OBSESSED Series

Chapter 16

“What, me? Yes.” She’s staring at my abs, so I flex them and listen to her intake of breath. “I just…I just…”

“You just what, honey?”

“Didn’t expect you to be shirtless.”

“Isn’t that what we agreed on?”

“Yes, but during the kissing parts only.”

The kissing parts. Oh my God, she’s so fucking cute. How am I not tackling her onto the blanket right now? “You want me to put my shirt back on?”

“No!” Her cheeks darken. “I mean, n-no.”

I nod with mock seriousness. “You should probably take yours off, too. Just so I don’t feel self-conscious.”

She smirks adorably. “Nice try. You don’t even know the meaning of self-conscious. Not when you’ve got all of this…” She wiggles her fingers near my chest. “Going on.”

“Is that a compliment, Stella?” I wrap my hands around her waist and drag her toward me. “Ah, honey. You should see me with my pants off.”

I expect a snarky retort, but she chews her lip instead. “I’m nervous about sex, Gage.”

My heart drops to my stomach, cold prickles of sweat popping up and down my spine. Oh, this girl of mine. I don’t like her anything but happy. I hate it. Was I really contemplating using her need for skin-on-skin contact against her? Christ, I’m such a bastard. “You don’t have to be nervous, Stella. When we have sex for the first time, I’m going to go nice and slow. I’m going to make sure your pussy is wet enough to fit me. We’re going to find out what you like so I can give it to you every day for the rest of your life.”

Curious blue eyes search mine. “What do you like?”

“I like you, Stella.” Just like every other time I remember my empty, meaningless track record with women before her, a pit forms in the center of my stomach. “Please, I don’t want to think about when you weren’t around.” Nausea roils in my belly and I yank her closer, the magic of her presence keeping the distress at bay. “When we make love, it’s going to be my first time, too. All right?”

“Make love?” she repeats dazedly into my neck.

“That’s what I said.” I can’t stop my hands from creeping up underneath the tail of her button-down shirt, delving down the back of her panties to massage her ass cheeks. “You think it’s crazy to love you after one day, honey? You ain’t seen nothing yet.” I’m coming dangerously close to revealing what an absolute fanatic I am for her. Maybe I have already, somewhat, but she doesn’t know how deep this obsession runs. I’m not sure I even know yet. I don’t want to show Stella too much intensity and scare her away, though. So I harness every iota of my willpower and ease her out of my embrace. “We better get studying,” I rasp.

“Y-yes,” she responds, shaking herself.

My hands curl into fists to keep from reaching for her as she picks up the textbook and her notes, settling both in her lap. “We should start with Ancient Greece and Hellenistic Civilization…”

For the next hour, Stella tutors me. And I memorize every single word. There is no way to forget a single thing that passes through her beautiful lips. The sun sets around her in pinks and golds as she goes through her notes, so intelligent and studious, my heart is in my throat the whole fucking time. I don’t forget for a single second that we have a deal, either. For every answer I get correct, she’s going to kiss me somewhere on my body. She’s going to do it topless, too. Jesus, if every man was lucky enough to study this way, there wouldn’t be a single failed test for the rest of time.

Jealousy tightens my gut. She’s never tutoring anyone else but me. I hadn’t even considered the possibility until now, but I don’t like it and it’s not happening.

“Medieval history doesn’t seem to agree with you,” she muses. “You’re scowling.”

“Am I the first guy you’ve tutored?”