Forever With You

by Beverley Kendall

  “And if I said I did?”

  He mock growls and tightens his arms around me. “Not a chance.”

  I’m beyond euphoric. “I know we agreed to take things slow but is it fair to say kissing is okay?”

  His kiss answers my question.

  Chapter 27

  Emily is driving me nuts.

  The girl likes to touch. No matter where we are or what we’re doing, her hands are always on me: my arm, my thigh, my shoulders, my waist, my chest.

  Two weeks later, we’re still taking things slow, but fuck, I’m ready to go faster. A lot faster. If only I didn’t have this hang up to deal with.

  Kissing her is no problem. I can do that all day and night. Believe me, we’ve had marathon sessions. Then I start thinking about her getting naked and I remember what it was like four years ago: those beautiful tits, long slender legs, and gorgeous butt. Her hips may be a little wider, but that’s about it. Her sixteen-year-old body isn’t that much different than the twenty-year-old one.

  And therein lies the problem. I don’t want to feel like I’m having sex with the underage Emily, which is what happens if I think about it too long. Talk about a mood killer.

  The best scenario would be if she made all the moves. Seduced me. Took absolute control. Overwhelm me and not give me a chance to think. I mean, how am I supposed to resist that? But I don’t want to suggest it to her because then it would seem as if that’s the only way I can have sex with her. I should be able to take off her clothes without feeling like a fucking pervert.

  “So what’s it going to be today, the library or dinner or something else?” she asks as we descend the stairs to the first floor of the communications building.

  We’ve developed a routine where we meet after our Monday class and either go to the school library to work on class assignments or out to eat. I haven’t had her over at my flat since the run-in with Blake. She shouldn’t have to deal with his judgmental ass.

  “I’m starved. Why don’t we go grab something to eat?” I say, noting the flash of disappointment in her eyes. Her “something else” was her way of asking me if I’m ready, and as much as I want to say yes, I’m not ready to go there just yet. I’m still getting to know the grown-up Emily, and I don’t want flashes of the sixteen-year-old to spoil the moment like it did the last time we were about to have sex.

  “Okay. Sounds good,” she says, her voice overly bright as she slides her arm through mine and presses close to my side.

  With the official arrival of autumn, jackets are no longer optional but a necessity, but she’s not snuggling against me for warmth. I told you, Emily’s a toucher, and god she smells good. Her hair, her skin, the combined scents are light and floral. There may be a little vanilla in there too.

  “You follow professional football, right?” she asks.

  “Usually only during the playoffs.” I extricate my arm from hers and wrap it around her shoulder, pulling her closer. In turn, she slides her arm around my waist.

  “How would you like to meet the Giants’ quarterback?”

  I look down into her beautiful face. “You mean Brett Pearson?”

  She nods, a smile tipping her lips.

  It’s not a life goal of mine, but I’m willing to indulge her as she looks so pleased with herself. “How?”

  “He’s my friend Olivia’s boyfriend’s brother.”

  Say that five times fast.

  “His brother is the Warriors’ quarterback and Brett will be here Friday to watch Zach’s game. Liv’s hosting a small get together afterward and I’d love for you to come.”

  I chuckle, nodding. “Do you want me to meet your friend’s boyfriend’s famous brother?”

  Emily tightens her arm around me and she slows her pace as we near her car. “I want you to meet my friends. You’ve only met April and Troy, and Troy was a total jerk to you.”

  I haven’t been by her flat since we had sex, and I can’t say I’ve missed the opportunity to run into her flatmate again even though she swears he’s sorry for the way he’d treated me. God, I’m not sure it isn’t worse now that I know he knows the truth.

  “What about work?” The last time I checked the schedule, she was working Friday night, and so was I.

  “Since I don’t have class on Fridays, John said I could come in at noon and leave at eight. And you’re not closing, so you’ll be out way before me.”

  “You thought of everything, didn’t you?” I remark.

  We stop at her car and I hold my hands out for her keys. After she hands them to me, I open the door and place her book bag I was carrying on the floor in the back.

  “You can invite Blake if you want. I remember you saying he’s a big Giants fan.” Her tone is a study in nonchalance as hope burns in her big hazel eyes.

  I can’t help but laugh. “I think you want your friends to like me.”

  “Of course I do.”

  “And you want Blake to like you.”

  The light in her eyes dim. “That’s going to be harder.”

  I pull her into my arms and kiss her on the lips. “Give him time. He’ll come around. What’s more important is that I like you. And for what it’s worth, I like you a lot.”

  He’d better come around. I’m not sure what’s going to come of this, but in the meantime, I want to be able to have her over at the flat without worrying about how he’s going to treat her. Right now, I’d gladly settle for some good old-fashioned civility. Even civility of the British kind, which generally means a stiff upper lip.

  The dreamy look on her face as she stares up at me causes an unexpected rush of blood south. I’m not a fucking teenager, yet here I am in public sporting a hard-on, and not because she flashed me a tit or rubbed up against my dick, but because she’s smiling at me as if I’m the brightest spot in her world right now.

  Her expression transforms from adoring to sensual when her gaze drops to my mouth. “I like you very very much,” she murmurs as she winds her arms around my neck and tugs my head down for another kiss. A kiss that calls for the immediate and ardent engagement of tongues.

  The next thing I know, I have her backed up against her car door and I’m drowning in her; the intoxicating scent of her, and the perfect way her body fits against mine. I gather her as close to me as physically possible and savor the exquisite taste of her.

  Had I no restraint and a bent for exhibitionism, I’d fuck her against this car. Nail her where she stands. But she wouldn’t be standing, she’d be naked with those long legs wrapped around my waist and I’d be buried balls deep into her as I sucked on one of her red little nipples.

  As it is, I’m hard as a fucking rock and practically dry humping her in broad daylight. She’s making these sexy as hell sounds in her throat, her hips squirming against mine as if she’d let me do exactly what I’m imagining.

  Dude, you can’t fuck her in public. Step away from her before you embarrass yourself.

  I reluctantly break the kiss, breathing heavily as I take in her red-kissed lips, flushed cheeks and unfocused gaze.

  “We’re in public,” I remind her, my voice on the hoarse and scratchy side.

  When she blinks innocently up at me, I literally have to force myself to step away from her. She’s too sexy, too desirable and way too tempting right now.

  Emily licks her lips—just a quick swipe along her bottom lip not meant to entice—committing me to a torture of my own imaginations as to all the ways I’d love her to pleasure me with that tongue.

  “I guess we got carried away,” she says. Her breathing isn’t quite back to normal and the pounding of her pulse is evident in a slender vein down the side of her neck.

  I take a deep breath whilst attempting to wrangle my dick under control. Down, boy. “What’s your pleasure, Italian, Chinese, Greek or American?” I ask.

  “Italian,” she replies, knowing that’s my favorite. “Unless you want something else?”

  I smile. “No, Italian is good.”

  She nods. �
��Okay. Do you want me to meet you at Luciano?”

  “No, I’ll pick you up in an hour and a half.” Usually, we take separate cars because it’s easier with our school and work schedules, but tonight I want to drive her home. I want her sitting within touching distance of me.

  “Okay. I’ll see you in a few,” she says softly. After hesitating a moment, she reaches up and kisses me on the cheek.

  I clench my hands into fists to keep from reaching for her and picking up from where we left off.

  “See ya,” I reply gruffly.

  It’s only after I help her into her car and watch her drive off that I realize that not once during the entire time we were kissing, when I was thinking about burying myself deep inside her, did I think about her as anyone other than the adult she is. That’s a step in the right direction.

  Friday arrives before I can blink. It’s nice to have the night off and even better to be able to spend it with Emily, even if we’re going to that party—or whatever you call it—for Brett Pearson.

  Dinner was great on Monday except the part where I’d driven home with a painful case of blue balls. We’d spent a half hour saying “goodbye” in my car and then another ten minutes outside her flat. If her friend Kelsey hadn’t come home, I’m not sure what would have happened. I’d been this close to suggesting we take our activities inside to her bedroom.

  It’d been a little better at work last night. The bar had been busy, not giving me tons of time to think about how sexy and pretty Emily had looked in her uniform or how much I wanted to get her alone in my office and lock the door… I’d ended up sending her home with the others at the end of the shift because, unlike her, I have an early Friday class and I needed to get some sleep. The girl is temptation incarnate and my willpower is close to shot where she’s concerned.

  Emily squeezes my arm, a subtle press to get my attention. “April said it was going to be small,” she remarks, surveying her friend’s flat.

  The place is crowded, people spilling from one room into the next. Music is piping from somewhere in the living room but not enough to drown out the din of conversation and the sound of laughter. A dozen or so guys are gathered around the dining table helping themselves to the smorgasbord of food laid out. And shit, the guys are big. And by big, I don’t mean just tall, although I wouldn’t call any of them fat either. Solid.

  “By the looks of it, his brother invited half the football team.”

  She glances up. “Do you mind?”

  “You sold me on the great food, free booze and the company isn’t half bad,” I reply with a wink. She looks especially good tonight, her hair curled and in a kind of an up-do, her dress, blue-gray, long-sleeved and fitted. Hot.

  Smiling, she threads her hand through my arm and I’m keenly aware of the feel of her breast against my bicep. Not good for the status of my blue balls condition.

  “Is Blake coming?” She tries to sound nonchalant but I know how much she wants him to come, desperate to make a good second impression.

  “He said he’d try to stop by but I wouldn’t count on it.” Blake’s been spending a lot of time in the city these days and claimed although he desperately wants to meet his hero, he might not be able to swing it. “He says thank for the invite, though.”

  Emily nods, appearing somewhat pacified by that. “Come on, there’s Zach and Liv. I’ll introduce you.” She tugs my arm and we cross the room to join a small group clustered in front of the sliding glass doors. I vaguely recognize the pretty blonde from Zenith’s, and the dark-haired guy at her side must be the boyfriend and younger brother of the star of the hour. The other couple has their backs to me so I haven’t a clue who they are.

  On our approach, the blonde looks over and a huge smile spreads across her face. She quickly extricates herself from her boyfriend’s side.

  “You’re here,” she exclaims, opening her arms wide to Emily.

  I’m briefly abandoned as the two friends squeal in delight and embrace as if they haven’t seen each other in months instead of hours. They then go on to compliment each other on their respective dress and shoes.

  Pink-cheeked and happy, Emily finally turns to me, manacling my wrist and pulling me into the circle. She quickly introduces me to her friends. Zach then introduces us to his brother, Brett, and Brett’s girlfriend Tess.

  Zach looks like his brother, same dark hair and light eyes. The NFL star is just a bit taller and carries a little more muscle on his frame. Now Brett’s girlfriend Tess is a verifiable knock-out. Slim, medium height, long, dark hair and grey-green eyes, her overall look is somewhat exotic. Can’t hold a candle to Emily, though. No one in this place does.

  We spend the next twenty minutes chatting. I’m frankly surprised at how friendly Zach is given Emily told me he and Troy are best friends. They pepper me with questions about growing up in Chelsea and I get the standard, “Have you met any of the royals?”

  “William, Harry and I are old chums. We’re like this,” I reply solemnly, holding up my entwined fingers. As always, that elicits a laugh.

  Soon another couple, Scott and Rebecca, join the group, accompanied by Troy and April. No awkwardness there. Actually, meeting up again with Troy isn’t that bad. He quietly attempts to apologize but I cut him off. No hard feelings. I get where he was coming from. We’re cool.

  Over the next hour, I get to know Emily’s closest friends and conclude they’re an okay bunch. Scott and I are both heavy into swimming, Zach’s the only one who follows soccer, and the more I talk to Troy, the more he reminds me of Blake. They both have a similar sense of humor.

  Emily must think I’m in good hands because during the course of the night, she and her girlfriends drift to the other side of the room and leave us guys talking football, work, school and life after college. In the midst of nursing our beers, Scott, Troy and I turn our attention to the conversation going on between Zach and his brother.

  “Mom wants to know when you’re going make an honest woman out of Tess. You better have an answer for her the next time you two talk,” Zach says, smirking.

  Brett rolls his eyes in response. “I’ve given her an answer, she just doesn’t want to accept it. Tess and I are fine the way things are,” he says, shooting a loving look over at his girlfriend who’s currently talking and laughing with Emily and her friends.

  Zach turns and follows his brother’s gaze. “Does she know you don’t want to get married again?”

  “Pretty much,” his brother replies.

  “And all because of Hailey?” Zach asks with a certain level of displeasure in his voice.

  Hailey is Brett’s super-model ex-wife and their breakup was the talk of Hollywood five years ago. The fact that I know anything about it should give you an idea of the scale of national news it had garnered.

  Brett shrugs. “Marriage isn’t for everyone, and I learned the hard way that one of those people is me.”

  Listening to the NFL star casually discuss his relationship, I can’t help but think about how things ended with Liane. I’d thought we were on the same page. I thought I’d made it clear that I wasn’t looking for anything long term. Then Emily entered the picture and freaked her out, causing her to push for more.

  But things had worked out for the best and I’m going to see where things go with Emily. It’s a good thing she isn’t expecting anything more than I’m willing to give.

  Chapter 28

  “I wonder if Brett can do a British accent.” Tess suggestively raises dark manicured brows, sending me a mischievous smile.

  Such are the trials and tribulations of going out with a guy with the sexiest accent in town. My ears are the subject of female envy and jealousy. It’s a good thing I don’t have a problem with it.

  “Send him to London for a year. Hopefully, he’ll pick it up,” April suggests, giggling.

  Tess’s eyes go wide, her expression comically horrified. “A whole year? Not unless I go with him. Things are hard enough with all the traveling he does now.”
/>   April, Liv, Becca and I nod in agreement.

  The thought of not seeing Graham for a year is something I don’t want to contemplate. I don’t even want to look ahead to when he graduates.

  “So how long have you and Brett been going out?” Rebecca asks Tess.

  Tess takes a drink of her peach Schnapps before answering. “Two years.”

  “Would it be totally rude of me to ask how old you are?” April asks.

  Tess lets out an amused laugh. “Twenty-eight, but around you girls I feel ancient.”

  “Ancient my ass. You look fabulous. I want to be you when I grow up. Opening your own bakery and being your own boss,” April says. “Well, not the bakery part. I want to own my own design business.”

  Tess looks impressed at that. “Don’t tell me you designed that.” She points at April’s sleek, sheaf dress.

  “Yes, and this one too,” I reply gesturing to mine, which is slate-blue with a tasteful slit in the back and a sweetheart neckline. The thing fits like a glove and it’s one of my favorite dresses.

  Tess oohs and ahs over the designs, demanding we twirl around so she can get the full effect. “Wow, you are talented. Maybe one day I can contract you to make my wedding gown,” she says but I can’t tell if she’s teasing or not.

  “When you marry Brett?” Liv asks as if relishing the prospect.

  “Maybe.” Her response is followed by a hopeful smile. “We’ll see.”

  “So you guys are serious,” I state but still want her confirmation.

  Tess sends a glance across the room at her boyfriend. “After two years, I would say so. We’re spending Christmas at his parents’ for the first time.”

  Liv nods. “Yep, Christmas with the parents is a big deal.”

  She should know. Liv has spent countless holidays with Zach’s parents. Brett and their mother, she likes; however, she says their father is an acquired taste.

  April and Rebecca chime in, chatting about meeting their boyfriends’ mothers. Tess eventually turns to me, the moment I’ve been dreading. “What about you, Emily? Have you met Graham’s parents?”