Keep This Promise

by Willow Winters

  My phone rings. Like, actually rings, which never happens and I practically jump off the bed.

  “Who in the world is calling you?” Kelli asks as I scramble to grab my phone.

  “Probably my mom,” I say as I bring the phone up, the air clogging in my throat when I see whose name is flashing on my screen.

  Shep.

  I answer tentatively, surprised that he would actually call. When we communicate we usually only text. “What did I do to deserve this call?”

  “Considering I have no idea where you are and you never answered my text, I thought I’d go straight to the source and hope like hell you’d answer.” He sounds irritated. Sort of pissed. Maybe even a little worried. “Why weren’t you in class?”

  “Are you checking up on me?” Uh oh. I’m getting a little screechy again.

  “I was waiting for you in the parking lot. I planned on picking you up but you never came out of the building. I started to…” His voice drifts and he’s quiet for a moment. “Panic.”

  My heart flips over itself. “Well, I’m fine. I’m in my dorm. I never went to class.”

  “Why not?”

  I glance over at Kelli to find her watching me with rapt fascination. Ugh. I hate that I have an audience. “I’ve sort of been having a bad day.”

  “I can change that,” he says swiftly. Confidently. His voice full of that sexy Shep swagger that only he can seem to pull off.

  “How so?” I ask.

  “I can come over right now, pick you up, take you back to my place and proceed to go down on you for the next two hours.” He pauses and my heart beat pulses between my legs, I swear to God. He knows it’s my absolute, all time, favorite thing. There is nothing better than Shep’s mouth between my thighs. Well, his cock runs a close second. In fact, they’re probably in a tie. “You game?”

  “Um.” I glance at Kelli again, hoping she doesn’t notice my blush. I can feel it so I know my cheeks are pink. “How soon can you get here?”

  “Ten minutes.” I hear him start his car. “Be waiting outside for me, baby.”

  “I’m going over to Shep’s,” I say after I end the call.

  “I figured that,” Kelli says wryly. “You’re going to tell him about your little problem?”

  “Sure.” I nod as I push myself off the bed, though I doubt I’m going to talk about my problems tonight. I’d rather just lose myself with Shep. Maybe I should change. I’m in a T-shirt and shorts, my hair is in a braid and I have no makeup on. But I think Shep likes me this way. Though he won’t like the hair. He prefers it down. Maybe I should…

  No. I shouldn’t have to change myself for this guy. I don’t believe he wants to change me either. I think he likes me for who I am.

  That’s sort of mind blowing.

  * * *

  Shep

  * * *

  The second she slips inside my car, relief settles over me, leaving me weak with wanting her. Without thought I reach for her, cup her cheeks as I bring her face to mine and kiss her with all the pent up intensity I’ve been keeping inside me for the last, I dunno, six hours? Maybe more?

  I haven’t talked to her all damn day. Since we’ve started seeing each other, that’s never happened.

  “Well, hello to you, too,” she says breathlessly once I finally break the kiss.

  I’m still holding her face, my forehead pressed to hers and my eyes still closed. I decide to go ahead and be honest. “I missed you. A lot.”

  “You just saw me this morning.” She pulls away slightly so our gazes meet, her brows lowered in a frown. “Everything okay?”

  “Kind of a crazy day,” I confess. How can I admit to her that I was worried when she didn’t come out of that building earlier? That I seriously fucking panicked when I realized she never texted me back? I sound like an old married man but damn it, my mind immediately leapt to the worst possibilities.

  After being a guy who had zero interest in relationships or spending any extended time with a girl, it’s like I’ve done a complete one-eighty. The craziest thing? I’m okay with it.

  She chews on her lower lip and I brush my thumb across the plump flesh, tugging a little. A silent order for her to stop. I hate it when she hurts herself. “What happened?”

  I lean in to kiss her forehead, her cheek. “I’ll tell you about it on the drive home.” I say home on purpose because seriously, without her there, it doesn’t feel like one. A home. Craziest fucking thing ever but I’m rolling with it. Reveling in it. This girl, it’s like she belongs with me. To me. Not sure if she realizes it yet but I’m fairly convinced.

  After doing a lot of thinking and worrying over the last few hours while waiting for Jade to get out of class, I believe I’ve come up with a solution to our summertime problem. Now I just need to get Jade on board.

  That’s not going to be easy. I’m not sure how I’m going to approach her. And I really don’t want to talk about it tonight…

  “So tell me what’s up,” she says as I pull away from the curb and head back to my place.

  I let her know we’re closing the gambling house this weekend. How we’re having one last blowout event on Saturday night and then it’s dark until the fall semester resumes. She didn’t really seem to care all that much, not that I can blame her. She hates that place. Weird considering it’s how we met but the circumstances weren’t the best.

  After all, I did win her in a bet. Something I don’t mention anymore.

  “My mom called,” I drop nonchalantly as I turn onto my street.

  “Oh?” she asks just as nonchalantly. I never talk about my family with her. And she really doesn’t talk about hers either, though I know it’s just her and her mom. Family has turned into one of those off the table subjects for us.

  “They’re in Los Angeles for business this upcoming weekend and they’re stopping by here Saturday night.” I pause and slow down, turning into my short driveway and hitting the remote so the garage door opens. “They want to go to dinner.”

  “How nice. Though won’t that interfere with your gambling plans?” she asks, with just a hint of snark.

  I choose to ignore the snarkiness. “I was wondering if…you wanted to go with us. To dinner.”

  She’s so eerily quiet. I pull into the garage and shut the engine off, turning to look at her to find her staring straight ahead, an impassive expression on her pretty face. And damn, she really does look pretty. No makeup, hair pulled back into a braid, little wisps of red floating around her face. Painfully gorgeous.

  “Jade?” I urge when she still hasn’t said anything.

  Slowly, she turns to face me. “You really want me to go to dinner with you and your parents?”

  I shrug. “Yeah. I mean, I don’t necessarily want to subject you to them because let me tell you, they kind of suck. My dad’s a narcissistic asshole and Mom only cares about booze and shopping but she uh, made a special request.”

  Jade frowns. “What do you mean?”

  “She asked me to bring my new female friend.”

  “And how did she know about me?” She’s frowning harder, which I thought was impossible.

  “Tristan told his mom about us and so his mom told mine.” I smile, trying to make a joke. “We’re just keeping it in the family.”

  There’s no smile, no reaction whatsoever from Jade. “This sounds…serious.”

  I take her hand, slide my fingers between hers so they’re clasped. “It’s as serious as you want it to be.”

  She squeezes my hand. “We haven’t known each other very long.”

  “I know.”

  “So dinner with the parental units already feels…serious.” She turns her head to look at me, her eyes wide, lips parted.

  My heart is thumping so hard in my chest I swear it’s trying to burst free. “I’ve never introduced a girl to my parents,” I admit.

  “Why not?” she whispers.

  “I’ve never been with one long enough to warrant an introduction.” I lick my lips, ho
ping like hell I say this right. “I know we haven’t been seeing each other for very long, but for me, this is…something. And maybe it freaks you out to meet my parents, but I’d really like it if you came with me Saturday night. I want you there. By my side.”

  She’s staring at me, her eyes still so wide. She presses her lips together, her expression unsure and for one horrific moment, I think she’s going to refuse me.

  “I’ll go,” she finally murmurs, squeezing my hand again. “If it means that much to you to have me there.”

  “It does. It means a lot to me, baby.” I lean in and kiss her again, like I can’t resist her, and the truth is, I can’t. I touch her cheek, drift my fingers across her soft skin and when she sighs, the softest, sweetest sound I’ve ever heard, I feel it right to the very depths of my soul.

  That’s my cue to get her the fuck out of this car and into my bed, stat.

  Tristan’s home but in his room and we sneak through the quiet, dark house, Jade giggling and trying to swat my hand away when I pinch her perfect ass. I put my hands on her hips, slowing her down and she leans into me with that perfect ass nestled close to my dick, making it stand at attention. She does this little wiggle move that has me gripping her hips too tightly and then she’s pulling away, practically running down the hall and slipping into my bedroom.

  I have no choice but to chase after her.

  She’s leaning against my dresser when I enter the room, her hands propped on the edge, her legs looking impossibly long as they’re stretched out in front of her. A mischievous smile curls her full lips and I stare at her as if I’m in a daze, captivated by the sight of her, shock and lust racing through my veins at how flirtatious she’s being. Since we’ve been together, she’s really come out of her shell but she’s still shy about some things.

  When it comes to us, I don’t want her shy about anything.

  I approach her without saying a word, my gaze never leaving hers. I reach out, curl my hand around her neck, and stand directly in front of her. “You disappoint me,” I murmur.

  Her flirtatious look falls and I hate that. I’m teasing. Can’t she tell? “Why?”

  “Your hair. It’s all bound up again. You know I don’t like that.” I slide my hand further into her hair, tugging at the strands at the base of her neck. “Turn around.”

  She does as I ask without protest, offering her back to me and I admire her for a quick second, my gaze sweeping down the length of her, lingering on the curve of her ass, the graceful arc of her back. My fingers literally itch to get her naked.

  But I need to do something else first.

  I reach for the end of her braid and tug the band off slowly, letting it fall to the ground. She remains stiff before me, her shoulders ramrod straight, and I swear she’s holding her breath. Carefully, I start to undo the braid, flipping the thick strands of her hair undone, letting the silky softness slide over my hands. Up, up I go, stepping closer to her with every part I undo, until my mouth is on her neck and my other hand is beneath her shirt, fingers pressing into the skin of her waist as I finish taking apart the braid.

  Her hair falls around her shoulders, spills down her back. I grab the base of her T-shirt with both hands, murmur a quick, “Lift up,” and she raises her arms so I can take her shirt off. I remain standing behind her, pushing her hair to the side so I can press my cheek to hers and we both stare into the mirror that sits above my dresser.

  “You’re beautiful,” I murmur just before I nuzzle her cheek with my nose, inhaling her fresh, sexy-as-fuck, perfectly Jade scent. “Put your hands on the dresser.”

  She does as I ask, her gaze meeting mine in the mirror. She’s trembling. I can feel her, see it and she presses her lips together, her eyes falling closed when I reach for the back of her bra and slowly unhook it. I push the straps down her arms and the cups fall away from her breasts, revealing her to me. She sheds the bra, tossing it to the floor before she places her hands on the edge of the dresser once more.

  “Fucking perfect.” I kiss her neck and reach for her breasts, holding them in my palms, tweaking her nipples. She gasps, her butt brushing against my cock and I bite back the groan that wants to escape.

  Tonight, right now, is all about her. I want to get her off. I want her to watch as I get her off. And then when it’s over I want to turn around and make her come all over again.

  And again.

  And again.

  “Open your eyes, baby,” I urge and she does. “Watch what I can do to you.”

  I go to my knees and curl my fingers around the edge of her cotton shorts, pulling them down her long legs, until they fall to a heap at her ankles. She kicks them off and I sit back on my haunches to admire her pale blue panties that barely cover her ass. I can smell her, musky and sweet, and know for a fact without even touching her that she’s soaking wet. She’s always wet for me.

  “Keep your eyes open,” I remind her as I touch her ass, skim my fingers along the lacy hem of her panties. She shudders beneath my touch, her skin so warm and smooth and I lean in, press my mouth to the very spot I was just touching. The agonized moan that comes from the back of her throat makes my dick surge against my fly. “You like that?” I murmur against her skin.

  “Shep…” Her voice drifts. She sounds tortured.

  I fucking love it.

  “You’re still watching?” I glance up to catch her nodding, her eyes open and locked on the mirror. “Good. Don’t look away. Don’t close your eyes. Tell me what you see.”

  “I see…me.”

  I pull her panties off, past her hips, her ass, her thighs, over her knees, down her calves, until they’re off, and she’s completely naked in front of me. Pale and pretty and smooth and wet. “What do you look like? Describe yourself.”

  She hesitates. I feel it in her body language, the way she stiffens the slightest bit. She doesn’t want to play this game. “You know what I look like,” she says self-consciously.

  “I do. And I love what I see.” I press a kiss to the back of her thigh, to the very spot where that little constellation of freckles dusts her skin, and she jolts beneath my lips. “But tell me what you see.”

  “Um, okay.” She takes a deep breath. “My hair is a mess.”

  “It’s sexy,” I correct, dropping tiny kisses along her other thigh.

  “My cheeks are flushed.”

  “They’re always flushed when I’m touching you.” I kiss the very underside of her left ass cheek. “I think that means you like it,” I murmur against her skin.

  “I—I do like it,” she admits. “My eyes…they look a little dazed.”

  “Hmm.” I’m raining kisses on her cheek now. The skin is firm yet soft. I bet no one has ever kissed her here. This territory is all mine—unchartered Jade territory that I’m about to conquer. I feel like scrawling my name across her ass and claiming it as mine.

  Property of Shep Prescott. Hands off.

  “Do you like it when I kiss you here?” I ask as I run my hands along her outer thighs. I glance up at her to catch her nodding, like she can’t even speak. “Spread your legs baby.”

  “Oh, God.” She does as I command, her feet spreading apart, revealing her pretty pink pussy to me and I reach up, lightly drift my index finger along her center to discover she’s dripping wet. She whimpers at my touch.

  “Tell me something else,” I demand. “Tell me what you want.”

  “Wh-what do you mean?”

  “What do you want me to do next?” I touch her again, another teasing press of my fingers to her pussy. She’s so soft and wet. I want to put my mouth on her. Suck her. Bite her. Lick her. Fuck her with my tongue. Fuck her with my fingers.

  But I need to hear what she wants first.

  “Put—put your mouth on me,” she says and I smile. She’s so easy. I know this is her favorite thing. I can get at least two orgasms a night out of her with my mouth alone.

  “Like this?” I hold her hips and lean in, pressing my lips to the very back of her
pussy in an almost chaste kiss. “Or like this?” I tilt my head, open my mouth and try my fucking best to consume her in the most obscene way possible.

  Her legs shake around me, a whispery, “Like that, like that,” falling from her lips just before she moans.

  I continue consuming her, licking and sucking her everywhere, pushing two fingers deep inside her. She’s babbling nonsense, her hands are gripping the edge of my dresser like she might fall if she let go and I’m kneeling between her legs, getting my girl off all while she watches herself.

  Fucking hot.

  “Your eyes are still open?” I ask once I pull away from her. I stare up at her, taking in her messy hair and flushed cheeks, bright gaze and swollen lips. Her eyes are open and she’s staring at her reflection in the mirror as if she’s the most fascinating thing she’s ever seen.

  Again, fucking hot.

  “Yes,” she murmurs.

  “I want you to watch as I make you come.”

  “Shep…” She sounds like she’s protesting and I cut her off.

  “Do it, Jade. Keep your eyes open. Watch yourself. See how pretty you are when I give you an orgasm.” I return my attention to her pussy, attacking her clit with gentle, swirling strokes of my tongue. I push my fingers back inside her body, slowly pulling them out before slipping them inside again, keeping up a steady rhythm that has her body working with me. God, she tastes so fucking good. I can feel her clit swell with every swipe of my tongue and the inner walls of her pussy cling tight to my fingers, like she never wants to let me go.

  “Come for me, baby,” I urge against her hot flesh, just before I draw her clit between my lips and give it a powerful suck. And then she is coming, chanting my name, her pussy quivering, her entire body shuddering. I grip her hips, hold her to me as I continue to devour her, my mouth, my tongue everywhere I can touch her and she’s holding my head, her fingers buried in my hair.

  I pull away so I can glance up at her. She’s still watching herself in the mirror, her lips parted. “Tell me what you see,” I whisper.