by Sarina Bowen
“…And your smile is hot,” Katie said, finishing the buttons.
“Your everything is hot,” I said, sitting up. I ditched the shirt. And what the hell. I ditched the t-shirt beneath it, too.
Katie’s eyes flared. And then she lowered her head, and began kissing all the recently exposed skin that she could reach.
“Arrraaahhhrrrgh,” I gasped. Because I’m sexy like that. And because she’d begun working open my belt. And just the proximity of her hands to my groin had me throbbing.
I reached for her, finally allowing myself to run my fingers down the sides of her satiny dress, past her waist, which fit entirely into my two hands. I stopped when her hips slid into my grip. Yesss. She felt amazing. And then she yanked on my pants, and my boxers, too. I lifted my hips and let it all fall away.
Oh hell, pinch me. I was naked with Katie Vickery. Except for my dress socks. Because dress socks looked great on a naked guy.
Fail.
Quickly, I ditched my socks, and then wrapped Katie into a kiss that was probably going to last until New Year’s. And then she wrapped her hand… Oh, God. Okay. Nothing was going to last until New Year’s. Or even five minutes, unless I got a hold of myself.
So I shifted away from her ambitious fingers and carefully lifted her dress over her head. But that only made me hotter. Because now I had a full-on view of the sexiest bra that had ever made an appearance in my (real) life. It was lacy and black, and my eyes were probably bugging out just looking at it.
Katie wiggled out of a pair of stockings, revealing the smallest lace panties ever manufactured. Seriously, the physics lab up on Science Hill could attempt to split them like an atom in the particle accelerator.
I think I stopped breathing.
My brain took a sabbatical to Tahiti.
-Katie-
Okay, who knew I’d become a basketball fan tonight?
After his big hands scooped my dress up over my head, Andy stretched, elongating that powerful torso as he reached over his head. I was almost too busy drooling over his tight chest to notice that he’d taken care to lay my dress over the chair.
I reclined on the bed, and Andy propped himself up on his elbows over my body. Dropping his head, he began to trace the outline of my strapless it-fits-under-every-dress bra with his tongue.
My modest cleavage had never been my best attribute. But as he kissed me, Andy made the kind of low, happy noise of a man who had just been given exactly what he craved. And as if that wasn’t sexy enough, he raised his eyes to mine, his expression burning hot. I didn’t know if he was asking for permission or merely trying to torture me. But I’d never felt quite like the center of someone’s universe before. The slow slide of his lips coupled with that heated gaze had me tingling. Everywhere.
His lips skimmed lower, and then lower still. He began dropping soft, open-mouthed kisses just at the top of my panties. He lifted those eyes again, and the coal-dark stare was back, its intensity redoubled. I began to practically squirm with desire. In a second, I was probably going to start begging. At last, he dropped his mouth onto the lace between my legs and kissed me gently. All without breaking eye contact.
I was almost too turned on to care that there was only enough friction to make promises, not to deliver. The sight of his lean, muscular shoulders and biceps framing my legs was something I won’t soon forget. I panted while he teased me with the barest touch. And when he pressed his lips against my body and groaned, I thought I would die.
Okay, enough with the teasing.
I plunged my fingers into his hair, then gave his head a little tug. He came willingly, all that firm skin and muscle covering me like I wanted it to. And then we were kissing again, so deeply that I tasted more of Andy than of myself.
The heavy beat of a dance tune began to pulse on the other side of Andy’s wall. For a second I was under the illusion that the sound was my own heartbeat, amplified. Because I was throbbing. Everywhere. And then — hallelujah — he hooked the bikini strap of my panties with one thumb and dragged them down.
We made out with incredible urgency, as if a meteor were about to obliterate the earth. Our two bodies moved together, the hot beat of his neighbor’s music urging us on.
“Katie,” Andy breathed between kisses. “Should I find a…”
I gave him one more hard kiss, and then a shove on the shoulder to encourage him. “Go. Hurry.”
He was up like a shot and rifling through his top dresser drawer. But after ten seconds of fervent scraping around, I began to get nervous. It was all well and good to be with the sweet sort of guy who didn’t expect you to put out. But when push was ready to come to shove, having the necessary equipment was awfully important.
Luckily, he found what he was looking for.
A half second later, Andy was back on the bed and sheathing himself with hands so eager that they shook. I saw him take a deep breath and gather himself together. Instead of climbing on top of me, though, he gave me a little nudge and lay down beside me, pulling me into his arms. He inhaled deeply again and let it out slowly.
I trailed my hand down his chest. “Second thoughts?” I asked, hoping he wouldn’t say yes.
He shook his head. “No way. You?”
“Not a chance.” But even as I said it, I had the first quiver of uncertainty I’d ever experienced just before sex. A little voice in my head said: Really, Katie? Shouldn’t you feel shame for this? Other girls would.
This stopped me for perhaps two seconds.
Oh, shut up! I ordered that voice. Those other girls didn’t know what they were missing. I was not going to let The Football Player Who Shall Not Be Named ruin this moment for me.
Andy shifted into position over me again. But he didn’t make it happen yet. Instead, he lifted his long hand to cup my face, and he kissed my forehead tenderly. “I’ve had a thing for you since the first art history lecture,” he said.
“What?” With all his warm skin over me, it was hard to track any conversation.
“You sat in front of me with a friend,” he whispered, kissing my nose. “You told her you’d always wanted to visit the Louvre and the Prado. But you were happy to take the course first. You were wearing a pink t-shirt and a denim skirt. Your friend was looking at Facebook for the whole lecture. But not you. You took notes. Your hair was held back in a pink scrunchie, and I wanted to pull that out and let your hair fall down loose.”
Somewhere in the middle of that little speech I’d stopped breathing. “Wow,” I gasped. I was blown away. Gone.
Above me, Andy just smiled. “But no pressure, right?”
Looking up at him, I giggled suddenly. And all the tensions of the evening fizzed up, shaking my stomach with laughter. For a second I thought that I was going to totally lose it, the way that laughter sometimes grabs a hold of you and won’t let go. It was entirely possible that I was about to become hysterical.
But Andy just smiled wider. Then he lowered his grin to my jaw and kissed me there. And then he kissed the sensitive spot under my ear. And my neck. And my collarbone.
The laughter died in my throat, and I relaxed onto the bed.
“Is this okay?” he whispered, bringing his body close to mine.
“Yesss…” I breathed.
As he fitted us together, Andy groaned like a man in pain. But he moved like a man in love.
I wrapped my arms around him, drinking in his kisses.
“Katie…” he whispered, his breath catching. And the sound of it was the same sound you’d make if you’d just unwrapped an unexpected gift and found just what you’d wanted inside.
-Andy-
Oh Jesus. Pinch me. Seriously.
This couldn’t really be happening. Not to me. In fact, any minute now I was going to wake up in some library somewhere, face down in a puddle of my own drool. With my physics notes pasted to my face. And when they peeled off, I’d have equations tattooed all over my cheek in blue ink.
A good dream was the only plausible explanat
ion for this moment.
And why the fuck was I thinking about physics notes right now? I needed to memorize this moment. Because if it was really happening, then the world was probably ending. Maybe there was a rip in the space-time continuum. Which meant that the polarity of the earth was in jeopardy. And… um…
Ohhh…
Wow.
Ohhh…
Wow.
Jeez…
Wow.
This.
This is…
So much wow.
-Katie-
Beautiful creature
A single bead of sweat at your neck
Your agonized huff of breath
As you try to hold yourself back
We have brought each other here
To this place of slicked skin against skin
Torturing each other so perfectly
“More,” I beg you, because I can’t help myself
And you close your eyes with gratitude
For this pretty moment
-Andy-
Oh. Oh yeah.
Oh boy.
Yesyesyesyesyes.
More?
Rawr…
Wow. Good. Too good. Red zone, here.
DANGER.
Quick! Picture Mrs. Dunlop’s neck. Warty 5th grade teacher to the rescue!
Okay. I’ve got this. Except… Oh my God. Oh… wow. Just… so sexy. So sexy. I’ve never made anyone moan before. Oh, that sound. Oh, hell. It’s coming, and it’s going to be good.
But is she going to…? I need her to…
Oh God, please let her just…
Time for a Hail Mary maneuver. Maybe if I reach down and touch her there. Wait… how do guys do this? My arm is stuck. I can’t get out of my own way. Wait. Okay. Right there.
Winning! Yeah!
Almost.
C’mon, Seabiscuit!
But… ahhhgghhmmm. Feels incredible for me, too.
Mayday! This train is pulling out of the station.
Can’t. Hold. Out. Much. Longer.
-Katie-
The look on your face
Sweet and intense
Shreds my heart
Now I’m tilting fast
And spinning hard
All of me
Is lost to you
-Andy-
***Complete loss of brain function. Please stand by.***
-Katie-
For a few minutes we just lay there, breathing hard, while dance music continued to vibrate the bedroom wall. Andy’s face was stuffed half into the pillow, half into my hair. I could feel the rapid rise and fall of his chest against mine.
But eventually the music stopped, and the silence seemed to bring the two of us back into focus. It was quiet enough to talk now, only I didn’t know what I wanted to say.
Even for someone like me, who really liked sex, the part afterward was a little awkward. There was always that uncomfortable moment when your brain came back online and reminded you that you should probably untangle yourself from this sweaty boy and go on with your life.
The realization that special moments didn’t last was always a disappointment. And the more special they were, the bigger the letdown.
This one was kind of a doozy.
Andy had gotten his breathing back under control, and was now playing with a lock of my hair. “Can I ask you something?” His voice was muffled.
“Yeah.” Or yes. (Sorry, Mother. Though, come to think of it, after what I’d just done — stripping this boy naked and practically leaping on him — the use of “yes” versus “yeah” was a moot point. Right, Mom?)
“What I need to know is…” he hesitated. “Do you feel a sudden compulsion to begin dating women?”
What?
“Oh!” I began to laugh.
“Be honest,” he said, turning his head to show me his smiling eyes. “Do you have an urgent desire to run out for a copy of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition?”
Laughing, I realized that this boy was just going to keep on surprising me. “Well, now that you mention it… I do find myself wondering whether I should date someone who shares my taste in lipstick.”
First, he gave my ass a pinch. Then he pulled me close, and I snuggled into his neck. For a few minutes, his hands gently skimmed my back. But eventually, he smoothed my hair down and sighed. “I really don’t want to move. But I have to get up and get rid of this, um…”
Condom. Right. I released him, though I didn’t want to.
Rolling off the bed, he grabbed a tissue from the box on his desk, then stood in front of the wastepaper basket, his back to me. I used the moment to marvel at how long his legs were. And the fact that he had a really nice butt for someone so slim. Go figure.
“I should really go,” I said.
When Andy turned around, he was frowning. “Oh, no you don’t,” he said, giving his head a little shake. “Not so fast.” He came back toward me, and I tried not to stare at his nakedness. There was something really sexy about that long, lean body. He was built as if only the best, most essential parts had been added to his frame. As if any extra would just be a distraction.
On his way over, he snagged his boxers off the floor and stepped into them.
I’d pulled the sheet up to cover myself, and now he gave me a little nudge to move over for him. Dorm beds were pretty narrow. But I scooted toward the wall, and he slid into the bed, rolling onto his side to face me. “Hi,” he said.
“Hi.” I clutched the sheet against my chest. I was feeling very naked all of a sudden.
“I thought if I trapped you in here, you wouldn’t go.”
“You’ll want me to, eventually,” I pointed out. “If I’m still here a week from now, that would just be weird.”
“Well,” he cleared his throat. “If you say so. But we could probably compromise on tomorrow morning, no?” Beneath the sheets, his toes wandered over to be with mine. He trapped the arch of my foot between both of his and gave it a squeeze.
I didn’t know what to say. My football player boyfriends had always complained that they couldn’t possibly spend eight hours crammed into a tiny bed with me. “You won’t sleep well. And there are exams to study for.”
He gave his head a shake. “That’s not the point. I want the whole package. We’re supposed to have that tricky night’s sleep, where I’m trying not to give you a black eye when I roll over. And I believe I’m entitled to some awkward conversation in the morning.”
“Seriously?” I fought off a grin.
“Seriously.” He leaned over to kiss my eyebrow, and then had to turn away so he could yawn.
It was catching, so I yawned too. “The problem is that I only have a dress to wear. Walking home tomorrow morning…” I let the sentence trail off. Because he’d understand what I meant. Anyone who saw me would know I was doing the Walk of Shame.
It was called that for a reason.
Andy frowned. “I have sweats you could borrow.”
I pointed across the room at my spike heels, lying on the floor where I’d shed them so hastily a little while ago.
He chewed on his lip for a second. “Okay. I’ll walk you home right now, if that’s what makes you the most comfortable,” he said. “Otherwise, I can set my alarm for seven. But we’ll probably wake up then anyway, after elbowing each other all night.” He gave me a shy smile. “And we could walk you home before anyone else even thinks about waking up. Then I could wait at the coffee shop while you shower and change. And then we’ll get the earliest possible start on memorizing two hundred European paintings.”
“Hmm,” I said, as my heart gave a little flutter. That all sounded too good to be true.
“There won’t be a soul outside at seven in the morning. Especially during exams,” he pointed out.
“You really want me to stay?” He was probably just being nice.
He gathered me up in his long arms. “I really, really do.”
-Andy-
I found a t-shirt for Katie to w
ear. Actually, I picked out my favorite one, which had an X-wing fighter on the front of it. And that made her laugh. And I loved her laugh, because it sounded a little bit out of control. Here was a girl who usually matched her hair band to her sweater. She looked pristine and put-together every time I saw her. But the sound of her giggle gave her away. It was riotous.
And man, my X-wing t-shirt had never looked so good as it did with her long legs sticking out from under the hem. I found her an extra toothbrush, too. And then I checked to see if the bathroom was empty, and it was. So Katie did the mini Walk of Shame into the bathroom to brush.
“Do you want the inside or the outside?” I asked when she returned, pointing at the bed.
“You first,” she said.
I shut the lamp off and then climbed in, scooting all the way over to the wall. She got into bed then, gingerly. First, I pulled the covers up. Then I put my hands on her hips and pulled her closer to me. “Let me show you how this works best,” I said, angling the pillow just so. I positioned Katie’s back against me so that her head was level with my sternum. That way we both had some breathing room.
“Mmm,” she lazed against me. “Okay. I think I get it.”
Luckily it was dark, and she was facing the other way. So she couldn’t see how big my dorky smile was just then. Seriously, you could probably see my teeth from space. Because I’d never been happier than I was right then. I had the girl of my dreams in my bed, curled up against me. I was optimistic that maybe this would become a thing. But that was probably getting ahead of myself, right?
I wasn’t going to lie here and worry about it, though. No matter what happened tomorrow, I would always have this night.
“So,” I prompted. “Which European paintings are we going to memorize first?”
“The medieval ones,” she said immediately. “There aren’t as many of those as in the Renaissance section.”
“Good point,” I whispered, smoothing my hand down her hair.
“I’m a little worried about the modern stuff,” she confessed. “He covered it really fast. The Russians… I don’t remember what any of those paintings look like.”
