I leaned in, capturing them again, under the cover of darkness in the backseat of the car. Thankfully Brodie offered to drive the Jeep. Somewhere in the deep recesses of my consciousness, I heard them talking. But being close to Grace here in the backseat was way more interesting.
“I could get used to this,” she said, her breath warm against my lips.
“You and me both.” I curled some hair that’d popped loose from her ponytail around her ear. “Being with you feels incredible.”
She leaned back and grinned. “I’d have to agree.”
“Dude. Enough of that back there, I’m hungry!” Willow shouted over the seat.
I hadn’t even realized we’d pulled into a parking spot at the ice cream shop.
“Oh my gosh.” Grace fanned her face.
“It’s all good,” Willow said with a chuckle.
“You guys go ahead,” I said to Brodie and Willow. “We’ll be right in.”
Brodie smirked as he threw a glance over his shoulder. “Sure…”
I flicked his ear, and he flinched.
They both shut their doors, and I faced Grace. “I’ve got a confession… I find myself thinking about certainthingswhen I’m with you.”
“Oh, yeah?” She reached up and pulled my face toward hers. “What kinds of things?”
My lips met hers, and we got lost in a deep kiss. She ran her hands through my hair before she trailed kisses from my lips to my neck to my ear. “These kinds of things?”
I took a deep breath trying to get a semblance of control of myself. “Yes, definitely these kinds of things, and more.”
She rested her hand on my thigh and leaned in even closer, whispering, “Do you mean sex?”
“Whoa,” I said, straightening up.
She swatted at my chest and giggled. “I’m messing with you. I don’t want our first time to be before we even have our first date. And definitely not in the back of your Jeep with Brodie and Willow in the front.”
“Right.” I eased back, putting a bit of space between us. “About that…”
“Is there something wrong?” Grace grabbed my hand. “Preach? You’re freaking me out. What’s wrong?”
“No, nothing’s wrong. It’s just that, well…” I met her gaze. “I’m a virgin.”
“Oh.” She paused. A few seconds passed before she looked up and her gaze locked on to mine. “Can I ask why you haven’t? I’m sure it’s not for a lack of opportunity.”
“Lots of things, really.” I threaded my fingers through hers. “God and I have this understanding, you know?”
She nodded slowly.
“I just want to try and live life the best way I can. You know, I grew up with understanding that you didn’t have sex before marriage. Cuz, it’s like a gift you give your wife.”
“That’s a little different. But that’s okay.” She nuzzled my neck. “And it doesn’t mean you can’t do other things, right?” She grinned and ran her tongue over her lower lip, and a wave of lust tightened my spine.
“So you’re cool about sex being off the table?” This girl was freaking amazing.
“Sure.” Grace pulled back. “I guess I do have one question, though.”
“Shoot.”
“What if the girl you wanted to date wasn’t a virgin? Would that mean—”