by Kay Gordon
“Black belt or silver belt?” I asked as I turned to show Hannah both and she immediately pointed to the silver one.
“Wear your silver sandals with it.” She pulled on her own dress and I was jealous of every curve it hugged on her. The white, sleeveless dress dipped low and showed off her cleavage in a way that would have Jordan mesmerized.
I glanced in the mirror once I was all dressed and gave myself a nod. My dark hair had a few lighter strands from where it’d been kissed by the sun, and I had curled it so it fell in large curls at my shoulders. The purple eyeshadow around my eyes made the light brown stand out and the nerves were written all over my face.
I packed my overnight bag quickly, reluctantly accepting the handful of condoms Hannah handed me, and I’d just zipped it up when a knock sounded on the side door. I opened it and stepped back to let Joanne and Tammi in.
“Damn, you girls look great,” Tammi said with a grin as she looked to both of us. “It’s going to be a fun night for the two of you.”
I shouldered my bag and released a nervous sigh. “That’s the plan. Come on, I’ll let the girls know you’re here.”
We walked out into the main area and the girls gasped and fawned over the outfits Hannah and I were wearing. Once they’d settled down and we’d hugged them all, they promised they’d be perfect for Joanne and Tammi. We told them goodnight and I followed Hannah out the front door of the cabin.
“Oh, geez,” Hannah said as she jumped, almost knocking into me in the process. “Jordan. You scared the shit out of me.”
I looked over her shoulder and grinned when I saw both Jordan and Drew standing in the grass. Jordan probably looked nice but I didn’t take notice as my eyes fixed on his roommate.
Looking at him caused my butterflies to swarm. Drew was wearing a grey, short-sleeved button-up shirt and a pair of dark jeans. The blue Dodgers hat he normally wore was missing and his hair was brushed, looking the neatest I’d ever seen it, matching his recently trimmed beard.
“Hey, Shaylee,” he said quietly, a smile on his face as I walked towards him. “You look gorgeous.”
I tugged on the hem of his shirt and placed a small kiss on his lips. “You don’t look too bad yourself, Moore.”
He took my bag from me and slung it over his shoulder with his own before grabbing my hand. After stopping to check out our phones, the four of us walked to the loading zone in front of the amphitheater where Kurt was already waiting for us. Drew and I climbed in the back seat while Hannah and Jordan sat in front of us. We all made light conversation all the way to town and Kurt stopped to drop Hannah and Jordan off first so they wouldn’t miss their movie. When he pulled in front of building with the name ‘The Chocolate Bar’ in front of it, he turned to smile and Drew and me.
“Be safe and have fun, guys. I’ll swing by and leave your bags at the hotel for you. See you tomorrow?”
We both nodded and thanked Kurt before climbing out of the van. Drew took my hand immediately and smiled at me.
“Ready?”
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves before nodding and following him inside the building.
Chapter Fifteen
“Tell me about your life back home,” Drew said quietly as he stared at me from across the table.
The place he’d taken me to was laid out like a plush bar or pub but the atmosphere was a lot quieter than either of those. Their menu was dominated with delicious sounding desserts, including drinks, and it had taken me more than ten minutes to decide on what I wanted.
I sipped my water slowly as I stared at him. “Like what?”
“Well,” he replied with a sigh. “I know you go to school but that’s it. Do you work? Do your parents live near you? Do you live in the dorms? Do you have a boyfriend back home? What are your plans after graduation?”
“Tit for tat?” I asked as I reached across the table for his hand and he offered it up easily while nodding.
“Tit for tat.”
I used my free hand to trace shapes in the condensation on my water glass. “I work at an elementary school at the front desk. It works well because a lot of the classes I take are in the evenings and they’re great if I have a day class. We’re off during the summer so it made coming here easy.” I paused and gestured towards Drew and he chuckled before answering.
“I already have my undergrad in communications so I’ve been teaching online classes at the community college while working at the county recreation center and doing TA work at the university. It isn’t glorious but I have a roof over my head.” Drew gave me a sheepish smile and I shook my head.
“That’s amazing and a lot of work.”
“It’s fun,” he explained simply. “I love working around kids.”
“You’re good with them, too.” I smiled and silence passed over the table as I tried to remember his next question. “My parents are divorced but they both still live in Phoenix and, no, I don’t live in the dorms. I did for freshman year but my best friend and I share an apartment. She and her boyfriend just got engaged so I doubt she’ll be my roommate for much longer. Your turn.”
Drew nodded and let go of my hand as the server dropped off our plates. We both thanked him quietly and picked up our utensils.
Reaching across the table, he used his fork to steal a bite of my cheesecake. “I don’t know my parents. I grew up in foster care.” I snapped my gaze to his and he shook his head when he saw my face. “It wasn’t bad. My mom died when I was a toddler and my asshole father didn’t want to step up to the plate. But I had great long-term foster parents who kept me from the time I was three until I aged out. They treated me well and are still a part of my life. I live in a house near campus with two roommates who are also grad students.”
“Two roommates? How can you handle that?” I took a bite of the delicious cake and wanted to moan when the flavor hit my tongue. “I can barely handle one and I love her to death.”
“Taylor and Kyle are pretty awesome.” Drew reached across the table and stole another forkful. “Kyle’s actually my foster brother so we’ve basically lived together our whole lives.”
We were quiet for a moment as we both ate and I felt his foot nudge me under the table.
“Next question.”
“Oh, you mean the one about the boyfriend?” I asked with a roll of my eyes. When Drew nodded seriously, I just laughed. “I don’t have a boyfriend. If I did, we wouldn’t be here right now, Drew.”
“That’s good to hear because I don’t have a boyfriend either,” he said after putting his fork down. “But there is this girl I’m really attached to. She’s smart, beautiful, and has this sassy attitude that drives me nuts.”
I shrugged and sat back in my chair. “She sounds amazing, honestly. You’d be so lucky to have a woman like that.”
“So lucky,” Drew murmured as he reached over to grab my hand again. His eyes were a deep blue in the dark bar and any butterflies I had were long gone.
Our spell was broken when the server came by to take our plates and we made small talk until the bill was paid. Drew grabbed my hand and we laced our fingers together as we walked out of the building.
We walked two blocks until we were at the same place we’d stayed at the last time we’d been in town. After we checked in, we picked up our bags from the concierge and took the elevator to the third floor, stopping about halfway down the hall in front of our room. Drew put the keycard in the lock and opened the door marginally before turning to look at me.
“There aren’t any expectations, Shay. I even made sure there were two beds this time. Okay?”
I leaned in until our faces were just inches apart. “Does that mean you aren’t going to rip my clothes off when we get inside? Because I was kind of hoping you would.”
He pushed the door open quickly and tugged me in before slamming it behind us. His lips were on mine as he pressed my back to the wall and our hands were everywhere. I ran mine under his shirt and loved
the feeling of his warm skin under my palms. Drew tugged on my hair gently and deepened our kiss, eliciting a moan from me.
At some point, both of us had kicked off our shoes and I made quick work of the buttons on his shirt. I pushed it off his shoulders before dropping my hands to the button on his pants. Drew pulled his mouth from mine and let his nose skim my neck as he pulled the belt off of my waist, letting it fall to the floor without a second thought. I removed my hands from his pants as the dress I was wearing came up over my head and I was lifted off of my feet. Drew dropped me to the bed and hovered over me as our lips reconnected.
I finally got the button on his jeans undone while he managed to unhook my bra. After a moment, the two of us were just in our underwear. He straightened up and stared down at me with a small smile and a look of adoration on his face. His eyes swept along my body slowly and he shook his head.
“I could look at you forever.”
I ran my hands up my stomach until they were on my own breasts and I gave Drew a small smile.
“My view is pretty good, too.”
“Mine wins.” He grabbed his jeans from the floor and produced a condom before pushing his underwear down his legs. I watched him roll the condom on his length before crawling up the bed and sliding my own underwear down my legs. He situated me so my calves were on his shoulders and shifted so we were connected in one slow thrust.
Drew stared down at me, his eyes not straying from mine as he thrust in and out of me unhurriedly. He leaned forward so his mouth could find my breast and I gasped from all of the different sensations at once. His movements sped up and I tugged on his hair to bring his lips to mine.
I murmured his name several times as my body hit the breaking point and I held onto him to keep myself from floating away. Drew’s triumphant groan could be heard in my cloud of bliss and when I came back to earth, we were completely still. His lips grazed my forehead and cheek after a moment before ending at my own in a sweet kiss.
He pulled his body away, allowing me to realize how cramped my legs were suddenly. I stretched them out as he came back to the bed and rest his cheek on my chest. My hand went to his head as I stroked his hair gently and let my eyelids flutter shut. We didn’t move or speak for several long moments as we basked in the moment.
“You never answered the last question,” Drew murmured, tilting his head so his lips could graze my skin. My fingers didn’t stop running through his hair as I opened my eyes to look at his face.
“What question?”
He smiled, his eyes drooping slightly. “What are your plans after graduation?”
“I don’t have any real plans yet.” I replied with a sigh. “I’ve been thinking about grad school. What about you?”
“I want to find a school counseling job and start my career. Start helping.” He paused and propped his chin on his hands. “I like your necklace.”
Even though he was looking at it, my hand automatically went to my chest to make sure the infinity charm and silver chain were still on my neck “My older sister gave it to me when I was thirteen.” I hesitated for a second. “Right before she died.”
I expected his eyes to widen in surprise but they didn’t. He just nodded instead and let his fingers lightly touch the charm. “It’s beautiful. You’re beautiful.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, running my fingertips down his scruffy cheek.
“Shaylee.” He swallowed nervously and held my eyes with his own. “I need to tell you something.”
My heart started pounding nervously. The last time a guy had said that to me, it was followed by a declaration of love. I wouldn’t be able to honestly return the sentiment if Drew told me he loved me. When I couldn’t with Jeremy, he’d been so hurt that he’d broken up with me. I had feelings for the man pressed against me, definitely, but I hadn’t had time to sort them out. I didn’t want to chance us falling apart because my mind was all muddled up.
I pressed two fingers to his lips. “No. Unless it’s life or death, don’t say whatever you’re going to say. Let’s stay in our bubble.”
His turquoise eyes studied my own for several long moments. I could feel his heart pounding from where his chest was pressed to my stomach. Finally, he nodded and pressed his lips to my chin.
“Okay.”
Drew shifted so he could turn off the bedside lamp, plunging us into darkness. He adjusted his body so he was on the pillow and engulfed me in his strong arms. I grabbed the sheet and tugged on it until we were covered and I stretched my neck so I could give him a simple kiss.
“You’re going to be here when I wake up, right?” My voice was quiet, almost a whisper, and Drew’s hold on me increased.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
And he didn’t. Like the first time we’d spent the night together, one of us kept waking the other up, usually with our mouths, and we’d have sex before cuddling up to go back to sleep. After an exhausting but satisfying night, I would have been content to sleep all day. An obnoxious buzzing noise wasn’t having that, though.
I cracked open my eyes and took a moment to figure out where I was. The room was still dark, but the blinds and curtains were pulled shut so that didn’t mean anything. My back was against Drew’s chest and he had his arms wrapped around me tight. We’d ended up with our heads at the foot of the bed rather than on the pillows at some point.
The buzzing sound started again and I pulled myself from Drew’s grip to grab my phone from the nightstand. It wasn’t mine that was ringing, though, so I picked up his and fell back on the bed next to him.
“Drew. Wake up.” I pushed the phone into his chest, the name ‘Alana’ flashing on the display. “Drew. Your phone.”
He groaned and took it from me before declining the call and wrapping his arms back around my body. “Only person I want to see, hear, or touch is you.”
“They’ve called multiple times.” My lips were pressed against his bare chest as I spoke. “Might be important. I bet they’ll keep calling.” I kissed a path up to his neck and enjoyed the way his hold on me increased.
As if I could see the future, the phone start vibrating again and Drew huffed as he declined the call for a second time.
“I shouldn’t have even picked my phone up yesterday. I don’t care who it is.” He released his embrace so he could power the phone down and throw it onto the second bed. He trailed his lips down my chest, down my stomach, until he was kissing the inside of my thighs. “All I care about right now is worshipping your body.”
And worship it he did. There was no denying that Drew and I had sexual chemistry because each time he touched me felt like the first time. I could have spent days in bed with him and it wouldn’t have been enough.
At some point throughout our time in that hotel, I wondered about the future. I didn’t even know if this thing between the two of us even warranted using the word. Were we just a summer fling? Would we part in August just to pretend the other didn’t exist again the next time? I didn’t know and I wasn’t brave enough to ask. I couldn’t deny the fact that my feelings were involved, though. I felt something for Drew Moore but had no intention of analyzing it. Not yet, anyway.
“Can we just hide out here forever?” I asked sometime later as I lay on my stomach next to him, a pillow cuddled under my head. The room was still dark and I had no idea what time or even what day it was. Drew just nodded his head as he gave me a small grin.
“I like that idea.” He reached over and pushed some hair off of my face. “This is a bubble of perfection.”
I shifted so I was propped up on my elbow. “We’d need food, though, because I’m starving.”
“That’s because it’s almost lunch time,” Drew replied as he reached down to pick up the digital alarm clock we’d knocked to the floor at some point. “I think check out time is at noon and that’s a mere thirty minutes away.”
“I need to get up and shower then.” I sighed as I rolled out of the bed. Drew atte
mpted to grab for me as I walked around the bed but I stepped out of his reach with a smile. After I had my toiletry kit from my bag, I flipped on the bathroom light and my smile fell when I saw my reflection. “Are you kidding me, Drew?”
“I know,” he said from the bedroom, sounding mildly ashamed. “I saw but I didn’t want to tell you. I don’t even know when. I’ve been trying to stay away from your upper chest. You make me lose my head, Shay.”
There were only five purple marks on my body that time and three were directly on my breasts, but the other two weren’t. They were both on my chest and one would be definitely visible even with a shirt on. The other would stand out in my bathing suit, too.
I was inspecting them in the mirror when Drew walked up and wrapped his arms around me from behind, pressing our naked bodies together as he dropped his chin to my shoulder.
“I’m sorry. I really tried to be good this time.” He pressed a kiss to my cheek and gave me a pitiful smile. “Want to give me one?”
I couldn’t help the grin that stretched across my face as I rolled my eyes in an attempt to keep some irritation. “How gentlemanly of you.” I reached over to turn on the shower and gave him a quick kiss before getting into the cold water. It took a second before it warmed up enough to where I could stand under the spray.
I heard the curtain pull back and opened my eyes to see Drew poking his head in with a smile. I shook my head and held my hand up to stop him.
“If you get in, we’ll check out late.” His smile only widened and I leveled him with a serious look. “Drew.”
“Fine,” he acquiesced as his face transformed into a pout. I laughed quietly and turned to hurry and wash my hair. I left the water on when I got out and wrapped myself in a towel. Drew was sitting back on the bed wearing his boxer-briefs as he read something on his phone. He grinned when he saw me and stood, tossing his phone to the side as he did. His lips pressed to my temple on his way to the bathroom so he could shower, too.
