Page 57 of Modern Romance September 2025 1-4
‘Less,’ he echoes in the same tone.
His reaction is puzzling. He looks almost…shocked. Perhaps I’m wrong; perhaps sex doesn’t take that long. Or perhaps it takes longer for other people. I just know how long John takes and ten minutes is quite enough for me. I can’t imagine wanting longer.
You wanted that kiss to be longer.
Heat curls through me at the reminder and abruptly I’m back in the car, his hand gripping my jaw, his mouth on mine, his tongue exploring me, tasting me… It occurs to me that, if I liked that kiss, I might tolerate sex with Ulysses. I might even like it.
No, you won’t. You’ll love it.
‘That should be illegal,’ Ulysses mutters, his voice soft and deep in the humming quiet of the jet’s cabin.
My head is full of hot images all of a sudden—of being in bed with Ulysses. Instead of being naked with John, I’m naked with him. His body is on mine, his hands on me, his mouth on my skin. He’s inside me…
Need throbs between my legs, the hungry, desperate ache that rose up when he kissed me and that seems to wake whenever he gets close to me.
I’ve never thought about sex before. I’ve never thought about it or even wanted it before. Oh, I know what attraction is, what physical passion is, but I didn’t think it was something I could experience because I’d never met anyone who made me feel it. But things have changed. I’ve met someone I want and things such as lust and desire, things I’ve only ever heard people talk about, are things I now feel myself for the first time. And I feel them for the man sitting across from me.
I swallow, my mouth dry. ‘What should be illegal?’
‘Ten minutes for sex—maybe less,’ he says, and then focuses on me in that intent way he has that leaves me breathless. ‘You should brace yourself, my ice queen. With me, it’s all night.’
All night? That sounds exhausting. ‘I don’t think I’d want that,’ I say, frowning.
There is a sensual kind of amusement in his eyes now and I’m getting that tight, hot feeling again. ‘Well, if you ever want to find out, you know who to come to, hmm?’
I think about it for a moment. All night in Ulysses’s bed… Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad. I’m certainly curious; I can’t deny that. John is the only man I’ve ever been with, and that put me off, but maybe it would be different with someone else…someone I actually wanted?
‘That’s still too long,’ I say carefully. ‘An hour seems like ample time.’
The amusement disappears from Ulysses’s face and he frowns as he studies me. ‘Tell me, is John the only man you’ve been with?’
‘That’s a very intrusive question,’ I say.
‘You were the one who brought up the subject,’ he points out quite correctly, which is annoying. ‘Also, it’s absolutely in context with your concerns about sex, not to mention being quite relevant to me as your prospective partner.’
Again, he’s right. He’s no doubt used to women who’re much more sexually experienced than I am, and probably women who enjoy it more too. It’s only fair that he knows this about me if I want to take our connection further.
‘Okay,’ I say. ‘That’s fair. Yes, John is the only man I’ve ever been with.’
Ulysses’s golden gaze rests on me ‘So—if this isn’t too intrusive a question—do you actually like sex?’
It’s a strange thing to sit here on a plane talking about sex with Ulysses Zakynthos, but he’s got a point about the context. If I’m going to spend time with him, possibly time in the bedroom, he should know my experience or otherwise.
‘No,’ I say frankly. ‘Not really.’
He says nothing for a long moment, only stares at me, and I don’t know what he’s thinking this time. Have I shocked him, surprised him? Does he think me strange or abnormal somehow? I’m not exactly normal, I know that much, and I also know that not everyone likes sex. But most people do, which makes me the odd one out. Perhaps he finds that unattractive in some way.
It wouldn’t be the first time my honesty hasn’t been appreciated, and my heart feels tight at that last thought. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so frank. I didn’t think that I wanted to be in his bed but, now that he’s been brought face to face with my quirks, I’m tense and concerned that he’ll change his mind and not want me after all.
‘If you don’t want me any more, that’s fine,’ I tell him straight out and quickly, before I can second-guess myself, because I’d rather know. ‘You can change your mind.’
His gaze narrows to sharp golden points. ‘Why would you think I’d change my mind?’
‘Because I don’t like sex,’ I explain. ‘That’s not what you signed up for, I know, and—’
‘Katla,’ he interrupts, not without a little roughness. ‘No, I haven’t changed my mind. I’m just over here being quietly appalled at your husband.’
The tight feeling in my heart eases. ‘Why?’ I ask. ‘It’s not his fault.’ I don’t know why I’m defending John, especially after the incident earlier at the Christmas party, but my lack of interest was the issue, not his.
