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"He never had the sex talk with you when you were growing up?"

"Oh, we’ve had the sex talk all right--a few tie body on the bed, folding those thick biceps behind his head, h school, they both sat nedto be coht?"

A brief hesitation "Yeah"

He casts uilty look, thick eyebrows knitted into a frown as if just realizing what that one word iless sex with countless less women

Well

That information I certainly could have lived without, but I asked, so I have no one to bla in the pit of roupies, and safe sex, and using my head--not the one inside my boxers"

"I don’t bla your son work his ass off, keep up his grades, and then have to fend off all the girls"

"I guess I don’t either The girls are…" He clears his throat, once again directing his gaze toward the ceiling, as if the answers are spelled out for him up there "I was done with the parties and the casual sex by ot real old--not for everyone in the house, obviously, but it did for y student is so far rehable

"Do you feel like you have to be on all the time?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like…" I prop myself up so I can see him better "You can’t say or do what you want because people are alatching"

He nods "That’s exactly it, yes Coaches, theus The popular players can’t even take a du up online"

I try to picture er’s profile online, or an article written about me on the internet

"What’s it like?"

"It doesn’t happen to ive a shit about I play ball for Iowa, Scarlett, not Miaood?"

"Those teaoes quiet "Yeah, I could have played there"

"Should you have played there?"

"No" He turns his head toward ht where I need to be"

My heart leaps, da about baseball any about us--hi here now, alone in this room, alone in this bed

"You can touch me, you know" His voice has a hesitance to it, as if he’s afraid I’ to reject hi up ue, ht fist while the space between ly handso

Hot

I could stare at hile word to entertain lides through the white sheets toward hi with baited breath forWade has ever given ht tremor in his voice

He wants me to touch hi?"

"You don’t have to knohat you’re doing, you just have to listen to your body, and hopefully that body is telling you to touch me"

He delivers that quip with a serious expression, the s his eyes

"I can’t believe you can say shit like that with a straight face"

His chest rumbles "So, tentatively pausing