“Yeah. When I was a freshman, I had a buddy, Mike, who had an older sister. Sometimes, I’d spend the weekend with him playing video games and stuff. But this one night, he fell asleep, his parents had gone to bed hours ago, and Megan and I…”
“Were bored and had sex?”
“Something like that.”
I leave out the part where she’d just broken up with her boyfriend and used me to get back at him. At first, it was awesome that she told everyone at school I’d done her good—a total lie since I was a typical disastrous first-timer—so it would get back to her ex-boyfriend. All my friends thought I was the man—except her brother. Mike stopped talking to me, which sucked because, up until then, he was my best friend. And then Megan’s ex decided he needed to beat the shit out of me. Thankfully, Noah stepped in and saved me, but it was close. And it wasn’t pleasant.
After that, anytime a girl wanted to make her boyfriend jealous, was curious about sex with someone new, or wanted to drop her V-card with a guy who “knew what he was doing,” they came to me. The good news was, I had sex with a lot of different girls in high school. The bad news, I never had an actual girlfriend. No female took me seriously. They all saw me purely as a fuck boy.
“Wow, I was eighteen my first time. Thom was older than me, so he insisted we wait until I was ‘legal.’”
Probably wise, but the way Masey puts it makes it sound like Thom was more concerned about being arrested than making sure his girlfriend was actually ready for the adult ramifications of sex.
“How was it?”
She shrugs. “Doesn’t it always hurt the first time?”
That’s hardly a glowing review, and I could tell her that it definitely didn’t have to, but it’s irrelevant now. We’re going to spend a night together, and this conversation is probably more personal than it needs to be.
I shrug. “Masey, listen… If you’re not ready for this, just say so. I’ll get you another glass of wine, we’ll laugh a little, then I’ll make sure you get home alone and in one piece. But if you want to spend the night with me and experience some of the possibilities of sex for yourself, then I think you should let me close out this tab, put your hand in mine, and tell me where I can undress you and make you feel good all night.”
Chapter Two
Following Masey’s sensible white rented sedan, I cruise south down the Piilani Highway, deeper into the heart of Wailea, tapping my thumb against the steering wheel. My playlist flips from Imagine Dragons to Usher, who straight-up croons to the woman he’s eyeing that if she wants to scream, to let him know and he’ll take her there. A smile tugs at my lips as I take a right and follow her into a gated community.
Harlow told me that Masey rented a place for her Maui stay since she tends to work and film at night and didn’t want to risk keeping her and Noah or their newborn awake. I expected a cute little condo with an iffy view of the water. After all, even that costs a fortune here in paradise, and most people who come to the island for a vacation spend their time on the beach anyway.
But when I pull up in front of a plush white villa that looks like an upscale haven in the moonlight, it’s obvious Masey thought bigger and better.
In front of me, she stops the car and slides out, locking it with a press of her fob and a beep. I follow suit and sidle up behind her. When she glances over her shoulder at me, I see she’s not just nervous but visibly tense. Her eyes look huge in her delicate face.
Reluctantly, I refrain from touching her. “Second thoughts?”
She unlocks the door and slowly opens it before turning to me and pulling it wide. Since a full ten seconds go by before she responds, it definitely qualifies as a hesitation. “No.”
Bullshit. She had time to think during her drive. I get it. I’m a stranger and I make her nervous. “It’s okay if you are.”
“It’s not. I’m not a coward.”
“No one said you were.” I step in and close the door as she flips on a light. I’m not at all surprised when she