Page 68 of When Annika Met Thom

“But…”

She spun and put her fingertips across his mouth to silence him. “No expectations. No promises. No conditions apply. It was great. I would like more sex like that. I’d like it tonight.”

Thom couldn’t exactly disagree. His body was completely on her side and the rest of him wasn’t far behind. It had been incredible.

“What exactlyisyour plan?” He had to ask.

“First, I want to shatter your convictions about women,” she said with purpose. “They’re generalizations and they’re wrong and you’re too smart to be making decisions based on faulty observations.”

“Sounds like you’re taking that as a personal challenge,” Thom said, intrigued.

“I am. Second, I have a scientific background.”

“I know.”

“So I need more information.” She was braiding her hair with quick fingers, not even looking at what she did. “Is it always that good? Was it just novelty? Can it be better? I don’t have enough data to determine whether that was particularly incredible, or whether my previous experience was incredibly mediocre.”

“I’m thinking both,” Thom said.

“Me, too, but I want to know for sure.” Her smile was wicked. “Although I find it hard to believe that it could be better and we’d survive, but I want to know.”

Thom started to wash up, fighting a smile of his own. “You think people can die of pleasure?”

“Some people do die during sex. That’s why the French call orgasm ‘the little death’.”

“Do they?”

She nodded. “They do. I never understood it until just now. I mean, it always felt good, but not epic.” She leaned closer and kissed him quickly. “Thank you.”

“I didn’t do it alone.”

“I know.” She studied him. “I suspect that teamwork is the key.”

Thom nodded agreement.

She spun around and flung out her hands. “I felt like I was going to spontaneously combust or go supernova. It wasincredible.”

Thom couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm. “And you want to feel it again?”

“Who wouldn’t? Was it the novelty? Or was it establishing a benchmark? Enquiring minds need to know.”

Thom pulled on his briefs, and then his jeans.

“Don’t put on a shirt,” Annika said. “I want to hear about your tattoos.”

Thom stopped. “That’s building a connection.”

“That’s curiosity,” she chided. “Don’t be so suspicious. I understand that you don’t want athing. Neither do I. I’m done with all that commitment stuff. I’m in it for the pleasure of the moment. But that doesn’t mean I can’t admire the art on your body and ask about it. We’re going to be here for more than a week. We can’t just have sex and never talk to each other.”

“Sure, we can.”

“Speak for yourself.” She rolled her eyes, scooped up Percival’s cage and headed for the kitchen.

“Is there less tofu on the counter?” Annika asked, stopping at the counter and surveying it. Cerberus lifted her head. She was lying on the rug and her tail pounded a beat that Thom recognized as a sign of guilt.

“Good thing I put most of it in the fridge,” he said, following Annika. There was less tofu, but it was his own fault for leaving it out. He started getting groceries out of the fridge again.

“She likes tofu?”

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