Page 56 of Sweet Caroline
“Kinda, actually,” I say, impressed she caught on so quickly. Mount Makott was known as Mount Make Out when I was in high school. “But that’s not why I brought you here, I swear.” It’s not a lie, exactly—more of a massaging of the truth.
She stops when we reach the top and peers inside. While these old living quarters used to have doors, they’ve been long since removed. The space is open to the public now, maintained by the parks department like a mini museum on stilts.
We cross the room to the expansive windows overlooking thetown, and Caroline’s jaw drops as she takes in the view—the entirety of Lennox Valley spread out before us like a glowing tapestry. “This is…” She trails off, momentarily at a loss for words. “Gorgeous.”
“I know.” I take a moment to watch her in profile under the dim utility light—the gentle slope of her slightly upturned nose and the absentminded way she touches her neck. “So fucking gorgeous.”
She tears her eyes away from the view to look at me. “This is where you wanted to talk?”
“Yeah.” I shove my hands in my pockets, letting a small smirk pull at my lips. “About that list of yours.”
She scrunches her nose and scans the room again, taking in the wooden pallet where a mattress used to rest, the tiny and practical kitchen, the bare cupboards without any doors, and the circular fire finder map mounted on a table in the center of the room. The place used to house whatever the forestry version of a lighthouse keeper is, I guess.
When she’s quiet for long enough that I start to doubt myself, I break the silence. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t wanna.”
“It’s not that.” Caroline turns back to me. “It’s just… I don’t really know what to say.”
“Well, you said you wanna try things.” I cross my arms. “You got anything specific in mind?” I won’t push her, but I get the sense she wants to open up. Maybe she doesn’t know how.
She opens her mouth, then shuts it and lets out a long cringe-groan, like after I caught her peeking at me changing. She shakes out her hands like she can physically shake off the feeling. “This is so awkward, Miles!”
I laugh.
Embarrassed Caroline is fucking cute.
“Should I guess?” I ask.
“No!”
“Is it butt stuff?”
“Miles!” She drops her face into her palms.
“It’s butt stuff, isn’t it?”
“No-o-o-o-ooooo!” she whine-laughs, letting her arms fall. “It’s not butt stuff!”
“Hey.” Grinning, I step closer and tilt her chin up until she meets my eyes. “I’m just messing with you.”
She gives me a look. “Okay, here’s the thing: I don’t actually know. I mean, sex has always been… fine for me.”
“Fine?” I draw back a bit.
She throws her hands out at her sides. “Yes. Fine!”
I stare at her in horror.
“What?” She stares right back. “What’s wrong with fine?”
I can’t quite believe what I’m hearing. “Shit, Fletcher is a bigger dickhead than I thought.” That asshole had this stunning woman in his life and never gave her anything better thanfine? Never gave her the pleasure she deserves? And, to make matters worse, she doesn’t even seem to know what she’s been missing.
Now Ireallywish I’d punched him.
I groan and run a hand down my face, enraged by the injustice of it for her. “You can’t just carry on like this. Not knowing.”
“Not knowing what?”
“How good it can be!” I drop my shoulders. “Caroline,fineis for boring shit like traffic and the weather. But sex? Sex should be… fucking amazing. Incredible. So good you think you might die sometimes.”
