Page 58 of It Must Be Love

"You're not going to want to explore a relationship with me…not a sexual one. So, maybe we can be friends."

"Don't fucking friend zone me, Naya."

"What if I tell you that if you look at all of me, you won't want to have sex with me?"

I wondered if she'd talk about the accident Darren had mentioned, the scars Ann had told me about.

"I'm looking at you, and babe, I'm ready to go." I thrust my hips against her so she could feel what she did to me. "I've had a semi or full hard-on since I walked into your apartment."

"That's because of this stupid dress," she exclaimed.

I laughed. "No, it's you. How do you explain me having a hard-on while you're presenting in a meeting?"

"You did?"

"Yeah. Sometimes, I had to sit after everyone left so as to not embarrass myself."

She licked her lips, and I couldn't help myself and dropped a kiss on her mouth. I wanted desperately to kiss her, stick my tongue down her throat, but the way she was going on about how I would not want her when I saw her without her clothes on meant I had to take this slow.

"Fine. I…" she let out a trembling breath, "you have to see me naked."

"Not that I don't want to, but—"

"Darren said that I had to let you see me naked, and then I'm sure you'll leave, and then maybe we can be friends."

"Is that what happened with Darren?" I asked, now angry with that asshole. "You were dating, and he—"

"God no," she retorted. "We've always been friends. Only friends. And he's seen me naked, and it does nothing for him. Which I get. I've seen him naked, and he has one hell of a body, and it did nothing for me."

"Good to know," I murmured. She was fascinating. One minute, she sounded naïve and the other, so confident. I wanted to peel all her layers and get to know everything about her.

She took my hand in hers. "Let's do this before the yule log. And…then you can decide what you want."

"Why don't you tell me first what you want? Are you attracted to me at all? Are you interested in a relationship? I have no idea how you feel, Naya, about me."

She gave me a confused look. "Are you blind?"

Yeah, not afraid to challenge me or confront me. She was nuts if she thought a few scars on her body were going to turn me off.

"You haven't said any fucking thing, Naya, except that when you were fifteen, you had a crush on me."

She slumped a little at that. "I…first we do naked, and then if…you know how I feel is going to be moot."

"Fine. Let's do it naked. Do I keep my clothes on, or should I take mine too?"

"Joke all you want, buddy, but you're going to eat your words."

"I'm hurt, Naya, that you don't want to see me naked, and you've seen Darren in the nude," I teased.

"Don't leave right away, okay? You'll want to, but promise you won't just walk out. Just let me get dressed, and we'll eat dessert, and then you can go. Okay? I couldn't stand it if…."

I rested my forehead against hers, wanting to tell her that would never happen, but she didn't trust anyone, and why should she? People had been shit to her.

"I promise," I breathed.

Chapter 21

Naya

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