Page 34 of Learning to Love

Word on the street is that our sweet Georgia peach and our favorite quarterback are now exclusive. That's right, ladies, he's off the market. Countless women have heard him say that he doesn't do relationships, but Dani "Georgia" Constantine proved that was a lie. If you weren't at the Alpha Phi Alpha house tonight, where were you at-t-t-t-t?

Our spitfire Dani, and head cheerleader Janet, almost threw down in a catfight to end all catfights. I would pay good money to see them fight on pay-per-view. Janet found out real quick how serious Dani is about her man. It looks like there's a new Prom Queen in town, Janet. Bless your heart. "Nobody cares, Janet!"

Dani-1 Janet-0

Until next time Bitches!

Jake says it first. "Shit."

Yup. Shit. You've got to be kidding me. Jake puts his arm around me and kisses the side of my forehead. Countless women. I knew he had a past, and I won't judge him for it, but has he been tested? I need to ask him about that before we have any more sexy time.

I'm not scared of Janet, but I wonder if there will be any backlash for standing up to the head cheerleader. My life just got a little bit more complicated. I smile up at Jake to let him know I'm not mad. Him being in the spotlight is just a lot to deal with right now. Being with him will change my life, and if we stay together for the long term, I will be in the public eye. Do I want that for my life? That's undoubtedly a question I will revisit as we grow closer.

Hector looks up at Jake with mischief in his eyes. "So, countless women, man! Georgia, you got a full-blown Casanova over there."

Jake flips him off. "Shit."

Chapter 19

Lessons

Everything Fearless 24/7

The Jake Ryan was spotted leaving Dani's dorm room this morning sporting a mischievous well satisfied grin.

We get back to my dorm in a rush. Jakes behavior is beyond amusing. He devoured his food and stared down everyone else at the table until they finished. Except for me, of course. He was trying to strong-arm them, unsuccessfully, but he did give it a good try. He’s ready to get back to the naughty situation we found ourselves in earlier today. The circumstance where we were so rudely interrupted, and Dallas says his eyes are still burning from that one.

Speaking of which, we are now making small talk with Dallas and Sasha. He keeps giving me smoldering looks that are setting me on fire. Can we go to my room already? My stomach drops. I need to have the dreaded "conversation" with him first. Jake seems to value honesty, so he shouldn't find my question intrusive.

I'll blush from head to toe, but if I want to do adult things, I need to be responsible. I'm ready to know the answers. Plus, spending time alone with Jake is not terrible at all. I fake a yawn. Sasha winks at me, and Jake gives me a shit-eating grin. I give Sasha and Dallas a hug. "Goodnight, you two."

"Goodnight!" They say in unison. I laugh when I see Sasha pull Dallas into her room.

We head to my room and I’m already feeling so nervous. I second guess myself about the talk, but at the end of the day, I know it needs to happen. I want him to teach me about all the things I've only dreamed of doing. The things that no one else talks about during polite conversation, and if we are going to enter into that type of relationship, we have to be comfortable talking to each other about serious stuff.

I'm still not ready for full-on sex. However, I am eager for other types of lessons. I want to learn what pleasures Jake and discover what pleases me. This will be a new journey for me, and hopefully for him, too. He's not been in a relationship at least recently anyway. I'll have to ask him who was his last girlfriend and the reason why they broke up. There is still so much I don't know about him. Before sex, I want to know him, and I want it to be the most intimate moment we've ever experienced. I want him to know me like the back of his hand and vice versa. I want the fairy tale, and hopefully, one day, we'll get the fairy tale ending. If not, the fact that I'll be devastated is an understatement, but that's real life. I want to live my life and not be on the sidelines anymore. I want to feel, even if that means heart-wrenching sadness will come my way. People leave. My sperm donor taught me that. People also stay. My Mama and Granny showed me that. I don't know what category Jake will fall into yet. Only time will tell.

I shut my door behind us. I almost jump out of my skin as I realize Jake is right in front of me. He laughs. "Did you really expect me to be standing anywhere else when you look so beautiful right over here?"

I smile and kiss his lush lips. "I shoulda known better." He answers with another kiss. One of his hands is on the door, the other in the indention between my waist and hip. That drives me wild. I repeat the kiss as I run my fingers through his hair. He growls. I place my hand on his chest and push him gently away. His eyes intensely search mine.

I breathe in deep. "We need to talk first."

He nods his head in understanding. He leads me toward the bed. I sit down and cross my legs facing him. "Jake, I want you to know that I'm glad we're together. I care about you and I can't wait to get to know you fully. I love that honesty is important to you, and that's why we need to have this conversation."

He looks at me attentively. "Dani, honesty is the most important thing to me. There is a reason behind that, but I'm not ready to discuss it yet. Is that okay?"

I have a good suspicion of what that is. I grab his hand, "Of course it is! I want us to feel comfortable with each other, and eventually, we'll spill all our secrets. That will come with time. Now, we need to talk about sex."

He smiles and leans over to kiss me. "Now that is a subject I can discuss in full length all day long, darlin'."

I put my finger over his lips as he goes in for another kiss. His wounded expression makes me giggle. I roll my eyes at him. "I bet you can, hunky pie. This particular sex conversation may be a bit uncomfortable for you, but I do need to talk to you."

He looks down, defeated. "I get it, but I hate that damn Instagram page sometimes. I knew my past would come back to haunt me one day. Let me have it."

I settle my finger under his chin and lift it slowly. I move closer to where he’s sitting. "I don't care about those other girls. That was before me. While I don't like to think about it, I will never judge you for your past. Now that the unnecessary part is out of the way, have you always used condoms? Have you ever been tested?"

He looks surprised, but he smiles. "Georgia, I promise. I always wear a condom and I get tested once a year when we have our annual physicals. I'm disease-free. My last physical was right before I met you. I had just gotten back from break that day, and I hadn't been with anybody for at least a month before that. And, as you well know, I haven't been with anyone since."