Page 58 of Sweet Caroline
“What?” Her shallow breaths mingle with mine, only drawing me closer.
“If you thought that kiss was good…” I dip down to brush my lips over hers and her eyelids flutter shut. “You should know…” I nip her full bottom lip, tugging gently until she whimpers and it pops from between my teeth. “I fuck like I kiss.”
Right as she lifts to kiss me, I step back, failing to fight off a smile at the way she has to catch herself before she topples forward.
Wide eyes snap to mine. “That was so unfair!”
With a smirk, I tuck my hands into my pockets again, discreetly adjusting myself in the process. “You still haven’t told me what you wanna try.”
“What?” She still looks a little disoriented and it’s fucking adorable. “Miles, this is bonkers.”
Bonkers?
I’m completely failing to keep a straight face here. Mildly spicy tacos might have taken her out, but it’s gonna be those cute fucking words that’ll be the death of me.
“It’s not bonkers!” I say.
It might actually be bonkers.
“I can’t—” she blurts out. “We can’t!”
I shrug. “Why not?”
Her shoulders drop. “We’ve known each other less than two weeks, I’ve roped you into this weird fake dating scheme with the press watching us, and now you wanna hop into bed together? This whole situation is wild, Miles!”
“So lean into it!” I throw my arms out wide. “Be wild! Hell, you said you wanted to find out what you like and try stuff, right? Break out of your shell?” I pump my eyebrows. “Maybe scream a bit?”
A crack forms in her composure. “Okay, yes, but?—”
“How else are you gonna figure that shit out?” I reach out to squeeze her fingertips. “You won’t know what you like until you try it. All I’m offering is a chance to try.”
She contemplates me for a beat. “Alright.Ifwe did this together,” she starts, then holds up a finger when I grin, “how would it… Like, how would it work?”
“Well, it’s not like I’ve done this before, either, but…” I think for a moment. “I guess, you gotta figure out what’s on your sex list.Oursex list.” I tilt my head, reconsidering my choice of words. “Or… our to-do list? Do-you list?” I make a dismissive face. “We’ll workshop the name. But c’mon. You gonna tell me what I just signed up for?”
“Miles, I can’t— I feel too on the spot, like if you want me to rattle off a list face-to-face like this?—”
“You want me to turn around, or…?” I can’t help myself; winding her up is too much fun.
“Stop!” she says through laughter. “I think I need some time tothink about it. Maybe write it down?”
“Sure. Of course.” I shrug, pretending I won’t be obsessing about this thing until I see it. “Take as long as you need.”
“Okay. And then, when you read it, I’ll just quietly die of shame in the corner or something.”
I reach out to give her fingers a quick squeeze. “Hey, you don’t need to be embarrassed with me. I’ve got an open mind. Whatever makes you feel good, I’m game.”
“But what if you aren’t? What if you don’t want to? Like, what if—” She balls her hands into fists, obviously a bit anxious about this idea.
“And,” I add, cutting into her spiraling with a pointed look, “if there’s anything I’m not cool with, I’ll tell you.” I don’t expect she’ll put any non-starters on her list—not that I have many. “But what are we talkin’ here, like ballpark style? Like, using toys and shit? Or are we gonna need to sacrifice an animal on a full moon?”
“Wha-a?” she splutters. “The first one. What kind ofweird?—”
“Hey,” I deadpan, holding up my hands, “don’t knock it ’til ya try it.” When her eyes bug out, I bark out a laugh.
“Miles! Oh my God!” She stares at me, clearly both shocked and amused. “I can’t believe you?—”
I cut her off with a hard kiss, her indignation slowly surrendering with each stroke of my tongue. And,holy shit, she tastes like I could do this all night.
