Man Who Loved Pride and Prejudice by Abigail Reynolds

here, but it simply isn't necessary. Look, I really need to get back to my work, okay?"
       "If that's what you want." His voice sounded very formal to her ears.
       "Thanks, Calder, nice talking to you."
       "Take care, then." She heard his reply just before she hung up the phone.
       She rested her hands on the lab bench in front of her for a moment as she took some deep, calming breaths. At least that was over with.
       "That was quite the brush-off." Erin's look was an accusation.
       Cassie rounded on her, ready to snap, but caught herself just in time. "Let's face it, Erin. Calder Westing would be nothing but trouble for me. Scott may be a different story, and I'm glad you're happy together, but it would never work for Calder and me. Okay?"
       "If you say so."

    Cassie broke her own record for long hours in the lab over the next two days, but at least there was one good thing to say for it as her experiment finally began to show positive results. Late at night, as she lay in bed willing sleep to come, she remembered being in Calder's arms, feeling wanted and desirable, but she could ignore it during the day. She had results, and that was all that mattered.
       She arrived at the lab early on the third day after sleeping poorly. A few hours of quiet before Erin arrived would be useful. But when the door to the lab finally opened, it wasn't Erin, but Calder.
       "Cassie—may I come in?"
       "Of course." Her response was automatic. "You're up early."
       He looked at her seriously. "I wanted to get here before Erin." He pulled up a lab stool and sat near her. "How are you?"
       Cassie steeled herself against feeling any vulnerability. "I'm fine. I've been getting some results here. I think I'll be able to get a paper out of it."
       "So that's good news?"
       "Oh, yes. I need a couple more papers if I want tenure, so this helps."
       "You work pretty long hours."
       "Yes, I do. I have a lot I want to accomplish."
       He was silent for a moment. "Are you angry with me about what happened the other night?"
       "Angry? No, not at all." At least he had asked a question she could answer honestly. "Why should I be angry? You didn't push me into anything. It was my idea as much as yours."
       His eyes were fixed on her. "I just wondered. It seems like you don't want anything to do with me all of a sudden."
       There was no point in hiding it. "I don't know why you should believe this, but I don't usually do onenight stands or casual sex. I'm uncomfortable with the whole thing. I don't know how to deal with a man I've had sex with but don't have a relationship with. You're leaving soon, so it's easier all around this way. And I have a lot of work to do; I don't have time for a man in my life."
       "I suppose I can accept that," he said slowly. "There is one thing I wanted to say, though."
       She looked up at him sharply. "What's that?"
       "It isn't the kind of thing I do on impulse either, so I wasn't prepared for it happening on the spur of the moment. I'm usually a little more… careful than I was that night." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. "This has my direct phone number and my private email. If there are any… untoward consequences, I'd like to know about it."
       Why did he have to sound so much like a lawyer? She blushed fiercely when she finally understood his meaning. Did he know how insulting he was? "I don't think you need to worry. Even if there were any untoward consequences, which there won't be, you wouldn't need to worry about me making any demands. I would be perfectly capable of dealing with the situation on my own."
       "That's just what I'm worried about, that you would try to deal with it on your own. I'd want to know. It was pretty obvious it had been a while for you, and I didn't want to assume you were on the pill."
       "I am a biologist, and I have a very good understanding of when I might be