Page 63 of Second Chance Saloon

Damn, she was so beautiful. Perfect.

His.

The sofa bed had a thin comforter spread over it and two pillows, but there wasn’t much else up here. Not that he needed anything else in this moment, when she was lying naked right next to him, their bodies as close as they could be without him inside her.

Jackie propped herself on her elbow, resting her head on her palm. “What are you thinking about?”

Mitch reached for her face, smoothing a frown from her forehead. “Nothing. Just admiring you.”

“I’m not the Mona Lisa.”

“She couldn’t hold a candle to you.”

Jackie threw her head back in laughter and lay on her back. Her black hair, released from the confines of its ponytail, fanned around her head like a halo. “You truly know how to hype a girl up.”

“That might be a new skill you uncovered. I’ve never been a smooth talker. Couldn’t even ask a girl out for prom. She asked me out after losing patience.”

“The burger date with your lab partner?”

Mitch chewed on the inside of his cheek. “Yes.”

Jackie rolled onto her side. Her breasts were right there, so perfect and inviting him to put his hands on them …

He noticed her nipples hardened; if he was more fanciful, he’d think it was because she wanted him, too, not because there was a faint chill in the air.

“I don’t think we have any burgers, but we can have some more lasagne later, if you want,” she teased.

Mitch laughed, shaking his head. “Are you trying to lighten the mood so I’m not nervous?”

Her expression softened. “Are you? Nervous, I mean?”

“A little,” he answered honestly.

What if he was no good at it? All his friends made it sound like the most natural thing in the world. Instinct. But they also only ever talked about themselves, their pleasure. Mitch wanted to learn how to pleasure Jackie. He knew guys were much simpler in that respect. Truth be told, he was so hard just from lying next to her and kissing her, that he was a little afraid he’d finish in record time.

That’d be embarrassing.

“Why?” Her fingers skimmed the inside of his elbow.

Mitch wasn’t sure if it was the stillness of the night around them, making it seem like they were the only people on Earth, with nothing but dust flecks glistening in the streaky luminescent light and their breaths stirring the November air; or maybe it was the fact they were both bare, literally. Either way, he didn’t want to pretend or brush this conversation off. He wanted to be real with her, share things he had never wanted to share with anyone else before.

“Because I don’t think I’ll be able to satisfy you. And I want to, so badly,” he uttered.

Jackie tilted her head, understanding dawning on her features. “You’re underestimating yourself. Do you think I’m a sex goddess or something? All the times I had sex before were quick and uneventful, with an emphasis on the quick. I’ve never …” She swallowed. “I’ve never had an orgasm from penetration. Not once.”

“So, how—”

“Oh, oral and skilled fingers.” The shadow of a challenge darkened her face. “And toys, of course, when I’m on my own. But never penetration.”

Mitch gulped but the band across his chest relaxed a bit. “Will you show me? How you like things, I mean?”

“Of course.” Jackie smiled.

Clearly, she thought he meant right now, because her fingers wove around his right wrist as she kneeled in front of him. Bringing his hand to her chest, she put his palm over her nipple. “You can touch me, you know. That’s for a start.” She let go of his hand.

Mitch’s breath hitched. Her skin was soft and warm. Tentatively, he moved his fingers down, cupping her breast and squeezing it gently. His gaze, though, never wavered from her face; he wanted to see the kaleidoscope of emotions and expressions, trying to understand what felt good to her.

Her eyelids fluttered, and she let out a low, wispy moan.