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Clara’s eyes went heavy-lidded at the conviction in his words, but then her mind caught up with her body. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“I’m going to rectify this situation,” Josh stated simply. “Right now.”
“You can’t be serious.” She tried to laugh but couldn’t in the face of his stoic determination. “This is insane.”
“Look. I don’t have delusions of grandeur, but at this point in my life, I’ve made it my singular mission to help women get off more and better. Your existence as an outlier throws off the entire curve.”
“Well, when you put it that way it sounds so sexy,” she deadpanned.
“You want sexy?”
“No!” His appeal was already potent enough to stun. She threw her arms up in front of her. “It’s just that . . . I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not exactly the kind of girl that has casual sex.”
“You don’t say.” He waited expectantly. When she didn’t move to act as instructed, he had the audacity to wave two fingers to the side in a let’s hurry this along gesture.
Clara fidgeted with her hem. “I appreciate the sentiment. I think. But I can’t take off my underwear out here. I barely know you, and while I get that you’ve got a lot of experience in this area, it seems really unlikely that I could, well . . . you know what I mean.”
She rubbed her arms, overwhelmed by the unexpected turn the night had taken. She never should have Googled her roommate.
“What’s the big deal? There’s no non-asshole way to say this, but I get about fifty women a week asking me to do this. It’ll be totally clinical. Scout’s honor.” He saluted her with three fingers.
“Yeah. I’m going to go out on a limb and say this conversation is not sanctioned by the Boy Scouts of America.” She couldn’t help imagining the havoc he could wreak with that hand.
“If it makes you feel better, we can do it over your underwear.”
“We can?” He was volunteering to take a lot of handicaps here.
He nodded, easy smile back on. “Don’t think so much. We’ll get this pesky problem taken care of and then the next time you have sex with some Melvin you meet at the library, you’ll be prepared to demand what you deserve.”
Clara almost slipped off the couch. Something must be seriously wrong with her because she found herself considering his crazy offer. Women like her didn’t get many indecent propositions. Apparently, Clara liked them. She’d traveled across the country for a taste of love and adventure, and while this encounter might not strictly qualify as either, the idea did make her heart pound in a way her old life never had.
Think of it as a scientific experiment.
“What if it doesn’t work?” Her words trembled with the force of her fear. “What if I’m the problem?” She’d heard it before. Too controlling, too in her own head, too prudish to enjoy sex like everyone else.
Josh didn’t waver in his conviction. “If I can’t get you off with my hands,” he said, his voice soft and incredibly kind, “that’s my problem. Not yours. And if that’s the case, we’ll figure something else out. Every body is different, but none of them are wrong.”
Clara wiped her hands on her traitorous nightgown and gathered her strength.
She could do this. She could be the kind of girl who did things like this.
“Okay.” Her voice sounded far away to her own ears.
Josh’s eyes gleamed with a new kind of triumph. “You’re saying yes?”
“I’m saying yes.” Her stomach churned with mutinous nerves. “So, what should I . . . I mean, where do you want me to . . .”
For once Josh didn’t heighten her discomfort by teasing her. His eyes locked on her mouth as he crowded her on the sofa.
She could map his freckles at this range, but the constellation of dots barely registered. God, kissing him must be heaven. But when his mouth came within inches of hers, she chickened out, instinctively leaning back until her head hit the wall behind the sofa with a thunk.
His soft chuckle was almost a purr. “Don’t worry, Wheaton. I won’t forget the rules.”
With deft movements, Josh guided her into a reclined position. He approached her more like a skittish animal than a lover. His every touch careful. Controlled. A reminder that he saw this engagement as professional. Not pleasure, but his job.
He guided her knees apart, creating enough space for him to kneel between them. “You can close your eyes if you want.”
Clara gratefully accepted the opportunity to detach. Tonight might turn her into a cautionary tale, but she’d wasted enough chances to recognize a once-in-a-lifetime offer.
