He frowned. "I would think that is obvious."
Maybe it was. To him. But it wasn't to her. When he kissed her, he made no effort to hide the barely leashed passion coursing through him, but he never acted on it. It confused the heck out of her.
"If it was obvious, I wouldn't be asking."
"I do want you." His voice dropped an octave, to a sexual purr. "Very much."
She licked her lips. "That's…that's good."
"But for me, the commitment comes first…then we make love."
She doubted he was a virgin, but apparently he ascribed to the standard some men still maintained about the women they intended to marry. "You've got some very old-fashioned views."
"Yes. I am not ashamed this is so. I was born in a traditional Greek village. My grandfather's beliefs may not find wholesale acceptance in me, but his influence is there."
"Nikos," she said, latching onto a topic less volatile to her emotions. "You never talk about your past. I don't know if your dad is dead, if your parents are divorced or why it is that you never mention your father, but your grandfather pops up in conversation on occasion. I know he's gone…at least I know that much," she muttered under her breath, "but I don't know why you and your mother live here in America. I don't know so much about you."
"Chief being the way I screw."
"Nikos," she hissed while her entire body blushed.
He glared. "I can be crude. Yes. It comes from the background you know so little about. But another thing comes from that past…the belief that a man does not take a virgin to his bed unless he is engaged to, but preferably married to her."
"Is that something your grandfather taught you?"
"He drilled it into me every day of my life while he lived. Only a man totally lacking in honor would do so."
"I see." She had a feeling there was a lot more to this topic she planned to explore, but first she was going to set the record straight on something else. "However, between us…the point is moot because I'm not a virgin."
"Of course you are."
"And what has made you draw this brilliant conclusion?" she demanded in a tone her mom would have recognized with trepidation.
Ash didn't get mad easily, but once she was angry…she didn't back down.
"Look at the way you blush when we discuss sex.
"Married women blush. If that's your full supporting argument, you need to hone your deductive reasoning skills."
His eyes narrowed. "Do not play games with me about this. I know what I know."
"What you think you know."
"Stop this foolish claim. I am sorry if my observation has piqued your feminine pride, but I will never allow you to lie to me."
"Have issues with honesty do you?"
"Yes."
"That's surprising. Most businessmen at your level can be very inventive with the truth."
"But I will not tolerate untruth from those in my personal life. Ever."
"And will you give the same level of integrity to a relationship?"
"Count on it."
"In that case, let me repeat…I am not a virgin."
His jaw tautened and white lines appeared at the corners of his mouth. He was getting seriously upset by her adamant claim to sexual experience. "You have never had a serious relationship.
"Is that what my mother told you?"
He didn't even look uncomfortable at being accused of talking about her in very private terms with her mother. "Yes."
"Well, she obviously doesn't know everything about me, which should hardly come as a surprise." He had to have seen ample evidence during the time they'd been dating how far from close she was with Rachel Hemsworth.
"She has reason to know certain things."
"You mean the bodyguards I supposedly no longer have?"
Nikos managed to look slightly chagrined. "You know about the security service?"