“Oh. Am I sleeping in here?”
“Hell no.” He walked into the bathroom and turned on the light. “You can get changed here. There are extra toothbrushes, lotion, washcloths, in the restroom.”
“Do you get many overnight guests?”
“I do. Not the fun kind. Just a revolving door of baby brothers and cousins and family friends. When everyone is here we play musical houses a lot, depending on Miss Leona’s mood. I got tired of people complaining about how they got locked out of Zach’s or my grandmother’s and forgot their toothbrush.”
“Ah, makes sense. Well, let me freshen up then and we’ll regroup in your bed?”
“See you soon.”
She watched him as he walked out the door, then closed it behind him. She wasn’t trying to rush, but she rushed. She quickly used the restroom, then checked out this stocked cabinet he spoke of. Sure enough, extra everything, including some very expensive face washes and lotions. Jesse Pleasant had taste. She changed out of her clothes and into her borrowed shirt that fell just above her knees. She took off her makeup and brushed her teeth, then twisted up her hair. Jesse didn’t have extra bonnets, but she’d survive for one night. She checked herself one more time in the mirror, then grabbed her phone and went to find Jesse.
She tried not to swallow her tongue at the sight of him standing beside his bed in nothing but a pair of thigh-andcrotch-hugging boxer briefs. His eyes were glued to his phone, which worked for Lily-Grace. She needed a few seconds to take him all in.
“Sorry.” He dimmed his phone and set it on his night-stand. She didn’t say anything about the handful of condoms he’d placed there as well. Ready and within reach was always a good idea. Just in case. “I always go over my calendar before bed.”
“No, of course. What else do you need to do?”
“Nothing.” He walked to the edge of his neatly made bed and pulled back the sheets, revealing a respectable number of pillows. Two of which were draped with satin pillow cases. She didn’t need a bonnet after all. “Please,” he went on, his voice deep and raw. “Ladies first.”
“Why, thank you.” She climbed into the bed and waited for him to shut off most of the lights so he could join her. A blue ambient glow coming from the TV mounted above his fireplace gave off just enough light for Lily-Grace to see his handsome face as she snuggled close and rested her chin on his chest. His hand slowly rubbed over the small of her back. She wanted him to move his hand a little lower and lift the hem of her T-shirt. He’d discover pretty quickly that she didn’t have any underwear on. A little more exploration and he’d see just how wet she was for him. But she wasn’t sure if he was ready for that, and she didn’t want to push or force him to rise to the occasion if he wasn’t ready. She was happy to wait, for now.
“So what’s next in your bedtime routine?”
“Usually, I’ll lie here for a little and then remember I have a pretty busy schedule. And then I usually fall asleep.”
“Well, let’s go to sleep then.”
“Canyousleep right now?”
“I mean, not right this second, but this is nice.” She snuggled closer and kissed his stubbled chin. Her heart started to pound when he shifted a little so he could kiss her on her mouth. When they broke apart she looked up at him as his eyes ran over her face. She knew what he saw, the way the portion of vitiligo had spread over her right eye and the smaller portion that stretched from the left side of her chin and up over the corner of her mouth. She’d stopped covering it up with makeup years ago. His hand continued its smooth circles up and down her back.
“I want to know what you think will scare me away.”
“Nope. We’re still on level one of your sex lessons. I’m like level forty-five. I want us both to feel comfortable talking about that stuff, and I don’t think we’re there yet. Why don’t you tell me what you’re holding on to in that gentlemanly imagination of yours.”
“Through my research I’ve learned that I need to get to know your body and what you like.”
“Is that right? You want to get to know my body?”
“Yes. I want to please you.”
“And what about your body? What about what you like?”
He was quiet for a second, looking down where their fingers were intertwined. “It’ll be easier for me if we start with you.”
“Okay. But just know that I do want you, and I want all of this to be good for you too. So much of sex seems to focus on men just getting off, but there’s more than that. If you’re open to it.”
“I am,” he said hesitantly. There was something else. Maybe something to do with his past experiences or his own self-body image. Lily-Grace understood all of it. She just wanted them both to have a good time.
“I like being fingered,” she admitted. She liked being fingered and paddled or fingered and spanked, a lot, but that wasn’t necessary at the moment. Jesse swallowed, his gaze dipping to her lips again.
“What else?”
Lily-Grace sat up on her elbow and gently placed her hand on his stomach. His whole body clenched under her touch. “Is this okay?”
“Yeah. Your hands are cold.”
