Page 16 of His Off-Limits Christmas Gift

She smirked. “No.” She sighed again. “Anyway, my mom and his mom have basically assumed we’d marry and pop out tons of grandkids. I don’t know. They always joked that we’d be together. Then in junior high, we ‘went steady’ and then in high school, we dated.”

“I’m following you that far, but still not seeing how you’re clueless.” If she had been with this guy for five years or so… She had to learn a thing or two about how to make a man—her man—happy.

“After we graduated, he moved further away for college. I went to the community college closer to Rockton.”

“Ah. Long distance?”

She nodded. “So I never had to really flirt to get his attention. We knew each other so well already and we were right next door. Then I never had to compete to, like, keep his attention. I was all he knew, and vice-versa.”

“Yet you insist you’re naïve and clueless about men.”

“I am.” She licked her lips again. “We had more of a…” She framed a vague shape with her hands. It gave me no clues what she was saying or gesturing, and I wondered if she was venting, talking with her hands but not sure how to. “Tame relationship.”

I stared at her, deadpan. “Tame?”

“I’ve never been kissed.”

My brows shot up high.

“Not like arealkiss.”

I mimed making out with the air, holding someone’s head to mine. “Like that?”

She tossed her straw wrapper at me, laughing. “Don’t make fun.”

“I’m not!”

“I’m…” She cringed.

“You’re a virgin.” That was about as tame as it could go.

Her cringe deepened as she nodded. “That’show I’m clueless. And I…” She lowered her gaze, tapping her fingers on the table. That downcast look made her look coy, innocent, and so much more tempting that I could hardly stand it. Hearing that she was untouched made me a little wild, somehow. Like she needed guidance. Like she might wantmyguidance.

The food arrived then, giving her a break, but I gently prevented her from reaching for her wrap. I slid the food aside and cleared my throat. “You’re a virgin,” I repeated, keeping my voice low, “but you want to jump on to this idea that having a holiday fling is the way to go about this?”

“Yeah. Like Julie said. Why not?” She dragged her plate closer and picked up her wrap.

“How about why?” I challenged. It seemed she wanted to talk and eat at the same time, and that was fine with me. Just so long as she didn’t leave me hanging and end the conversation there.

After she swallowed a bite, she shrugged. “What do you mean, why?”

“Why would hooking up with some player like TDAH make things any better?”

She didn’t hesitate. “I’ve been wondering for years what it would feel like. I’ve been wanting a man to show me how good it can feel.”

Oh, fuck me.I could. I’d push her to come so hard, she wouldn’t know which way was up or down. Pleasure waited for her. Hours of it.From me.All she had to do was ask.

“I kept thinking Kyle was just shy. Or he wanted to wait until marriage. Or I don’t know. I lost hope a few years ago, thinking something was wrong with me so he didn’t act on it.”

I choked on my food in my rush to dispel that idea. “No.” I coughed more, clearing my throat. “No, Rachel. There isnothingwrong with you.”

“Good.” She smiled a bit, almost shyly. “Then maybe my Christmas wish can come true.”

“Your wish to find a man who can make you feel good.” It should’ve been a question, but I stated it dryly, wishing she weren’t serious about hooking up with just any old prick who looked her way. That wasn’t good enough for her. She deserved to be cherished. Worshiped.

“Yes.” She looked me dead in the eye, daring me not to believe her.

I did. I one hundred percent, wholeheartedly did believe that she wanted this to happen. And that it would. She was too smart and sexy not to get some, even without putting any effort into it.

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