Page 29 of Fumble

“Wow! You’re setting the bar high here. I’m going to have to bust out my A-game.”

“Hunter, you dirty talker.”

“You have no idea. Okay…” My mind goes blank as I stare at the soft swell of her breasts disappearing beneath the water. “Skinning the fish.”

“That’s your A-game? Comparing my cooter to a fish?”

“No! Not what I meant.”

“Yeah. Yeah. That would make you a clam-burglar!” Our laughter echoes against the marble floors.

“Just call me Bust-a-hyme.”

“Oh my God! I love that. You win. That will be your nickname after you lose this wager.” I sober at the mention of our arrangement.

“Faith, I’ve got to ask, are you sure about this? You deserve to be with someone who loves you, who’s going to cherish you waiting to have sex until it means something.”

“That’s what my parents have been drilling into me my whole life.”

“Is it so bad? I think most parents want the best for their kids. Trust me, losing my virginity wasn’t the best experience of my life.” She reaches out her hand, drip, drip, dripping on the floor. I edge closer, wary of what she’ll say next.

“I get it, but for me, I don’t know how to explain it.” I take her hand in mine, sensing her reticence to open up to me.

“Try, please. I want to understand.”

“I feel like I’m a letdown.”

“You could never be a letdown. You just graduated at the top of your class from one of the best universities in the country.”

“I know, but they have all these plans. Like my life was planned out before I even got a chance to decide for myself.”

“But, at some point, you have to do what you want. You’re a grown woman.”

“And that’s what I’m doing with this wager. I want to enjoy losing my virginity. I’ve built it up too much in my head over the years, and now I’ve decided this is the way I want it to happen, so I don’t wait for love and happily ever after. Is that so terrible?” Something inside me twists in anguish for her. I understand trying to work on getting past the scars our parents leave behind, but there’s something she’s not saying. Something more.

“No. God, no. Sex is… amazing, but if you really want this, I need to update the rules.”

“I’m intrigued.”

“It’s not going to be all about sex. I’m going to teach you romance.”

“That’s sweet, but I’ve had boyfriends. I get the romance thing. They were nice guys. We did other stuff. I just couldn’t get out of my head long enough to do the actual deed.”

“No offense, but they were boys. I’m talking about how a real man does romance.”

“A real man, eh? I like the sound of that. Do you know any?” I slip my hand from her grasp and reach for a towel.

“I think it’s time you come out of there. You’ll wrinkle like a prune if you stay in much longer.” Without an ounce of shyness, she stands, naked and unafraid of my eyes drinking her in. The bubbles slowly glide down over each curve revealing every tantalizing inch of her body.

“Are you going to hand me that towel?”

“For a virgin, you’ve got unbelievable game.”

“Why, thank you, kind sir. Hand me my towel, please.” I don’t want her to cover up, holding it just out of her reach, coaxing her toward me. With a playful grin, she steps one foot onto the cool marble, but just as she grasps the towel, her other foot slips. I watch in slow motion as she scrambles to correct herself, but it’s too late. She slams down on the edge of the tub before falling to the floor, her head making an almighty thud against the unforgiving tile.

I wrap the towel around her, pulling her into my lap, the wet of her body seeping through my clothes.

“Are you okay?” She attempts to burrow her head in my chest, but I want to take a look at her. It sounded like a bad hit.

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