“… Let me be… your girl…”

“What was that?”

Your cheeks feel so hot. You look down at the floor, mumbling your answer, the only answer you can give.

“Please…” you whisper.

“I can’t hear you,” Nicholas says. His words are cruel even if his voice is kind. “You need to look at me so I know that you mean this.”

Mean it? How could you mean it? You’re a man, and here you are asking another man to… to…

But the fear forces you onwards. Fear of what other men will see when they look at you. Fear of what they’ll do to you.

You need protection. You need to… belong to someone.

To Nicholas.

You look up at him, lips dry, heart pounding, see that ruggedly handsome face, those strong and dependable features.

“Please…”

This is the right choice, isn’t it?

“Please be my… man…”

This is your only choice, isn’t it?

“Please let me… be… your girl…”

There’s a look of triumph that flashes across his face for a brief instant, but you don’t have the time to make sense of it, because almost as soon as the words are out of your mouth…

His lips are on yours.