I shake my head, faking a smile. “Nothing.”
He narrows his eyes, taking three long strides to me before resting his hands on my hips. “Try again.”
I sigh. What do I say?I’m freaking out because I’m afraid you’re going to try to have sex with me and I don’t know if I’m ready for that?
“I—”
He leans closer. “You what?”
“I’ve only ever had sex once.”
Good job, Ash. Blurt out the most awkward shit you can think of.If I could smack myself upside the head, I would.
He cocks his head to the side. “Okay…?”
“I don’t know what I’m doing. Not that we’re having sex. But if you wanted to, I don’t want you to be disappointed. I don’t really know how any of this works.”Shut up, Ash.“Not that I think you’re just trying to sleep with me or anything.”
He grins.
“I don’t know what I’m saying. I’m just not good at this sort of thing. Shit.” I press my fingers into my lips. “I’m so sorry. I’m rambling.” As embarrassing as it is, tears prick my eyes.
“Hey.” He bends down to eye level. “I don’t expect anything. I just wasn’t ready for you to leave. Don’t freak out.”
I swallow, nodding. “I’m just nervous.”
“You don’t say?” He chuckles. “Look, I don’t ever want to do something you aren’t ready for. You don’t have to be nervous with me.”
My shoulders relax as he pulls me into a hug. My cheek presses against his hard chest when he wraps his arms around me, lifting my feet from the floor and putting me in his bed.
He stares down at me. “We can take this slow, but I’m all in.” His thumb brushes my cheek. “I’ve been all in.”
My heart leaps, and I roll my lips under, holding back a smile.
“I don’t plan on seeing anyone else, but I also don’t think it’s fair for me to ask that of you on the first date, so I don’t expect that in return. I just have no interest in anyone else.”
“This is a date?”
“I mean, yeah, sort of.” He brushes a stray curl from my face. “Obviously, I’ll take you out on a real date sometime. I just figured it might be nice to chill after the fiasco of last night.”
Nothing can conceal my wide grin this time.
He quirks a brow. “Is that a yes? You’ll go on more dates with me?”
I nod, eagerly. “Yeah. I’ll go on all the dates with you, Gabriel.”
He slips into bed beside me, pulling my body to his. His skin pressed against mine ignites something in my core. One corner of his mouth lifts. His full lashes flutter as he takes in every inch of my face like he’s trying to commit it to memory.
“You’re so fucking pretty,” he says.
It’s funny because being called pretty shouldn’t be so heart stopping. But when he says it, it is. It’s in the way the words leave his lips, sounding like I’m the prettiest girl he’s ever seen.
My lips tingle from wanting him to kiss me again, and my chest rises and falls heavier than before. His blue eyes meet mine, and his tongue makes a pass over his full bottom lip.
He snorts a laugh, rolling to his back to stare up at the ceiling.
I deflate a little, I want him over here, tangled up with me—staring at me.
“This is wild.” Rolling his head in my direction, he says, “I almost can’t believe you’re here.”
