Page 100 of The Surprise Play

I can’t go back to his place, because he’s embarrassed at the idea of dating me.

“I’m worried if I do that…,” he continues.

Everyone will see us together, and then he’ll need to explain why he’s asked me out. People won’t get it, and?—

“I’ll want to take you up to my room and…”

Wait. What?

My body flushes with a mixture of pleasure andtrepidation as he leaves the sentence hanging. Letting me fill in the gaps with wondrous, terrifying ideas of what we could get up to in his room.

Turning in my seat to face him, I ignore the belt clip digging into my hip and blink at him. “You’d… want to take me up to your room?”

“Yeah.” He clears his throat, his gaze a little playful and a whole lot hungry. “And I wouldn’t want to be studying.”

I swallow, breathing shallow as my heart rate ratchets up a notch. “Do you… um… do you take m-many girls up to your room?”

I’m trying to ask casually, but honestly, the way I’m stumbling over my words makes me sound like a nervous idiot.

His laughter is soft and husky. Scratching his short whiskers, he keeps his eyes trained out the window and nods. “Yeah.”

“But you don’t want to take me,” I whisper. “I understand.”

“No, no. What?” He jerks around to face me, cupping the side of my face and looking kind of desperate. “Ireallywant to take you. That’s what I’m saying.”

I swallow again, not really sure how else to respond.

“But if I do that, I’m gonna want you on my bed. I’m gonna want to…” His eyes float over my body, lingering on my chest before skimming down to my legs.

My heart does this weird kick.

“I need you to be different,” he whispers.

“Why?”

“Because you’re… special.” He shrugs, his lips twitching into a soft smile before the tip of his tongue darts out the side of his mouth. “You’re also a virgin.”

Heat pours into my cheeks like two hot irons have been pushed into either side of my face.

“Is it that obvious?” I try to make it light, but my joke falls flat, my nervous giggle only compounding the awkward silence that follows. “I’m really not that special, Wily. I’m just an inexperienced girl who?—”

“No, you are.” He runs his hand down my arm and threads our fingers together. “You’re special, and I…” He sighs. “God, this makes me sound like such an asshole, but I usually only date girls who want to keep things super casual. You know? We go out for a drink and get busy, then go our separate ways. Or maybe we’ll enjoy a few hookups, but there’s never any sense of getting close or getting to know each other.”

I start nibbling on my bottom lip.

“But I want to get to know you, Satch. You’re not one-and-done. I want a second date.”

The trilling inside me whips into a frenzy. “Are you saying that if we sleep together, you won’t get one?”

“No.” He snickers, then shrugs. “Maybe. I don’t…” He clears his throat. “This is all… new for me too.”

I give him a skeptical frown. “I get the impression that you date a lot of girls.”

“No, I mean… making PB&J sandwiches and taking you to my sacred ground… I don’t do that. And I have no idea what compelled me to treat you differently from everyone else, but I’ve just had to, you know? Which means I can’t go putting my hands all over you the way my body is screaming at me to.”

I wrap my arms around myself, putting on a bravesmile and going into protective mode. The thought of his hands all over me, exploring every intimate part of my body, is equal parts fascinating and terrifying, enticing and mortifying.

He skims his thumb over my bottom lip, then lightly traces the shape of my mouth before running his fingers down my chin and caressing the side of my neck.