We go back to her apartment after our carriage ride through the park. The last time I was here, we’d gotten dangerously close to sex, and she’d asked me to leave. She’d told me that she hadn’t kicked me out, but it had felt that way.

Our relationship has progressed despite the minor setback, and I'm starting to believe her that it isn't a full rejection.

It's different between us this time. She's more open toward me. Even though we've had so little time together, I feel like I know her a lot better. Normally, I hop right into the sack with women. No waiting. No drawn-out romance. Just instant, animal lust.

But Nicole is forcing me to wait. By doing so, something strange is beginning to happen. She's becoming more than just an object of pleasure or someone to pursue. I'm really starting to like this girl. I don't want to sleep with her for the sake of getting another notch on my bed post, either. This is becoming more than that.

I want to be with her for her, not just for sex. I also want her for sex, but it isn't just to throw one in her and move on with my life. Sex with Nicole feels like it would be the culmination of something bigger.

"What do you want to do?" she asks.

I blink at her. God, I can think of something I'd like to do. I flash on the image of her naked breasts that have been burned into my mind. Just thinking about it gets me hot and bothered. I swallow and lick my lips.

I don’t know what my face shows–maybe a little of what I feel–but she looks uncomfortable. I don't want that with her at all. I want her to be as comfortable around me as we’ve been until now. It's the only reason I don't press her to get physical. Obviously, she doesn't want that. It's almost like she is afraid. When things finally happen between us, and it will happen, I want her to want it, too.

"Let’s watch a movie," I say, opting for something innocent and nonthreatening. It's a sign of how much I like her. If most girls held back the way she does, I'd just head on home, or out to a bar at this point. When it comes to sex, I'm not a patient man. But for some reason, Nicole is different.

She breathes out, as if in relief, and walks to the TV stand. She reaches for a stack of DVDs on the shelf and hands them to me to choose one. I go through them.

"This is not a usual selection," I say.

She shrugs. "I don’t like the type of stuff that everyone else watches."

I nod. Different. Everything about her is like that. I read the back of the DVD covers, trying to decide what to watch. I haven't even heard of most of them. Her eyes are on me as I sort through them. I'm aware of her stare.

I finally settle on one called Le Concert. It's as good as any other, considering I’ve never heard of it and have no idea what to expect.

"This is a good one," she says, taking it from me. "It has a lot of French in it as well. With your apparent language skills, you won’t even need to read the subtitles."

I chuckle. I haven't told her much about myself. The French just poured out of me in the park. It's a language of love, and it always helps to impress women.

I walk to her open plan kitchen. "Do you want coffee?" I ask.

"Please." She fiddles with the remote, putting on the DVD while I make coffee in the kitchen. I rummage through her cupboards, trying to find coffee and sugar. I knew where the cups were after my first night here.

When she has the movie ready and the coffee is made, I walk back to the living room and hand her a cup. I sit down next to her. She moves against me, pressing her body against mine. This is a surprise, although a pleasing one. It feels like a big step for her to make physical contact with me now so easily.

In the beginning, she’d held back so much. As difficult as it was for me to take things slowly with her, it's clearly working. I need to let her make the first moves. It isn't easy for me, considering it's so different from the way I do things with every other girl. But that's Nicole in a nutshell. She is different. Better. Worth it.

I sip my coffee and stretch my arm out on the couch behind her. I want to put my arm around her shoulders and pull her close to me, but not yet. I'll wait just a little, until the movie has been running for a while.

I like being with her. Lately, everything is different. I want to spend time with her, going on dates that are different or just spending time together doing nothing at all. I want to get to know her as a person. I can't remember feeling like this with anyone else.

I'm starting to fall for her. That has to be it. Out of all the girls I’ve been with, she has changed me. The worst part is the timing. I know it isn't supposed to be this way. I'm leaving in fourteen days. All I have left are two weeks. I can't just forget about her, though. I want to spend every possible minute with her that I have left.

When I leave, I'll get over it. I'll get over her. Right now, and until that happens, I won't even think about it.

The movie is interesting, but I can't focus. When I finish my coffee and her cup is empty on the table, I put my arm around her shoulders and pull her closer against me. Her body is warm. I rub her shoulder with my hand and kiss her hair.

She looks up at me, tilting her face so I can kiss her on the mouth. I don't waste any time taking the opportunity.

She kisses me with abandon. It's nothing like before. She’d been so careful and hesitant before this. This time, it's as if she’s just waiting for me to make a move. She turns toward me, shifting on the seat. I put my hand on her cheek and kiss her deeply. The kiss turns from gentle to urgent quite quickly. Our lips mash against each other, almost like we're making up for lost time. She's breathing hard. My sex throbs in my pants, eager for release. I don't know if it's going to come, though. I don't want to get my hopes up too much. I want to savor whatever happens between us, and not be disappointed because things didn’t work out like I wished they would.

"God, Nicole, I want you," I say against her lips. Maybe it's too much, telling her that I want her. It wouldn’t be too much for other girls. Hell, it's fairly tame compared to what I’d normally say. But Nicole is different. She's delicate. One rough touch, and she’ll pull away from me. She'll reject me again.

I want her to know, though, and this is the lightest touch I can use. I want to be with her. I want all of her, not just the little bit she’s been giving me until now.

She hesitates just a moment before kissing me again. The urgency returns, and I'm relieved.

Nicole breaks the kiss and looks at me. Her eyes are the color of slate, deep and dark, not pale as they usually are. She swallows. She's breathing hard.

"I have to talk to you," she says.

My stomach tightens. When women stop kissing for a sentence like that, it's never good. I nod and loosen my grip on her. She doesn't move away from me. It's a good sign.

"What is it?" I ask.

She looks nervous. She won't make eye contact with me. She twists her fingers around each other in a way that can't be comfortable. I will her to get it out, but she hesitates.

"You’re driving me crazy, here," I say. The sentence has a double meaning to it. I just want her, and she keeps stopping me. The added suspense is about as much as I can handle.

"Okay," she starts. "I know that we haven’t really seen that much of each other. I mean, compared to some other people who know each other for a long time." She takes a deep breath. "Even though we haven’t spent that much time together, I feel like… well, we know each other. You know?"

I nod. I feel it, too. I keep quiet, waiting for her to keep talking. If I fill the silence, she might never unburden herself with whatever is bothering her.

"I guess, well, what I’m trying to say to you… I like you. I mean, I really do. I’m starting to fall for you."

She says the last part of her sentence fast, like getting it over quickly will make it easier.

A smile spreads slowly over my face. I brush her hair out of her face and trace her profile with my fingertips.

"You scared me there," I say. "I thought you were going to kick me out of the house again."

She shakes her head. "I didn’t kick you out. I didn’t mean it like that."

"I’m joking," I say softly. "Relax."

She blows out her breath in a shudder. I think back to Jessica, who had told me without any introduction that she loved me. It had been so easy for her to throw out the words. It had been hard for Nicole. It makes me feel like it's real with her, like she means it.

"I feel the same about you, by the way," I say. "I mean, it hasn’t been very long, but it’s different with you. I’ve noticed that. It means something to me."

That isn't a confession of love, right? I definitely am not ready for that. I want her to know, though, that she means something to me. More than anyone else has. And her feelings are important to me.

When I look her in the eye, she's smiling at me.

"It means something to me, too," she says.

I lean forward and kiss her again. "Do you trust me?" I ask.

Nicole blinks at me. She hesitates only a second before she nods. I get up and hold out a hand. She takes it, and I lead her to the bedroom. She follows me, even when she knows what I'm going to do.

Her bedroom is small but full of life and character, just like her. A pile of clothes in the corner suggests she's behind on her laundry, which she does herself like a normal person. She has ornaments and photos on a shelf opposite the bed. The double bed has a colorful duvet over it, and so many pillows, she can't possibly use all of them to sleep with.

I sit down on the bed and guide her to do the same. She looks nervous, but she sits beside me.

I lean forward and kiss her again. She allows me in, opening her mouth. I kiss her for a while before I slide my hand down to her chest like I had before. She's wearing a soft-checkered shirt, and I feel the lines of her bra beneath my fingers. She gasps when I massage her breast. Her hand slides up my thigh without encouragement, and she touches me.

She's making moves herself. This is a good sign. Maybe this time, things will be different.

I unbutton her shirt, and she lets it fall off her shoulders. I reach behind her back and unclasp her bra. In the dusky atmosphere of her room, she lets me touch her and look at her and explore her. I go slower than I did last time. I don't want her to clam up on me again.

I pull off my own shirt so we're both topless again. I pull her backward with me so we both lie down, and I unbutton her pants. We've come this far before. I hope we can go further. Nicole seems almost eager to let me take control and lead her further than we’d been before.

I kiss her and press my body against hers, grinding my hips against hers. I can't help it. My body aches for hers, and it's impossible to hold back. I push my hands into her pants, working them down over her hips. She wears a thong. The sight of it is sexy as hell. I groan when her pants are low enough for me to have easy access.

"Thomas," she says, pulling away from me a little bit.

"What is it?" I ask. "Too much?" She's going to reject me again, isn't she?

She shakes her head. "I’ve never done this."

I frown. "Never done what?"

She takes a deep breath. "This. Sex."

I blink at her. "You’ve never had sex before?"

She shakes her head. She looks shy and embarrassed. I try to wrap my head around what she's saying. She's the most beautiful, sexiest person I know. How is it that no man has ever claimed her in some way or another?

"You’re a virgin?" I ask, incredulous. When she looks at me, her eyes are large and shimmering. I think back to all the times I had hoped it would lead somewhere and she rejected me, how slow she’d been to open up to me physically, how she always seemed closed down and shy. It all makes sense now.

"I want to do this, though," she says.

I shiver. She's offering me her virginity. Aside from the fact that it's a huge thing for her to do, it's a major turn on. There is nothing as hot as taking a woman’s virginity.

"It will be okay," I say. "I’ll be gentle. Trust me."

I'm more than eager to get in there. I want to devour her. This new bit of knowledge makes me ache for her, but I will do it slowly. It's her first time. I'll give her the devotion she deserves.

I pull her against me and kiss her. Hard.