Before I can pull in a deep breath or do anything else to stop the spinning feeling in my head, the door opens behind us, shoving me forward into Evie and sending us both stumbling.
Evie goes down and I trip over her, landing sprawled on a pile of shoes and dusty umbrellas as Harlow steps inside.
She spots us on the ground and huffs in amusement. “Oops. Sorry, guys. I didn’t expect you to be lurking in front of the door. Why were you lurking in front of the door?” She points a finger my way. “You’d better not be trying to back out, jerk face. We’re counting on you. Jess is so excited she made me promise to take her to a bar after the first lesson if she’s feeling sassy.”
“I’m already feeling sassy,” Jess says from outside, poking her head in through the door and frowning as she sees Evie and me still sprawled on the ground. “Are you two okay?”
“They’re just clumsy and bad at knowing where to stand,” Harlow says, stepping over us before kicking her shoes off beside my head with a sigh. “Mmm, supper smells great, Cameron. Do I have time to take a shower before? Chas patted my back four times while we were studying, and I feel tainted by mansplainer germs.”
“Yeah, if you hurry,” Cam calls out from the kitchen. “I’m starting the shrimp in five and they only take about two minutes.”
“Got it!” Harlow dashes into the apartment, her purse bouncing against her shoulder as she shouts back to me, “You’d better still be here when I get back, Ian, or I’m going to give you an even worse nickname than Hitler.”
“Is there a worse nickname than Hitler?” Jess asks as she steps inside and closes the door behind her.
I rise to my feet as Evie moves past Jess to flip the deadlock. “Probably. I wouldn’t put Harlow to the test on that one if I were you, Ian.” She turns back to me as she adds, “I think you’d better stay.”
“You really were planning to leave?” Jess’s tone is so bereft, I promise, “No, of course not. I’m here to share my hard-won dating wisdom. No worries.”
“Oh good. I would have been so sad. I’m super jazzed about becoming a sex goddess.” Her shoulders relax as she sighs, drawing my attention to the very sexy plunging neckline on the pink blouse she’s wearing.
Her jeans look new, too, and tailored to fit her perfectly. For the first time I realize that Jess is stunning, with a curvy figure, glossy black hair that’s hanging in a stylish new bob cut, and high cheekbones set off by some glittery stuff I’ve never seen her wear before.
But Jess’s makeover doesn’t make me feel anything, aside from aesthetic appreciation for an objectively attractive human and happiness that she seems to have found a look that makes her feel beautiful and confident.
Evie is the one who’s working some kind of sex voodoo on my cock and she’s doing it in overalls and no makeup. I’m still sporting a semi even after being knocked to the floor and interrupted—twice.
This is bad news.
But I’ve already said that I’d stay, and I don’t want to let anyone down. And maybe this is a good thing. I’ll have at least an hour or two with all the roommates before I’ll have to risk being along with Evie again. Hopefully that will be enough time to figure out how to respond to her oh-so-tempting and oh-so-off-limits offer.
Chapter 13
Evie
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ian this nervous, not even before the championship game his senior year of high school, when he knew NHL scouts were up in the stands, ready to break his heart or make his wildest dreams come true.
Ian isn’t an anxious person.
He’s steady, chill, and confident.
To see sweat beading on his forehead as he moves to stand in front of the darkened television, studying the small stack of notecards in his hand is disarming.
Is he really this stressed about teaching a bunch of virgins how to make a love connection?
Or maybe it’s the fact that his best friend’s little sister just offered him her V-Card on a platter.
The inner voice has an excellent point.
Maybe I should have left that part out until after the lesson. I just never expected Ian to be so flustered.
“Okay, so…” He clears his throat and runs a hand over his already smooth hair. “I wanted to start with something that may seem simple… Almost silly, but, um…” He swipes his sleeve across his forehead with a nervous laugh. “Sorry, I actually practiced this last night. Several times. I don’t know why I’m fumbling.”
“Just relax and imagine us naked,” Jess says. “Naked and feeling super self-conscious about it because we’ve never been naked in front of anyone before.” She leans forward and glances to her right, addressing the rest of the hopeless virgins—and Harlow—sitting on the couch. “Have you guys been naked with someone before?”