Sex advice

Maybe this only happens to me, but whenever I have a new sex partner, it's REALLY AWKWARD the first few times while you're trying to figure out what the other person likes. And unfortunately, most of the guys I have been with havent lasted much longer than the awkward stage so I haven't had much sex with another person that I'm really comfortable with.
This makes me quite uncertain and shy during sex and I HATE IT.
How how HOW do I get over the awkward stage with this guy I'm with? How do I boost my confidence and just have crazy awesome sex with him? What are some foolproof things I can do to him and feel confident that he'll like it so I don't have to second guess myself all the damn time? 
TEACH ME YOUR WAYS OH SEX GODDESSES OF GLOW.