“Yeah,” I said softly.

“How did you know?”

“I can smell it.”

He shook his head at me in disgust, or something like it, and wiped his brow hard. “What does it smell like?”

I breathed in and then out. He smelled like everything good in the world. He smelled like every orgasm I’d ever had. Every orgasm I’d ever wanted. Every orgasm I would ever want for the rest of my life.

“Smells like sex,” was all I could manage.

“Oh. Well, that’s just fucking great. Isn’t that just fucking lovely. I smell like sex. Fucking fantastic. You should have told me, Sully. You had no right to keep it from me.”

“Next time, I will.”

“Next time?” he wailed, as if it had only just fully occurred to him that this would happen to him again. “Next time?”

I didn’t know what to say, so I went over to him and put my hand on his shoulder. He started and flinched away from my touch. I drew my hand back quickly, reminding myself that what had happened between us the night before meant something very different to him than it did to me. He was quiet for a second and then he started panting. He doubled over sharply, groaning as a heat wave slammed into him.

“I can’t . . . I can’t, Sully. I can’t do this.” His face twisted in panic and pain. “I was full of shit earlier when I said it wasn’t that bad.”

“I know.”

“It is bad. I can’t. I can’t go through a night like last night again. I can’t.”

“Tell me what you need. I’ll get it for you. I’ll drive into town. I can find a girl for you if that’s what you need. I’ll do the talking. I’ll find a girl for you.”

“A girl?” he said. “A girl? Are you fucking insane? I can’t go to town. I can’t be around people right now. Do you think I want anyone else to see me like this? I don’t even want you to see me like this. Are you fucking crazy?”

I thought it best not to answer. I knew I was dealing with Jules-in-heat. Jules in hot heat. Scorching-hot heat. I could tell emotion ran high in this Jules and reason, considerably less so.

I sat down on a log opposite the one he was sitting on. He’d started shaking as if he had the chills. His breathing was uneven, and he was whimpering softly. I couldn’t stand seeing him like that. It hurt me more than I can say.

“I can’t handle seeing you like this,” I said. “Please tell me what to do.” He bunched his fingers into a point and dug them into his forehead. He looked like he was dealing with the biggest idiot on the planet, and it was taking a toll on him. “Please, Jules, tell me what you need.”