“You made an impression.”

“I did?”

“Yes. You were spiky, smart, funny, and fiercely loyal and protective toward Christy. You said what you meant. And you were—” his fingers tightened “—sexy.”

Her heart missed a beat. “You mean, I was soppy, romantic and alluring?”

“No. You were sexy.”

“I...didn’t know you felt that way.”

“I kept it to myself. First, because I didn’t know if you returned my interest, and second, because I was about to go to the Arctic for several months. I wasn’t in a position to have a relationship.”

“That proves you didn’t know me well. The fact that you were leaving would have made you perfect for me.”

“I know that now. You’re a one-date person. I probably should have spoken up, although if I was only going to have one date with you, I wouldn’t have wanted to squander it.” He finished his wine and put the glass on the floor. “Have you ever been on a second date?”

She pondered the question. “There was Elliot. I definitely saw him twice.”

“What was special about Elliot?”

“Nothing. But I left my favorite sweater in his car. I had to see him again to retrieve it.” She felt him shake with laughter.

“Poor Elliot.” He reached for the bottle of wine and topped up both glasses. “Was he crushed by the knowledge that he only had a second chance because of the sweater?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t hang around long enough to ask him. I grabbed that sweater and ran.”

“So you’re cruel and heartless.”

“I’m honest.” She turned her head to look at him. “So how about you, Mr. Explorer? Have you had relationships?”

“Never. I was a virgin until I met you. Ow!” He winced as she kicked him. “All right, I may have had one or two relationships. But nothing serious.”

“Why? Your heart was broken as a teenager? You swore never to trust a woman again?” She didn’t know why she was asking, because normally she didn’t care what was in someone’s past or future. She was only interested in the present.

“Nothing like that. No romantic drama in my past apart from the usual stuff. No particular issues with commitment. Well, maybe a few. It’s a big decision, and I tend to think carefully about big decisions. I travel a lot, so that doesn’t make it easy.” He put the wine down and leaned back, his shoulder brushing against hers “I guess I never met anyone who made me consider changing my lifestyle.”

She didn’t understand why that confession would make her happy. It shouldn’t matter to her if he’d been married six times or never.

“So I’ve dated a whole lot of forgettable men, and you’ve dated a whole lot of forgettable women. What does that say about us?”

He swirled the wine in his glass. “There was one who was unforgettable. Or rather, one night that was unforgettable.”

“Oh.” The rush of jealousy surprised her. What did it matter? It was completely irrational. The-world-is-about-to-end sex. “What happened?”