Page 28 of Strong Side
He stops walking and turns to me. “What do you think I’m talking about, Noelle?”
There’s a soft smile on his face, so I know he’s not mocking me.
“Well, I assume you mean sexy things, right?” I squeeze his hand.
His free hand comes to the side of my face, and he tilts his head, eyes roaming my face. “What do you need, pretty girl?”
“Something Trey said the last time I saw him hasn’t left my mind.” I shake my head and look down, hiding my embarrassment for what I’m about to say. “I know it’s stupid, and I really shouldn’t care, but he blamed me for cheating. He said if I knew what I was doing in the bedroom, he wouldn’t have had to hook up with Zoey.”
When Casey’s hand falls from my face and he doesn’t say anything, I look up. His jaw is clenched, and his fists tighten like he can punch through a wall, and Casey isn’t that type of guy.
“He said that to you? Why didn’t you tell me that before?”
“I mean, because I don’t really want to admit to anyone that I’m not good in bed.”
I try to pull my hand from his, but he doesn’t let me.
“Uh-uh. No. Anything that douchebag said to you was a fucking lie—you have to know that by now, right?” He takes my other hand in his.
I sigh. “Honestly, Casey, I’m not so sure about this though. I was confident, but the last few weeks I’ve been replaying his words in my head. You know he’s the only guy I’ve ever been with. Maybe I don’t know what I’m doing, you know?” I shrug.
Casey tilts his head back and closes his eyes. “I can’t even think about you with him. Can we not go into detail about the things you did together?”
I’m not really sure what to say to that because I’m confused about whether he doesn’t want to think about me like that, ormaybe, just maybe, he might not like the thought of me with someone else either.
“Okay, I won’t give details then …” I swallow.
“What did you want help with, exactly?”
“I’m not entirely sure. Maybe explain to me what you like in bed. I can tell you what I think is the right way to do it. Maybe we can break out a banana, and you show me what you like. I want to know what turns you on.”
“What turnsmeon.”
“Yeah, well, I mean … men. In general. Not you, per se.”
He runs a hand over his jaw and studies my expression, which I’m sure is a mix of mortification and desperation with a heavy dose of expectation. “I feel like you’re not saying something that you really want to say.”
“What if you taught me how to, you know, do things?” I add.
His head snaps back up, and his eyes are wide. “Just to be very fucking clear here, you are asking me to give you, like, sex lessons?”
I laugh nervously because hearing it said like that … yeah, awkward. “I mean, yeah, I guess.”
“You want it with a banana and, what, like, a diagram?”
“Perhaps some descriptive conversation? I’m sure the best way for me to learn is for you to actually get naked with me and tell me if I’m lame in bed, but I don’t ever want to compromise our friendship, and I know I’m asking a lot already by having you pretend to be my boyfriend, but if there’s anyone I would feel comfortable doing this with, it’s you.” I pull in a deep breath, suddenly feeling like I can’t get enough air.
“I like your idea.”
“What idea?”
“Getting naked with you.”
“You’d do that with me?” I ask incredulously. “Like, seriously have sex with me?”
“Yes.” His answer is so straightforward that I have to blink to see if he means it.
“I don’t need a pity fuck.”
