“You might regret trying to get to know me,” she mumbles, looking down at her feet.

“I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty that the only thing I would regret is not trying,” I tell her with a finger under her chin as I force her eyes up to meet mine. “Now, are we staying here, or at my house?”

“Nico—”

“Sophie, if we stay here, I need to go get Daisy. I’ve been gone. She doesn’t like to be alone all the time, and I told my neighbor she didn’t need to go over there tonight because I would be home.”

“Fine, but I’m sleeping on the couch.” She breathes out a whoosh of air, blowing some hair out of her face. I smile, and her eyes narrow. “Why do I feel like I just got screwed?”

“Baby, when you get screwed, you’ll know it,” I smirk.

“Nico.” She glares as she says my name, sounding like a warning. I smile, making her growl.

“Sophie, relax,” I say soothingly.

“How can I relax when you say things like that?”

I walk over to the couch, sit down, and then grab her hand, forcing her into my lap.

“What are you doing?!” she cries, trying to get up.

“We’re going to talk,” I say, squeezing her hips.

“I don’t need to sit on your lap in order for us to talk,” she complains, squirming and trying to get away.

“I want you here. Stop wiggling your hot little ass around on my lap or we’re going to end up doing something else.”

Her body stills immediately and she crosses her arms over her chest. “Fine. Talk.”

“Look at me,” I tell her. She doesn’t, so I turn her face with my fingers. “You said you haven’t done this before, right?”

“Yes,” she growls, and I catch myself before I laugh.

“All right, baby. I want you to be honest with me. Are you a virgin?” I ask gently.

“That is none of your business!” she snaps as she tries to get up again.

“I plan on being well-acquainted with your body, so yes, it is my business.”

“See? That’s what I’m talking about! Why do you say things like that?” She wiggles on my lap again, causing my already-hard c**k to turn steel under her.

“Because it’s the truth. I want to know you, Sophie, but I need to know what I’m dealing with so I don’t go too fast for you,” I say, looking into her eyes.

“This is too fast,” she mumbles, making me smile again.

“I will never force you to do something you don’t want to do, but I will always encourage you when I know you’re just afraid to try. You can’t let your fears hold you back.”

“What are you talking about?” she whispers, her eyes getting big, making me feel like I just hit the nail on the head.

“I don’t know what happened to you that made you lock yourself away, but I know that’s what you’ve done. I hope you can open up to me about it someday, but until you can talk to me about whatever it was, I need you to be open with me about other things. I don’t want you to be afraid of me, and I’m not going to know if it’s just nerves or something else unless you’re honest.”

“Yes, I’m a virgin.” She pulls her face away from my hand. “Are you happy now?”

“There is nothing wrong with that, baby.”

“Oh, please. What other twenty-three-year-old woman do you know who is a virgin?”

“None, but I’m not going to complain that you are. The thought of another man touching you makes me wanna f**k something up.” My grip around her hips tightens slightly.

“You’re scaring me.”

“Don’t be scared.” I pull her face towards me and then tilt it down so I can kiss her forehead. “Now go pack a bag.”

“Geez, you’re bossy,” she grumbles, getting off my lap.

I sit in the living room, waiting on her for a while. I’m not really sure how long it’s been, because I start to doze, and my eyes are closed when I hear her enter. I open one eye to see her standing across the room, watching me.

“You ready?”

“Yeah,” she says, walking into the kitchen to grab her keys and purse off the counter. We head out the front door. “I’m going to follow you in my car so I’ll have it there in the morning when I go to work.”

“That’s fine. Now let’s go. I’m ready for bed.”

“I’m not sleeping with you,” she says from beside me as I tug her keys out of her hand and lock the door.

“Not yet, sweet Sophie,” I tell her, leading her to her car and not saying anything else about it. I make sure she’s in before I make my way across the street to my own.

Once we pull up to my house, I pull into the right side of my driveway so she can fit her car next to mine. I hop out, meeting her at the front of her car, where I take her bag from her and then put my hand on her lower back to guide her up to the front porch.

“This is your house?” she asks in awe.

“Yeah,” I tell her, trying to see what she sees.

I live in a 2,2,000-square-foot two-story brick townhouse with a two-car garage at the end of a cul-de-sac. My brothers hate where I live, preferring to have lots of land, but for me, I don’t need all that. I like having neighbors and a sense of community.

“It’s really nice.”

“Thanks,” I say, opening the door, and immediately, Daisy starts jumping around at our feet.

“Oh my God!” Sophie squeals as she bends down, plucking Daisy, who is all too happy to have someone to lick and pay attention to her, off the floor.

I set Sophie’s bag down on the couch before walking into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water out of the fridge. “You want something to drink?” I ask, watching her as her eyes move around the house to take everything in.

“No, thanks. I’m just ready for bed.” She yawns, and Daisy takes the opportunity to lick into her mouth. “Ewww.” She laughs, kissing Daisy’s head before setting her on the ground.

“You finally see me, huh?” I ask, scooping up my dog. I pet her for a minute before grabbing her a treat and setting her down again. “I’ll show you to your room if you’re ready to sleep.”

“Yes, please. I’m exhausted.” She yawns again, covering her mouth.

I walk to the couch, getting her bag before heading to one of my spare bedrooms. I want her to sleep in my room, but I know without even trying that it would be pushing it. “I’m right across the hall if you need me.”