My boyfriend and I have been dating almost two months. I am in my early 20's, and he is in his late 20's. We are really awesome together, and he's one of the most thoughtful amazing guys I've ever met. He's one of those guys that hides little notes for you to find, and is genuinely very sweet. He's got a lot going for him, and every one who knows him has a lot of respect for him (as do I).
Lately I've been feeling like I'm beginning to fall in love with him, but I'd still like to hold off on exchanging those words for a while yet. A couple weeks ago, I was very drunk, he was sober, and we were having sex and he said "I love you" for the first time. It caught me off guard, but since I was drunk, I was able to easily brush it off and I didn't say anything in return. I acted as though I hadn't heard it at all. I figured he would hold off on saying it again anytime soon, as I did not reciprocate.
I was wrong. A couple of nights ago, he said it again, WHILE we were having sex. This time we were both sober, and I was caught off guard and panicked a bit, so I said it back. I didn't feel right about it after. I've decided that the next time we hang out, I will tell him that those 3 words mean a big deal to me, and I'm not quite ready to exchange them yet.
In the meantime, I wonder, why would he say it during sex? Both times? Is there a good way to ask him that without making him feel stupid? Does he actually love me? Or was he just really into what we were doing? Any thoughts?