The Love Laws (38 page)

“Don’t
be. I know it doesn’t look like it, but I’m really happy. I used to dread
coming up here. This place held so many negative connotations. But now. Because
of you, I’ll always associate this spot with your big romantic gesture instead
of all that petty childhood stuff. So, I just wanted to thank you for helping
me get over myself and move on. Finally.”

He
waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively. “Feel free to let me know if there are
any other places that make you feel bad. I’d be glad to help exorcise them for
you.”

She
wiped at her eyes and grinned at him. “Let me guess. Nudity will be a
requirement of these exorcisms.”

He
nodded solemnly. “That’s my preference. But I can work with just bottomless.”

She
chuckled and smoothed her hand over his chest. “What about you?” She asked
tentatively. “How about your demons?”

“Me?
I’m demon-free. Just an addiction to a certain feisty red-head. But other than
that I’m Superman. Can’t you tell?” He puffed out his thickly-muscled chest and
curled one impressive bicep.

She
squeezed the proffered arm appreciatively then gave him an admonishing look.
“Kevin. C’mon. I couldn’t help but notice that the champagne over there is
non-alcoholic. Does that mean your drunken disorderly days are over?”

Kevin
rubbed his forehead and gave her an uncertain look. “Yeah. I think they are. At
least for a while. Is that a problem? I mean, I won’t expect you to give it up
or anything. But for me booze is going to be off limits. At least until I feel
like I can control it.”

She
pressed her lips to his chin. “Is that what you meant earlier when you said you
wanted to get away from your usual temptations?”

“Yeah.
Having a bar within crawling distance probably isn’t the best idea for me right
now.” He gave her a reassuring squeeze. “But I don’t want you to worry about
this. I was never a complete lush. Even at my worst I was still functioning. I
just didn’t like the way I needed booze to forget about things. So, I’m taking a
break. Does that bother you? Because I totally understand if the whole recovery
thing is a turn off.”

“Kevin.”
She sat up and pressed her hand to his heart. “Do you actually think I’m that shallow?”
He shook his head but there was doubt in his bright eyes. “I think it’s
wonderful that you’re taking control if you recognize that you have a problem.
But what were you trying to forget? Jessica said something about your current book
project being a real doozy. Was that part of the problem?”

He
hesitated and then nodded. “You could say that. But the truth is that I think I
was burned out on psychos. It was getting to me so I finally had to admit
defeat and tell my agent I couldn’t finish it.”

“How
did that go?”

He
grimaced. “He damn near let me go as a client but eventually I was able to
convince him to hire a co-writer to finish the Rawlings project for me using
all of my interview and research materials. In exchange I get to try something
new.”

She
gave him a puzzled look. “Something new? Another true crime case?”

“No.
Something completely different. Something fun for a change.”

Jamie
quirked an eyebrow. “Like what?”

“Well,
actually you gave me the idea. I thought I’d write about the challenges modern
women face in terms of finding partners. I mean, let’s face it: women don’t
have to settle anymore. They can pretty much call the shots and yet a lot of
them still end up with losers. I thought it might be interesting to explore why
that happens and how women can avoid the pitfalls of getting hooked up with a
douche-bag.”

She
poked him in the side. “What? You’re going to write your own Love Laws? I don’t
believe this. First you high-jack my column. Now you’re going to steal the
whole idea?”

He
gave her a wicked grin. “Well, actually I was hoping you could help me with it.
But it wouldn’t be an article. It would be an actual book. I’d do in-depth
research on current woman’s issues. One of Theresa’s psychology professors at
the university has agreed to provide some insight and even conduct a few
surveys for me.”

“Wow.
It sounds pretty ambitious.”

“It
is. So, are you interested in being my writing partner? I could really use your
help.”

She
shook her head. “I’d love to assist you, but I’m not really a writer. The Love
Laws were a one-time thing I took on to get some publicity for the store. And
help Clay’s sister get some attention at work.” Suddenly an idea occurred to
her and she grabbed his arm. “Oh my God. You should get Cathy to help. She’d be
fabulous. She’s a great writer and she’s really interested in these issues too.
You read her stuff, right?”

He
nodded. “You’re right. She is really good. But I would really prefer doing
research with you. Besides, I think you don’t give yourself enough credit. I
may not have agreed with everything you said in your articles, especially Love
Law #7, but the others were really fun and insightful. You were a very
convincing Love Guru.”

Jamie
gave a self-deprecating laugh. “And you read the articles? You didn’t just look
at the pictures?”

“I
may have stared at the one of you in the black corset, just a little,” he said
with a devilish grin. “But I read the articles too. And I do think you’re
talented. I couldn’t believe you came up with some of that stuff. The sidebar
Cathy wrote about your Four A’s theory was particularly amazing. You were right
on the money with that one.”

Jamie
flushed with pride. Was it possible that she was an okay writer? The insecurity
she’d always felt regarding anything intellectual came flooding to the surface.
Academics had always been Jessica’s area of expertise. But why would Kevin lie?
He obviously didn’t need to flatter her to get into her pants. Was it possible
he actually believed she was talented? The idea had never really occurred to
her. She’d written The Love Laws but had done so without much thought to the
skill involved. She’d been so desperate for publicity she hadn’t really cared
about the calibre of her writing. She’d just assumed Cathy would correct any
glaring errors and hoped for the best.

She
looked into Kevin’s open face and felt a few more of her doubts slipping away.
Perhaps she wasn’t as limited as she’d always believed. Who knew what she could
accomplish with this man by her side to believe in her and support her? The
world suddenly seemed full of incredible possibilities. All of which she wanted
to share with him. Forever.

“You
really think so?” She asked shyly.

“Yeah.
I do. So, will you help me with my sex research?”

She
giggled. “Well, when you put it that way, how can I resist?”

He
threw his coat off her body with a flourish and smoothed his hands down her
naked torso. “You know you can’t resist me. Save us some time and just give
in.”

“Are
we still talking about the book?”

“Nope.
Now we’re talking about our next squealing session.”

Within
moments they were rolling to the floor, laughing wildly as Kevin attempted to
imitate her earlier cries of passion with truly ridiculous results.

Jamie
finally managed to somehow secure his arms above his head as she straddled his
ridged abdomen. His sex rose hard and insistent against her bottom but she was
too focused on his smiling face to notice. At least for a few seconds.

“So
we’re writing partners then?” She asked.

He
looked up at her with that boyish grin she adored. “Angel. As far as I’m
concerned we’re partners in everything from this point forward. Sex, love,
life, real estate, maybe even Lamaze classes someday if you want. How does that
sound?”

Lamaze
classes? Was he serious? She should have been shocked to hear him mention such
a thing  so soon but it didn’t seem crazy to her at all. In fact, it felt like
the most natural thing in the world. Just the possibility of a baby with this
man made Jamie feel simultaneously terrified and giddy. Her mind told her that
it was way too early in their relationship to be contemplating the idea but her
heart still leapt at the thought of a little golden-haired boy with Kevin’s
endearing smile and wicked charm.

The
question was: would she be able to put her innate selfishness aside and be a
good mother? The kind who accepted her children no matter what? Thinking about
how she’d grown up, always in her sister’s shadow, she vowed right then that
she would learn from her parents’ mistakes and be the kind of mother who loved
her children unconditionally.

Happy
tears gathered in her eyes once again. She tried unsuccessfully to blink them
away as she leaned down and whispered against Kevin’s smiling mouth. “I think
that may just be our own personal Love Law to live by. Count me in. Partner.”

And
then she kissed him to seal the deal.

Love Law #7 - Addendum:
Not all men play by the rules

Just like any
other principle or guideline there are exceptions to The Love Laws. At the time
I wrote them I totally believed what I was saying to be an accurate
representation of the truth. For the most part, I still do. Some readers
disagreed with me, but for the most part I stand behind my Love Laws. However,
people need to keep an open mind and remember that these are generalizations.
Scientific experiments were not performed to analyze my conclusions and they
were not presented to a committee of experts in the field of human sexuality.
They’re based exclusively on my observations, which probably don’t reflect
everyone’s experiences. And certainly don’t represent every guy out there. But
they do have merit, so my advice to you is to take them into consideration when
dealing with possible romantic partners but keep an open mind. There are guys
out there who get turned on by a woman who can tell a joke way more than a
perky set of Double Ds. There may even be a few men out there who live in their
mother’s basement who don’t deserve your complete dismissal. (I know. It sounds
unlikely, but it’s possible.)

That being said,
I was wrong about one particular stereotype: The Womanizer. For the most part,
these guys are seriously not worth consideration, at least long term. However,
I’ve learned recently that even the most hard-core, man-whore can change. One
particular special man with a LOT of notches in his bed post was able to
convince me that he was worth reconsideration.

So with him in
mind I would like to modify Love Law # 7 and add an addendum. 

How do you know
if your man-whore is the exception?

My advice is
this: Listen carefully to what he’s saying. Not just with his words and his
body, but everything about him. Any womanizer is adept at lying and will tell
you that you’re special and a few will even care enough to give you multiples.
(Orgasms, that is. Not triplets.) But only a truly reformed man-whore will be really
genuine in his actions. How can you tell the difference? Look closely. Does he
express his sincere respect and desire in everything he does? If you’re
perceptive he’ll show you how he’s reformed in the following ways:

·
     
He’ll be patient
and understanding if you’re a tad hesitant to get involved with him

·
     
He’ll go above
and beyond to prove himself to you (Remember: he’s still a hunter)

·
     
He’ll touch you
and look at you like you’re the most beautiful woman in the world, in and out
of the bedroom (Even when you have eye crud and need a breath mint)

·
     
He’ll make you
laugh even when you’re mad as hell and will actually listen to what you have to
say (Even when you’re PMS-ing and acting like a crazy hag.)

·
     
He’ll worry
about you and try to protect you from EVERYTHING  

·
     
He’ll pay
attention to your emotional and physical needs long after the sweat has dried  

·
     
He won’t deny
his past or be defensive, but he won’t let you obsess over the supermodels and
yoga instructors he’s been with either. That way madness lies, so eventually move
past your own jealousy and just let it go. (Reserve for huge arguments only!)

If your reformed
man-whore demonstrates these behaviors then he’s worthy of your time and your
love. So, don’t write him off just because he has a past. You may be missing
out on the second sexiest, funniest, sweetest, most maddening man in the world.
(Number one is taken.)

And don’t forget
– all that experience does have its spicy advantages, especially in a loving,
monogamous, committed, long-term relationship.

Good Luck. I
hope each and every one of you finds the love you deserve, with or without The
Love Laws.