Jay: You’re the nicest too, Soph.
Jay: And by the way, you taste like cherrieseverywhere.
Sophia fell asleep smiling. When she woke up, it was Thursday. And she was going to lose her virginity to Jay Orton.
She didn’t even feel nervous.
Chapter fourteen
Jay
Jaywasnervous.Itwouldn’t be the first time he had taken a girl’s virginity, but it would be the first time he had cared—other than a sort of smug male pride. And as he showered and shaved and dressed and eyed himself critically in the mirror, he found himself thinking that those girls had probably deserved more than that. Sophia did.
Sophia deserved the world.
He wasn’t sure he was the right kind of guy to give it to her, but he was bloody well going to try.
He was ready by ten. Which was ridiculous. He didn’t even normally get out of bed before ten. So he got undressed again and went for a long swim, ducking his head under the water. He stared at the wavering blue light at the bottom of the pool, hanging weightless before emerging with lungs burning, as though this was some sort of baptism. As though he could wipe his sins clean.
He showered again. He got dressed again. He wondered what Sophia would wear and found himself thinking of last week, her lack of pants, and found himself smiling and with a rapidly increasing semi. Maybe he should have a wank. What if he came too soon and ruined it for her?
God, he was nervous. He was also incredibly turned on. He hadn’t had sex in a month, and hadn’t even missed it, not with Sophia to occupy him. But now he felt like a horny teenager, his brain foggy with lust. He had never wanted any girl as much as he wanted Sophia. He must have been mad to think she was ever unappealing.
The truth of it, though—he was dimly coming to admit to himself—was that he had never found her unattractive. He had always thought she was incredible. The most beautiful girl in the world, as he had told his cousin the Duke once. It was true. She was beautiful. But, yes, she was also cool and remote and simply…
Too damn good for him.
Thatwas the truth. Sophia Clements wasn’t the kind of girl to look at him twice. Even now, it was the lawyer she wanted. Not Jay. Not ridiculous slutty Jay, whose only function in life was to wait for his father to die.
You’re the nicest guy, Jay
He was still in his room, looking pensively at nothing when the doorbell rang. He practically fell down the stairs in his haste to answer it. The housekeeper beat him to it.
Sophia
“Sophia Clements,” Sophia announced herself to the frowning housekeeper. “Here to see Mr Jay Orton.”
And have sex.
Sex sex sex.
Her brain was not being helpful.
Luckily, Jay appeared, crossing the entrance hall from the ornate curving staircase at the back of it.
“Afternoon, Soph.” He smiled easily, as though she was here for nothing at all.
“Afternoon.” Her own voice was a little squeaky.
“Thank you, Portia,” Jay dismissed the housekeeper. She gave them both a disdainful sniff and then glided somewhat unnervingly away.
“With staff like that, who needs enemies?” Jay joked. Sophia laughed.
He was dressed in a dark grey top that made his grey eyes look almost luminous. His hair was freshly washed, a little damp. He smelled like heaven and sleek masculinity. And he was watching her, smiling, a teasing lilt creeping into his smile.
“Shall I take your coat?”
“Oh. Thank you.”
