Free Nerds Are From Mars by Vicki Lewis Thompson Page B

I mentioned before scares the bejeezus out of me.” The sound of rushing water told her they were nearing the waterfall.
    “Are you saying that if I want to know the real you, we can’t have sex?”
    “I wouldn’t go that far.”
    “Thank God.”
    “But your instincts were right about holding off tonight.”
    “And here I was cursing myself for being an idiot. I have the woman of my dreams asking me to take her to bed, and I waffle. You do realize that if anybody finds out about that, I’ll have to turn in my man card.”
    “Nobody’s going to find out.” The sound of water had grown much louder, and as they rounded a curve in the path, she had her first glimpse of the waterfall. “Look at that! I love the way they’ve subtly lit the water so it’s pretty but not gaudy.”
    “Yeah, I’ve only been out here during the day.” He gazed upward at the cascade that tumbled down a good twenty feet to a pool below. “I’m glad I suggested this.”
    “Me, too. I know that’s artificial rock, but whoever designed it did a great job of making it look natural.”
    “There’s a patch of grass over there. We could lie on our backs and stargaze.” He smiled at her. “How’s that for sappy?”
    “I like it.” She surveyed the patch of grass, which looked soft and inviting. “Do you think we’ll make out?”
    He leaned over and gave her a whisper of a kiss. “Yes,” he murmured against her mouth. “I think we will.”

Chapter Seven
    Darcie felt like a wild creature of the night as she stretched out on the fragrant grass and looked up at the black sky with its sprinkling of stars and a crescent moon. The rumble of the waterfall nearby added to the illusion.
    A spotlight sweeping across her view did not. “Ugh. Too bad about the spotlight.”
    “I realize this isn’t prime stargazing territory.” Nolan reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. “The view’s much better if you go out on the water or up in the hills.”
    “We could do that.”
    “We could.” He brushed his mouth over the tips of her fingers. “But it sounds like a lot of work.”
    “It does.” And his lips teasing her fingers was incredibly erotic as they lay side-by-side with a cool breeze wafting over them. She didn’t want to go anywhere. Lying here with Nolan was good enough for her.
    “Can you see Mars?”
    She studied the sky and found the speck of red light. “I can. And I’ll admit that it’s a little scary thinking of you taking a rocket up there and spending months on the surface. It’s so far away.”
    His breath warmed the palm of her hand. “Don’t you want to come along?”
    “Wow, I don’t know. Maybe.” She shivered in delight as he traced circles on her palm with his tongue. “Will people be able to have sex on Mars?”
    “I assume so. They do in my book.”
    “Really? You have sex in your book?”
    “Well, duh. I want it to sell.”
    That made her laugh. “Have you written that part yet?”
    “I’m working up to it. The characters have to get to know each other first.”
    “You’re just saying that to tease me.”
    “I’m not, I swear. I want the sex to be believable, and if they haven’t laid the groundwork for it, then it won’t be.”
    She sighed and let her body go limp. “That’s nice, Nolan. I’m glad you’re writing it that way. So what do you see up there? Of course you can pick out Mars. You probably do that automatically. But what else can you point out? I mean besides the obvious, like the North Star and the Big Dipper, and the Little Dipper, and Orion. Tell me something I don’t already know.”
    “I can’t.” He ran his tongue between her fingers.
    That was even more erotic than the circles on her palm. His tongue in the crease of her fingers could easily be interpreted as something else. But they were lying out in the grass where anyone could come by. Although she’d asked about making out, it was probably too risky.
    So she should keep her cool and maintain the