Page 44 of Double

“Fine. Can I look at my phone?”

“Yes.” I sighed. “That’s perfect. Look at your phone.”

He grabbed his phone from the cocktail table and started to scroll on it.

“Okay,” I said. “You already know that I don’t have much . . . experience in the physical intimacy department.”

“Right. Right.”

“I like you. I’m physically attracted to you, and you’ve told me before that you’re physically attracted to me.”

“I think you’re beautiful as fuck, Sweetheart, inside and outside.”

I smiled. “I don’t want this to be a, I don’t know, dry marriage.”

He chuckled. “Me either.”

“I want us to . . . consummate this marriage at some point. But I don’t want you to have to suffer through all of my inexperience.”

“I wouldn’t be suffering. Trust me.”

“Sir.”

“What?”

“Let me get this out.”

“The floor is yours, Sweetheart. Say what you need to say.”

I cleared my throat. “Okay. Can we have a make-out session?” His eyes flew from the screen of his phone to my eyes. I quickly grabbed the pillow and buried my face in it. “Don’t look at me!”

Silence fell over the room for a beat or two. I slowly eased the pillow down to see why he hadn’t spoken. His light-brown eyes met mine. They weren’t judging me like I thought they would be. They were soft and curious.

“Repeat what you said again.”

I huffed out a sigh. “Can we make out so I can get used to . . . making out with you?” I held my breath because, to be honest, there were several ways he could respond.

“Absolutely.”

I giggled in spite of myself. “I was not expecting you to say that.”

“I don’t know why not. I’m definitely open to us gettin’ used to being physically . . . demonstrative with each other. But let’s go deeper. When you say make-out, what does that look like? Because from where I’m sitting, it looks like blue balls.”

I giggled again. “So.” I dragged out the word. “In my mind, I’m envisioning kissing and touching each other.”

“Cool. Are we fully dressed, are we naked, or are we in a state of undress?”

He was asking questions that I hadn’t gotten to in my thought process. “Uh, maybe a state of undress. Like, maybe I can be in my panties and bra?”

“You askin’ or tellin’?”

“I’m thinking.”

“Are you sitting in my lap? Are we layin’ in the bed?”

“Well, for the first time, I think on the sofa with me in your lap is good.”

“You want me to make you come or . . .?”