Page 65 of Miss Typed

“He made it your business by spilling it at the table. And frankly, you said exactly what he needed.”

Having her clean up wasn’t part of the first-date plan, either.

“Stop. Please. Just leave them.”

She set the dishes in the sink and wiped her hands on a dish cloth. “Okay.” Moving closer to me, she put her hand on my chest, where my heart beat like a kick drum. “You mentioned dessert?”

“I bought a cake.” I don’t think lamer words had ever been uttered. “I wasn’t sure what to do for dessert, but if I baked anything, it wouldn’t be edible. And I knew you liked chocolate, but I didn’t get nuts because you’re allergic.”

Her smile grew big at my dessert ramblings. “Let’s eat cake.”

It wasn’t the way I’d pictured this date progressing, and yet sitting on my couch to eat cake with Chloe, her shoes kicked off, feet tucked under her, seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

“Chocolate cake is the best. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Next time I’ll take you out for a proper dinner and dessert.”

She set her plate aside and faced me. “As much as I enjoyed our wine tasting the other night, I much prefer quieter evenings at home. And I’m wildly impressed with the effort you put in to making me my favorite meal.”

I liked quiet evenings at home, too. “Your roommate said that lesson turned you on to red wine.”

“It definitely did. Can I ask you a personal question? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“Okay.” My hesitation was obvious, but for this girl, I’d try.

“Have you had sex since the accident?”

Old insecurities kicked in. “No. Things are still functioning, but I’m not quite sure about the mechanics, or how to do things with or without the prosthesis. If I’m being honest, I might not be the best first time for anyone.”

She came over to straddle my lap, sitting so she was eye to eye with me.

I held my breath, wondering what she’d say.

“The chances of me noticing anything over my own awkwardness and nerves are pretty slim.”

“I want it to be perfect for you.”

“It’s with you. It already is.”

Fuck me. This girl was too good for me, but I’d give anything to try to be the man she saw. The man I wished I could be again. My hands smoothed back her hair from her face. She was so damn beautiful. “I don’t want to hurt you, Chloe.”

She swallowed hard. “It hurts when you’re not touching me.”

I was done fighting it. Yet there was one boundary I wasn’t ready to cross. One insecurity I couldn’t yet let go of. “I don’t know if I’m ready for you to see—”

She put her finger to my lips. “Then we won’t go there. Now shut up and kiss me.”

My smirk came easily. “Yes, ma’am.”

We should probably have talked about expectations and boundaries, but I couldn’t keep any of that in my mind. Once our kiss started, and she was grinding her center against mine, I was a goner.

“Keep this up, and we may not make it to the bedroom.”

“Bedrooms are so cliché for first times. I want it like this.”

I tensed, wondering if this was simply her way of accommodating my request she not see my amputated leg. “Are you sure?”

She cupped my face to land another kiss. “Can you think of a more intimate position?”