He squeezed his eyes shut and lay his head back on the pillows. “And believe me when I say I want you to touch me. But I’d like to take some care with you. You matter to me. And I don’t want to cock it up by moving too fast. Do you understand?”

I nodded slowly. Where the hell had he come from? “I understand.”

“Good.” He settled me back against him, tucking my head under his as he held me. “Now maybe you can go ahead and tell me what kind of twat your ex was that he never made you come.”

Heat crept over my skin. I’d known I’d have to answer this question eventually. I had just planned on having more clothes on to do it. “I—uh, I’ve only had one serious boyfriend since I was sixteen.”

His brows shot up. “Just the one?”

I sucked in my bottom lip and raked it with my teeth. “Yeah.”

There was a beat of silence. “Were you ever with anybody before him?”

I shook my head. “No. I figured I was the problem. I even went to see a doctor about it. She told me it was perfectly normal, that lots of women couldn’t. I guess it turns out that I can.”

I could feel him nodding. “Yes. Yes, you can.” I heard the smile in his voice, and I swatted his arm.

“Modest, aren’t you?”

“Nope. Not even a little bit. And to be clear—I would very much like to see you come again and again… And—”

I giggled. “Yeah. I get the picture.” My heart did a happy flip, even though my brain tried to quell it. No need to get ahead of myself. No matter how hot Alexi was, I still didn’t know him very well. But know him or not, I knew how he made me feel. And I liked it.

“Good. As long as I’m clear.” He was silent for several minutes before asking, “So, do you have any plans on Saturday?”

My heart went from slumberous thudding to galloping, in seconds. “Probably getting some shots. Why?”

“That photo op I mentioned in Brixton, it’s on Saturday.”

Like a date? “Photo op?” I couldn’t make my brain work properly.

“Yeah it’s a party for the rich and bored.” He examined one of my braids closely. “C’mon. I want to see you. You need to work. We’ll kill two birds with one stone. What do you say?”

Hell yes. But I hesitated. Could I really do a London society thing? It was one thing to flit about the nightlife. It was a whole other thing to stroll into a garden party as a guest. “I’m not sure. It’s not really my kind of crowd. Pretty sure I’d stick out like an elephant in a herd of gazelles.”