Page 45 of First Down Promise

I soften my voice. “It’s just me.”

“Yeah, but that’s still a little terrifying.”

I hold out my arms, keeping them wide. “Come here.”

She crosses her arms over her torso, gripping the bottom hem of her shirt to pull her top over her head, revealing the little strapless bra underneath it. She slides into the bed, and I toss the sheet and airy comforter over us and pull her to me. She melts into me and presses one of her legs between mine, and I brush my fingers through her hair.

“This is nice,” she mumbles into my chest. She bends her leg, and her knee grazes between my legs. “Oh, sorry.”

“It’s okay.” I plant a kiss on the top of her head and inhale the sweet scent of her hair products. “So, how far have you gone?” I ask quietly, attempting not to scare her off.

“Second base,” she answers.

Now, it’s my turn for my eyes to widen because that’s from far enough. “Have you seen a dick before?”

She shakes her head again. “Not in person.”

“Well, reach in if you want to feel it,” I invite.

Her gray eyes are wide as I stare into them, but I silence her with a kiss before she can argue with me. Not that I expected her to, but she needs to familiarize herself with my body first. In a way, it’s like I’m a teen again, fumbling around with a girl while my parents are out. I didn’t think I’d come across a virgin this far into adulthood, but unlike teenage me, I have a lot more patience and skill these days.

Abby’s fingers are hesitant as they explore the soft contours of my abs. I keep my lips on hers as if the kiss will encourage her, and lightly cup her cheek. Her fingers toy with the edge of my waistband, and I’m not sure if she’s trying to tease me or not.

Just go for it, I mentally tell her.

Her fingers grip my shaft near the base and drag upward toward the head. She breaks the kiss off and gasps, glancing downward. I know what she’s thinking, and a less well-endowed guy would be better in this instance. But she’s stuck with me.

“You can take it,” I quietly add. Abby moves her hand and retracts it from my briefs.

“I, uh, I don’t know,” she stammers.

“I’m not going to pressure you into anything. We can call it a night.” The words scrape on the way out, but she needs an out if she wants it.

She frowns, eyes turning panicked as they search mine. “No, we need to. I can’t stay a virgin at twenty-two.”

I sigh, smoothing my hand over her hair. “There’s no shame in that, but out of curiosity, why are you?” I ask.

Abby picks at the edge of the comforter. “I just never dated much, then moving here…” Abby pushes the back of her head into the pillow and plants her palms flat on the comforter. She stares at the ceiling fan whooshing around on the highest speed. “I could only think about you.” My mind blanks, so I let her words hang in the air, but she adds, “Every fling you had broke my heart, but then you’d come by and smile at me, and I’d be fine again. But I never thought about what would happen if you were mine. It seemed impossible.”

“That I’d like you back?” I ask.

“Yeah.”

I brush my thumb over her cheek. “Oh, Abby. I liked you a long time, too.”

She presses her lips together, then glances down between us. “So, have you been with a virgin before?” she nearly whispers.

“Do you really want to know?” I ask, and she nods, staring into my eyes. “A couple.”

Her lips purse, but quickly relax. “Were they this nervous?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

It’s a partial lie. They were probably nervous but also excited, and we were horny teenagers. The trouble with Abby waiting until now is that it gave her time to dwell on it, preconditioning her to be more nervous than necessary.

“Can I see it?” she whispers.

“Mm-hmm.” I shove my thumbs into my briefs waistband and shimmy them down my hips the best I can while lying down. Under the comforter, my cock springs free and fully hard. I kick off the briefs and gently take her hand to guide it to me. Her gaze drops between us as she takes in the length with her hand. “What do you think?” I ask with a light chuckle.