Page 28 of What if It's Us

My brows peak. “Are you nervous, Marlee?”

“Yep.” She tips back her glass of vodka and orange juice, swallowing the rest of her drink. I only know it’s vodka and orange juice because the bottle of vodka and the carton of orange juice are still sitting on the counter next to where her glass was. “And I wouldn’t blame you one bit if you’re nervous as well.”

Is she nervous because of me?

Or just of the situation in general?

Shit. If it’s me, I don’t want her to be nervous.

This could be a lot easier if we could just fuck and try to knock her up the old fashioned way.

I could definitely make her feel a lot more at ease.

I wave away the offer of a drink, knowing I need to be strong for her. Confident. “I’m good, thanks. But it’s okay to be nervous,” I tell her. “What can I do to help?”

She brings her glass back to the counter and pours herself a few swallows of straight vodka before tipping it all back in one long gulp.

Fuck me.

Marlee can drink.

“You can provide me with a batch of your strongest, healthiest swimmers.”

I nod as the corner of my mouth lifts into a reassuring smile. “That I can do.”

“What have you got there?” she asks with a lift of her chin toward the gift bag hanging from my wrist.

“Oh. Uh, I got you a gift. I’m sorry if it’s a little personal but I was doing some reading about the fastest ways to get someone pregnant and well, I wasn’t sure if you had one so…” I hand the bag to Marlee and watch as she tugs on the tissue paper before pulling out the square box inside.

Immediately her cheeks redden and she bites her bottom lip.

Is she trying to hide a smile?

“You got me a rose vibrator?”

“The internet said it’s good for women to have an orgasm after they’ve been…”

“Inseminated?” she answers for me, her lips tugging upwards.

“Yeah.” I nod. “So, I did a little research and everyone says this one is the best. It can take you from zero to orgasm in a matter of seconds. I just…you know, I wanted to be thorough. For you. I want you to have your best shot at this.”

Fuck.

And now that I’m standing in front of the girl I’ve been crushing on, having just handed her a fucking vibrator, I feel like an absolute shmuck.

Shifting my stance I lower my head, shaking it in disbelief. “Sorry. It was a stupid idea. I shouldn’t have gotten something so?—”

“No,” she says, bringing her eyes to mine. “This was extremely thoughtful of you, Ledger. I love it. I mean, I…God…” She palms her forehead. “I shouldn’t say I love a vibrator. What I meant was I love the gesture.” She shakes her head again. “I mean I don’t not love the vibrator. Who doesn’t love a good vibrator, you know? Zero to big O in a matter of seconds?” She giggles nervously and brings a hand to the base of her neck, nodding adamantly. “That’s…that’s impressive. Thank you.”

Hell, she’s cute when she’s nervous.

“You’re welcome.”

We stand together in silence for a moment and then she finally inhales and releases a quick breath. “Okay, I guess we should do this, yeah?”

I give her a reassuring smile and nod. “Yeah. Let’s do it.”

Marlee leads me upstairs to her bedroom and gestures to the ensuite bathroom. “Uh, everything you need is in there on the counter. Oh!” Her brows pinch. “But I wasn’t thinking that you might want to lie down. If that’s the case, you’re more than welcome to be in here and I can wait in the bathroom.”

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