Page 132 of Barbi and the Villain

“Uhm.” I peer at him from beneath my lashes. “None?”

His gaze scans me from head to toe before he releases a deep sigh, as if my answer offered him relief.

“And those guys your age?” He raises a brow at me.

An awkward smile pulls at my lips.

“There aren’t any,” I murmur dryly.

Taking a step forward, he drops to one knee in front of me. His palm cups my cheek, his thumb caressing my jaw.

“Good,” he purrs. “I will take you back to the cabin now.”

I stare at him in confusion.

“W-what?” I blink. That was sudden. “Did I do something wrong? Did you want to…you know? I’m so sorry, Nykander, but I always imagined my first time to be special, and this isn’t exactly special.” I wave toward the dog house. “Especially since I don’t know if I have fully forgiven you just yet. Maybe after we spend more time together? You know, not fighting and with you not being an ass. I know you said you want to consummate the bond but… Can I have some time? That is not to say I don’t want to. It’s just that I don’t know what to expect, really. I’ve read books and I’ve seen spicy movies, but that’s about it, and I know real life is not fiction so…”

There I go, rambling like a mad woman again.

“Barbi.” He smiles. “You do not have to worry about it. We will go at your pace,” he assures me.

I give him a tremulous smile.

“Thank you.”

“But that is not why I need to take you back,” he continues, his voice holding a hint of embarrassment.

My brows go up. In response, he points to his pants.

My eyes travel down his body for the first time and a gasp flies past my lips.

He’s hard. Very, very hard. Painfully hard.

“I require some time to fix this problem,” he adds apologetically. “And that sweet smell of yours does not make it easy on me.”

“Oh.”

“Come on, it is late. I will take you back.”

He helps me to my feet, ready to go, when I stop him.

“Are you sure you are not mad?” I ask, taking a step back to put some distance between us.

But because I am a clumsy mess who is blushing uncontrollably, I trip backward. Limbs flailing, I almost make contact with the ground when he catches me. He steadies me, his touch burning me through my clothes.

“I am not mad, Barbi. Why should I be? I respect your choices and I will let you take the lead.”

I bite my lip.

“Is that painful?” I nod toward the dent in his pants. “Since you know… You haven’t had any action in thousands of years. You haven’t, right? You said you haven’t looked at another woman, but does that mean you also haven’t…done it?”

“It?” He raises a brow, amused.

“You know what I mean,” I mumble awkwardly.

“Yes, that is exactly what it means. I have not been with a female in over seven thousand years.”

My lashes flutter.

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