V Card Sweetheart (Sweetheart, Colorado)

He holds his hands out toward me. “I’m sorry, I should have taken you to the guestroom, but I couldn’t resist lying next to you, with you tucked against me.”

My gaze drags down his body, and I swear his penis, which is covered only by a thin pair of shorts, twitches when I look at it. I know my eyes go wide as saucers, and I turn around because that’s the only way I’m going to be able to stop myself from looking at that.

I hear him stand up, and he moves behind me. He’s not touching me, but he might as well be because I can feel the hot heat from his body. “I’m sorry. I won’t touch you again. Not until you ask me to.”

I drop my head. He has to think I’m a freak.

“Jane, look at me.” And when I don’t move, he lowers his voice. “Please?”

With my eyes trained up on the ceiling, I turn around. I know if I look any lower, I’ll be looking right at the impressive bulge between his legs.

“Please look at me,” he says again.

I lower my eyes, knowing I look ridiculous. My head’s all angled weird so I’m looking into his eyes, but there’s no chance I will be caught looking between his legs.

The sincere look on his face catches me off guard. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken you to my bed, not without your permission. But I promise you, nothing happened.”

He looks so wary and upset, I know I need to explain. “I’ve never, uh…”

“I know you’re a virgin, Jane.”

I shake my head, totally mortified. “It’s not just that. I’ve never even kissed a man before. I know I’m being absurd.”

“No, you’re not.” He takes a step closer. “But can I ask you something?”

I nod my head.

“I know all this is new to you, and I didn’t mean to freak you out, but I have to know. Is it me?”

“What do you mean? Is what you?”

“Are you, uh, reacting this way because you don’t like me? Because if that’s the case, I’ll back off. It will kill me, but I’m not going to push something on you that you don’t want.”

He looks guarded, and I can’t even begin to try and understand this all. The only way I know how to handle it is to be honest and upfront with him. “If anyone else had asked to take me home with them, I would have told them no. I said yes to you because I like you and trust you, even if I don’t know you that well. So it’s not you. I would give anything to be able to wake up next to you and not freak out, but well, I did, because I’m not good at this. You honestly should be kicking me out about right now.”

His face softens, and he smiles at me. He lifts his arm like he’s going to reach for me, but at the last minute he lets it drop back at his side. “Do you work tonight?”

I’m surprised by the swift change of topic, but I answer him anyway. “No. Well, I’m not scheduled to, but if Cheryl calls in, which she’s likely to do, I’ll have to go in.”

He’s nodding his head. “Go out to dinner with me tonight?”

“Dinner?”

“It’s a date, Jane. I want to date you.”

7

Dutton

As soon as she said yes, I made sure she had everything she needed and disappeared with the promise I would be back to get her for dinner. I knew she needed time to process everything. Her mind is working double time and I know she’s stressed out – and that’s the last thing I want. I worked outside, went to the shop in Steamsprings and stopped by the college to talk to Martin- his cherry red Mustang was easy to find. I know without a shadow of a doubt he won’t be messing with Jane anymore. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to let her go back to her apartment. I’m finally making leeway with her, and there’s nothing that is going to come between us now.

I arrive back at the house in time to shower and get ready. She is still in her bedroom, so I grab the flowers from my truck and go back to the front door and ring the bell.

A few seconds goes by, and she opens it.

Right then, I knew I did the right thing. Her lips raise in the biggest smile I’ve ever seen, and she breathes my name softly as I hand the flowers to her.

“Dutton, you didn’t have to get me flowers.”

“This is our first date, Jane. And I want it to be the first of many, so yeah, I definitely should have brought you flowers.”

She blushes prettily, and after I help her find a vase for her flowers, I take her out to my personal truck and drive toward Steamsprings. As soon as I get onto the highway she asks, “Where are we going?”