Worth It

“That’s because I’m a trashy Parker who doesn’t know any better.” The soft place I’d been touching looked too delicious to resist, so I leaned in and kissed her there, right behind her ear.



She closed her eyes, tipping her head to the side to let me kiss her more. “Stop calling yourself trashy,” she reprimanded with no heat in her voice because she was too busy sighing. “You’re really good at that. I was so sure you’d had more experience.”



“I didn’t say I had no experience. I’ve just never had sex before.”



She pulled away, hurt and surprise brightening her eyes. “So...how far have you ever gone?”



I gulped, hoping I hadn’t just screwed myself and pissed her off, or worse, hurt her. “How far have you ever gone?” I countered.



She snorted. “Come on, Knox. You know how far I’ve gone. The day I bumped into you in the woods was the closest I’d ever been to a boy. I’d never kissed one before you, never held one of their hands.” She let out a self-derisive answer. “Heck, I’ve never even danced with one.”



My eyebrows shot up. “You’ve never danced with a boy before?”



“No,” she growled from between clenched teeth. “I have not. So now it’s your turn. How far have you gone before?”



I cleared my throat, suddenly leery. She was jealous, and I could already see the pain in her eyes. I was hurting her. But I couldn’t lie to her, so I glanced away and admitted, “Freshman year, junior girl, it was a night after a big basketball game win. There was a party, all these people were celebrating. I think she was drunk, but she came up to me and told me I was cute, so...” I shrugged. “We made out.”



“And?” City pressed. “You made it to...first base? Second? Third?”



My mind went blank, because I didn’t even know how to answer. “Well, I don’t technically know what happens at each base, so...”



“First base is just kissing,” she started, more than willing to explain. “French included. Second is anything above the waist, and third is anything below without going all the way, and a home run is...well, you know.”



When I turned to blink at her, she blushed. “I have two older brothers,” she rushed to defend herself. “And they talk openly with their friends.”



“Okay.” I blew out a breath. “It was definitely second base, then.”



Her mouth fell open. “You went up her shirt?”



“Uh...well...she took the shirt off, so there was really no, you know...going up it.”



“Did she take off her bra too?”



Wow, did my shoes suddenly look interesting, and shit, they were scuffed all to hell. I really needed a new pair of sneakers.



“Knox?” Her low voice made me clench the back of my teeth. Damn it, why did I feel this unavoidable need to confess everything to her?



“Yeah,” I muttered, digging my toe through the hole at the end of my sneaker. Yep, I really needed to buy a new pair...someday. “She took her bra off too.”



When she went stiff in my arms, I immediately looked at her, panicking. “City—”



She held up a hand and started breathing funny. “I’m sorry, but I just don’t like it. I don’t like knowing you’ve touched some other girl’s boobs. Her nipples...and you’ve never even seen mine.”



“I...” When her words finally unscrambled themselves in my brain, I blinked, completely baffled. “What?”



Hugging herself, she moved away. “I’m sorry. I’m jealous. I know, it’s stupid, but I can’t help it. I just... I hate learning that you knew some other girl more than you know me.”



With a sudden laugh, I shook my head and reached for her. “Trust me, City. I know a hell of a lot more about you than I ever knew about her. Hell, I didn’t even know her name until the next day at school when I heard one of her friends call to her...right after she walked right past me, completely ignoring me because she probably didn’t even remember me.”



City gnawed on her lip, scowling thoughtfully as she stared into space. Then she focused on me. “I still don’t like it. I can’t handle you knowing the color of her nipples and not mine.”



I grinned. “So does this mean you’re going to tell me the color of your nipples?” I liked where this conversation was headed.



Her jaw hardened with a determined, almost angry bent. “No. I’m going to show you.”



And she pulled off her shirt. Just like that. When she was left in nothing but a bra from the waist up, I gaped, my mouth falling open. “Uh... Jesus, City. Are you sure about this?”