I reached out and grabbed her hands, giving them a squeeze. It was meant to reassure her, but it reassured me too. I needed to know that I wasn’t pushing her too far, too fast.

“Is it too soon? Is that the problem?”

Corin was skittish at the best of times. A downright flight risk at the worst.

I had put it all on the line with her, throwing myself completely in. I didn’t want to mess up what had become the best thing in my life by my overeagerness to share every part of myself with her.

We had only been dating a short time. Sierra hadn’t met my family until we had been together for at least six months.

But things with Corin felt…different.

More immediate.

More important.

I didn’t want to waste time with the baby steps. I was ready to jump, headfirst, into that happily ever after.

I just needed to remember that Corin was still learning to doggie paddle.

“Too soon?” Corin asked, and I was relieved to finally hear her voice after so much silence.

“You know, meeting the parents. Because I know we’ve only been technically dating for a little while now. I don’t want to be pushy—”

Corin’s snickers interrupted me.

“You don’t want to be pushy? Since when?”

“Touché,” I conceded, pulling down my parents’ street. Corin went back to looking out the window, her chin propped on her fist as I drove.

“It’s fine. I want to meet your parents. I’ve never been introduced to someone’s family before.”

“Never?” I asked in disbelief. I couldn’t understand how a woman like Corin, beautiful, smart, kind, had never been in a serious relationship before. It made me question the intelligence of my gender.

“Nope. You’re the first. You’re popping my meet the parents cherry.”

I sputtered and coughed, all the blood rushing straight to my crotch at her innocently seductive comment.

Which brought up the other issue that I was silently suffering through.

I had become sex obsessed.

Sex. Sex. Sex.

I thought about it constantly.

As in all the freaking time.

We hadn’t slept together yet. There was a lot of kissing, some pretty righteous cuddling. A boob grab here and there and that was nice. But damn I wanted more. My hand had gotten more action since meeting Corin than it had my entire life—including the wankfest teenage years.

I was trying not to be…pushy. But I was beginning to walk around with a constant case of blue balls.

So hearing her talk about popping cherries, in whatever context, had me wanting to take a cold shower.

“Oh, well, I’m glad I could be your first,” I said smoothly, turning into a tree-lined driveway and parking behind a dark green Toyota Corolla. Zoe was already there. I hoped like hell she’d be nice. And that Corin wouldn’t say something that would inadvertently set off my sister’s bitch attack.

Corin reached across the seat and ran her fingers down my cheek. “You’re my first in everything that matters,” she said softly, and I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward me.

I ran my nose along hers and kissed her lips. Her cheeks. Her chin. Her eyelids. I could never get enough of touching her.

“Maybe we should head back to my place instead. Do the whole family dinner another night,” I suggested, my voice cracking. I kissed her again. Harder this time.

Corin chuckled and pulled away, pressing a hand to my chest. Always over my heart. “I think it might be too late for that.” She nodded her head in the direction of the front of the house. I could see the curtains in the living room pulled back and my mother peeking outside.

I groaned. “Why did I drag us here again?”

Corin rolled her eyes. “Don’t start that now. You’ve got me here. Let’s go.”

I got out of the car and hurried to the passenger side to open the door before Corin could do it herself.

“You’re really never going to let me do that myself, are you?” she asked, and I shook my head.

“Nope.”

She cupped my cheek in her hand, her brown eyes soft. “What am I going to do with you?”

I leaned down to kiss her again.

“Beck! You’re here! Come inside, it’s starting to rain!”

I dropped my forehead to Corin’s and sighed. “This doesn’t seem like such a good idea in retrospect.”

Corin poked me in the ribs and I straightened up, taking her hand before walking toward my mother, who stood in the open doorway.

She watched the two of us approach and I felt Corin tense with every step. And I understood why. My mother was smiling, but it was brittle. She seemed unsure. Apprehensive.

She wasn’t sold on this brand-new relationship that came on the heels of my last, less successful one. My mother was protective. Overly so after the almost-dying thing. Sierra had never passed the mama bear sniff test and it had created a wedge in my family.

But Corin wasn’t Sierra.

“Breathe, Cor. Before you pass out,” I whispered as we walked up the porch steps.

“Shut up,” Corin responded through clenched teeth that then stretched her mouth into her version of a smile. Not the smile she gave me. The one reserved for uncomfortable situations.

“Hi, Mom,” I said.

“I was beginning to think we’d have to call for reinforcements to get you out of the car,” she joked, looking at Corin, not at me.

I hugged my mother before turning to a very stiff Corin. “Mom, this is Corin. Corin, this is my mother, Meryl.”

Corin held out her hand and Mom shook it, both of the women regarding each other evenly.

“Thank you for inviting me to your home,” Corin said, her smile turning into a manic grin. She handed my mother the pie she had insisted on buying on our way over.

“It’s lovely to have you, Corin. Now come inside. We’re not trying to heat the outside.”

I wrapped my arm around Corin’s waist and we walked inside. “You may want to tone down the psycho-killer smile. It’s making me nervous,” I said softly.

“Maybe I should start quoting Hannibal Lecter. I could ask your mother for a nice bottle of Chianti,” Corin whispered, raising her eyebrows.

I chuckled, relieved that she hadn’t run for the door yet.

I could hear the television blaring in the living room and figured my father was camped in his recliner watching the football game.

“Why don’t you two go in and say hi to your father. Zoe’s around here somewhere. Probably on her phone.” My mom kept glancing between Corin and me, clearly trying to get a read on our relationship.

I pressed Corin up against my side but she was resisting me.

“Cool the PDA in front of your parents,” Corin had warned me before we left my apartment.

“I promise not to stick my tongue down your throat until we leave. Does that work?” I had asked her. You know, before sticking my tongue down her throat.

“Do you want anything to drink?” Mom asked.

“I’ll have a glass of water. Corin?” I squeezed her middle and she jumped.

“Yes, a glass of water would be lovely,” she said, glaring at me.

“Two glasses of water coming up,” my mom said, sending me some sort of silent message with her eyes that I couldn’t read.

“I was going to answer. Chill out, Beck,” Corin hissed, shooting me daggers with her eyes.

Maybe I was more nervous about this dinner than Corin.

“Come on, let’s go meet my dad. He’s usually good for a laugh or two.” I tugged on Corin, but she hung back for a minute.

“Beck, I know I’m going to say something stupid and they’re going to hate me. You’ll be embarrassed. I’ll ruin everything. Do not let me mention my cat coughing up fur balls or the pulled muscle in my groin. Promise me!” She squeezed my hand and widened her eyes dramatically.

I twisted her so that she was facing me. I framed her face with my hands and looked down into worried brown eyes. I kissed her gently on the mouth. Taking my time.