Page 245 - The Love Hypothesis

outside of a relationship, then—”

“No. No, it’s nothing like that. I—” She took a deep breath, looking for
a way to explain herself. “It’s not that I want to not have sex. I just . . . don’t
particularly want to have it. There is something weird about my brain, and

my body, and—I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I don’t seem to be
able to experience attraction like other people. Like normal people. I tried

to just . . . to just do it, to get it over with, and the guy I did it with was nice,
but the truth is that I just don’t feel any . . .” She closed her eyes. This was

difficult to admit. “I don’t feel any sexual attraction unless I actually get to
trust and like a person, which for some reason never happens. Or, almost

never. It hadn’t, not in a long time, but now—I really like you, and I really
trust you, and for the first time in a million years I want to—”
She couldn’t ramble anymore, because he was kissing her again, this

time hard and bruising, as though he wanted to absorb her into himself. “I
want to do this,” she said, as soon as she was able to. “With you. I really

do.”
“Me too, Olive.” He sighed. “You have no idea.”

“Then, please. Please, don’t say no.” She bit her lip, and then his. And
then nipped at his jaw. “Please?”

He took a deep breath and nodded. She smiled and kissed the curve of
his neck, and his hand splayed against her lower back.
“But,” he said, “we should probably go about this a little differently.”

—

HER the longest time to realize his intentions. Not because she was
IT TOOK
stupid, or oblivious, or that naive about sex, but because . . .
Maybe she was a little naive about sex. But she truly hadn’t thought

about it for ages before Adam, and even then, it was never quite in these
terms—him above her, pushing her legs wide open with his palms on her

inner thighs and then kneeling between them. Sliding down, low.
“What are you—”

The way he parted her with his tongue, it was as though she was butter
and he meant to slice through her like a hot knife. He was slow but sure,