AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m a virgin,” I suddenly blurt out.
He stops short, his gaze meeting mine from across the room. Confusion washes over his face, then shock. He opens his mouth, but no words come out.
“I was … very into what was happening,” I admit, feeling myself reddening. “I’m into you. But … I didn’t want to ruin the mood by telling you I’d never had sex before, but I couldn’t just go through with it, and I—I freaked out.” I hadn’t really expected to be this honest, but here we are. I bite my lip, feeling the embarrassment rushing through me. I’ve just told him my most intimate secret, and there’s no going back.
The silence stretches around us, suffocating me. God, say something. Say anything, I plead. But as the seconds tick by, I can’t take it any longer.
I sling my purse over my shoulder, head down, and rush toward the door. “I shouldn’t have told you. I should’ve known it would be too much,” I mutter.
But before I can exit, Aiden rushes across the room and blocks me, closing the door with a click. I look up, his arm extended, leaning against the door, his frame towering over me. “You think I care that you’re a virgin?” he asks slowly, a frown crinkling across his face. “You think that’s too much for me?” He raises an eyebrow.
“I …” I stutter. “Sometimes it is for people,” I admit.
Surprise flashes across his face, and then there’s that smile again—that slight smirk that lights my lower belly on fire. “If you think I’m going to be scared off that easily, you’re wrong.”
I smile softly at this, a strange mixture of relief and arousal coursing through me. “Yeah?” I ask.
“You called it at the wedding,” he says, his voice low as he leans closer to me. “I’m a man who’s used to getting what he wants. And want you. I don’t care about the incidentals.”
My breath catches in my throat.
Aiden reaches for me, tucking a stand of hair behind my ear. “How about I take you on a real date?” he says.
Chapter 12
Aiden
Lilly sits in the passenger seat of my Porsche as I drive us to the restaurant. I’d chosen one of my favorites off the top of my head. An upscale Italian place slightly more downtown than the foundation, but definitely worth the drive. It’s a Monday night, so I’m hoping we’ll be okay to show up without a reservation. And if not, I have my ways of getting a table.
I keep glancing at her out of the corner of my eye. Her hair is pulled back into a low, messy bun, and she’s clutching her purse in her lap somewhat nervously. She’s seemed a little on edge ever since her admission a few minutes ago. Is it embarrassment, maybe?
I’d tried to keep the shock off my face when she’d told me she was a virgin. I’m still trying to keep the shock at bay now. But holy shit. A virgin?
How does a girl who looks like that end up a virgin at twenty-four? Surely she’s had dozens of men lining up, desperate for any crumb she’d throw them. It definitely can’t be from lack of male interest. Is she one of those religious types? I doubt so, considering she’s never mentioned it.
A small string of guilt gnaws at my insides remembering the wedding last weekend. It makes sense now why she’d run off. Why she’d gotten nervous and overwhelmed. I wish she’d just told me then. I would have slowed things way down, let her take the lead.
Speaking of which, I realize that things with Lilly will have to go slowly from here. And to my utter shock, I’m totally okay with it. More than okay with it. I’m determined to get to know her, learn more about her, inside and out. Normally, a girl who required this much effort … well, I’d have moved on by now. But there’s something about Lilly that’s different. Something about her that gets me thinking about more than just sleeping with her. Yeah, of course, that would be great, but I find myself daydreaming about other things. Simply spending time with her. Laughing. Hanging out.
I almost laugh out loud at the absurdity. Aiden from a month ago would be appalled. Never did he think a girl would be worth the effort.
Boy was he wrong.
When we walk into the restaurant, Lilly’s eyes widen in awe at the grandeur of the place. She looks around, taking it all in. The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, the elegant décor, the chinking of wine glasses.
“This place looks … nice,” she comments quietly.
“It is,” I say with a shrug.
We’re shown to a table, and we take our seats. Lilly glances around the room, seemingly avoiding eye contact. There’s an awkwardness in the air between us, something I’m hoping will dissipate with some wine and conversation. I don’t want her to feel awkward, embarrassed. I want her to feel like we did at the wedding. Carefree, happy. I shoot her a warm smile, and she sends a hesitant one back to me.
The waiter comes for our drink order, and we each choose a glass of wine.
“How is yours?” I ask gently after she takes her first sip.
“Good.” She smiles.
After a pause, I say, “I meant what I said at the wedding.”
