Worth the Risk_ A Contemporary - Megan Hart Page 0,147

that was different, and he knew she had reached her orgasm. The thought sent him spiraling into his own climax, and he whispered her name with his final thrust.

Her eyes met his. She was smiling. A thought sprang into his mind, and he saw the look in her eyes change at the same moment. She had thought the same thing.

"I didn’t use anything."

Lila nodded. "I know."

They moved away from each other slightly so Lila could slide off the counter. She busied herself for a moment with the dishcloth he handed her. When she had finished and slid her pants back up around her waist, she turned to look at him.

"I’m on the pill."

Relief flooded him, but it was still no excuse. Not in today’s world where loving someone could mean killing them. Tom folded her hand in his.

"A couple of years ago, I decided I wasn’t going to sleep around anymore. I went to a walk-in clinic and had all the tests done. I’m clean. You’re the first woman I’ve slept with in two years."

He saw relief in her eyes. "I haven’t had any tests, Tom. But I haven’t had unprotected sex—ever. Not once. No one’s ever gotten me so carried away before." She grinned ruefully. "Until you."

They kissed again, and Tom marveled how easy it was to be with her.

"Hey." Lila finally broke away. "Didn’t you promise me food?"

He had. It was short work to throw a couple of steaks on the grill, make a quick salad and open a bottle of wine. They ate like wolverines and finished the meal with two slices of cheesecake.

Lila patted her mouth with a napkin. "I’m stuffed."

They shared a grin. Conversation had flowed from one topic to the next without pause. It was nice to be so comfortable in each other’s presence that neither was embarrassed.

"Lila, does it bother you that I’m not Jewish?" The question had been bothering him for some time.

For a long moment, she merely stared at him. "No one’s ever asked me that before. Usually it’s the other way around."

"Does it?"

She shook her head. "No. I don’t think it matters what faith you are as long as you try to follow it the best you can. I’m not the greatest Jew in the world, Tom. I don’t observe all the rules. But my faith is important to me. It isn’t just not eating pork, or going to synagogue, or never sitting on Santa’s lap. And it’s not just having a bubbe instead of a grandma, or saying ‘Oy!’, or understanding Woody Allen movies either. It’s not something I’ll ever give up, if that’s what you mean."

Awkwardness overtook him for a moment. "I don’t go to church."

She smiled. "That’s okay by me."

"My family does, but I don’t." He tried hard to say what he meant without sounding stupid, or worse, patronizing.

Now she was looking at him curiously. "It’s okay, Tom. Really."

"I never dated anybody Jewish before." He nearly choked on the weight of his foot in his mouth.

Now she was frowning. "Maybe I should ask you if it bothers you."

"No!" He was making a mess of things. The last thing he wanted to do was spoil the mood. "No, Lila, that’s not what I meant at all."

"Then what did you mean?"

"I just wanted to know if you cared that I wasn’t because it could make a difference, couldn’t it?" He paused. "I mean…if you wanted to marry someone who wasn’t."

She licked a bite of cheesecake from the tines of her fork and studied him carefully. "I’ve always imagined I’d have a Jewish wedding. The wedding canopy, the bride circling the groom, the whole bit. And I never imagined having a Christmas tree in my house. I guess it is more important to me than I realized."

Tom wanted more than anything to be the smooth sophisticate so many people assumed he was. As it was, he was lucky his voice came out sounding normal instead of all crunched together and wobbly, the way he felt even bringing up the subject. Lila was looking at him curiously.

"I’ve never been to a Jewish wedding. Maybe I’ll have to learn more about them."

She smiled slowly, her face turning rosy. "Maybe you will."

He linked the fingers of one of his hands through hers across the table. "What are we talking about, Lila?"

She squeezed his hand. "Hmm. I’m not sure. You tell me."

She had to know what he was hinting about. She was on his wavelength, just like she was with everything else. Suddenly, Tom