Della took pity on him and followed his lead. “Yes. Next time I’m in Denver.”

“Okay, good.” He nodded, obviously pleased to be on firmer guy ground. “But you should also line up another date—maybe even a couple. Make the most of your Denver trips.”

“You think?”

“Absolutely. Why not multitask?” He shrugged. “Sometimes you gotta kiss a lot of frogs, et cetera, et cetera.”

Which is what she hadn’t done. Todd had been her first kiss. Her first everything. “You think I should be kissing these guys on the first date?” Damn it, she wished this stuff came to her naturally.

Tucker glanced out the window again, his ass shifting on the chair. Aaaand they were back to awkward. He cleared his throat. “That was just…metaphorical.”

“So, I shouldn’t,” she pressed. “Kiss them?” She’d only ever kissed one man, and she wanted to do something about that. She just wasn’t sure she could go for it after only a couple of hours.

“I think that—” Tucker cleared his throat. “That…kissing is part of dating. It’s fun and natural as long as it’s safe and—”

“Oh God,” Della interrupted. He sounded like her eighth-grade sex-ed teacher. “Please tell me you’re not going to mention special cuddles next.”

“Do you think I could just get through this? It’s not exactly easy talking about this stuff with you.”

She sighed. “Fine.”

“My point is,” he continued, “if you’re comfortable taking it to that level, then sure. Just don’t let anyone rush you on to the next level. Too many people skip over the kissing stage, which is a shame because there’s a lot to be learned from just making out.”

“Like whether they’re good at it or not?”

Della bet Tucker was excellent at making out. She didn’t mean to look at his mouth, but her gaze dropped there anyway. Luckily, he chose that moment to wave at a passing waiter, holding up his empty bottle to indicate he’d have another.

“Well, yes,” he agreed when he returned his attention to Della, who quickly dragged her eyes off his mouth. “But kissing is a skill. Anyone can learn to be good at it, it’s just practice.” He seemed less awkward now, warming to the topic. “There are more important things you can learn from making out.”

“Like what, oh wise wingman?”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Really?”

Della gave a half laugh. “Absolutely.”