Page 75 of The Facade

“No…” I said.

“No?” he asked.

I tucked some stray hair behind my ear. “I mean…” I looked at him bashfully. “I just got slightly nervous.”

“Because of me? Is this too much?” he asked. “Because I can slow this down. I know this is all new and I can be a lot sometimes. And—”

“It’s not too much.” I put a finger to his lips before he could suggest we stop and go back into our separate homes. “I guess I just want to make sure you’re fine with just kissing and not expecting more. Because I know you’re probably a lot more experienced than I am and—” I stopped, not sure how to finish my sentence without completely humiliating myself.

“And you want to make sure I’m not going to try to hook up with you tonight?” he asked.

I nodded, my whole body burning with embarrassment as I looked down at him.

But instead of laughing or looking like he was disappointed that this wasn’t going to end in his bedroom, he cupped my cheek gently in his hand and said, “I’m only planning on kissing you, Cambrielle.”

“You weren’t hoping for more?” I asked, my voice shaking slightly with nerves.

He shook his head. “I know I don’t exactly have the best reputation when it comes to things like this, but…” He pressed his lips together and really looked into my eyes when he said, “But despite any of the rumors you may have heard, I’ve never gone past second base.”

“What?”

“I’m a virgin,” he said.

“You mean you haven’t…?” I asked before I could stop myself.

He shook his head again. “There hasn’t been anyone I’ve wanted to do that with yet.”

Mack Aarden, the king of kissing…was actually a virgin?

“Really?” I asked, still not believing it.

“Yes, really.” He chuckled lightheartedly.

And I knew I should probably say something more, so I said, “I think that’s sweet.”

“Sweet?” He arched his eyebrows.

“Um…cool?” I tried again.

He laughed. “I’m fine with being considered sweet.”

We just stared at each other, smiling.

Then after a moment, he said, “So now that we know we’re on the same page—” He leaned his forehead against mine. “—is it okay if I kiss you again?”

My grin stretched wide across my cheeks as I said, “I think I would like that.”

24

Mack

“You’re reallygood at this, you know,” I told Cambrielle after we’d been kissing in my hot tub for an unknown amount of time. It could have been fifteen minutes, could have been an hour. I really didn’t know since time passed so quickly with Cambrielle.

“I had a good teacher.” She gently smoothed a hand across my chest, giving me a flirtatious look. “Areallygood teacher.”

“I told you I was a good teacher.” I grinned. “And now that you’ve said it, I guess we can put that on my resumé after all, can’t we?”

But she shook her head and gave me a serious look before saying, “Sorry, but I’m slightly territorial, and so I’m not going to want to share my kissing tutor with any other students after this.”

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