They were in the back seat together, being driven over to the Masons' for the party in Emily's honor. He looked handsome and urban in a black dress shirt and slate gray trousers, and his expression was as composed as always. But something was wrong. Emily knew something was wrong. She was very much afraid it was because they’d had sex the evening before. She was still a little sore—a pang of pain she’d feel every now and then that reminded her of how Paul had been deep inside her last night. This morning, even though she'd been disappointed when she woke up to find his side of the bed empty, the feeling had inspired a silly kind of pride. Now it just intensified her anxiety. For her, the sex had been better than any fantasy. Yes, it had been rather uncomfortable, and yes, it had been occasionally awkward since she hadn't really known what she was doing. But that was to be expected. And being with Paul that way, so intimately, so deeply, had totally blown her away. He had enjoyed it too.
