His mouth twisted in apparent amusement. “Are you truly broaching that topic with just your third question?”

“That is a question, Kit, not an answer.”

Shaking his head, he let out a deep chuckle. “I see. Indeed, I would ask what you mean by ‘been with,’ but since I am not allowed to ask a question then I must assume you mean taken to bed.” Long fingers stroked along his jaw, rasping over the whiskers, and she longed to feel that scratchy skin for herself. When they’d kissed, he had been freshly shaven. What would the stubble feel like on her neck or chest? On her breasts?

Biting her lip, she tried to rein in her wayward thoughts. She had to keep reminding herself that Kit was not the marrying kind. Losing her heart—and possibly more—to him could never happen.

Just as she was about to prompt him for an answer, he reached forward, took both cards and placed them in his deck. He doesn’t want to answer. Her stomach sank. No doubt it was a ridiculously high number, one that would only depress her and cause her to feel inadequate.

I can have companionship any time I want.

Of course he could. And the instant the house party ended, he would return to New York and his women and parties and clubs. Soon he’d forget all about silly Alice Lusk and her inability to watch where she was walking and her embarrassingly cruel mother.

“Alice, look at me,” Kit said quietly. When she dragged her eyes up to his, he said, “I don’t believe in keeping track, like it’s a contest or something to brag about. Women are a gift, a treasure. I am honored when they trust me in such an intimate way, and it feels wrong to break that trust by turning them into a cheap tally.”

“Oh.” She swallowed around the thickness in her throat. “That’s a very good reason for not answering.”

“You assumed it was because the number was high.”

“I did.”

“Would it matter if it was?”

“Not to me. I mean, we’re just friends. As you said, once a scoundrel, always a scoundrel.”

Expression serious, he said, “I don’t hold women to a different standard, either. If I did marry and my bride was not a virgin, I wouldn’t care. As a society, we place too much importance on a woman’s innocence. Let me assure you, there are plenty of women who enjoy what happens in the bedroom. To suggest that women must remain pure, that only men should enjoy the act, is pure garbage.”

The intelligence and practicality of the answer stunned her. He was more progressive than any man she’d encountered—and many of the women, too. “And you think you are a dim bulb,” she chided. “Nothing could be further from the truth, Kit.”