Page 26 of Light My Fire

He nods. “It was. I mean…” He runs his hand through his hair. “You’re a gorgeous woman. We’re all attracted to you. I’m sure that’s not a shock. But we would never… expect anything… or want you to think…” He sighs. Then he meets my gaze directly. “We do like to flirt and tease. We, obviously, don’t makea secret of it when we’re drawn to a woman. But I don’t want you to think that I…we… any of us… would ever pressure you.”

Watching him stumble over all of this makes me realize two things. One, Wyatt Doherty is a really good guy. And two, me being a virgin makeseveryoneuncomfortable.

“Thanks,” I say. “And I know. I’m not uncomfortable,” I repeat. “And I trust you guys. I’m inexperienced, but the flirting is fun. So, no worries, okay?”

He looks relieved. “Okay.”

He hauls himself up out of the tub and then reaches for the towel and holds a hand out to me.

I rise out of the water and am absolutelychagrinedwhen he diverts his gaze as I step out of the tub.

Ugh.

He wraps the towel around me, rubbing my shoulders briskly. Then he reaches for the blanket and also drapes that around my shoulders.

I pull it together in front of me and then we run across the snow covered deck.

Once inside, we all head to the bedrooms to dry off and change clothes.

And I opt for baggy clothes and a bra. Because obviously I’m not seducing anyone this weekend.

Being a virgin is such a pain in the ass.

CHAPTER 6

Luke

A virgin.

Brooke Wilder is avirgin.

This has to be some kind of cosmic joke.

Thanks, Universe, for trapping me in a cabin during a snowstorm with the first woman in years I’ve been interested in and MAKING HER A VIRGIN.

Who wants to watch Fifty Shades of Grey.

For fuck’s sake.

As if this weekend wasn’t torturous enough, now I have the image stuck in my head that some guy—some random fucking asshole—is going to be the first man to be inside her tight and eager body.

It should make it easier to shut down all thoughts of her and to steer clear of any flirting. Because her being a virgin complicateseverything. If she’s waited this long to have sex, clearly she’s waiting for The One. A relationship, marriage, forever.

None of which I can give her.

The thought of marriage should be like a bucket of ice water dumped over my head. And my dick.

Yet, it doesn’t seem to be working that way. My brain is fixated on her. She laughs, I want to laugh with her. She smiles, I feel immense satisfaction that she’s happy. She sat on Wyatt’s lap and my dick got hard. Rock fucking solid hard. I wanted her on my lap wiggling that perky little ass on me and yet, weirdly, didn’t mind that it was Wyatt enjoying wrapping his arms around her. At least I know he’s a decent guy. He’s a great option for her losing her virginity, to be totally honest. He’d be gentle, caring, romantic. Hell, they might end up falling in love and getting married. I wouldn’t be surprised. She could do a lot worse than to have Wyatt be her first.

Unlike me, who likes it rough and casual.

Not that she asked my opinion about how and when and with whom she should lose her virginity.

I’m so lost in my damn thoughts, I realize I’m holding a shitty hand when it’s time for the showdown in a poker round with the guys. I clearly wasn’t bluffing well either because neither folded and I lost twenty bucks.

Brooke went to bed immediately after we got out of the hot tub. I think us scattering like cockroaches after her confession made her uncomfortable. I didn’t mean to bolt. I just was in shock and I couldn’t think straight. I had to get the hell away from her sweet smile and her nearly naked body, nipples tight in her pale blue bra.

I’d say I blame Jackson and his relentless flirting, but the truth is, we needed to hear she’s a virgin. Anything any one of us was thinking before has to be viewed through a new lens. The virgin lens.

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