His lips thinned. "I didn't intend for you to take my offer that way. I am a man. I find you an attractive woman, and since you apparently reciprocate that feeling, you are not presently dating anyone - " He paused and gave me a quick glance.
"Nope, not dating," I said.
" - and as you appear to be of legal age - "
"Thirty-four in September."
" - then I assumed I could express my interest without you taking offense."
"Oh, I'm not offended," I said, smiling. He was so cute when he was in a snit. "Just surprised."
He said nothing.
"Tempting as your offer is, I hasten to point out that you are immortal, and I just did do the astral thing, so the answer to what I would do with you is pretty evident."
"Not necessarily. I was feeding, not attempting to arouse you. It would be different if I were to focus my attention on bringing you pleasure."
I digested that morsel for a moment and admitted that he could well be right. "We just met, Paen. Yes, the physical thing is there, but we haven't known each other for more than a couple of hours at most. I've never been one for casual relationships. In fact, I was madly in love with all three of my boyfriends before we ever got physical."
"Perhaps that's the trouble," he said, still not looking at me.
"What, having an emotional commitment with my boyfriends before having sex with them?"
"Yes. Sex is a bodily function no different from any other bodily function. You need air, you breathe. You need sexual pleasure, you have sex. It's that simple."
I gawked. "You are really screwed up, aren't you? We're talking serious commitment issues here, the kind that you see on Montel."
"You don't have to be committed to a hamburger to gain sustenance from it, do you?"
"No, of course not, but - "
"Why should something so simple as sex be any different?" he asked, his eyes all but lighting up the inside of the car. "I have no doubts that were you willing. I would be able to provide you with sexual pleasure without any messy emotional issues becoming involved."
" 'Messy emotional issues,'" I repeated, aghast. "Is that what being in love is to you? Messy?"
"Yes. Love for a sexual partner serves no real purpose. It is unnecessary."
"Thus speaks a man who has never been in love," I said. "Are you sure you're a Dark One and not a Vulcan or something?"
"On the contrary, I love my parents and brothers," he answered, ignoring my Vulcan quip.
"That's splitting hairs, and you know it. Love in a relationship is a wonderful thing, Paen. Sex can be nice on its own - or so I've been told; I've never been present to feel it for myself - but sex without love is empty. Shallow. Meaningless."
He snorted. "Why do women have to sugarcoat everything?"
"How's this for sugarcoating - what you're talking about is the difference between fucking and lovemaking."
"You say that like there's something wrong with fucking."
"Of course there's nothing wrong with it. Even people deeply in love can indulge in it. But one is pure physical pleasure, while the other has a deeper meaning. Lovemaking is more than just sex - the pleasure received from it comes not just from sexual stimulation, but from sharing something profound with a person who is more than just a casual acquaintance. Lovemaking is just that - making something, creating a bond, forming a loving relationship."
He shot me an annoyed look. "You are using a woman's typical arguments. Until you've tried it my way, you can't make a statement like that."
"The same could be said for you making generalizations against love. Boy, you are so lucky I'm not in love with you. You'd have some serious shaping up to do."
"That is a moot point. You are not in love with me, nor I you, but I would be quite willing to show you the pleasure I could give you sexually."
"You're still saying you want to screw me?"