Easy

by Jordan S Gray

  Shayler gasped at the sudden movement, holding onto him as he rocked in and out leisurely. He didn’t take his gaze off her, nor did he speed up even though her moans were ones of desperation and need.

  His kisses remained gentle, and he stroked her cheek. Whatever was happening wasn’t sex, wasn’t what she’d done dozens of times before. Shayler was used to hunger and haste, not this. This was like he was worshipping her, like she was a treasure he’d spent years searching for and was going to take his time examining.

  “I love you,” David murmured, resting one of her legs on his shoulder.

  A weird coo came out of her, and her mind begged her to react. She didn’t have to. David enveloped her mouth with his, and she was lost to the motions.

  David was there, everywhere. She could smell him, taste him, feel him. And whenever she thought she was ready to go over the edge again, she held back, wanting to wait. This was David, her TA, her friend, her … more. She wanted to please him, to experience it with him.

  She called out his name, her voice whiny and begging, and he picked up the pace. Small moans escaped his lips as they claimed hers, and she swallowed them. Nothing drove her wilder than his deep, uninhibited sounds, and there was a funny feeling that planted itself in her chest when she realized she was the one making him feel that way.

  Shayler cried out as David thrusted quicker, and she wished they never had to stop. Spending time with David had been great, but this? She hugged herself tight to him as he brought them both to their release, unable to keep quiet as she matched his groan with one of her own.

  He shuddered and bent down, his head resting against hers as he emptied inside of her. When he pulled out, Shayler felt oddly alone. This was typically when she’d get the hell out, shower, and watch some stupid reality show. Now, though, Shayler held David close, glad that he wrapped his arms around her and brought her against him. Spooning, Shayler was actually spooning.

  “I love you,” he mumbled once more.

  Shayler swallowed roughly. Earlier, she’d told him that it was only going to be sex, but whatever they’d just done hadn’t felt like that. Whatever had just happened made her wish she could utter those three little words and curl up with him for the rest of the night.

  A lifetime of car pools and kids’ birthday parties flashed before her eyes, and she made a mental note to re-erect her emotional walls sometime soon. Before any more damage was done.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Shayler wasn’t aware they’d fallen asleep until someone pounded on her door. She opened her eyes as the noise got louder and more urgent. David groaned and released her so she could squirm out of the bed.

  “What?” she hollered as she pulled up her skirt and shrugged on a shirt.

  “Open your freaking door,” Rebecca shouted from the other side. “I’ve been calling you for the last three hours, and—”

  Shayler huffed and yanked the door open, unsurprised to find a frazzled Rebecca glaring at her. She was used to her best friend barging in whenever she needed Shayler, which wasn’t a problem most of the time. This, however, was not one of those times. Rebecca’s gaze drifted from Shayler’s face to the bed, and she gasped.

  “Shayler, there’s a boy here,” Rebecca whispered.

  David pulled the covers tighter to his still-naked body and rubbed his head.

  “Yeah, I’m aware,” Shayler said.

  “But, th-there’s a boy here. As in your room.”

  “Hi, Rebecca,” David said, his voice gruff from the sleep.

  “Oh, David … hi!” Rebecca chewed on her lip. “It’s David?”

  “We’re like five feet away so he can hear you, and yes, obviously. Did you get hit by a bus and forget what he looks like?”

  “I didn’t want to look,” Rebecca said in a hushed voice, as though she still didn’t understand that David was within hearing range.

  “Whatever, ignore him. What’s up?”

  Rebecca glanced at David and then back at Shayler. She took a seat at Shayler’s desk, scooting the chair to the window so she was as far from David as physically possible. “Okay, so I’m nervous.”

  Shayler sat on the edge of the bed across from her. “Nervous? That’s so unlike you.”

  “I’m serious. I’m going crazy thinking about Derek moving in, and what might go wrong. What if he hates eggs and only eats cereal for breakfast and, like you said, only eats the sugary kind so I have to worry about him seeing a dentist twice a year or else his teeth will fall out? And then, for our wedding, we have to buy him dentures or he’ll be tooth-less in our pictures? We can’t display those in our house! What will our kids say?”

  There was a cough, and then Shayler felt the bed dip as it let out a squeak. “I’m just gonna, uh, go…” David said.

  Shayler pointed to the door. “Bathroom’s right across the hall.”

  “Thanks.” He kept the blanket around him as he tiptoed out of the room. She didn’t take her gaze off him until she couldn’t actually see him anymore.

  “So … that’s a thing that happened?” Rebecca asked, head tilted.

  “I guess.”

  “Did you guys…” Rebecca nodded and clicked her tongue.

  “Yes, we had sex.”

  “In your bed? And you fell asleep after?”

  “How do you know I fell asleep?”

  “You get insane bird’s nest bedhead when you sleep.”

  Shayler combed down the back of her hair with her fingers. “Are you here for a reason, other than to interrogate me about my sex life?”

  “Right. Derek might be moving in, and what if he uproots my entire life? Yesterday, he told me he doesn’t know what a steam mop is. A steam mop, Shayler. How does he think people clean their floor every day, in between real moppings? Does he think they’re just magically sparkly?”

  “He probably doesn’t think about cleaning the floor every day.”

  “But, but… That’s how floors get sticky, and how you get bugs! What if he doesn’t use coasters either? I already have that stain on my nightstand from your coffee that one time. Is he going to add to that? I’m going to have to hire a maid or something to clean up after him, and then I’m going to resent him for spending my money on something like that, and we’ll be divorced by fifty. Do you know what the dating scene is like at fifty? There isn’t one. I’ll have to buy a dog, but a small one that won’t even be able to guard me during a burglary, an—”

  Shayler raised a hand. “Chill out, girl! Let me tell you how this is gonna go down, okay?”

  Rebecca sighed. “Fine.”

  “Derek’s moving in. He’s not going to clean the way you want him to, he’ll be insufferable, and he’ll want sex more than once a day. But you love him, so you’ll put up with it, and you two will live happily ever after until you eventually die of old age, holding each other’s hands in some dusty old bed like you’re in a Nicholas Sparks movie.”

  “Do you really think so?”

  “I don’t know your family history, so I’m not sure about cancer or heart disease, but—”

  “No! Not … that. I mean, do you think I’ll be able to put up with him?”

  Shayler grinned. “You stayed inside once for a whole week because there was lightning storm after lightning storm. This will be a piece of cake.”

  Rebecca nodded. “Thanks. I was scared it was going to, to…” She seemed to search for the words.

  “Change something?” Shayler offered, glancing back at the door. There was a rush of water from the bathroom, and she knew David was showering.

  “Yeah … speaking of, what’s going on there?”

  Shayler raised an eyebrow. “We’ve already discussed this.”

  “We talked about you two doing it, we haven’t talked about what that means. I thought he didn’t want to?”

  Shayler wanted to tell Rebecca that David had said he loved her, she wanted to gush and lie on her bed with her best friend and wonder what the future would hold. “Guess he change
d his mind. Not a big deal.” She shrugged, a rotten feeling eating at her gut as she realized it was the first time she’d ever kept anything from Rebecca.

  “Okay. Are you happy about it? Was it good?”

  “It was”—Shayler tried to think of a word that could describe just how breathtaking their first time had been, but she couldn’t— “good.”

  “Right.” Rebecca stood. “I have to go now.’

  “You sure? We can order a pizza.”

  “There’s a naked man in your bathroom. I don’t want to stick around to see what happens next.”

  Shayler cackled. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  She walked Rebecca out of the apartment, hastily closing the door behind her. Shayler leaned against the frame, closing her eyes. An overwhelming sensation began to fall over her the more she thought about David, about their possible relationship.

  Popping her eyes open, she decided that the issue wasn’t with David or his feelings or her own feelings, it was with thinking. They hadn’t thought before they’d had sex, and that’d turned out great. She crossed the house and pushed the bathroom door open, stripping her clothes off before climbing in behind David.

  “Shit, Shayler. You scared me,” he said, turning around.

  Shayler stared at him. He was beautiful even in the terrible fluorescent lighting of her bathroom. Water sprayed her body in spurts, and she shivered as she stayed still. David pulled her under the shower head with him until they were both fully soaked.

  “What’s going on up there?” he asked, bumping her head with his.

  “Nothing.” But she couldn’t stop looking at him, didn’t want to leave his protective arms. He nuzzled her nose, and Shayler giggled. David was turning her into a pile of mush. Couldn’t he see that?

  She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. His lips melted against hers, and she wished they could stay in that position forever. Shayler was about to pull back when David’s tongue plunged into her mouth, and she inhaled sharply as he hoisted her up. Locking her legs around his waist, David pushed her against the wall. Shayler moaned and kicked his butt with her heel.

  “More,” she demanded, the water steaming as her ass hit the handle and turned the faucet to the hottest side.

  David hissed and shoved it back to a normal temper. Not breaking the kiss, he roamed his hands over her body, and Shayler sighed blissfully. This was where she wanted to be, with David all around her.

  Without stopping to warm up, David thrusted inside of her, filling her instantly. She called out his name, her back smacking against the shower wall as he fucked her hard and fast and rough. Just like she’d wanted, just like she was used to. Only, this didn’t seem as casual as the other times had. And even though she quivered as he drove into her like a jackhammer, it still felt like more.

  Chapter Thirty

  Shayler was on the way to Rebecca’s under the guise of helping Derek move his shit in, but really she was hoping to borrow a dress for tonight. She figured either her best friend or Ansley would have something acceptable she could wear to the dinner party. If not, she’d have to go naked.

  When David had left her house yesterday morning, he’d insisted that she’d look great no matter what she wore, which was exactly why she had to see her best friends. Of course he didn’t care what she’d wear, but this was an actual dinner with David’s bosses and colleagues. She couldn’t show up in her strapless, zebra-print prom dress and impress them. What she needed was something sophisticated and grown up.

  She hit her fist on Rebecca’s door and it opened before she could knock a second time. Her best friend stood before her, looking equally frazzled and exhausted. Her hair was tied up in a bun with strands falling out and sticking up, like she’d rubbed her head on a balloon. The big, purple bags that lived under her eyes were darker now, and her sweater was on inside out. Shayler didn’t bother mentioning any of that, though.

  “I’m here to unpack,” she said, lifting a bottle of wine she’d snagged from Gigi’s stash.

  Rebecca grabbed her forearm and yanked her into the living room. Shayler bent over and rolled the bottle to the corner of the room, unsure where she should put it since the typically neat area was covered in beat up, brown boxes. Damion and Derek stood in front of the mess.

  Derek spun and dropped his hands from his waist, his giant grin making him seem proud for some reason. “We packed it all up in a day. Can you believe it?”

  A box fell from the pile and something smashed inside of it. Derek winced, and Shayler tip-toed past the table. “I can.” She glanced at the kitchen and spied another pile. “I should’ve brought two bottles.”

  Rebecca laughed, and the sound was strained, like it was being sifted through a colander. “Shayler, let’s go gab like girlies. Okay?”

  Shayler followed her friend to her untouched bedroom and flopped onto the bed. “Okay, Lucille Ball, what’s going on? It’s a disaster out there.”

  “I. Know.” Rebecca shrieked and tore a cardigan off her desk chair, flinging it across the room so that it crashed against her venetian blinds.

  Shayler assessed the bedroom. It was way too clean for Derek to have tainted it, and Rebecca’s closet was still filled to the brim. “Weren’t you supposed to clear some of this out before he moved in?”

  “I panicked.” Rebecca rested her head on Shayler’s shoulder. “It was all so real and sudden. I was moving my shoes out of the organizer last night, that way I had a few hours to get my room all set up, but it was too much so I took a nap. When I woke up, Derek was at my door with a box of video games. A whole box, Shayler! He doesn’t even own a console, but he has dozens of games. Where am I supposed to put them? I’m supposed to make room for … for random shit he doesn’t even need?”

  “Why’d you decide to move him in today, then?”

  “Because,” Rebecca cried, “I was so nervous, and you’re never nervous, so I thought what would Shayler do? and called him and told him to move in today.”

  “I’m just speaking objectively here, but this may be your worst plan to date. Why would you do what I do? Last year, you had to pick me up from campus security for streaking with Gigi around Greek row.”

  “You’re not helping! I know I’ve been rash, but … I thought this was supposed to be magical.” Rebecca covered her face with her hands. “I love him. I thought that would fix everything.”

  Shayler shook her best friend until Rebecca peeked through her fingers at her. “You can get through this. You’re Rebecca Washington. It will work itself out.”

  At the end of Shayler’s tiny pep talk, Ansley threw the door open and stalked into the room. The blonde tossed her ponytail behind her shoulder, crossed her arms, and glared at Rebecca.

  “What are you doing in here? You left me in the bathroom, sorting out his various body sprays. Do you know how many there are? And you want them alphabetical?” Ansley’s voice shook with anger.

  “Sorry. I got nervous.”

  Shayler rolled her eyes. “She was having doubts, as usual.”

  Ansley helped Rebecca up. “Too bad. You want to do this, then you’re gonna do it like the mature woman you are. Now go out there, put a smile on your face, and find a place for his football card collection.”

  “Football cards?” Rebecca shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’ve been in his room a thousand times. Where the hell did he keep all this stuff?”

  “Where normal people shove their childhood collectables,” Shayler said. “Under the bed.”

  Rebecca groaned and marched back to the living room. Shayler waited until she left before holding up a hand to Ansley.

  “What?” Ansley asked.

  “Whoa, down, doggie. I have a question.”

  Ansley shook her head. “Sorry. I’ve been on edge since Derek plugged in his moving playlist.”

  “Moving playlist?”

  “A lot of Wiz Khalifa and Nickleback.” Ansley shuddered. “What’s up?”

  “I have this thing wit
h David tonight, and I need a dress.”

  “You have a million dresses.”

  “I have a million club dresses. I need a dinner dress.”

  “Dinner date?”

  “With deans and professors.”

  Ansley gestured to the hall. “Come on. You’re not going to find anything to wear in Becca’s closet, unless you’re going for the Mom of Five in a Hippie Commune look.”

  She led Shayler to her room, a place Shayler had always considered boring and unattached. There were no knick-knacks from childhood adventures, no picture frames filled with unfortunate images of family photos gone wrong. The only things personable were her maroon bedspread and the Star Wars wall calendar above her desk that was two months behind.

  “So are you going for glam or understated?” Ansley asked, opening her closet and shoving three-fourths of her clothes to the left.

  “I don’t know. Something in between?”

  “Wow, Shayler’s not in the mood to dazzle? Sounds serious.” Ansley took out a variety of dresses.

  “Shut up.”

  “Becca told me you and David slept together. You okay?” Ansley peered at her in between measuring the different lengths of the gowns with Shayler’s body.

  “It’s not a big deal.”

  “It’s not a fling, is it?”

  “It’s…” Shayler tugged on her tank top. “It’s whatever. Like I said, not a big deal.”

  “He wouldn’t have sex with you before.”

  “Why does everyone keep reminding me about that?”

  “Something changed. Something’s different.”

  “It was just sex.”

  “At your place.”

  “Rebecca has a big mouth.”

  Ansley smirked. “She tried to take her mind off Derek, but she meant well. She’s worried about you, that you’re not sure what you’re getting into.”

  “I know what I’m getting into,” Shayler said quietly. “I just don’t want to talk about it.”