Free The Stud by Barbara Delinsky

finished eating. Jenna arched a brow when he refused dessert, but they both had coffee, and when the waitress brought the check, she reached for it first.
    Spencer's hand flattened hers to the table. With his other hand, he pulled the check free. "I pay. "
    "That's not right You're here on my account I want to pay. "
    "I pay, " he repeated in such a firm voice that she backed off. More gently, almost distractedly as he pulled out his charge card, he added, "Besides, I ate twice as much as you. "
    Not wanting to risk another reference to why that was so, Jenna sat silently while he settled the bill. It was dark outside by the time they returned to the car.
    The darkness did nothing to ease her nerves. Spencer had said they would do it at night, and it was night Jenna couldn't forget that for a minute during the drive to Little Compton. Hands tight at ten and two on the wheel, she kept picturing her house, picturing the bed she had freshened up for Spencer, then picturing her own bed and wondering which one they would use.
    Spencer seemed deep in thought, as well. Once, passing beneath a streetlight, she saw that he had his elbow braced on the door and his forehead braced on his fingertips, and for an instant, she worried that he was changing his mind.
    "Everything okay?" she asked.
    "Yeah. "
    She hesitated, then said, "You sound angry. "
    "Not angry. " He was silent for a minute. Then he sighed, dropped his hand to his thigh and looked out the windshield. "Unsure. "
    Her heart beat harder against her ribs. "Unsure about whether you want to go ahead with it?"
    "Unsure about how to go ahead with it I've seduced women plenty of times, but you don't want to be seduced. You want this to be businesslike. I've never done it that way. "
    On a ray of hope, she said, "Y'know, we could still do it my way. I'm sure my doctor would be willing to meet us in his office tomorrow—"
    "Forget it, " Spencer stated. He didn't have to elaborate. The finality of his tone said it all.
    Jenna knew better than to ignore the message. Yes, she wished they were doing it her way, but still, Spencer was doing her a huge favor. He was helping her make a baby. A baby. She couldn't forget that
    "It shouldn't be difficult, " she said in a deferential tone. If he didn't know what to do, it was really the blind leading the blind. "We both know the mechanics. Isn't that enough?"
    He didn't answer. In fact, he didn't say anything for the rest of the drive, which saddened Jenna. Always in the past when she'd been with him, talk had been easy. She loved hearing about his travels, his adventures, his books, and as though sensing her interest, he relaxed in the telling. But the air between them was tense now. She had the awful thought mat their relationship might be permanently changed, and prayed that wouldn't be so.
    When she pulled up at the house, he grabbed his gear from the back seat and followed her in. She wavered for an instant in the hall before saying, "I'll uh, show you to your room. You may want to unpack. " She led him up the stairs and down the hall. The room she had chosen for him was nearly as large as her own, though at the opposite end of the house. At the door, she moved aside to let him pass.
    He went in, dropped his things on the bed and stood with his hands on his hips and his back to her. His spine was straight, his displeasure evident.
    "If you don't like this room... " she began, only to stop when he turned quickly. His face was dark, his eyes iridescent as they held her in their thrall.
    "I think we should do it now, since neither of us will relax till it's done. I need a shower. I'll meet you in your room in ten minutes, okay?"
    Jenna knew he was right. The longer they put it off, the more nervous she would be, and she was plenty nervous already. At his words, she had started to shake. It was all she could do not to let it show.
    "Fifteen minutes, " she bargained, then swallowed and explained, "It takes me longer. In the shower. "
    "Fifteen