Does he ever get rattled?

Is he ever scared?

Intimidated?

I must be staring, because he stops unpacking groceries. Our eyes lock.

“What’s up?” He looks me up and down, assessing me again. What I wouldn’t give to know what he sees.

“What’s for dinner?” I brush off his question, not feeling like confessing tonight.

“Nothing fancy. Just chicken and broccoli.”

“Sounds good.” I have no idea what to talk to him about.

Time to make awkward small talk with Austin Jacobs as he cooks dinner!

It’s surreal.

“So, what’s the plan for tonight?” he innocently inquires.

“What do you mean?” I know what he means, but I have no idea how to answer.

“I mean, what do you want to be tutored on tonight, Goose?”

I blush at the sound of my nickname.

“Well, Mav.” I’m trying to annoy him, but secretly I relish the idea that it’s something only I call him. Maverick. It suits him. “I made us a schedule, actually.” My voice has more uncertainty in it than I was hoping. I hand him the carefully thought-out schedule I crafted over the past few months.

“Of course you made a schedule,” he quips with a laugh. His smile only grows as he reads. “You made us a sex syllabus, a sex-abus.”

I groan. He continues undaunted.

“Four weeks, four topics. So, we round a base a week. This week’s kissing. Next week is touching, groping, fondling. Then oral. Giving and receiving. Last week we hit a few home runs,” he offers.

Sex with Austin.

I get lost in my thoughts of what these next four weeks might bring. My body flushes and I cross my legs, fighting the building warmth between my thighs. I’ve pictured all this before, but now I’m realizing it’s actually going to happen.

You are going to lose your virginity to Austin Jacobs!

“You seriously think we need a whole week dedicated to kissing?” he challenges.

“It’s important to build foundational knowledge in a new subject before advancing to more challenging material.”

Oh my God, you’re such a nerd.

“Come here.” He saunters around the kitchen island and I stand up to meet him. He steps right into my body. I lean back, but he grabs my hands and puts them around his neck. The gesture highlights our height difference. I can barely reach without him having to bend down.

He slides his fingers over the delicate skin of my forearms and down my sides, causing an effervescent tingle across my whole body. He wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me into him. I’m so small in his embrace. It makes me feel dainty and weirdly feminine.

“Kiss me,” he demands.

“Now?” I swallow down my panic.

“Now would be good.”

I don’t do anything.

I just stand there.

Kiss him!

Just do it!

He’s right here and he is asking you to do it!

My heart races and my stomach flutters. My throat gets tight. My mouth goes dry. I spiral into panic. Those beautiful blue eyes are bearing down on me, burning into me. I close my eyes, count to three in my head and do it. I push forward on my tiptoes and peck him on the lips. Peck is a generous term for the limp-lipped travesty that is my first attempt at a kiss.