Page 143 of Callan

It’s too big for me, but it’s soft and warm.

I put it on, tie the belt, and release my hair.

My mane tumbles down my back, the tips still curling from the humidity despite my efforts to protect it.

I run a hand through my locks and check myself out in the mirror, still unsure whether I’m ready for this.

I’m so used to always having everything under control that this seems like a paramount challenge.

Taking a chance.

Relinquishing control.

Doing something without thinking about the long-term consequences.

My thoughts get cut short as footsteps ring in the other room. Squaring my shoulders, I exit the space and find him in the bedroom.

The curvature of his muscular back catches my eye first before my gaze hovers over his sculpted arms.

Stare tipped down, he checks something on his phone with a towel wrapped around his waist, sitting low.

My heart stumbles, pacing like crazy.

Tattoos climb up his flank, and his expression seems carved in stone.

Judging by the look on his face, the news is not good, yet without flinching, he mutes his phone, peels his eyes away from it, and tosses it into a drawer.

From the same drawer, he retrieves a bunch of condoms.

“Do you like them a certain way?” he asks.

I don’t know how to respond to that.

“Condoms? I don’t…” I mumble.

He lifts his gaze to me, waiting.

“Um… No. Any kind is fine.”

He puts them on the nightstand and inches closer.

“You seem nervous,” he says, sliding his index finger below my chin and tilting it up. “Why are you nervous?” he murmurs, his eyes glinting and diving deep into mine.

My list of reasons is as long as my arm.

Right now, I feel like I’m collapsing inside.

At the same time, everything about him turns me on.

His bare chest, dark tattoos, and lips that only slightly curve.

Our discussion about condoms, although I’ve never used one, and I’m not sure how I’ll react to one.

I’m talking a big talk, but the reality is different.

I haven’t had many men. Quinn was my second. So overall, my experience has been scarce.

The kind of sex I had happened in a safe space delineated by trust.Even when illusory, having trust in the outcome helped me a little.

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