Saving Myself Until the Beast Moved In Next Door

Ella grew up in a conservative Christian family, where her mother warned that a woman’s first time must be with her husband on their wedding night. At college, surrounded by friends who trade sex stories, she feels the pull of desires she was taught to fear. Then a party with Brad ends in panic, and alone in the dark she discovers pleasure for the first time. Bolder now, she is still a virgin but no longer scared, waiting for the right moment.

One Saturday she wanders into an artsy neighborhood and meets George, a muralist with sandy-blonde hair and dark green eyes. A dropped paintbrush splashes blue on her calf, and he invites her into his house to clean it. Kneeling before her, he wipes the paint away, then presses his lips to the spot. The air between them turns charged, and Ella’s heart stumbles.