Nerdy Girl Nation (Nerdy Girl #1)

by Lindsey Gray

  Emma rolled over to find him still awake.

  “What time is it?” she asked.

  He lifted his head to glance at the red numbers on her alarm clock. “A little before one.”

  “Did you hear my dad come in?”

  “No.” He lifted his hand and moved the hair away from her face. “You are so beautiful like this.”

  She let out a soft laugh. “You mean a sleepy, restless mess?”

  “Absolutely. I love the rumpled look. I wouldn’t mind seeing you like this every day. It would mean spending days in bed, but I assure you, I’m willing to keep you company.” He leaned in and kissed her, turning her on her back. He hovered above her and caressed her cheek with his fingertips.

  “I’ve never spent days lounging in bed unless I was sick.” She trailed her fingertips from his jawline to the back of his neck.

  He moved his pelvis against hers. Soft moans reverberated off the walls as he continued the slow thrusts. With thrusts came kisses. With kisses came tongues. With tongues came fire.

  “I think,” he panted. “I think you might be coming down with a fever. We should spend the weekend in bed.” Their abdomens were now skin on skin. He moved his hand to stroke her rib cage.

  She moved her hands to the exposed skin of his back and squeezed. “If you keep touching me, we might have to.”

  “I’ll touch you wherever you want.” He moved against her again, harder than he’d ever been.

  “Keep going.” She pushed against his back to urge him on.

  “Fuck. I’ve thought about you like this so many times.”

  She pushed down a little harder on his back and lifted her pelvis. “You’ve thought about dry humping me in my bedroom at my parent’s house?”

  “Not exactly dry, are we?” Her moisture soaked into his boxer briefs.

  “You understand,” his pace sped up, “ugh, what I mean. I’ve thought of you in your apartment in LA, on your dining room table.”

  Her lips formed an O shape.

  “I thought about you in the dressing room where I kissed you for the first time. Oh, fuck. I’ve thought about that one a lot. Taking you up against the wall with your legs wrapped around my waist.”

  Her eyes closed and she released a loud moan.

  The words were getting to her, so he decided to go in for the kill.

  “Most of all, I’ve thought about all the things I could do to you in my own bed. My tongue would love you in places no other has loved before. I’d be so deep inside of you, touching that spot with the head of my cock, and you’d beg me for more. Will you let me worship your body in my bed?”

  “Yes! God!” She brought her head up from the pillow only to slam it back down.

  Her muscles quivered against him as she reached her peak. His lips crashed against hers, his hips thrust against hers. “So fucking beautiful.”

  “Rob,” she whispered in a high-pitched sigh.

  The sound of his name was all it took for him to find his own release. He had dreamed of her saying his name in the heights of ecstasy hundreds of times. Hearing her breathe it against his neck was a sextillion times better.

  He moved off her, not wanting his sticky mess to get all over her.

  “I don’t …” He couldn’t even find a word for what they had done.

  “No one has ever talked to me like …” She turned on her side and placed her hand over his throbbing heart. “I liked it.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yes, and up against the wall?”

  “Uh huh.”

  “I’d like to try that.”

  Rob wanted to blurt out how much he loved her. Instead, he turned on his side and dove in to kiss her.

  He thought they might be head for another round when he heard the sound of a loud motor pull into the drive.

  They both froze.

  “My car is in the drive.”

  She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “Guess that means I’m introducing my boyfriend to my dad.”

  “Boyfriend?”

  “I think you’ve earned the title, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, girlfriend.” He leaned over to peck her on the lips.

  “Let me clean up a bit.” She grabbed a pair of underwear and some sleep pants and went into the bathroom.

  He stripped off his soaked boxer briefs and pulled on his jeans. The unusual sensation of free balling was one he would live with for the rest of the night.

  Once they were both presentable, they walked to the door and she took his hand. When they walked into the kitchen, Mick MacLean had his head stuck in the refrigerator.

  “We got any pizza, Em? I haven’t eaten since this afternoon.” Mick’s head popped up from behind the door and noticed Emma and Rob there, hand in hand.

  “Second shelf, I think.”

  “Right.” Mick took the box out and placed it on the counter next to a tower of cookies and brownies. “Is there something I need to know?”

  “Dad, this is Rob Breyer.”

  “Yes, but what is he doing in my kitchen at one in the morning?”

  Rob squeezed Emma’s hand as a sign of encouragement.

  “Officially meeting you for one. Rob, this is my dad, Mick MacLean. Dad, this is my boyfriend, Rob Breyer.”

  “Oh.” A smile spread across Mick’s face. “Good to meet you, boyfriend Rob Breyer.” Mick held out his hand for Rob to shake.

  “You too, sir,” Rob replied and shook Mick’s hand.

  “I got sick this afternoon and Rob came over to check on me. We fell asleep.”

  “You okay?” Mick’s brow creased with worry.

  “I’ll be fine. Just needed a little break. The cameras won’t be back until morning.”

  “Going back to the high school was a bit rough for her,” Rob stated.

  “I was worried.” Mick scratched at the crease in his brow and Rob wondered if the movement was something all parents did when stressed. He’d seen his mother do it a thousand times.

  “So, that’s why he’s here.” Emma smiled and threaded her arm through Rob’s.

  “Would you mind if I talked to Rob for a moment?”

  Rob didn’t get a sense of dread like he did when meeting a girl’s father, but something was different this time.

  “I guess. Don’t forget, we need to be at the community center by ten.”

  Mick nodded. Emma gave Rob a quick kiss before she yawned and walked back to her room.

  “You want a beer?” Mick offered.

  “No, thanks. I don’t drink.”

  “Have a seat.” Mick motioned to the kitchen table.

  Rob sat down while Mick grabbed a bottle of beer and a piece of cold pizza.

  Mick sat, took a bite, and washed it down before he began. “No bullshit, son. How bad was today?”

  “Bad.” Yes, the part with the kids seemed to go well, but the note took all the good away.

  “Christ. She doesn’t remember, but the last time she was there, she was loaded up into an ambulance.”

  Rob let his head fall back

  “She tell you?” The man didn’t need more than a few words to convey his own torment.

  “Last night.” Rob’s hand closed into a fist. “I want to powerbomb the guy. What a son-of-a-bitch.” He imagined smashing the guy’s head into the mat.

  “What?”

  Rob was surprised to see the confusion on Mick’s face. “I meant I wish there were something I could do outside the ring without getting arrested.”

  “You said him?”

  Rob was now the confused one. “Yeah?”

  “Did Emma say her attacker was a man? She said she couldn’t remember, but we’ve always assumed it was the girls she fought with at the prom. The police could never find any solid evidence to make an arrest.”

  “I guess I assumed it was a man with the way she described her injuries. Whoever it was, he or she should be punished for what they put you all through.”

  “She’s been in therapy ever since
. I thought maybe after a while something would come back. In some ways, I’m thankful she can’t remember. We wanted some justice but at what cost?”

  Rob nodded his head in agreement. He began to see Emma’s reason for keeping things to herself. She was in a no-win situation.

  “The thing is, she never deserved any of their hatred. She was smart and beautiful and God, so strong. Yeah, she was shy, but that was no reason for bullying her the way those kids did.” Mick’s bottom lip began to quiver, but he tried to cover it by taking another drink.

  “The moment I met her, I knew she was something special. Her smile, her voice, and her laugh, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a more beautiful sound than her laugh.”

  “She gets it from her mom. Those two could giggle for hours.” Mick sniffed back his tears before he grasp Rob on the shoulder. “You’ll protect my girl?”

  “Of course.”

  “Go get some sleep. We’ll talk some more over breakfast.” Mick stood and threw his empty bottle into the recycle bin.

  Rob gave Mick the universal head nod and their conversation was over.

  For a few minutes, he sat and thought the whirlwind of events of the last day. The woman whom he’d watched on television was far from the one asleep in the next room. She was beautiful but not perfect. But she was perfect for him.

  By the time five am rolled around, Rob decided he needed to move to the couch in the living room. The cameras would be there soon but he didn’t want to leave Emma’s home yet.

  A high-pitched scream woke him, caused him to roll off the couch, and hit his head on the coffee table.

  “Oh, shit! Are you okay?”

  Rob blinked a couple of times before he focused enough to see Emma’s brother standing above him.

  “You scream like a girl, Harry.”

  “Not me.” Harry grabbed Rob by the hand and helped him up. “This is my daughter, Charlotte.”

  Rob turned to see a smaller version of Annie trembling in the corner.

  “Charlotte,” he acknowledged.

  She let out a squeak before she slapped her hand over her mouth and ran down the hallway.

  “She’s a big fan and probably a little shocked to see you on her grandfather’s couch.”

  “I see.” Rob combed his fingers through his hair and found blood. “Could I trouble you for a bandage?”

  “Sure, come in the kitchen.”

  Harry led Rob into the kitchen where he found Annie with baby Sam on her hip.

  “Charlotte didn’t maul you, did she?” Annie asked with a chuckle.

  “No, banged it on the table,” Rob replied as Harry pushed him onto a kitchen chair.

  “The cut isn’t big, but head wounds love to bleed.” Harry slapped a small towel on Rob’s head. “Hold this here.”

  Emma walked into the kitchen yawning. Her gaze went from Harry to Rob’s head. “Oh, God! What did you do to him?” Emma rushed to examine Rob’s wound.

  “I’m fine.” He kissed her hand. “Nothing new. I’ll stop bleeding soon.”

  Emma’s cheeks reddened at the sign of affection in front of her family. She had told Rob several times how difficult it was for her to show any affection in front of people.

  “Something you wanna tell us, Em?” Harry crossed his arms in front of his chest with a slight smirk.

  “Um … Rob and I are together now, but we, um …”

  Rob stood and took Emma’s hand in his. “What she’s trying to say is we are together, but we don’t want the world to find out yet because of work and the tabloids.”

  “So, how are you going to play this? We saw Ben and Al loading up on our way over. They should be here anytime.” Harry raised his brow and waited for an answer.

  Al and Ben were the reason he reluctantly left Emma’s bed for the couch. A plan had come to mind as far as their professional romance was concerned.

  “I came over last night because I was worried about Emma after what happened at the high school. She let me take care of her since Mick wasn’t here and I slept on the couch.”

  Emma finished for him. “I’ve invited Rob to spend the day with us at the carnival.” Emma gave Rob a soft kiss on the cheek and went to the fridge to get all the things she needed for breakfast.

  When Ben and Al arrived, if they were shocked to see Rob there, they didn’t show it. They handed both him and Emma mic packs and began to film like every other day.

  “Winner. Winner. Chicken dinner!” Emma shouted after Rob knocked down a tower of milk bottles to win a prize.

  “Ladies choice.” Rob swept his arm in a grand fashion toward the stuffed toys hanging on the booth wall.

  She smiled and searched for something she might like. Once she caught sight of a pillow the shape of the Superman symbol, she pointed it out to the booth attendant.

  “That was the reason I stopped here.” Rob rubbed the blue fur of the pillow in Emma’s hands.

  “Thank you. Nobody has ever won anything for me before. Some might think you’re sucking up to the boss.”

  “Me?” He brought both of his hands up to rest over his heart. “I’m crushed you would think me capable of such a thing.”

  “Uh, huh.” He was so darn adorable.

  The whole day had been so much fun spending time together and being silly. They had started by helping Annie and Nell set up the bake sale. After too many tempting treats, they were given clearance to enjoy themselves for the rest of the day. After a lunch of hot cheese and soft pretzels washed down with cherry limeaid, they moved from game to game taking their chances.

  They hadn’t acted like anything more than friends, but Al and Ben seemed to be looking for intimate gestures.

  “So, this is an annual thing?” Rob asked.

  “Yes. My mother started this about ten years ago as a fundraiser to build the community center. One of the city councilmen owns the amusement rides so this is his big good deed for the year.”

  Emma hadn’t been able to come for several years. Enjoying the carnival without her mother was bittersweet. She loved the games and rides, meeting with all the kids from the center, but the spirit her mother infused in the event was missing.

  “Emma? Is that you?”

  Emma cringed and froze at the sound of the woman’s voice. Her fantasy that the woman died in a huge house fire or took a few too many Xanax before slipping into the afterlife was destroyed as soon as she turned around.

  “Maria. You’re looking …” Emma eyed her exquisite outfit along with the helmet hair cemented to her head. “Picture perfect, as usual.”

  “Sorry, I can’t say the same for you.” Maria tutted while her eyes roamed over Emma’s casual jeans and a tee shirt.

  Rob moved his hand to the small of Emma’s back and laid a reassuring pressure on her.

  “Maria, this is my friend, Rob. Rob, this is Maria. We went to school together.” Emma pressed her lips into a thin line in an attempt to not let anything else out while the cameras were rolling.

  “Oh, you’re the drunk on that lame wrestling show Emma’s working on.” Maria titled her head and batted her eyelashes the same way she always delivered her nasty insults.

  “Nine years sober and thanks for insulting our careers. What is it you do for a living?” Rob slipped his arm around Emma’s waist and gave her hip a squeeze.

  “I’m a stay-at-home wife. My husband and I are working on starting a family. He wants my body as stress-free as possible for a baby.” She rubbed her flat belly and smirked.

  “I didn’t realize you were married. Who is the lucky guy?” Emma asked.

  Maria held out her left hand to show a diamond encrusted wedding band. “I’m proud to say I’m Maria McInerney now.”

  “A McInerney?” Emma wasn’t sure whom she meant then it dawned on her. “Oh, yes. I heard Paddy got married but I didn’t remember who the bride was. Congratulations.”

  “Ew, no! Paddy’s, like, fifty or something.” Maria scrunched up her face in disgust.

  “Sorry.
My mistake. I can’t think of another single McInerney besides Derek.” Emma crossed her arms in front of her chest and tilted her head to imitate Maria.

  “Still a bitch.” Emma gasped in shock. She didn’t think she was being that obvious. “Since you haven’t had a real man since Derek left your skank ass, I don’t think you have any right to judge me.”

  Emma felt her fight or flight response coming on, but Rob held her in place with his hands on her hips. “I’m not judging you, Maria. The McInerneys are a wonderful family. Derek and I were actually together long after high school. We parted as friends. We’re still friends.”

  “That’s right,” Derek said as he walked up to the three of them with a huge man at his side. “It’s been forever ago, Maria. Just be a woman for once and drop it.”

  Maria got up in Derek’s face. “I can’t believe you kept seeing her after she pulled that stunt. How stupid are you?”

  Derek put his hands on Maria’s shoulders and gently pushed her away from him. “So, she broke her own bones and beat the shit out of herself? You’re pathetic.” Derek turned to the man beside him who seemed almost as angry as Derek was. “You better put a leash on your woman, Sully. This town does have laws about letting your dogs roam free.”

  Maria pushed Derek against the chest. “You bastard!”

  Sully grabbed Maria around the waist as an expression of shock covered Emma’s face. Never in a trillion years would Emma guess Derek’s huge teddy bear of a cousin would marry the wicked witch of the northeast.

  Sully was one of the nicest guys in the school. At almost seven feet tall at age fifteen, he did everything he could to make sure people weren’t scared of his bulk. He’d never hurt a fly. Emma wondered how the hell he ended up with Maria.

  “That’s enough!” Sully barked. “Sorry, Emma.” Sully took his wife by the hand and led her back into the crowd. Emma couldn’t believe Derek never thought to mention that the devil incarnate was now his cousin-in-law.

  “Can you tell how happy I am she’s part of my family? As long as she makes him happy, only God knows why she does, but I have to be okay with it.”

  “Hey. Harry is getting ready to go on.” Rob pointed over to the staging area where Harry, Annie, and Mick stood.

  “What is he doing?” Harry had taken on some last minute details since their mom passed, but Emma wasn’t aware of any speech.