“Ha, ha. Well, I have a Cancer moon in my fifth house. Can you find that?”
He studied the chart, which looked nothing like his. “Yep, got it. What does that mean?”
“I can be emotional, even sappy.”
“So you cry during Hallmark commercials?”
“Every time. But the contradiction is that too much intimacy scares me. I’m afraid of a deep emotional connection.”
He liked knowing that about her. Maybe there was something to this introspective astrology stuff, after all. Or maybe he thought that because he was slightly toasted.
“And FYI, you have a similar issue.”
“I knew that. I’ve had two different women accuse me of it, in fact.”
“Well, according to your chart, they’re right.”
“Yeah, yeah, but we’re supposed to be focused on you, now. Tell me about your folks.”
“My dad is a control freak and my mom is a closeted free spirit.”
He gazed at her. “While your free spirit is out of the closet?”
“Exactly. I’m determined not to close myself off the way she has. I crave an unusual career, which she probably did, too, but didn’t allow herself to have it. I’m better off working for myself, I like to learn and I love a good argument.”
“I knew you loved a good argument. You were on the debate team in high school.”
“Briefly. But I discovered the flaw in debate. You have to be able to argue both sides of an issue convincingly. I have Mars in Virgo. I have to act with integrity. I can’t fake a conviction in something.”
“Me, either.” He sighed. “Which means if I can’t convince myself this is real, I’ll have to say so and then . . . goodbye Darcie Ingram.”
“You sound as if you’re ready to throw in the towel already.”
He looked into those blue eyes. He wanted to be able to look into them a lot, but what were the chances he could make this work between them? “Face it, I’m a dyed-in-the-wool scientist. You told me earlier that I’m loyal to my beliefs.” He finished off the last of his wine and put down his glass. “Considering the evidence, how can I expect to adopt a whole new way of thinking?”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” She grabbed the charts away from him and flipped through them. “Here’s your birth chart. I’m not going to explain how I know this because that would take too long and you’d want me to interpret every symbol individually.”
“I would not.”
“You would so! It’s who you are! But control that urge and just listen for now, okay?”
“Okay.”
“You can be moody at times, which you’re displaying right this minute, but —”
“See? Hopeless.”
“No! Stop whining and listen! You’re also a highly original thinker who needs the stimulation of good intellectual connections. Your chart clearly indicates that you’ll be happier if you expand your views and your value system.” Her eyes flashed with blue fire. “So there. You need me.”
In spite of himself, a smile tugged at his mouth. No man could look at Darcie in full battle mode and not smile. “You know what? I think you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right.”
He reached out and grasped the arms of her chair so he could roll her close. Their knees bumped. “You know what I need right now?”
“What?” Her voice had a slight quiver to it.
“A kiss.” His voice was perfectly even, but then he’d had a lot of wine to calm any nervousness. Wine also tended to make him moody, like she’d said, but also steady as a rock when it came to this next thing. He took off his glasses and laid them on the small table beside the chair. “Lean down here for a minute. Let’s try this without making a big deal out of it.”
“You want me to lean down and kiss you.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Yes, I do, because we have to start somewhere, and I think kissing when we can put some distance between body parts is wise, all things considered.”
“What things?”
“Our disparate careers, but mostly our common problem, fear of intimacy. Let’s just kiss without getting intimate and see how that works out.”
She leaned closer, but not close enough. “A kiss is pretty intimate. Some people think it’s the most intimate gesture of all.”
“What do you think?”
She edged a little nearer. “I think you have the most sensuous mouth I’ve ever seen on a man.”
“I assume that’s a good thing.”
“It could be a very good thing if you know how to use it.”
He cupped her head and slid his fingers through her luxurious hair. “Then come on down, Darcie Ingram. Let’s find out if I do.”
Chapter Six
Darcie gripped the arms of the easy chair for balance as she closed the distance between her mouth and Nolan’s. He held her head, and despite her focus on his lovely mouth, she registered the gentle way he cradled her in those big hands. She remembered that even in high school he’d had big hands and big feet. She should have known he’d grow into them someday.
For a couple of seconds she allowed herself to contemplate what else about Nolan might be big, and that thought warmed her in those places he’d decided not to snuggle up to quite yet. Then his fingers tightened on her scalp and he brought her within inches of his mouth. Right before touchdown, she closed her eyes and surrendered to whatever this kiss might become. She’d read his chart and she had some expectations, but even she could be guilty of wishful thinking.
In this case, her wishes came true. His emotional depth, something she’d decided not to mention because she’d embarrass him, came shining through. He began the kiss softly, making no demands, only requests. He explored her mouth with great tenderness while he gave her a taste of the velvet perfection of his. The care he took with that exploration moved her in a way that a frantic, desperate kiss could never have done.
He was right about touching only lips this time. She could concentrate on that single sensation and feel the nuances as he changed his angle, as he began to use his tongue, as he nibbled and stroked while he combed his fingers through her hair.
First kisses so often were awkward, so often a rushed business. Far too many of the men she’d kissed seemed to think it was a necessary preliminary, something a guy had to do because it was expected while he really only wanted to grope, fondle, and get her naked. If Nolan was thinking that, she’d never guess it from the pleasure he seemed to derive from sliding his mouth over hers in an erotic dance of seduction.
Of the two of them, she was the first one to exhibit impatience. If he kissed this well, then he must be darned good at the rest of it. The longer his mouth toyed with hers, the damper her panties became and the more restlessly her hips moved.
She squirmed on her chair and leaned closer, silently inviting him to touch her aching breasts that hovered within easy reach. When he didn’t accept that invitation, she moaned softly, hoping he’d take the hint. She knew he was onto her when his mouth, still pressed to hers, curved into a smile.
He separated them by a couple of inches, and his voice was husky, but amused. “What?”
“You know what. You’re a good kisser. Now I’m really hot.”
His breath warmed her face. “Me, too.”
“Are we going to do something about that?”
He hesitated.
“You have to think about it?”
“Yeah.” He sounded uncertain. “I do.”
A light bulb went off. “Because you didn’t bring anything?” Silly her. He wasn’t the type to carry a condom with him at all times, and she certainly didn’t have any.
“Actually, I did bring something.”
“What?” She pulled back to stare at him. “You brought a condom with you tonight?” Her whole perception of him shifted. She’d never imagined Dr. Nolan Bradbury as the kind of man who’d walk around carrying a condom. “Is it an old one you keep in your wallet?”
That was the more likely scenario
, and it was kind of cute, actually. He was pretty darned cute, too, all flushed from their kisses. She liked looking into his sparkly eyes when he wasn’t wearing glasses.
His slightly bemused expression turned serious. “No, it’s not one I carry in my wallet, and that’s a really bad idea. Don’t ever have sex with a guy who takes a condom out of his wallet. It could fail, and then what?”
“Yes, that would be a problem.” She was more tickled than irritated by the spontaneous lecture. His sweet Virgo self meant well. “Thanks for your concern, Dr. Bradbury.”
He groaned. “Sorry. That sounded patronizing. And you know all that, anyway.”
“No guy has used a wallet condom with me since college, I promise. But if you don’t carry one in your wallet, where did it come from? Do you automatically pack them in your suitcase?” She really couldn’t picture that.
“I bought a box in the gift shop this afternoon.”
There was another shocker. “You bought them today? So you expected to have sex with me tonight?”
“Of course not! But . . .” His flush deepened. “I wasn’t sure what you expected from me, and if you really wanted to have sex, then I didn’t want to disappoint you.”
She thought about that, and it made some kind of crazy sense. It was gallant, in a way. She couldn’t help smiling though. “As it happens, I really wanted to have sex, and you said you had to think about it.”
“Well, yeah, because earlier we talked about not moving too fast.”
That was humbling. He’d kept track of that and she hadn’t. She’d read his chart and knew he needed more than a surface relationship before committing himself to something intimate like sex. She’d given him some information about her, but it wasn’t nearly enough for him to feel as if he knew her.
“You’re right,” she said. “I lost focus there for a minute. We do need to take it slow.”
“We absolutely do.” He looked into her eyes. “I don’t want a one-weekend stand with you.”
“Do you have those?” It didn’t fit his profile, but his condom run today had surprised her. She never would have guessed he’d think to do that, but he was a sexy nerd. Maybe, contrary to what she’d found in his chart, he had a different girl in every port, or in this case, at every conference.
“One-weekend stands? No. Harcourt seems to think I should, but that’s his style, not mine. On the other hand, if that’s all I can have with you, then, as I said, I’ll take whatever you’re willing to give.”
“So if I told you to strip down and come to bed with me because I crave your body, you’d do it?” It would go against everything she knew about him except for one thing. He did have a daredevil streak. It wasn’t an overriding trait, but it was there.
“I would.” The daredevil spirit flickered in his eyes.
“You wouldn’t care if I was just using you for a quick and easy sexual release?”
“I would definitely care, but if that’s all you wanted, then I’d take it. Something’s better than nothing.”
Maybe he would be fine with accepting that emotional risk, but she thought he’d be better off skydiving than having meaningless sex. “Just my opinion, but if I were that shallow and selfish, I think you’d be happier with nothing.”
“No, I wouldn’t.” His tone sparked with intensity. “I’ve dreamed about being with you for . . . a long time.”
“Now I’m the one who’s afraid of disappointing you.”
“You couldn’t.”
Ah, but she could. He had some idealized version of her in his head, and she needed to replace that with enough reality that he wouldn’t treat her like some goddess who’d deigned to bestow her favors on him. “Nolan, don’t put me on a pedestal.”
“Maybe you belong there.”
“I don’t. Nobody does. Listen, I have an idea. Let’s go for a walk under the stars and I’ll tell you about my many flaws.”
He laughed. “A walk under the stars sounds perfect for an astrologer and a space geek, but I refuse to believe you have flaws.”
“See how you are?” She stood. “I’m taking a sweater. Do you want to get a jacket?”
He put on his glasses. “I’d rather be all manly and go without one.”
“Then we’re off.” She pulled a sweater out of the closet and tucked the room key in her pocket as he held the door for her.
As they started down the hallway toward the elevator, a blond, All-American type came walking toward them. He smiled. “Bradbury! I’ve been looking for you ever since I got here.” He stuck out his hand. “Where’ve you been hiding, buddy?”
“In plain sight, Blackstone.” He shook the guy’s hand. “Darcie Ingram, I’d like you to meet a friend of mine, Dr. Aaron Blackstone. He’s the leader of Thaddeus Sterling’s Mars team and a damned good scientist.”
Darcie held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Blackstone.”
“It’s my pleasure, but cut out that doctor crap. It’s just Aaron. I know what brings Bradbury to this conference, but how about you, Darcie?”
“Oh, I’m just a space groupie.”
“Actually, that’s not true,” Nolan said. “Darcie’s a well-known astrologer. She has a book on the shelves called The Power of Astrology.”
Darcie’s eyebrows lifted, both because Nolan had outed her and because he’d known the name of her book. Apparently he’d spent a little quality time on Google before coming to her room.
“Astrology, huh?” Aaron’s voice took on a fake heartiness. “That’s great! I’ll have to pick it up.”
His obvious hypocrisy bothered her a lot more than Nolan’s open skepticism had. But she played along because he might think he was doing the right thing by pretending to be impressed. “Thank you. Any bridges we can build between my field and yours will help us all.”
“You’ve got that right. Well, gotta run. Great meeting you, Darcie. Bradbury, I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon if not before. We have that panel discussion at three.”
“Right.”
“Sterling’s riding me about picking a fight with you but I told him to stuff it. I refuse to buy into his competitiveness. We’re scientists, not jocks.”
“Good. I hate the way they’re pitting us against each other. Of course, that’s easy for me to say when you’re kicking our butt.”
“We just got lucky recently. See you later, buddy.”
“Looking forward to it.” Nolan gave him a wave before he and Darcie continued toward the elevator.
Once they were inside with the doors closed, Darcie grabbed him by the shoulders and planted one on him. Then she stepped back because she didn’t want to initiate a clinch in an elevator that could open on any floor as they headed down.
Nolan smiled. “Thanks, but what was that for?”
“Being my hero back there. But weren’t you the one who advised me to keep my profession to myself at this conference?”
“Yes, and I apologize for giving you that bad advice. However, it might help if you’re with me whenever you announce what you do.”
“You’re offering to run interference for me?”
“I guess you could call it that.”
“I feel like kissing you again.”
“Don’t let me stop you.”
“I’d better not kiss you again. We’re at the lobby level.”
He grinned at her. “Ask me if I care.”
“Well, I care. Hanging around with an astrologer is bad enough. Making out with her in public will do nothing for your reputation as a serious scientist.”
“But it’ll do wonders for my reputation as a hot nerd.”
“Which brings me to my first flaw,” Darcie said as the elevator doors slid open. “I’m selfish. I don’t want that information spread around. I want to keep it to myself.”
“That’s not a flaw.” Nolan followed her out of the elevator. “It’s the most flattering thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
“That’s hard to believe.” She walked beside him across t
he polished marble floor of the lobby and was very careful to keep a collegial distance between them and not a smaller, couple-like distance. “I’m sure you’ve won all sorts of academic awards over the years and been praised to the skies for your lab work.”
“I’d ten times rather hear what you just said than any of that. Makes me feel like a stud.”
“I see.” When he talked like that, she got tingly all over, but especially in the places a stud might find most interesting. “You also Googled my book title.”
“I not only Googled it, I ordered it.” He thanked the doorman who ushered them outside.
“You bought it?” He was making points with her right and left.
“That’s usually how it works when you order things on the internet. You supply your credit card information and they charge your account.”
“Smartass. But thank you. I’m touched. You don’t have to read it.”
“What do you mean? Of course I’ll read it. I might need some help understanding it, but I figure I can ask the author when I get confused.”
“You most certainly can.” She stood on the steps of the hotel. “Which way should we go?”
“That path to the left leads to a waterfall. That might be nice.”
“Perfect.” She went down the steps and across the paved entry to the lighted path through the landscaped grounds.
“Now that we’re in semi-darkness, can I hold your hand?”
“I would love that.” She held hers out to him. “As I told you, I’m a sappy woman.”
“Then I’m glad you asked me to save the roses from the dinner cart.” He laced his fingers through hers.
“Just so you know, I’ll buy your book when it comes out, too, and I’ll read it even if I only understand ten words out of a hundred.”
“Did I tell you I was writing a book?”
“Uh, no.” Whoops. She’d forgotten they hadn’t discussed that. She reminded herself, once again, not to let out too much information at once.
“You got it from my chart?”
“Yes, I did but –”
“Good grief. You looked at my chart and figured out I was writing a book? That’s sort of freaky.”
“I don’t mean to scare you. I’ve been doing this for about six years, so my guesses are pretty accurate.”
Nerds Are From Mars Page 6
