She looks nervous.

Her nervousness makes me nervous.

“You got something to say?” I ask. I’ve never been one with patience.

I hold myself up to drink in the sight of her sprawled underneath me with her hair spilled across a pillow. My spine tingles. She looks breathtaking while staring up at me with lustful eyes. A thin white sheet is the only thing covering her.

We’re recuperating, regaining our energy from another round. She is far from being a bore in bed. No, the girl fucking loves sex. It was her boyfriend. The dumbass missed out on something good.

I play with my fingers. I can’t believe they’ve had the pleasure of touching her. She’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever laid eyes on. The finest taste I’ve ever savored. I shut my eyes and inhale the pleasant scent of sex lingering through her bedroom.

“Do you want to sleep in here?” she asks, practically stuttering out her words.

I scratch my head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

A heavy sigh falls from her mouth. I can see the disappointment on her face. I can’t stay the night with her. This is only momentary. We need to remember that. I’m not her boyfriend. I’m not going to marry her. We aren’t going to do any of that romantic shit here. It’s a fling, a summer affair, and then we’ll both go our separate ways.

“I talked to my mom earlier,” she goes on. “You don’t have to worry about them coming home and walking in on us.”

Her fingers feel hot roaming along my chest. She’s anxiously waiting for my answer. If I say yes, we’re taking a big risk. Quickies are safer than a full night thing.

“What about Sally?” I don’t think she’ll say anything, but you never know. Her job would be on the line.

“She’s taking a few days off. We’re fine.” She slaps my arm playfully. “So stop being all paranoid.”

I lean down to grab a pillow at the foot of the bed. I smack my hand against it a few times and make myself comfortable.

“I guess I’m all yours then, princess,” I say, caving. I can’t say no to her. If I did get up and leave, I’d be laying in bed all night pissed at myself that I’m not with her.

I wind my arm around her curvy waist and pull her into my side. “And fuck, this bed is comfortable. They got my ass on bricks down there. We’re trading.”

She laughs and falls on her back while still in my arms. “I like your friend.”

“Talking about my best friend isn’t something I want to do while laying in bed naked with you. There are so many other things we could talk about … or do.”

“How long have you guys known each other?”

“Since fifth grade. He’s always had my back. I’ve always had his.”

“And Rose, she loves you. You’re going to make a great dad someday.”

I square up my shoulders. “Yeah, I’m not planning on that ever happening.”

“You don’t want to have kids?”

“No,” I say, stolidity. If something happens to Kelton, sure I’d take Rose in, but I’m never having my own children.

She’s expressionless. “Why not?”

“Kids aren’t my thing.”

Her eyebrows furrow together, and her swollen lips pout. “Did you not hear me say Rose loves you?”

“I’m not going to be a sucky dad like the one I have.”

“You’d be a good dad.”

“Just drop it, okay.” The tone of my voice startles her, and I blow out a noisy breath before looking away from her.

She lifts herself up and pulls my face towards her. Her deep-set eyes focus on me. “Damn, why all the attitude? Don’t be pissed because I’m telling you the truth.”

I kiss her cheek and give her a faint smile. “It’s a sensitive subject.”

“Okay, sorry.”

She settles next to me again, and we lay there in silence. I pause, struggling to find the right words and fighting with myself on whether to tell her. We’re not supposed to get this close, this personal. Sure, my cock has been inside her, but it’s harder to share words with someone than it is to share my dick.

“I fucked this chick when we were both seventeen,” I say.

Her eyes dart up to look at me.

“I borrowed a condom from Kelton, some cheap ass one, and it broke. She got pregnant and had an abortion without telling me. I only found out months later because her friend got pissed at her and spilled the beans. No one knows this. Not even Kelton.”

She rests her chin on my chest and looks up at me with concern. “I’m so sorry.”

“I never got that choice. My dad wanted me to be aborted. He wouldn’t even think of having a child. But here I was, pissed off that she didn’t give me a choice to save my kid.” I’m trying to hide my disappointment. It was for the best. “I guess that’s a sign it’s not meant to be. That I’ll be a bad dad.”

“Or a sign that she’s a bitch for not even asking you if you wanted to keep the baby.” She takes a deep breath. “My period was late once. Right after I started having sex with Cam. I wasn’t on birth control yet. I called him freaking out, and he immediately told me we were going to the abortion clinic in another town, no questions asked. Like your mom, I told him I’d never do that, and he said he’d dump me if I didn’t. Lucky for me, I got my period three days later. Cam apologized, saying he wasn’t thinking straight, and promised he would never leave me.”

“Another sign that he’s a fucking asshole.”

She laughs. “At least, I found out early.”

“So what’s up with the doves?”

She hides her face, like she’s embarrassed.

“And here I thought you wouldn’t even know where a tattoo shop was, you little sneak.”

“I got them on my eighteenth birthday. I wanted to do something rebellious.” She shakes her head. “Oh God, that sounds so stupid and immature.”

“You wouldn’t believe how many people come in on their eighteenth birthday.” The problem is their tattoos are usually cliché as fuck. Nothing original. YOLO, Chinese symbols, their lover’s name. They’ll regret them five years down the road and pay more to get them removed or covered up.

“I got them as a reminder that I’ll be free and on my own soon. Doves are beautiful, they’re free, and my dad always said they were his favorite bird because they reminded him of a new day.”

“They’re like you,” I whisper. “You’re beautiful. You’re free. You’re pure spirited.”