The Room Mate (Roommates #1)(17)

Pushing all that aside, I was much more interested in finding out about Cannon. “I dunno, probably not. What about you? Any interest in dating?”

His expression turned serious, and I wondered if I’d struck a nerve. He couldn’t be hung up on Allie’s warning, could he? He was a grown man and could date whoever he wanted to.

After a pause he said, “My past has dictated that I live by a strict set of rules when it comes to sex. It only happens once, and no exchanging names or numbers.”

I rolled my eyes. “How romantic of you.”

“You don’t approve?”

“Spoken like a true manwhore.”

“It has nothing to do with being a manwhore; I can promise you that. My number is actually fairly low. Healthy, but low.”

“What’s the point then?” I took another sip of wine, enthralled by his deep, low tone.

“In my experience, women turn into crazed creatures after sex.”

I huffed. “Crazed? What the hell is that supposed to mean?” He made it sound as though we were nothing more than delicate hormonal messes who lost their minds at the thought of mating.

“I have a long and storied history with this. Trust me.”

“Beginning with?”

“You want to know about my first time?” He grinned and I nodded. Shaking his head, he set his glass down on the table. “I was sixteen when I lost my virginity. Amanda was two grades older, but I’d known her for years.”

Was he talking about Amanda McDuff? She’d lived down the street from Allie and Cannon growing up. I could only assume that the blond, blue-eyed cheerleader was who he meant.

“She was nice, normal, friendly. Not a care in the world. I knew she’d fucked Tommy Lester after homecoming the week before. So I casually asked her if she’d like to be my first.”

Real smooth. I smirked.

“She said yes and we did the deed.”

“And then?”

He looked down at his hands. “She tried to commit suicide two days later.”

Jesus. I winced.

“Yeah. And while the situations haven’t all been that severe, they’ve been close. From near strangers who profess their love after a quickie, to stalkers, to one who handcuffed herself to my bed, let’s just say I’ve not been lucky after getting lucky.”

“Is your dick cursed with black magic or something?”

He shrugged, dragging his eyes up to meet mine. “No, just eight inches long. I also have wicked stamina . . . and an advanced understanding of female anatomy.”

My insides clenched violently. Fuck.

Now it was his turn to smirk. “You having a problem there?”

I spread my hands in a who me? gesture, my wine sloshing a little in its glass. “Jeez, Cannon. I’m sorry, I’m just a little fucking thrown off here. You’re Allie’s kid brother.”

His smile was devilish. “We’re both adults now, Paige. There’s no reason we can’t discuss sex without it turning weird. Besides, you’re the one who brought it up.”

I grumbled, but couldn’t argue. That much was true. “So, what happened after that?”

“I tried another tactic. For a while last year, I temporarily swore off sex.”

“All of it?”

“Well, I’m no saint. Oral was still on the menu. But the actual act of penetration was not.”

I made a noise of surprise. Was he serious or just trying to get a rise out of me?

“Turns out women get pretty angry when you refuse to fuck any part of them except their mouths. Even if I offered to return the favor, they took it as a personal insult.”

“You think? God, do you hear yourself? You sound like an egomaniacal dick.”

He shrugged, a sexy smirk pulling up his lips. “Just protecting my interests.”

“Which are?” I knew he was driven, but I didn’t know what his precise goals were. Not really, anyway.

“My mom and sister have been through a lot. They’ve done so much to make sure I get where I am today. I’m this close to graduating med school and landing a residency. I won’t let pussy, or a woman who thinks we’re suddenly in love because I fucked her better than her boyfriend ever could, ruin my future.”

The only reply I could manage was “Well said.”

During the entire conversation, my heart had been hammering away in my chest. This sexy, forbidden man was giving me a glimpse into his sex life. I could only imagine women throwing themselves at him. Not only was he gorgeous, but he was also a doctor. And if he was telling the truth about how big his cock was . . .

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked.

My heart beat fast and loud and hot. “So you really believe that after sleeping with you one time, women fall in love with you?”

He nodded. “I wish it wasn’t true, but yeah, that’s what I’m telling you.”

Something snapped inside me.

Maybe it was the wine, maybe it was the twinkle in his mischievous eyes. Hell, it could have been the eager bulge in his pants, but the fixer in me wanted to help—wanted to prove him wrong. Of course I wanted to experience true love one day, but in the meantime, I was damn near lightheaded at the idea of having a hot tryst.

“What if I could prove you wrong?” My voice was surprisingly steady for how nervous I suddenly felt.