by Kate Stone
“Be quiet, Mr. Ridley,” snapped McGowan, eyeing Meghan like she might explode at any moment.
James ignored him, fixing his gaze on Meghan. “You understand how important this class is.”
“Oh, I understand.” She could feel the blood rushing in her ears. Anything else she might have felt - embarrassment, disappointment, fear - was paling in comparison to her anger. All this for some stupid game of power tripping. Her fight with Derek, her frustration during that final, being ostracized from her classmates - this was where it all began and ended, and she wasn’t going to back down now.
“Believe me, James, I understand,” she told him. “But you know what?” She turned to McGowan, jabbing a finger in his direction. “I don’t need this class, and I don’t need you. I’ll act, and I’ll do it without taking one more day of your mind games.”
“Meghan, please,” began James, but she didn’t soften.
“I’ll see you around, James,” she said, and turned to the door.
“You’re making a mistake,” McGowan said, and she glanced briefly over her shoulder.
“No,” she said after a moment. “The mistake I made was thinking I ever depended on you in the first place.”
Meghan strode out of the office, not looking back again even as James called after her. People would be talking about this before the end of the day. The girl who blew her second chance. But that didn’t matter much anymore, and it wouldn’t even if she never acted again. This wasn’t the second chance that mattered.
She had to find Derek.
Chapter 11
Meghan was practically praying out loud by the time she reached Derek’s floor that he would be in his dorm. She could still feel the adrenaline rushing through her veins, and her head was spinning. She could hardly believe what had just happened. You told off the two most important people in the drama program, she thought. How do you feel about that?
Good. She felt good. But this wasn’t over, and all she could do as she banged on his door was hope that he would answer and let her apologize. A minute passed after she knocked. The seconds dragged on, and Meghan was on the verge of turning away when the door opened and she was face to face with Derek again.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” she echoed, rubbing her arm with one hand. Suddenly she didn’t know what to say.
“What’s up, Meghan?” Derek asked.
She cleared her throat. “Can I come in, Derek?” He glanced over his shoulder, and she continued, “I mean, if this is a bad time, I can come back later.”
“No, no, don’t worry,” he said, stepping away from the door. “Come in.”
Awkwardly she entered his room, already feeling a twinge of guilt when she saw that he had put away all the decorations from their botched date. Her folded clothes were on top of the kitchen table, and the mattresses and pillows had been put back. “Where’s Greg?” she asked.
“In an exam,” Derek said, closing the door and turning to face her. He put his hands in his pockets and peered at her from under his hair.
“He is always away, isn’t he?” she joked, and Derek chuckled.
“Yeah. That’s Greg for you.” He looked around the room, seemingly unsure. “Aren’t you supposed to be in your acting workshop?”
She shook her head. “I left. Walked out, actually.”
“Ah,” he said, shuffling his feet.
There was another pause, and she closed her eyes, trying to collect her thoughts. Derek cleared his throat. “So what did you-”
“I’m sorry,” she piped up, interrupting him. “I’m sorry about what happened the other night, Derek.”
“Meghan,” he said, “it’s not-”
“No, it is,” she said. “It is a big deal. Because you were right.” Derek blinked, eyes wide, and she pressed on. “I don’t need McGowan. That’s why I left his class. He isn’t worth it - you were right. She paused, swallowed, and continued. “I was scared. I was scared of the idea of pursuing this - acting - alone. Because if I don’t have someone helping me, if I have no reputation to go on, it means it’s all on me, and that scared me. It still scares me. And that’s why I got mad at you the other night, because you pointed that out, you know?”
Derek nodded. “Yeah.”
Meghan pressed on. “And running on talent alone - it’s terrifying. It’s what I’ve been afraid of ever since I started acting. It’s why I was so obsessed with making a good impression on the teachers, and on classmates, and getting into all the productions. Because as much as I love what I do, and as much as I might be good at it, I am scared, Derek. That was something I needed to realize.” Derek had moved closer to her, but she wasn’t done. “And you made me see that,” Meghan continued, “because you care about me. And I care about you.” She paused and looked into his green eyes. “And I’m sorry.”
She felt like she had run a marathon, and half-dreaded what Derek was going to say. His face was unreadable, but he did something surprising then: he put his hand on her shoulder. “Hey,” he said at long last, and a small smile crept onto his face. “I feel the same way, Meghan.”
She blushed. “You know, that sounded like Erica’s monologue at the end of your film.”
Derek’s smile grew wider. “Now that you mention it,” he said.
They laughed together, and Meghan felt some of the tension in her stomach let up. She looked up at Derek, realizing how much she had missed his eyes in the past few days. “I just, I want to try this again,” she told him. “We’ll make your movie - hell, we’ll make a hundred movies. Just you and me. Screw the art school politics, screw the gossip. You’re what’s important to me - I know that now.” Derek didn’t respond immediately, although his hand didn’t move from her shoulder. “I mean,” she said, “if you want to. Second chances, and all that.”
It was a while before Derek spoke, but the look in his green eyes told her everything she needed to know. “I’m still here, aren’t I?” he asked finally.
Meghan threw herself at him. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her fiercely, and for a moment she lost herself in the sensation of his body as she locked her arms around his neck. Soon she was gripping him so tightly she could feel his heart pounding through his t-shirt. He buried his face in her neck, and as his hands slid under the hem of her shirt, muttered, “Damn. I’ve missed you.” She laughed as his lips and teeth began to work at her once again, but the sound quickly became a moan as his hands worked their way up her body and under her bra. The feeling of his warm hands on her breasts again, his thumbs grazing her nipples, was enough to make heat rush through her, and she bucked her hips against him instinctively.
Now it was Derek’s turn to groan, and she could tell from what she felt that he was as excited as she was. “Let’s make sure Greg is out every time we have make-up sex,” she joked as she tugged his shirt off.
“Bless him and his busy schedule,” Derek agreed as he fumbled with his belt, pressing his lips to Meghan’s again as she reached up to address her bra. Soon he stood naked in front of her, and the sight of his toned, aroused body made her seize his hand and pull him over to the couch. “No bedroom this time?” he asked as he helped her undress.
“Just picking up where we left off the other night,” Meghan replied, running her hand down his body and pausing at his cock. He jerked at the feeling of her touch, hissing with pleasure as she began to move her hand. His lips found hers as she increased her pace, enjoying the rumbling sound coming from his throat and the feeling of him in her grip. Derek’s hand snaked down and between her legs as she continued, eliciting a moan from her as he began to rub her clit. She wasn’t going to last long like this, Meghan realized, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was the feeling of Derek’s skin against hers.
She wasn’t sure how long they had been devouring each other like this when she felt Derek’s hand on her face as he pulled free of her grasp, drawing her hips closer to his. He didn’t let her go as he entered her, running his thumb over her lips
as he began to move. Meghan focused on his face, trying to memorize every detail before she leaned in to kiss him. He didn’t slow down as he kissed her back, his tongue touching hers as he shifted his position. The change in angle made Meghan gasp, and when she pulled back she saw that it seemed be having the same effect on Derek. His eyes had taken on a fierce gleam, and he sped up yet again, reaching deeper than she had ever thought possible.
Soon they were both on the edge of release, entering that familiar glorious state where the rest of the world vanished. It was just the two of them. Ideas about college, art, teachers, and careers all receded into the background. Time seemed to slow down, and as they came, Meghan was struck with a certainty about their future that would have made her sound crazy if she’d had to describe it. But there it was, and it was beautiful.
Trembling from the aftershocks, they collapsed onto the couch in each other’s arms. They didn’t say anything for a long time, catching their breath and drifting off into their own thoughts. It wasn’t until she felt Derek’s chest start to move that Meghan looked up, and she realized that he was laughing, trying desperately to muffle the sound with one hand without letting her fall off the couch.
“What is it?” she asked him.
“Something stupid,” Derek replied. “I don’t know why it’s making me laugh so much, but it is.”
“Well, what is it?”
He let out a breath, looked down at her, and said. “I guess we owe Ashley one, don’t we?”
“Oh yes,” Meghan agreed, now laughing as well. “We really do. Who can we set her up with?”
Other books by Kate Stone
Addicted to You
Love for the Single Dad
Going Once, Going Twice, Sold!
About the Author
Kate Stone has always lived for romance. From the time she was very small, waiting for her Prince Charming to come and take her away, she has looked for the healing, redeeming power of love.
She lives in New England with her long-suffering husband and their four children. She spends her days as a graduate student and her weekends writing.
You can visit her at www.AuthorKateStone.com or on twitter @KateStoneAuthor
Finally, if you liked this story, leave a review letting her know what you liked and she’ll write more.
