by Ashley Blake
“Hey Skylar, what’s going on?”
I tossed my long dark waves over my shoulder and smiled up at him. “Hey Ryan, I just thought I’d say hi. I haven’t really had a chance to talk to you and I wanted to know more about you. You’re from San Diego, right?”
His eyes brightened and it was clearly obvious that he was flattered that I was talking to him. His grin was nearly ear to ear as he answered me. “I am, you’ve done your homework on me.”
I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes at him because he looked pretty full of himself in that moment…if he only knew. I decided to play along because the ultimate goal was to get Jonathan’s attention.
“I guess I have. So, are you ready for this awesome band tonight?”
“Oh yeah, they totally rock! Hey, do you want something to drink or do you want to dance?” His green eyes sparkled as he waited for my answer.
I feigned interest and gave him my best flirtatious smile. "I would actually love a cup of that delicious punch if you don't mind, and then maybe we can go show them how it's done on the dance floor.”
“You got it, I’ll be right back.” He rushed off to go get my cup of punch and I could feel someone piercing a hole right through me, so I turned around and met Jonathan’s intense gaze from across the room. He does not look happy and it serves him right! He knows how I feel about that bimbo and he is still letting her hang all over him, well two can play that game buddy.
Barbi was still by his side, whispering something in his ear and, although he probably wasn't even listening to her, he wasn't stopping her. His focus was 100% on me, but to anyone else looking at him it seemed as though he was into her and liked having her so close to him since he clearly was not pushing her away.
Ryan came back over to me with my drink and I tore my eyes away from Jonathan and set them on Ryan. I decided to turn it up a bit since I knew that Jonathan was watching us so I grabbed my drink from him and I put one hand on his arm and lightly stroked it, thanking him for my drink. I was sure that gesture would really irritate Jonathan and as I took a couple of sips of my drink I glanced in Jonathan’s direction and to say that he looked pissed is an understatement. I smiled to myself as I turned to put my drink down on the ledge, and I grabbed Ryan’s hand and led him out onto the dance floor. We started moving to the music and at first we were not dancing vey close each other, but I eventually moved closer and closer to him occasionally touching his arm and smiling at him while tossing my hair.
He seemed to be enjoying himself and he also, surprisingly, was keeping his hands off of me. Maybe I had been wrong about him and maybe Jonathan had too, maybe he wasn’t a big sleazebag. I was starting to feel bad about using him to make Jonathan jealous, and then I felt his hand on my ass and all feelings of remorse went out the window. I was going swat his hand away when suddenly an imposing figure was between us.
I looked up and saw Jonathan pushing Ryan away from me and Ryan starting to charge right back at Jonathan, until he realized who it was and he stopped himself. Ryan put both hands up in the air and said, “Sorry dude”, and walked away.
Jonathan turned his fiery gaze on me and grabbed my arm and pulled me close to him, his eyes frantically searching mine. “So, you’re letting guys rub all over your ass now? I don’t want anyone touching you but me Skylar, do we understand each other?”
I snatched my arm away from him and returned his fiery gaze. “You cannot spend half the night letting that tramp rub her tits all over you, and expect me to stand in a corner and wait for you! You are not the only guy out there Jonathan Hunter, plenty of guys want me!”
He grabbed my arm again and his eyes pinned me. “Listen, don’t play these games! I only want you and I know you want me!”
What could I say to that? There was nothing to say, he was right. I didn’t want to be with anyone else. He had just expressed his feelings for me so it did make me feel a little bit better about Barbi. I just wished she would go away. I instantly softened as I let his words sink in. I think he sensed the release of my tension and he placed a finger under my chin and raised my face so that my eyes met his.
“These feelings I have for you are new for me Sky, I don’t play games and I don’t want to be with anyone else but you. If you see Barbi hanging around, just know that I am not interested in her. I feel sorry for her and I’m just trying to be nice, for my family’s sake. I only have eyes for you.”
“I feel the same way Jonathan, this is new for me too, you know?”
“Okay, so we’re good?”
I smiled at him. “Yeah, we’re good.”
“Do you still want to get out of here and go somewhere to hang out away from all of these people when I’m done on stage?”
“Definitely.”
He smiled at me and kissed me softly on the lips. “I better go, it’s almost time for us to go on. I’ll find you after.” With that he rushed off.
I went back to my friends, happy as a lark, who were dancing to the music and then the lights dimmed, the music stopped, and strobes swirled around the room as a voice boomed through the speakers.
“Alright, alright! Fall Festival! Give it up for Sonic Blaze!”
Screams filled the air as the huge crowd clapped and screamed and the lights rose on the figures standing on stage. It looked like nearly the entire campus was there. Jonathan still took my breath away and looked hella sexy as his hands covered the mic and he belted out the first song. Katie and I were perched near the stage and Jonathan found my eyes a few times and winked at me as he sang to me.
“You’re so lucky Sky, he’s so sexy!”
Yes he is.
They played until nearly midnight and the crowd went crazy after their last song. The screams and claps didn’t stop until the lights came back up and the other music poured through the speakers on the wall. Jonathan found me on the dance floor a few minutes later and he was deliciously sweaty and flushed. I imagined shoving him into a room and totally making out with him, feeling his hard body against mine and his hands all over my body. I was totally lost in my thoughts and felt him tap my shoulder.
I snapped out of it and looked at him.
“Where were you? I could tell your mind was somewhere else.”
“I was thinking about what I want to do to you with you looking so sexy right now.” Me eyes held his and my voice was nearly hoarse as the words flowed out, and I didn’t feel shy this time.
He was speechless and I could tell that he didn’t expect me to say that.
I smiled at him. “I’ll go tell Katie I’m leaving. Be right back.”
I felt like I was floating on a cloud as I went to find Katie. I saw her on the dance floor and I went over to her and whispered in her ear and told her that I was leaving with Jonathan. She winked at me and told me to have fun.
Chapter Sixteen
Our student union was open late into the night, so we went there, grabbed some nachos and drinks and sat at a table in the back, away from everyone. I suggested we go there because if I was alone with him in his room, there was no way I would hold back that night.
There were only a couple of people there since almost everyone was probably at the after party, which was fine with me because it gave us a chance to have some privacy.
As he sat across from me I still marveled at how beautiful he was. My eyes roamed over his chiseled face, down the angles of his jaw and I drank in everything about him that I could see. He had a bit of scruff and I could tell that he could grow a full beard if he wanted to. I loved a bit of scruff on a guy and I couldn’t wait to feel Jonathan’s scruff against my cheek again. He was so sexy, confident and mature looking that it was easy to forget that he was only 21. I realized that I was staring at him when I heard him ask the question.
“Do you like what you see?” His dark eyes smoldered as they seductively grabbed a hold of me.
I didn’t back down from his gaze and returned a sincere answer. “Yes, I do.”
He gave me a soft smile. “Me too
.” He took a deep breath and then let out a long breath. “Okay, it’s a good thing we are here and not back in my room, I think we’re safer here.”
I gave him a knowing smile. “Me too.”
A small smirk turned up the corner of his mouth and I saw the gleam in his eye as he took a sip of his drink. He put it down on the table and leaned back in his chair, his eyes focused on me.
“Okay, tell me everything. I want to know all about you Sky. We haven’t really had a chance to go deep, and I want to go deep with you.”
“Um, okay, where do you want me to start?”
“The beginning. What was your childhood like?”
A smile spread across my face as I thought about my dad. “It was awesome. You already know that I’m the youngest and I think my dad spoiled me because I was the baby in the family. He had a great relationship with all of us but he and I had something different from his relationship with my brother and sister. Our bond was really tight and I could talk to him about anything. My mom and I have always had a good relationship, and we still do, but my dad was my best friend.”
“You’re talking about your dad in the past. Did something happen to him?” His eyes were full of concern.
I hadn’t yet told Jonathan that my dad had died when I was a little girl because we hadn’t really talked about our families much. We had just covered surface stuff like how many siblings we had and where we lived. I didn’t mind opening up to him about my dad and I wanted him to know how special my dad was. I took a deep breath and glanced down at the table before raising my eyes to his.
“My dad died when I was nine years old, the year after he gave me this ring.” I subconsciously rubbed it with my thumb.
“I’ve noticed that you wear that ring every day, I was wondering if it had any significance.”
“He gave it to me for my eighth birthday and it was the first piece of real jewelry that I have ever received.”
“It’s beautiful Sky.”
“Thanks.” I looked down at it for a minute and then I continued on. “He had to work late one night and as he was driving home, a semi-truck smashed into him killing him instantly. The truck driver had fallen asleep at the wheel and didn’t even know what had happened until it was too late.”
“Oh Skylar, how awful!”
“Yeah, but we got through it and I really feel like my dad is watching over me all the time.”
“I’m sure he is.”
“My mom married my step-dad Jay a few years later and, you met him, he is a really nice guy. He’s been super supportive of all of us, going to every graduation and school play, you know, stuff like that. I talk to my brother and sister every week so we all know what’s going on with the other. My brother works in production in Los Angeles, and my sister lives in Chicago and is a stay at home mom to my six month old niece Sophie. My grandparents, both sets, live about 30 minutes away from the city. It’s cool because they are all friends and they go to lunch together all the time. Aside from losing my dad so soon, it’s been a really good life so far.”
“It sounds like you have a tight family which is awesome. I could see that you were close with your parents when they came to visit. I really like them, and so did my parents. What do your parents do?”
Here it was and I knew that I would have to deal with this sooner or later. I didn’t want to lie to him but I was afraid of what would happen when he found out the truth. He was probably going to walk out of my life and I would just have to accept that. He didn’t strike me as the type to be so rude as to walk out immediately. But I was willing to bet any amount of money that beginning the next day he would suddenly be unavailable. Here goes nothing.
“My mom works at a grocery store and my step-dad is an elementary school science teacher.”
“Oh, cool. So how did your mom and step-dad meet?”
What? That’s it? He didn’t have any sort of weird reaction when I told him what they did. He had to know that we didn’t have any money. I felt relieved and surprised at the same time. Maybe he’s just hiding how he really feels. I would know the truth the next day and I starting to mentally prepare myself for it.
“My mom was looking for nails at Home Depot and she was standing in the aisle for like, 20 minutes trying to figure out which ones she needed. Jay was there getting doorknobs or something, and he saw her looking really confused and thought it was cute so he helped her find what she needed. They started talking and clicked instantly. I liked him from the beginning because he was so nice and he liked my mom so much. When they got married we were all happy for them and I know my dad would be happy that my mom is with a great guy and is not alone. Wow, I went on and on, sorry about that!”
“I could listen to you talk about your family all day, I knew they were really cool people when I met them, so don’t apologize.”
I felt relieved that he didn’t think I was rambling on and that he still wanted to be sitting here with me. Don’t get carried away Sky, I’ll bet tomorrow will show a very different Jonathan Hunter. I pushed that thought out of my mind because I was having the best time just sitting there and talking to Jonathan, getting to know him better. In that moment, there was nowhere in the world I would rather have been. I looked at him and smiled as I reached across the small table and lightly touched his forearm.
“Okay, your turn. Same for you, start from the beginning.”
“Well, I was born and raised on the Upper East Side of New York City and you already know that I have twin sisters that are seven years older than me. They are my best friends and I can go to them about anything. My dad is in finance, and my mom is too. My mom and dad have been married for almost 30 years and they have been the most amazing parents anyone could ask for. My dad travels a lot for work but he always arranged to make it back for every one of my soccer games, he and my mom never missed a single one. My sisters are both professional ballerinas, they started dancing when they were five years old and had their first dance recital when they were six. They tour all over the world with their dance company and I have gone to a lot of their performances but I don’t get to see them very often which sucks, but we talk all the time. My Nana Bunny lives a couple of blocks away from us and is the most spry little thing you’ll ever meet. I think I get my feistiness from her.”
I saw him smile as he talked about his family and it was good to hear how close and supportive they all were of each other. I could see that when they came to visit, he was very close with his parents. I also noticed that he didn’t brag about who his family was, in fact, he didn’t even mention the company at all. Maybe Jonathan Hunter was not so consumed and influenced by money after all.
“And how did your parents meet?”
“That is a crazy story. My dad’s company has an internship program for college students that is very competitive and only two or three people are chosen for the internship, and then at the end of the internship one of those people is offered a permanent position. My mom went to college later in life, she was in her early 30s when she graduated, and she applied for the internship, worked her butt off, and she was hired when it was over. What she didn’t know was that my dad, who is the CEO of the company, was her immediate boss, so they got to know each other and from what they say, sparks flew pretty much from the beginning. They had to be careful not to flaunt it because the company kind of frowned on office place romances but this was “a love that neither one of them could deny” according to them. They were married about a year later and the rest is history. My parents have been an awesome example of the kind of relationship that I want to have one day, I have never met two people who are more in love.”
“Wow, what a cool story, an office place romance that actually lasted!”
“Yeah.” A pensive look crossed his face as he looked off into the distance for a couple of seconds and then looked at me, studying me.
I felt worried that I had said something wrong. “Are you okay?”
He seemed to snap out of whatever it was he was thinki
ng about and smiled at me causing my belly to flutter.
“Yeah, I’m perfect.” He looked at the clock on the wall above my head and raised his eyebrows in surprise. “It’s almost 3:30, we should probably get back to the dorm.”
I felt a little disappointed that our time together was ending because I really liked hanging out with him, but I had to admit that I was getting tired.
“Yeah, we better get back before we turn into pumpkins.” I managed a light-hearted laugh as we both got up. I took one step toward the door and Jonathan gently grabbed my arm.
“Are you staying with me tonight?”
“If you want me to.”
“I definitely want you to. Sky?” His voice was soft.
