘So, two brothers...?’ he asked when his attention was safely back on the road, and she nodded. ‘Corrupt?’ he checked, repeating what she had said.

‘I meant depraved,’ she corrected. ‘Though not any more. They’re both married.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘You know how sanctimonious ex-smokers can be?’

He laughed, clearly understanding exactly what she meant. ‘I do. Joel was the same.’

‘I miss just having brothers. Now I have to ask how is Anna, how is Emily? And I’m reminded to call them on their birthdays.’

‘Don’t you get on with their wives?’

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