“No. You don’t. Your body’s beautiful.”

He threw my shirt onto the bed across from the bathroom door and then he entered the small, steamed-over bathroom. The space shrunk with his large size, but instead of feeling claustrophobic, I felt hotter. Either the steam had gotten thicker or my breathing was getting harder.

Goosebumps covered my arms as he ran his hands from my shoulders to my elbows. Then he tugged me closer and my naked stomach touched his. He looked down at me and bit his lip ring. Pulling my elbows up, he put my arms around his neck, pressing my bra-covered breasts into his chest.

He leaned down and nuzzled my neck with his nose and then I felt his soft lips against my collarbone.

“I love how you tease me,” he said as he moved his hands down and pulled my hips closer to him.

“I didn’t know I was.” My voice sounded weak and nervous.

“That’s just it. You do it without realizing it. It’s so innocent, but such a fucking turn-on. I’m not used to someone being shy and sexy at the same time.”

His lips skimmed my jaw line and then he nipped my chin with his teeth. I couldn’t take it. I grabbed the sides of his face and brought his lips to mine. He pulled me harder against him and moaned into my mouth. I felt it in between my legs and my nipples went hard inside my bra.

Pushing against me, he moved me back until the back of my thighs were against the wet bathroom counter. As if I weighed nothing, he lifted me onto it and fit himself between my legs. It felt amazing. Zeke was so good at this stuff. He continued to kiss me. His tongue slipped into my mouth and a tiny sound leapt from my throat.

Kissing was so new to me, but I still managed to keep up. I felt his lip ring press into my bottom lip and he flicked my tongue with his before he began to softly suck on the tip of it. His body was pressing against me harder. I wrapped my legs around him and helped him as he started to rock his hips into me.

The friction of my jeans being rubbing against me over and over again started to feel good. I grabbed onto his hips and dug my fingers into him. I didn’t even realize I was making noises until he pointed it out.

“I love it when you whine like that. I can make it better if you’ll let me.”

He slipped a finger inside the waist of my jeans. I leaned back on the counter to give him easier access. My palm landed on top of my phone and the voicemail from my sister started playing on speaker phone. Sydney’s awful rendition of the birthday song filled the heated bathroom and everything stopped.

I swatted at my phone to make it stop, but by then it was too late.

Zeke looked down at me in confusion.

“Today’s your birthday?”

“It’s really not a big deal.”

“Babe, eighteen is a big deal,” he said with wide eyes. “Why didn’t you say something?”

My dad took away joyful things like birthdays when I was seven, and it was like a nail in the coffin when he took my virginity at thirteen. It was hard to find excitement over something like another year of life when your life was a living hell.

“Because it’s not a big deal.”

Bathroom steaminess forgotten, he pulled me down from the counter and planted a sweet kiss on my mouth.

“We have to celebrate. Let me take you to lunch and a show.”

“Both of us are broke. How are we going to make that happen?”

“Listen up, princess, I grew up poor as dirt. I know all about making a dollar stretch. Come on.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the bathroom.

I caught my shirt in the air when he threw it at me and then I pulled it over my head. I kind of appreciated the fact that Zeke put my birthday before sex. It said a lot to me about where I was on his list of priorities.

“Okay, first thing’s first, I’m taking you to the best restaurant in town.”

The best restaurant in town ended up being McDonald’s. Zeke schooled me in the ways of the dollar menu and when I pointed out that Transformers was one of my favorite movies, he used his skills in persuasion to con the little brunette behind the counter into giving him a happy meal toy of Optimus Prime for my birthday. It was quite possibly the sweetest birthday present I’d ever received.

When we left, he held my hand as we walked to his car. I didn’t even think he was aware of it, but I was. I was aware of everything about him.

The show he promised ended up being a trip to the local aquarium. A friend of his ran the front booth so he was able to get us in free. The place was dead, so as we walked around the hallways, we were alone. Still, he held my hand.

“That fish looks like Chet when he plays the drums,” he laughed as he pointed out a fish with a squished-up face.