Page 57 of The Love We Make

“True. But still.” He used his thumb to scroll and went to the next one. “Third base. Oral stimulation. Check.”

“Kinda,” I blurted.

“What do you mean, kinda? I am pretty sure you came down my throat last night, Maddy. I would bet a tonsillectomy we checked this off the fucking list.”

“Yeah,youdid. But I didn’t.” I eyed him, wondering if he got what I was saying. I had never had my mouth on a man. I had never performed “oral stimulation” as they put it. Ethan checked it off his list as far as me receiving it, but since we were here and checking off the list, I suddenly wanted to complete the damn list.

“You’ve never taken someone to third base? Not even Joey Diaz?”

“Nope. He tried to do it to me, but I never returned the favor to him. His parents called and told him to get home. He told me to get out of his car and walk home so he could get home faster and that is where our puppy love ended.”

“What the fuck?” He practically yelled. “Why did I never know any of this?”

“It was embarrassing. He legit licked me like a cat cleaning its paws—maybe 5 times—got mad I didn’t have an orgasm, and then his phone rang.”

“I swear I am going to kill him. Where is he these days?”

“Calm down, Rambo. I have no clue where he is and that was so long ago. It’s not even a thing. The only reason I even finished the story is because since you did that thing you did last night with your tongue, and blew my mind, I now know it washimand notmethat had the problem.”

“Damn right it was him. What an idiot.” His head was shaking back and forth in disbelief. Like this was the single-most craziest story he had ever heard.

“You mean to tell me at 17 you knew how to get a girl off with just your mouth?”

“I know I gave it a fucking valiant effort and didn’t stop until she moaned my name.”

“Whatever.” I was stopping the conversation. Suddenly, I was getting jealous of all the girls Ethan fooled around with in high school—7 years ago. That was not a place I needed to relive right now.

“Well, in case you were wondering, we definitely checkedhome runoff the list too.” He closed his phone and set it back down, content that we settled the baseball sexual innuendos.

But I wasn’t content at all.

I must have had a surge of bravery. Fearlessness.

Or I was high.

Or drunk.

But probably emboldened by my new sexual prowess.

Because what I said next had Ethan at a loss for words.

“I’m about to steal third base. Seems unfair you get to check your list and mine is still empty.”Was that dumb? Did he get my joke?It didn’t matter. The best part about this whole weekend was the fact that I was with Ethan. If I was going to be dumb and embarrassing, now was the time.

I didn’t look at his expression, and as I said, he had no words. I just slipped below the covers and crawled down his body. I grabbed onto his dick with my hand and noticed he was already hard.

“Mad…Maddy…? You don’t have to do that. Seriously.”

I peeked up from under the covers and squeezed him at the same time. “You don’t want me to?”

“Oh fuck, I want you to. I just…. I don’t…. You can….”

I didn’t let him finish. I wrapped my lips around him and took my turn at tasting him. I knew what he was going to say. He didn’t want me to feel like I had to. He didn’t want me to be uncomfortable or obligated.

But I didn't. I wasn't.

I wanted to do this. I wanted to make him as crazy as he made me. I wanted him to know our one and only weekend together was full circle and "covered all the bases.”

I wanted to learn and I wanted him to teach me.