Amazingly, Charlee actually felt better now. She was even smiling and felt on the verge of laughing. “Well, it’s why I was the way I was last night. I may never have been with any guy, and you are the very first person to touch me that way, but I had experienced certain things most virgins haven’t, and I just assumed I was probably the only freak on the planet had done that to themselves.”

“Are you kidding me?” Hector laughed. “Every guy in the history of man has been going at it long before they get any real action. And seriously? You really think you’re the only girl who’s done this?”

She shrugged, still unable to believe she’d actually told someone about this, and not just someone, Hector. He pulled her to him and kissed her forehead. “I don’t think you’re a freak at all, not like you’re thinking anyway, but I do like that you’re freaky.” He slid his hand up her thigh, making her breath catch suddenly. “In fact, up until I brought my mom into the conversation and totally killed it, I don’t remember ever being so damn turned on just listening to someone talk.”

He kissed the side of her face, moving down her jaw. “In my defense,” she said, feeling the shivers already from his soft kisses moving down her neck. As much as she wanted him to keep going, she needed to explain and make this very clear. “Until I moved out here, I really believed I’d never have a boyfriend and, therefore, no sexual encounters or pleasure aside from . . .”

“I get it, Charlee. I do,” he assured her, pulling away to look at her, and lifted an eyebrow. “So what changed when you moved out here?”

She smiled softly. “That was the whole point of moving so far. So I could start over. Drew wanted to move away from her mom and the ongoing scandal, because after her parents separated, her brother’s coach ended up leaving his wife for her mom. They’re now engaged, and we both knew as long as I lived in that small town I’d continue to be the anti-social hermit I’d become, forever. So she convinced me to straighten my hair, get a new wardrobe, do my makeup so that my freckles weren’t so blinding—”

“I like your freckles.” Hector said very seriously.

“I know,” she smiled. “That’s why I’m not covering them anymore. My point is Drew is very good about getting things together once she has a plan.” Hector nodded, smiling now. “So she convinced me to agree that once we were out here with this new transformation and fresh start because no one knew anything about me, I’d be open-minded about socializing.”

He went in for her neck again, his tongue making her tremble. Moving his hand between her legs now, he bit down on her neck. “Are you really hungry right now?” he asked against her neck.

“Not for food,” she said with a smile.

“You think Drew’s home already?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Her breath caught as he licked then sucked just below her ear. “My bedroom door locks.”

Pulling away from her suddenly, he stared at her. “You serious? She won’t mind?”

“Nope,” she smiled, feeling wickedly aroused already. “Knowing her, she’ll be thrilled that I’m finally acting like a normal college girl.”

Sticking the key in the ignition immediately, he turned on the truck and backed it up. Brimming with an unexpected feeling of inner tranquility, Charlee hadn’t realized how good it would feel to finally tell someone her deepest secret. She was also glad to tell him about the incident in her life that that nearly broke her. She didn’t think it possible, but having everything out in the open like this with Hector might make for even better sex. Squeezing his inner thigh and making him squirm, she leaned against his shoulder, the anticipation already intensifying.

Chapter 29

The rest of the week, Hector had to help with the move to the new house. He actually went a few days without seeing Charlee. Thursday was one of them. The one day he got out of moving duties early so he could surprise her at the chess lab when he’d already told her he wouldn’t be there, he got a text from her just as he hurried through the campus.

Since you weren’t going to be there anyway, I decided to skip the lab today. Drew and I are shopping for some last minute things I need for this weekend’s trip. I hate that we didn’t get to see each other today, but I can hardly wait to spend the entire weekend with you. ;)

Stopping in his tracks as he finished reading her text, he nearly growled from the disappointment of it. His dumb ass should’ve just told her he was coming. He nearly spun around ready to head back to finish helping the guys with the move when he looked up and froze. Ross was lurking around the physics building, looking a little too suspicious for Hector’s liking. Maybe his trip down here hadn’t been a waste after all.

Starting toward him, he didn’t miss the moment Ross saw him coming. Instantly, he stopped leaning against the railing on the staircase—the one Charlee would’ve walked up to get to chess lab.

With a little skip in his feet, Ross began rushing off in the opposite direction. “Don’t make me chase you, ass**le,” Hector called out behind him, already picking up his own pace, “because I will.”

With his adrenaline pumping at full speed, Hector was already having visions of chasing this guy down, tackling him on his ass and beating the living shit out of him. He didn’t even care if it got him kicked off the chess team. One way or another, he’d get this creeper out of Charlee’s life.