Текст книги "Dirty English"

Автор книги: Ilsa Madden-Mills

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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

THAT AFTERNOON I took a nap feeling as worn and thin as old paper, as if I’d been folded and refolded a million times.

Visits with Mom tended to do that, but today had been the worst ever.

I made a mental note to call her tomorrow after the dust had settled to make sure she and Karl had given up on their plan.

I groaned and rolled out of bed from my nap and got dressed, pulling on a pair of black eyelet shorts and a halter top. I brushed my hair in a ponytail and applied makeup with a heavier hand than usual. My body was jumpy and twitchy. I needed out of the apartment, but I couldn’t think of a single place to go. Blake and Shelley had gone to lunch together earlier, and I hadn’t heard back from either of them.

After pacing around the apartment, I peeked out the balcony window to check out Declan’s place. He’d mentioned going to work out on the way home and then seeing Dax, so I assumed he hadn’t returned.

The minutes ticked by. I paced past my extra bedroom a few times but nothing eased me. Something insistent clawed at my brain, itching to get out. Finally, I stepped inside the extra bedroom and turned the light on. My artist pad sat out on a small desk with a myriad of colored pencils next to it—just waiting for me to draw.

Not thinking about it too much, I walked over to the pad and opened it, thumbing through some of the old designs I’d created. After a few minutes of mulling, I grabbed one of the pencils and twirled it between my fingers.

I licked my suddenly dry lips, feeling the tendrils of inspiration for the first time in ages.

And the thing is, my hand seemed to know exactly what I needed to create. Something vibrant. Beautiful.

I closed my eyes and pictured the tattoo on Declan’s neck.

I recalled the reverence in his voice when he’d talked about his mother.

What must it be like to be on the receiving end of that kind of emotion—from Declan?

With furious fingers, I drew half a dozen different dragonflies and then used colored pencils to decorate them. Some were big, some were small, but all had that ethereal quality I imagined a dragonfly had.

I pictured engraving a dragonfly on a bracelet. Or a plaque on a necklace.

No, no.

But the more I thought of it, the more I realized I was thinking way too much about Declan and not just the dragonfly. Frustrated, I set the pad aside.

I didn’t need to think about him.

He was exactly what I didn’t need.

I stood and paced, shaking my hands out.

God, I needed a release.

I needed someone inside me.

And that person could never be Declan. I wanted him too much.

Because today in the car when he’d said I was worth it, all I’d wanted to do was wrap my arms around his strong shoulders and sink into him. I’d wanted to unbuckle my seat belt and crawl in the back with him. I’d wanted to trace my tongue over every inch of him, my hands following, learning the map of his body, committing it to memory.

But I can’t!

Which is why an hour later I found myself sitting in the bookstore café, sipping on a soda as people came and went.

It wasn’t my night to work, but then that wasn’t why I was here.

I found an easy mark, a cute-in-a-geeky-way kind of guy. I studied him, recognizing him from an astronomy class last fall.

Medium height and lean, he strolled among the stacks with an intense expression. In one hand he had a notebook and periodically he’d pause at one of the chairs at the end of each row and sit down to jot notes.

Studious. Not over-the-top hot. Perfect.

I left money on the table for my drink, gathered my purse, and made my way over to him.

A dark corner of my mind whispered yes, he was the one tonight, but my heart was silently judging me. I ignored my stupid heart and stopped in front of my mark.

I leaned against the shelving. “If I had to guess, I’d say you are a TA prepping for our first week of classes. Your professor must love you.” I smiled broadly.

He glanced up from his seat, swept his eyes over me appreciatively, and stood. He grinned in a self-deprecating kind of way I found endearing. “Uh, yeah, but the professor I work for barely knows I’m alive. I do all this work with no recognition.”

“That sucks.” I stuck my hand out. “Elizabeth Bennett, by the way. Sorry to interrupt, but I had to come over and say hi. We had a class together last year? You sat in the middle and I sat in the front.” I laughed. “Truthfully, I always wanted to talk to you, but when you left class you always had a girl waiting for you in the hallway.” This part was true. He was always on my list of possibilities, but I never fooled around with guys with girlfriends.

He leaned in and took my hand briefly, giving me a clear view of his soft brown eyes. “Harry Carter, astronomy major. I remember you, of course. You wore lots of jewelry to class. Yeah, that was my ex. We broke up this summer.” He made a little shrug, his shoulders dipping. “Her loss, I guess.”

And check. No attachments.

“My gain.” I grinned.

He laughed, a gleam in his eyes as his gaze lingered on my legs and then moved up to the red halter top. I was tall and slim, but my breasts were a good C cup.

“What are you doing here?” He leaned against the stacks, calling attention to the nice set of arms he had. Hmm, closer up, he was definitely hotter.

“Hanging out. Looking for a guy like you.” I peeked at him from underneath black lashes and laughed. This part was always so easy, mostly because I wasn’t being myself. I pretended to be someone else.

Someone who didn’t carry pain around.

I bit my lip. “Sorry, I tend to talk before my brain can tell me to shut up. That was way too forward and you probably think I’m a flirt—but I’m not. It’s just—I go with the truth. I’m upfront and some people kinda freak out about that.”

“No, I like it.” He cleared his throat and waved his hand outside to the street. “I was actually about to go have dinner across the street. You want to join me?”

“Sure.” Success.

WE LEFT THE bookstore and along the way I explained to Harry how I didn’t drink and never spent time with guys who did. He seemed on board with it, and we found a quiet booth in the back of the restaurant and ordered hamburgers and fries. Before long, a local band set up and started playing, and the lights went low. Harry scooted his chair close to me, his leg pressed firmly against mine. I reciprocated, brushing my arm against his when I could, letting my fingers touch him as often as possible. Before dinner was over, his hand was tucked into my upper thigh, his thumb caressing my skin softly.

The way he made me feel and the way he gazed at me was nice, but something was off. There was no fire, no burning need. I forced myself to carry on though.

He asked me to dance when a slow song came on, but I said no. I immediately regretted it. He was the one for tonight. Right? Why was I being so wishy-washy?

“Kiss me,” I whispered in Harry’s ear a few minutes later as we still sat at the table.

Feeling like I had something to prove.

He leaned down and captured my lips, his tongue slipping into my mouth with just the right amount of pressure. Light, nothing hard or hot.

Flashes of Declan kept popping up in my head, and I remembered how just the tiniest brush of my hand in his had been electric.

Where was he tonight?

Why did I care?

He’d made it plain he wasn’t into one-night stands.

And that’s what this was all about. It didn’t have to be spectacular like I imagined sex would be with Declan.

Mmm, Declan … his big body covering mine, his sensuous lips caressing my mouth, his hands framing my face as we kissed …

“… next Friday night at the bonfire. Want to come?”

I startled as he toyed with my fingers, his head bent low as he gazed into my eyes.

I tried to piece together what conversation I’d missed. “Oh, sorry. I can’t.”

Disappointment flashed on his face. “You’re distracted. Am I that horrible of a kisser?”

Suddenly everything felt wrong. Him. Dinner. The touching. The kiss.

He kissed me again when I didn’t answer, his lips more insistent this time, his tongue massaging mine. He groaned and I put some effort into the act, parting my lips and rubbing his leg with my hands, skating close to the growing length in his crotch. Our hands were hidden, and I pushed on him, making him moan. He put his hand on top of mine, grinding it on top of him.

“I want you, Elizabeth,” he whispered. “Right now. Let’s get out of here. Mmm?” He nipped at my lips playfully while his eyes begged me to say yes.

But …

Something was niggling in the corners of my brain.

Don’t do it.

“Actually, I need to go.” I pulled away from him and put some distance between us in the booth. He wasn’t the guy on my mind, and it wouldn’t be fair. I needed some time to think. Maybe I’d rushed into this a little too fast. “Look, it’s great touching base with you, but I—I didn’t realize it’s already kinda late. Classes start tomorrow.”

His face fell. “Seriously? After all that?”

I picked up my purse. “College calls, and I’m serious about my studies. Maybe we can run into each other again.” I looked at my watch. “Plus you have a professor to impress tomorrow.”

He let out a heavy sigh and rose up from the booth, looking at me intently. “That’s too bad. I kinda felt like we were just getting good here.” He blushed. “You’re a gorgeous girl, Elizabeth—and nice, of course. I’d really love to see you again.”

“Sorry, I can’t.” My voice had sharpened. “I need to get to my car and get home.”

He shrugged it off and we each paid our checks and walked outside together. It was dark, and I dreaded the walk back to my car at the bookstore. We walked in a strained silence. His car was a few rows over from mine and after telling him goodnight, I turned back to mine.

He grabbed my hand and tugged me back.

“What are you doing?”

“Come on, babe, don’t you want to hang out some more? I don’t want this night to end.”

Babe?Didn’t want this night to end? Hmm, Harry was more of a player than I realized.

“I have to go.” I eased my hand free. Clingy guys made me itchy.

“Wait. Can I get your phone number at least? I mean, it kinda feels like fate, us meeting at the bookstore …”

Fate? Ha.

Fine.

“You can give me yours.”

I’d never call it.

He wrote out his digits on a piece of paper, and I tucked it absently in my shorts’ pocket.

I said goodbye again, got in my car, and left. Tonight had been a mistake.

Ten minutes later, I pulled into my complex and parked. My eyes went straight to Declan’s Jeep. He was home, and part of me wanted to knock on his door and just … I don’t know … talk.

I made my way up the staircase to the breezeway that led to my door. I fished around in my purse and found my keys just as a loud male voice came from behind me on the breezeway a few feet away.

“Elizabeth, wait a minute!”

I turned, half expecting to see Harry. I was ready to tell him off for following me home like a creeper, but the truth dawned on me as I watched the handsome guy jog over to me.

I froze for a second and then snapped myself out of it. I tried to shove my key in the lock but fumbled and dropped them to the ground.

There he stood, Colby Scott, tall and handsome, wearing black pants and a black shirt, his hair swept low over his forehead, ice-blue eyes glittering at me. He looked the same but thinner and harder, a tightness around his face as his chin jutted out.

Of course, I’d seen him in passing in Petal after the hotel. Once at a gas station when I was filling up my car to head back to Raleigh and another time at the local Wal-Mart. He’d leered at me but had never spoken, and hearing his voice now was a shock.

“Don’t come any closer to me or I will scream this place down and someone will call the cops.” I bit the words out, but inside I quaked.

He held his hands up. “Hang on. I’m not going to hurt you. I just wanted to pop by and say hi. In case you haven’t heard the good news, I’ll be a Whitman student come Monday. Got kicked out of NYU, I’m afraid—too much partying apparently. As you can imagine, Dad wasn’t too thrilled about that.” He sent me a wry grin, as if expecting me to smile along with him. “Anyway, I just got settled into an apartment nearby. I couldn’t be this close and not look you up, Elizabeth. We dated once. We had some good times. Aren’t you glad to see me?” His low southern drawl washed over me in waves. Making me ill.

Was he crazy? Didn’t he know what he’d done to me?

My gut churned as the entire world tilted on its axis, and the only way I was able to stay upright was by leaning against my door.

Panic beat at me.

God. Don’t pass out.

“Get away from me. Now.” I panted, the air growing thin. My heart thundered.

Had he been waiting for me in the parking lot?

Even if I wanted to scream, I couldn’t seem to muster up the air to do it. Somehow I managed to bend down and snatch my keys.

He smiled, raking his eyes over my body. He came closer. “You’re still as pretty as ever, Elizabeth. I hope we can catch up real soon.”

My hand clutched my keys as the fear escalated higher. I made a fist with my keys and showed him. “Don’t come one inch closer.”

He laughed and placed his hand up on the wall behind my head. “You’re not going to do a damn thing. You’re too scared. Besides I’m not here to bother you, only to get a welcome to Whitman from you. Does everyone here know what a sexy little thing you are? How you like it? Hmm?”

I snapped away from him, using my hands to push off his chest.

If I could just get to Declan’s door.

A FEMALE’S RAISED voice penetrated my brain and in my half-asleep state, I pictured Elizabeth in my bed, lying back against my sheets …

Her voice came again.

Shit.

This was no dream.

I sat up from the couch where I’d fallen asleep after the gym and glanced at the clock on the telly. I groaned as I clicked on the lamp. Barely eleven. I scrubbed my face, my muscles screaming. I’d been at the gym most of the afternoon working on sets and sparring with Max. Dax had come by to watch, and later on we’d ended up catching dinner together.

A male’s voice came next, and I perked up

Who was that?

The greasy guy from the truck stop came to mind.

I jerked up, not bothering to put a shirt on.

As soon as I stepped out the front door and into the breezeway, I caught a clue. A guy I didn’t recognize had Elizabeth cornered with his body, a hard look on his face.

“Get away from me,” Elizabeth yelled at him, her face ashen.

I saw red. Bloody hell, I saw every fucking color imaginable.

Without pausing, I rushed and ripped into him with a palm strike straight to his face. Hard. His neck snapped back and blood splattered in the air.

His body got airborne as he lost his balance and landed on the concrete of the breezeway, nearly toppling over into the carpark below.

Elizabeth gasped, but I didn’t look at her.

With tightly clenched fists, I loomed over him, doing a mental checklist: five eleven, blond hair, newly broken nose, a Rolex on his wrist. I fished around in his pockets, but his wallet wasn’t there.

“Don’t hurt me, man,” he said, opening his eyes with a wild look on his face as he took me in. He swallowed, wiping at the blood that dripped from his nose to his mouth. “I was just saying hi to an old friend. Nothing’s going on.”

I didn’t like the look of him, from the expensive cut of his clothes to the petulant droop of his mouth. And then his eyes slid over to Elizabeth as if drawn there. Incensed, I kicked him in the ribs with my bare foot. “Don’t look at her. Get out of here before I rip your throat out.”

He scrambled up to his knees and crawled away a few feet until he jumped up and took off running. I watched him dart across the carpark and then cross the street to Minnie’s Diner where he’d parked in a darkened area.

He squealed out onto the street and drove away in a black Porsche with tinted windows.

I turned back to Elizabeth.

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” I rushed over to her and tilted her chin up.

She took a deep breath, her lashes fluttering as she tried to gather herself. She gasped in air then slowly let it out.

“Panic attack?” I asked softly, careful to keep my distance from her as she inhaled and exhaled.

She nodded and spoke around her breaths. “Yeah. Only happens when I feel out of control.”

I gave her a few minutes to gather herself and watched as she took deep breaths, her color slowly coming back to her face.

“Who was that guy? Did you know him?”

Her eyes flared wide and then she looked hurriedly away. “Just—just someone I met tonight at the bookstore. He—he followed me home, I guess.”

She was lying. But why? Was she protecting him?

“He said he knew you.” I clenched my fists. Was he one of her one-night stands gone wrong?

She blushed a bright red and clamped her lips shut.

Why wouldn’t she confide in me? God, I didn’t want to upset her when she was already freaked out.

I sighed and looked around the breezeway. Okay. Changing gears. “Can you tell me what happened?”

Her tongue darted out to lick her lips. She nodded. “One minute I was thinking about getting into my apartment, and the next he was just there. He didn’t touch me, but if you hadn’t come out …” She shuddered. “Thank you. Again.”

“You get a name?”

She stiffened. “Why?”

I shrugged. “I have a friend with campus police. Wouldn’t hurt checking in to see if any complaints have been filed about him.”

She let out a deep breath as if steeling herself. “Colby Scott.”

“Okay.” I smiled gently, filing that name away as I took the keys from her hand and pushed her door open for her. I’d be doing my own investigating as well.

She blinked at the door, not moving.

I cupped her shoulders, consciously keeping my hands soft. “Hey, it’s over, okay? I showed up in time, and I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.” She rested her head on my shoulder, and shit, I got angry all over again. I should have hit him harder. “I think we should call the police and file a report. He followed you here, and that’s not cool.”

She tilted her head up and looked at me. Her lips trembled. “He didn’t actually do anything.”

“But you felt threatened, right? That’s enough to report him. Maybe I should just go pay him a visit myself.”

Her eyes widened. “No,” she bit out. “It’s over, and after what just happened, he won’t be back.” She swallowed. “And don’t you do anything on your own either, Declan. I don’t want you getting into trouble because of my stupid mistakes. Besides, he could stab you or shoot you or hit you with a two by four … just don’t.”

I grinned at her. “A two by four? Is that what people fight with in Petal, North Carolina?”

She smiled—just a little—and damn it made my heart glad.

She wavered for a moment at her door, her glance falling on my hand. “You were so fast, and I didn’t even know you were there—until you were. I wish I could do that.”

I gazed down at her, assessing. “If you want, I can show you how to hit, but I’d need to touch you. Are you good?”

Emotions flitted across her face and her mouth opened but then shut.

“Elizabeth?”

She covered my hand with hers and looked up at me with those soul-wrenching blue eyes I could drown in. “When it comes to you, Declan, I’m never afraid. Why don’t you come inside and show me?”

Heat poured into me.

“Okay.” I followed her into her flat. A lot like mine, it had a big living room with a small kitchen to the right and the bedrooms in the back. “Your place is cleaner than mine.”

A few minutes later, after she’d got us some water to drink, we stood in the living room and squared off across from each other. I showed her a few basic self-defense stances, and then got to work on her hands. I took her right one and curled it around until she had a nice tight fist.

“First rule is to make sure your thumb is on the outside. Never tuck it inside your hand when you hit because you’ll break it. Keep it tight, but not so tight you cut off the circulation.”

She nodded and came in closer. I held her hand, adjusting it, my fingers pressing into her skin as I shaped her fist. The fresh citrus scent she wore made my cock twitch.

Down, boy.

She watched me intently, the electric current between us seeming to ramp higher.

Did I notice that her eyes had darkened? That her breathing was heavier? Yes.

I sucked in a ragged breath. Keep control, man. She might be gorgeous and sweet, but she wasn’t the one for me. I needed someone who wanted the same things I did.

“When you hit, use a linear motion, not a wide swing. Your opponent is less likely to see a straight punch. Tilt your fist down slightly and protect the fingers. Your goal is to hit with the first two knuckles.”

“Okay.” She made a fist and held it out.

I bit back a groan, picturing her holding my cock, sliding those soft hands over my hard length.

I cleared my throat. “Good. Now, use a quick jab when you hit, keeping one fist up to protect your body.” I took a step back and demonstrated a jab while she watched, her eyes big as saucers.

“You’re beautiful,” she said, her voice full of awe. “And, I love how you move. I could watch you forever. Of course, you are half naked.” She blushed and bit her lip. “Sorry. It’s just … you have to know how great looking you are, and then you’re so fit and muscled up, and well, the sex appeal factor is just off the charts. But all that aside, you’re a nice guy too, and …” She trailed off, her tongue dipping out to caress her lower lip. “Sorry. I’m talking awkwardly. Again. I seem to do that a lot when you’re around. I’ll shut up now.”

My heartbeat had kicked up, and part of me wanted to kiss her, but what kind of guy would I be if I made a move on her after what had just happened?

I rubbed my mouth. Her chest rose more rapidly and her eyes glittered with a heat that had been banked for far too long.

She wanted me.

A few beats of silence passed.

A car horn blared in the distance but neither of us moved.

All I wanted in that instance was her.

I gazed down at her mouth. Licked my own. “You need to stop looking at me like that if you don’t want me to kiss you, Elizabeth.”

“God, please, kiss me.” Her eyelashes fluttered down and that was all I needed to close the small distance between us and press my lips to hers, my tongue diving in to take control of her mouth.

She tasted like mint. Like perfection.

My hands snaked around her waist and I tugged her against my chest, my mouth plundering the softness of hers. We kissed for a long time, our mouths learning each other, neither of us in a hurry to rush, yet the intensity was well off the charts.

Sweet yet hot.

I wanted to prolong the kiss, drag it out.

But you can’t kiss forever.

We pulled apart after a while and stared at each other. I rested my forehead against hers.

I wanted her.

But what did she want?

The soft echo of rain falling and splashing on her balcony hit our ears.

She closed her eyes, a soft smile on her face. “It’s funny that we’re kissing and now it’s raining. Two of my favorite things.”

“Yeah?” She was slowing us down. I went with it. I didn’t want to rush her. Not yet anyway.

She nodded. “I love the sound rain makes, how it taps against the roof, rhythmic and steady like a heartbeat. The best place to hear it is on a metal roof, lulling you to sleep. My trailer had a roof like that. Rain made me happy as a kid, just to get caught in a downpour so hard it’s like a white noise all around you. The best is when it catches you without an umbrella or rain boots and you go splash in a puddle.” A small smile flashed across her face. “I miss that feeling of being free and young, like I’m a superhero and nothing can touch me. We’re all so innocent as kids, and then life happens and we grow up and make stupid mistakes. We get hurt.”

She let out a small surprised laugh. “It’s funny—I haven’t talked like this with someone in forever. And today, I actually drew some pictures—that’s a freaking miracle because I’ve been stuck in some kind of artist limbo. I know I’m not making any sense, and I’m rambling, but it’s just—just there’s something about you like you get me, and I—can’t put my finger on it, but I like it.” She bit her lip.

I took her hand. I didn’t ask questions. She didn’t need them right now. “Come on then.” I tugged her through the flat.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

She followed along behind me as I led her into her bedroom and stopped at the balcony door. Rain pelted down the glass door, the drops splashing on the concrete outside.

“Let’s get soaked then. No rain boots, no umbrellas, just skin and rain.”

“Naked?”

I grinned. I couldn’t help it. She was so damn cute. I kissed her nose. “No, silly, we’ll keep our clothes on this time. If I was naked with you, we’d be fucking, not doing this.” I slid open the door and pulled her outside.

She followed me and stood on the balcony as the rain came down.

I got lost a little. Watching her. Taking in her face as she tipped it up to feel the wetness.

She glanced over at me. “You’re staring.”

I grinned. “Because you look like a drowned rat.” Because she looked beautiful.

She laughed. “Come on, don’t make me feel like the idiot out here. This was your idea. Dance with me.”

“Why are you always trying to get me to dance? What if I don’t have any rhythm? I am a big bloke, you know.”

But she ignored me and tugged me around the balcony in some awkward square dancing moves she insisted on.

I laughed. She laughed.

I showed her how to box waltz just like my mum had shown me.

After that, she did some baton routine she’d done at prep school.

And we just got sillier and sillier, our laughter filling up the night. We did some moves from Grease and Dirty Dancing. I looked bloody ridiculous, but I didn’t care.

In that moment, life—we—were perfect.

I’d never been like that with a girl before. Spontaneous and fun. Real.

Later, we ran inside to get dry. She grabbed a towel for herself from the bathroom and then handed me another. I stepped inside, shut the bathroom door, and dried off the best I could while I heard her tearing apart her bedroom, slamming drawers.

I came out rubbing my hair and watched her scurry around the bedroom.

My eyes darted to her bed, my thoughts dirty. Picturing us there. Fucking. Her mattress wasn’t nearly big enough for the ways I wanted to take her.

She looked jittery as she took in my still damp gym shorts, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. She was wondering the same thing I was … where did we go from here?

She’d changed into a nightie with a large white unicorn head on the front.

“Nice,” I said. “You’ve always been a unicorn girl in my head, and now this proves it.”

She grinned. “Oh? How’s that?”

“You know, because you’re a rare sight on campus?” I grinned.

She smirked. “Thanks. Now if I could only grow a real horn, I could stab people. Like you!” She turned and grabbed a pillow off the bed and tossed it at me. I ducked just as it sailed over my head and crashed into one of her photo frames.

She giggled.

“Oh no, you didn’t.” I rushed her, swooped her up and twirled her around while she screamed.

“I’m going to barf on you!”

“Liar.”

She giggled and I set her down on her feet where she swayed and then grabbed my arm, her eyes laughing up at me.

Something changed in the air, that tug between us sharpening.

She caressed my arm, an unsure yet needy look on her face. “Stay with me tonight.”

Somehow I sensed she didn’t mean sex. Not after the guy at her door.

“Like a sleepover?”

She nodded, a tentative smile on her face. “We can watch a movie if you want. I’ll even let you pick.”

I didn’t want a movie. I wanted her under me.

I scrubbed my face, thinking this was insane and a horrible idea, but she pulled back the quilt on her bed and crawled inside, her body sliding against the sheets. She was so bloody beautiful.

I rationalized. This was purely platonic. No strings. Just me and a girl in the same bed. Sleeping.

But…

I was a heartbeat away from getting in too deep.

She must have sensed my reserve. “I don’t want to be alone tonight, Declan. I—I need some kindness, and you seem to have it in spades. I can’t put words to it, but I feel safe with you and like nothing bad will ever happen to me again. Stay?”

“My shorts are still damp.”

“Then take them off,” she said, patting the bed.

I grinned and took a step closer to her, my body already tightening up at the thought of lying next to her. “Fine with me, but I don’t wear underwear.”

“That’s a problem.”

“Yeah, a big one.”

She blushed, her eyes drifting down to the obvious tent growing by the second in my shorts. Her gaze bounced back to my face as she cleared her throat. “Oh. I—I don’t mind if you’re…wet.”

“Okay,” I chuckled and slid in, biting back a groan as my legs brushed the soft warmth of hers.

“You feel so good,” she murmured as she turned to face me and wrapped slender arms around my chest, flowing into me like honey, warm and sweet. Our legs tangled together, seeming to know the perfect position to touch each other the most, and fuck, it felt right.

She didn’t mention the movie, and I didn’t bring it up.

Her body was a drug, and I wanted to consume her. I wanted to press her deep into those sheets and claim her as mine.

But I didn’t.

I didn’t want to be just one night with Elizabeth. I wanted more.

I kissed her hair lightly, and somehow, I slept.