Beaming her approval at Mac’s logic, Ava agreed with him. “That’s a good idea. We also need to find out how much mileage she has on the diaper she’s wearing first. If the time’s almost up and she’s due for a change, then she might suddenly wake up freaking out.”

“And the milk thing,” Mac added, “don’t forget that. They suddenly start raising holy hell when it’s time to eat again. Shit, there’s a lot to consider here, isn’t there?”

“Maybe I could make a checklist before we go in?” Ava suggested. “That way we don’t forget anything. We could get in there, get scared, and forget to ask some important questions.”

Mac lifted a hand, clicking his finger at her. “Good idea, baby. We’re likely to freeze up under pressure. Let’s go through the whole list in the car right before we go in. That way we’ll at least remember to cover the important points. And there’s no shame in just backing down if we’re not sure, agreed?”

Ava raised her glass and clicked it against his. “Absolutely. Sounds like a plan.” Having finished her meal, she let her hand return to his thigh. She knew she shouldn’t, as she’d never done anything like it before, but she couldn’t resist. In a way, this was like a sexual milestone, and she wanted to reach it. Her hand moved upward and covered the bulge in his pants. His eyes widened and his leg jerked, causing the china on the table to shake. Oops, had she grabbed him a little too hard? Had he flinched in pain or pleasure? Biting her lip, she looked at him in concern, wondering if she had messed up her foray into public groping. Crap, according to Cosmopolitan, there was no such thing as a wrong touch where a man’s penis was concerned. She was still a little unsure of the whole ball-tugging thing, though, and she didn’t think that was possible to do while he was wearing pants anyway. She had planned to save that move for later on. “Um . . . did I hurt you?” she asked, feeling embarrassed.

Mac coughed, looking as if someone were squeezing his windpipe. “Avie . . . you know you’re holding my cock, right?” he wheezed out.

She flexed her hand, marveling in the fact that he felt much bigger than he had just a minute ago. “Yes, I know. Is it okay? Am I holding Mr. Wood too tight or not tight enough?” Oh God, she was doing something wrong. His eyes looked ready to pop out of his head and his face was almost purple.

As she started to pull her hand away, he clamped down on it, holding it in place. “Mr. Wood?” he asked, sounding strained.

Ava sagged in her seat, completely disappointed. She’d done everything that the magazine suggested to seduce her man during dinner. She had flirted, touched his penis, and even given it one of the manly names that they had suggested. Nothing seemed to be working, though. Instead of looking madly aroused and ready to throw her across the table, he looked as if he was just seconds away from passing out. As tears of disappointment threatened, she whispered, “I’m a complete failure at this, aren’t I? I guess you can’t be taught how to be fun and sexy, because it’s not working for me. I’m more like the antidote to all that. I’m sorry, Mac. I tried.”

Mac looked horrified as a lone tear slid down her cheek. Reaching out to brush it away, he cupped her face in his hand. “Oh, baby, I have no idea where all this is coming from, but you just surprised me, is all. You don’t have to try to be any of those things. To me you’re already all of them and more.” Lowering his voice, he moved the other hand that was holding hers against his cock and pushed firmly down. “I get hard just being near you. I panicked when you touched me because I knew I was dangerously close to coming in my pants for the first time in my life. You have no idea how your touch, your smell—everything about you affects me. I lose what little sophistication I’ve acquired through the years, and I’m back to being nothing but an out-of-control, horny teenager.”

Feeling a flicker of hope, Ava asked, “Really? I do that to you—for you?”

As he grew even bigger under her hand, he lifted an eyebrow, saying, “You don’t have to take my word for it, Avie. That’s all for you . . . that’s what you do to me.” She beamed at him, thrilled to feel the evidence of his attraction to her. Chuckling, he added, “One thing, though . . . where did you come up with the name Mr. Wood?”

Ava started giggling, now seeing the humor in her hasty attempt at seduction. Maybe she should have left that step until later as well. “Since I don’t really have any experience—you know, with men—I’ve been reading a lot of magazines,” she admitted. “That was supposed to be something like a bedroom secret that was just between us. I guess some men call their . . . penises wood, like morning wood, and since you’re male, I added the Mr. part.” Grimacing, she asked, “Do you hate it? We don’t have to use a name if you don’t want to.”

“Baby, you can call my cock anything you want to as long as it doesn’t have the words small, little, cute, or sweet in it.” He gently removed her hand from his lap and flagged down their server. Giving her a look that had her clenching her thighs together, he said, “I wanted to make this a great first date for you, but we’ve got to go home or we’ll be doing something in here that’ll probably get us locked up.”

Mac grabbed the check from the server’s hand and hastily threw a stack of bills on the table. They left the restaurant in what was just shy of a run. He paced as they waited for his SUV to be brought around. Ava thought they both breathed an audible sigh of relief when the doors were closed behind them and they set off toward Mac’s house.

As he drove with one hand on the wheel, he used his other arm to push the material of her dress up. Soon, she felt an embarrassing flood of wetness gather between her legs. “Mac . . . ,” she moaned, unable to hide the desire racing through her body.

Never taking his eyes from the road, he shifted his hand to rest against the thin silk of her panties. She knew that he could feel the moisture soaking through the material, but she was past caring. When he pushed harder, pressing against her throbbing clit, she threw her head back, needing a release from the pressure building inside her. She moved her hips restlessly, wanting more. “That’s right, baby,” he rasped, “ride my hand.”

With those words, she lost her inhibitions. Moving her panties to the side, she pulled his hand into her damp folds and sighed in bliss when he immediately started stroking her there. “Touch me, Mac,” she pleaded, needing more of what he could give her.