My girlfriend wants me to have sex with her before marriage … but I don’t. She kept hinting at first when we started dating. But now it's getting really hard to stop her.

Recently I told her to come visit me at my house. When she came, she was dressed like a prostitute. I wanted to tell her how she looked but I held my tongue. She stayed until midnight.

I asked if I should walk her home. But she said no, it's too late now. She asked if she could rather sleep over. I cooked dinner and we watched TV and kissed on the couch a bit. Things got heated and we came close to having sex.

I jumped up and said, “Let me make up a bed for you on the couch.” But she kept making advances on me. We ended up naked on my bed. I knew I didn’t want to do this, and I knew I didn’t have protection, but it was getting hot. Then my phone rang. It was an old friend but it was the excuse I needed to jump up and break the heat.

Shortly after that we went to sleep. In the morning, I drove her home. I am not sure how to tackle this and tell her that I don’t want to sleep with her.

Telling the person directly is most often the best way to handle it. You can say, "I really like you but I am not ready to have sex” or “It's against my beliefs” or “I made a promise to myself to wait." Make your choice clear and not negotiable. Girls are not mind readers, rather be direct and honest and you will avoid having to make excuses.

Read some more tips on how to bail once it gets too hot below.

Tell us ... What would you have done?