Well, here goes.

I have been talking to a beautiful, curvy young woman a few years (6) younger than me for a few weeks. We went out on Wednesday for a late dinner, she was absolutely giddy, and we had a wonderful romantic dinner. She suggested while we were still on the date that we would hang out Sunday at her place for awhile (I obviously agreed without delay!). The night ended with a brief kiss and her biting her lip while running to her place.

Today I came by with some food and we curled up on the couch watching a bad 80's movie together. After a little while we were both feeling tired (full stomachs, plus I worked all night, she was writing papers for a class most of the night) so we spooned close together. Well, soon she was doing the classic ass wiggle and moaning quite a bit against me, and we ended up starting some of the most passionate, beautiful lovemaking of my life. We went at it for nearly 40 minutes, but before I completed she asked to stop(which I did immediately, without delay). She starts saying " this was a mistake" ETC and excused herself to go tend to an on-call issue (she is a student resident aide at her school).

After she came back she begins apologizing saying it was her fault and so on and so forth. She had to do homework and whatnot (which was true, I knew about the homework beforehand), and I didn't want to seem like a prick, so I left as asked. She walked me out, hugged me a few times and even kissed me a pretty touching goodbye.

I mean, I really don't know what to do. I am beside myself. I have never once in my 15 years of sexual history had a woman say she regretted having sex with me (mainly because I have grown up and don't just hop into bed with anyone. That and I am the kind of guy that is FAR more focused on their pleasure than my own.).

Am I right to be freaking out about this? I mean, I don't want to sound crazy, but this woman is something special to me. I don't want to drive her away and I don't want to seem like some horn dog, but I am nuts about her.

Any suggestions on what I can say, how I can smooth this over? I mean, it wasn't like we drank anything ( we hadn't). Anything?

Oy gevalt, Humptydance,

Methinks you've become the victim of the new millennial prick-teaser - you know, the kind that fucks you blind but asks you to hold it before the big finale. Believe me, there is nothing to "smooth over." You  haven't done anything wrong, so stop thinking in those terms, or else you'll just beat yourself up for nothing.

Are you right about "freaking out?" No, you are wrong LOL. Really. What's there to freak out about? She was horny, you both fucked, she had second thoughts (or maybe she was afraid of getting pregnant or an STD if there was no condom involved, whaddo I know) and that's that. She's not regretting having sex WITH YOU, she's regretting that her brain was not screwed on entirely straight in the moment.

Unfortunately, women in most cultures (ours included, unfortunately) have grown up with the notion that there has to be romance, dating, and other shenanigans taking place before a fuck can occur. Rarely does a woman just admit to herself "I'm super-horny and I'm gonna fuck like a rabbit" and just go for it. In this case, her brain got the best of it and led her into some really great sex. Did it frighten her? Probably so. Does she want more? Maybe, but she has to "cool down" now and assess if you're the right kind of guy for her.

So what to do? I'm always one for honesty and a minimum of game-playing. Give her a week to cool down and then call her to find out if she's up for going out again. If yes, then proceed as you have in the past and let her take the lead (she's obviously the old-fashioned type who just can't let herself go without all sorts of anguish afterwards.) If no, then try to forget about her. Life is too short to deal with neurotic chicks. Really.

Can we have the 70's again *sigh,
The Love Goddess

Oy,
From your description you were a total gentleman even when placed in a difficult situation.  However, the lady is in the driver'seat.  I agree with LG that you need to give her time & space to reflect on what she wants from you & her own life.  
Then you may cautiously approach her.  Do not mention the previous occurance.  You may say you are fond of her & want to see her more.  At that point the ball is in her court.  Either she'll want to see you more & see where it leads or she'll decide not to.  You will accept her decision, no matter which way it goes.  
I suspect she wants to see more of you but perhaps is frightened by her own response.  

If she decides to see you, then you should be sure that she is protected in order to avoid a recurrance.  That is what a gentleman does.
skb

PS Also agree liked the 60s & 70s better.

Well, after a conversation with her, she said she freaked out because we had moved to the physical part of the relationship so "fast" and she kinda panic'd. Things seem to be ironed out.

I totally get what you are saying LG, after talking with some other guys I know in the current dating world, they told me plenty of horror stories.

From many "Man reports" It almost seems like many women are chasing the old male ideal if "nut and run". They have their fun, and fuck whoever else was in the bed with you. Its especially frustrating for those of us that have spent years building up staying power and learning how to romance a woman. It's almost enough to get me back with providers full time!

The end?