“I'm a…a virgin.”

Wow, she had rendered him speechless twice in one night. That was probably a record for a man who was known around the legal community to be fearless, even before the harshest judge.

“How…why…I mean, there's nothing wrong with waiting,” he finally managed to say.

His shocked expression almost made her want to laugh. “I think I've waited long enough.”

He rubbed his palms on his jeans, as if wiping off sweat. “If you're just looking for a lover, I could—”

“Not just a lover. I know there are enough sleazy guys around that I could probably go to a bar tonight and have a one-night stand. That isn't what I want.”

“What do you want? A husband?”

“No, I'm not naïve enough to believe I'm suddenly going to find a husband after being dateless all these years. What I want is to find someone I care about, someone I could have a relationship with. I don't mean someone I have to marry right away, just someone who has a strong possibility of being part of my future. I need to care about someone before I go to bed with him.”

“I'm sure if you keep looking, eventually you'll find the right man.”

“Like I said, I've waited long enough. I want a lover by my twenty-seventh birthday, and you're going to help me.”