Preston wasn’t entirely surprised to learn that Elise had been raised Mennonite.
From the first moment he met her, he’d sensed an otherworldliness to her, an old-fashioned modesty, an uncommon reserve. It made sense on one hand. And yet, her chosen profession—acting on the stage—couldn’t be more incongruous with his (possibly inaccurate) understanding of her childhood faith and culture. He thought he’d had a good understanding of the scope of her ambition, but now he realized it was far stronger and wider than he’d originally guessed. To leave her family’s farm and come to New York was impressive enough for any young girl. To leave a—what had she called it?—simple life for an acting career in New York, totally unsupported by her family, would have taken staggering amounts of courage, drive and ambition.
Preston knew something about drive and ambition; he’d started training for the Olympic team when he was in high school and hadn’t let go of the dream until his torn cuff and two surgeries had finally closed the window on a gold medal. But he’d had the support of his mother and older brother, and his father’s legacy to open doors for him. Not to mention, he had a trust fund at his disposal for every expense. He couldn’t imagine how much strength and determination he’d have needed to go it alone.
Squeezing her closer and dropping his lips to her head, he realized again how spectacular and singular she was…and how hard he was falling for her, which made his body long for her in ways that were sharp and aching and constant.
Although their standing Friday and Saturday night dates had enabled him to regain focus on his studies and internship, he still thought about her endlessly. And after two weeks of dating, he had to admit: he was starting to feel just a little bit impatient for things to move along a little bit faster. He wasn’t necessarily talking about sex. Even before tonight, he knew she wasn’t the type of girl who was going to sleep with him immediately, but he felt drawn to her with a strong, ceaseless magnetism. He wanted to see her more than two evenings a week. He wanted her to spend time at his apartment, to feel comfortable there, to throw on his sweatshirt when she was chilly and put her girly things in his bathroom cabinet. He wanted constant evidence of her in his life—a script left open on his coffee table, her shoes on the mat just inside his front door, her favorite yogurt stocked in his refrigerator door.
But, mostly—more than anything—he wanted her in his bed, in his arms, sleeping beside him…even if it didn’t lead to sex for a while. He wanted to know the sounds she made while she slept. He wanted to bury his face in her hair as he drifted off to sleep and the smell of her shampoo seeped into his pillowcase. He wanted to feel her heartbeat under his arm as they spooned on a lazy Sunday morning. And he wanted for hers to be the first face he saw every morning when he started his day.
His emotions were getting all mixed up with the yearnings of his body.
In other words, he was falling in love with her, and physically, he wanted more.
But this new revelation about her background threw a figurative bucket of cold water on his literal lap as he let the information sink in. Likely she hadn’t slept in many men’s beds, if any. Though she kissed like a champion, he wondered how experienced she was at everything that came after kissing, which—oh God—led him to one very important question:
Was it possible that Elise was still a virgin?
His mind sluiced fluidly to something she’d said when she was reading to him from Ethan Frome two weeks ago: They’d been discussing the risks of falling in love, and she’d shared with him that she had never been in love before.
Synapses in his brain fired, and suddenly Preston knew the answer to his question beyond a shadow of doubt. He didn’t have to wonder and he didn’t need to put her on the spot by asking her. He knew in his heart that she wasn’t the sort of woman who would have sex without love, and since she’d never been in love, that meant…she was definitely still a virgin.
Silent for too long and anxious that she not feel uncomfortable for sharing her personal history with him, he took her hand and suggested they walk the perimeter of the roof garden to check out the 360o views of New York, and Elise seemed eager to join him.