INICIAR SESIÓN"I... I'd have to ask my mom," she said."Of course," Ethan said. "Call her right now. I'll give you privacy."He stepped out of the room, and Jems pulled out her phone with shaking hands. She called Emily, who answered on the second ring."Hey, baby. Everything okay?""Yeah, Mom, everything's fine. Um, I'm at Ethan's house," Jems said."Ethan Reynolds?" Emily's voice immediately brightened with warmth."Yep," Jems replied."Oh, how is he? I haven't seen him in a few weeks.""He's good. Really good, actually. Mom, we're... we're dating now."There was a pause, and then Emily's delighted squeal nearly burst Jems' eardrums. "DATING?! Oh my God, Jems! This is wonderful! When did this happen?""This morning," Jems admitted, her face heating up even though her mother couldn't see her. "It's really new.""I'm so happy for you, sweetheart! Ethan is such a good person, kind, respectful, and hardworking. His parents raised him well. I couldn't have picked a better boy for you myself!""Thanks,
After their moment in Ethan's room, they came back downstairs to find his family gathered around the dining table for a late breakfast. Ethan's grandmother had gone all out with pancakes, bacon, eggs, fresh fruit, and the works. The table was practically groaning under the weight of all the food."There you two are!" Ethan's grandmother said with a knowing smile. "Come, sit, eat before everything gets cold."Ethan pulled out a chair for Jems, who sat down feeling acutely aware of every single pair of eyes on them. His cousins were watching with undisguised interest, some of them grinning and others whispering to each other.Instead of sitting in his own chair, Ethan started filling a plate for Jems with a pancake, some scrambled eggs, a few pieces of bacon, and fresh strawberries. He cut the pancake into neat pieces, drizzled syrup over it, and then picked up a fork."Open up," he said with a soft smile, holding a piece of pancake to her lips.Jems felt her face immediately flush hot.
"I am so sorry," he said. "I tried to call you, tried to text you, but nothing went through. I was going to come to your place this morning to explain." "Explain what?" Jems asked. "That my entire family descended on my house last night and completely ruined our plans," Ethan said miserably. "They're staying for the whole summer. I wanted to tell you before you came here, but..." "It's okay," Jems said, even though her own disappointment was crushing. "We can reschedule. It's not a big deal." "It is a big deal," Ethan said. "I wanted today to be perfect for you. I had everything planned." He looked so genuinely upset that Jems couldn't help but smile. She reached out and squeezed his hand. "Any day with you is perfect," she said softly. "Even if your entire family is here." Ethan smiled, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. "You're amazing. You know that?" Before Jems could respond, there was a knock on the door. "Ethan!" It was his grandmother's voice. "Stop hidi
Jems eventually emerged from the bathroom about twenty minutes later, her face still pink but at least not the color of a fire engine anymore. Mira was sitting on her bed, grinning like the Cheshire cat, clearly prepared to wait all night if necessary."So," Mira said innocently. "Ready to talk about it?""There's nothing to talk about," Jems muttered, avoiding eye contact."Girl, you were moaning in your sleep."Jems' eyes went wide with horror. "I was NOT!""Okay, maybe not moaning," Mira conceded with a giggle. "But you were definitely making some interesting sounds. And you kept saying his name. 'Ethan, oh Ethan, please Ethan...'""STOP!" Jems threw a pillow at her, which Mira dodged easily, cackling."I knew it! You totally had a sex dream about him! Was it good? It looked like it was good based on your face.""I'm not discussing this with you," Jems said firmly, her face burning again. "Ever. We're never speaking of this again.""Fine, fine," Mira said, still grinning. "But just
He pushed forward slightly, just the tip, and Jems gasped at the unfamiliar sensation. It didn't hurt exactly, but it was strange, intense, overwhelming."Breathe," Ethan coached, his voice strained. "Just breathe, baby."Jems forced herself to breathe, to relax, and Ethan pushed in a little more. There was pressure, fullness, a slight burning sensation that made her tense up."Look at me," Ethan said, and Jems opened her eyes to find him watching her intently. "You're doing so good. So good. Just a little more."He pushed in further, and the burning intensified, and Jems couldn't help the small cry that escaped her lips.Ethan stilled immediately. "Do you want me to stop?""No," Jems said, her fingers digging into his shoulders. "Keep going. I want all of you."He moved again, slowly, carefully, until finally, finally, he was fully inside her, and they were connected in the most intimate way possible.For a moment, neither of them moved. They just stayed there, foreheads pressed toge
His hands pressed gently, massaging through the fabric, and Jems thought she might die from how good it felt. Her back arched instinctively, pressing herself more firmly into his palms.Then one of his hands slipped under her shirt, warm fingers against her bare skin, trailing up her ribcage until he found the clasp of her bra. With practiced ease that made Jems briefly wonder how many times he'd done this before, though she immediately pushed that thought away, he unhooked it.The fabric loosened, and then both of his hands were on her breasts, skin on skin, nothing between them. He massaged and kneaded, his thumbs brushing over her nipples in a way that made Jems see stars.She couldn't hold back her moans anymore, didn't even try. Her hands found his hair, fingers threading through and pulling, not hard enough to hurt but firm enough to show him how good this felt, how much she needed more.A hot, insistent ache built between her legs, a fire that needed to be put out. She'd never







