The Single Game

by Amanda Black

  And I wanted more.

  Chapter 8

  I waited patiently through all of the disgusting displays until it was the boys’ turn.

  Apparently cute ended with me and Chloe. From that point on, every girl had made it a goal to slip tongue in somewhere, almost as if they had a competition going to out-gross each other. There was so much saliva and slurping noises that I thought I might gag.

  Yuck.

  When it was finally time for Logan’s turn, I felt my heart rate speed up. I was excited that we might get to kiss again, but, in all honesty, I just wanted more time with him. I also wanted this stupid game to be over so we could go somewhere and talk in private.

  I watched as he silently read the slip of paper he’d pulled out of the red bag, surprised when his eyes shot wide open.

  “What is it?” Mike asked, trying to read it.

  “Seven Minutes in Heaven,” Logan whispered.

  “Dude, no fair!” Mike whined. “That’s the best one!” A loud round of applause and catcalls rang out, not just from the guys but from the onlookers, too.

  “Shut up, Davis,” Logan grumbled. He reached into the pink bag next, barely hiding the fact that he was already holding a paper in his hand. When he opened it up, he looked over at me and held my gaze. “Eden Foster.”

  I don’t know if anyone else in the room noticed that his voice dropped lower when he said my name, but that combined with the heated look he gave me was enough to make me combust.

  “Very nice!” Devon clapped. “Okay, this is one of those choices that I said was open to interpretation. The only thing you two have to do is spend at least seven minutes in that storage closet over there. What you choose to do while you’re in there is entirely up to you.” He laughed to himself and smirked. “Although, I’d personally hate to waste all that time.” Everyone broke out in applause, eager to see what we would do.

  Devon stood up and gestured for us to follow, leading us over to the closet with one hand on each of our shoulders. “Don’t worry, guys,” he whispered. “The closet locks from the inside, so we can’t open it to spy on you.”

  I looked over at Logan and couldn’t help but feel worried; he looked like he was being led to his execution.

  “Also,” Devon continued, “you need a minimum of seven minutes. Far be it from me to ruin anybody’s good time, so there is no maximum. If you feel like staying in there for the rest of the party, that’s just fine by me.” He looked down at me and winked, and I laughed nervously.

  Did he think I was actually going to screw Logan in the closet?

  I mean, a little petting might be nice, but come on.

  When we reached the closet door he leaned in and pulled the chain to turn on the bare light bulb that lit the small space. As he backed up and opened the door wide for us, we could see shelves full of board games squeezed next to old Christmas decorations.

  “All right, you two,” he laughed. “Get on in there.”

  Logan swallowed thickly and held out his hand, motioning for me to go first. I walked into the small area, noticing that it was pretty tight quarters for two people. As soon as Logan joined me, Devon closed us in.

  “Oh, one last thing,” he said, opening the door back up to smile at us.

  “What?” I asked.

  He quickly pulled the light switch again, cloaking us in darkness. “No lights allowed.” With that, he reached up and unscrewed the light bulb. “I’ll just hold on to this.” Then he was gone, the door swiftly shut in our faces.

  That bastard.

  Somehow the darkness made the space between us feel even smaller, as if we were right on top of each other. Also, the only way to know for certain where the other was would be to reach out and…touch.

  Hmm… Maybe this wasn’t so bad.

  Maybe Logan would be able to relax like this, without me being able to see him.

  The first thing I did once I got over my shock was grab the door handle and push in the lock. I didn’t want to forget that and have some jackass think it was hilarious to open it and take a picture of us doing whatever the hell we might end up doing.

  Yeah, that would look really great all over Facebook.

  No longer worried about interruptions, I realized that Logan was breathing heavily next to me. I could feel the warm gusts of air flowing across my cheek.

  “You’re not claustrophobic, are you?” I asked quietly. I heard a shuffling movement, then realized that he had shaken his head. “Logan,” I giggled, “it’s pitch black in here. I can’t see your head move. You’re going to need to actually talk to me.”

  “Sorry,” he said after a moment of silence. “No, I’m not claustrophobic.”

  “Then why are you so upset?” Please don’t say that it’s because you didn’t want to be in here with me. Please don’t tell me I read you wrong and I’m the only one feeling this attraction.

  “I’m just…really nervous.” I heard him swallow thickly again.

  Okay, this was progress. We weren’t making out in a big sweaty heap like I was hoping for, but at least he was talking.

  “Why are you so nervous?”

  “I didn’t expect to pull Seven Minutes in Heaven out of that bag.”

  “You didn’t want it?” I asked, grateful for the darkness that hid my childish pout. “It sounded like most of the guys out there would have killed for it.”

  “It’s freaking me out, to be honest.” His breath was still coming in short gusts of air, and I hoped I could get him to relax.

  “Why?”

  I heard a bit more rustling and could tell from the sounds that he was shoving his hands in his hair. “Well…the other directions that you guys were all pulling were so exact. Kiss here, touch there, you know? There wasn’t any guesswork. I was psyching myself up for something like that, I guess.”

  “And now?” I pushed.

  He sighed loudly, the warmth of it heating my ear. “Now…I don’t have any clue what to do. It’s too much pressure.”

  “Hey,” I said quietly, reaching out to touch his shoulder, hoping that the contact would soothe him. “I don’t want you to feel pressured. We don’t have to do anything at all if you don’t want, okay?”

  “No, it’s not okay!” he said sharply. I was stunned at his tone, but he followed it up with an explanation. “I’m sorry… It’s just that… I don’t want to do nothing. I just…don’t know where to start.”

  I could hear the humiliation in his voice, and that’s when it finally dawned on me.

  Holy shit.

  “Logan…was that your first kiss?”

  “I’m a total loser, aren’t I?” I could hear the defeat in his voice, which only bolstered my own need to make him realize I didn’t think so.

  “No, you’re not a loser,” I scolded. “I’m flattered that you shared it with me. I think it’s sweet. I just wish that you’d talked to me earlier. Maybe we could have done that somewhere else, you know? Without so many people watching.”

  “I’m sorry…it’s so hard for me to get the words out when you’re around.” His voice dropped down to a nearly inaudible whisper. “I just like you so much.”

  Yes! It was great to hear it said out loud after all the second-guessing he had me doing lately. “You know, this morning I really thought you couldn’t stand me. It’s the only reason I could think of why you would avoid talking to me for so long.”

  “No! I’ve always—oh, screw it!” I could hear his voice rising with his confidence. “I’ve liked you from the moment I first saw you. I just didn’t know how to make you notice me when I couldn’t even talk to you.”

  “I don’t think I was ready to pay attention before now,” I said quietly. “I wasn’t into the idea of dating anybody again. But once I decided I was ready, you were the only one who came to mind.”

  “Really?” I could hear the doubt in his voice, but there was hope there, too.

  “Yes, really.”

  We grew quiet for a moment until I realized that we w
ere wasting valuable closet time. He already admitted that he wanted to kiss me some more, only that he didn’t know what to do.

  It was time for me to take control and be the teacher.

  Riley had always been the one to lead, trying to school me in the magical art of unfulfilling, craptastic sex. Maybe if I showed Logan what I liked from the very beginning, he would learn how to make it…good.

  Now there was a thought.

  How did Amy word it? Oh yeah—eager virgin, ready for training.

  Time to see just how eager Logan was.

  Chapter 9

  I’d already made the decision that Logan was someone special, and the way my body warmed up to him without even touching told me that we might have some amazing chemistry together. However, we were still stuck in a closet with a party of people outside, so we couldn’t get too crazy yet.

  Maybe just a little crazy.

  I didn’t want to overwhelm Logan, so I decided to start slowly.

  “Would it be okay if we hugged?” It sounded silly to ask, but I thought it might make him more comfortable.

  “You want a hug?” he laughed. “Why wouldn’t that be okay?”

  “Well, I don’t know. I guess we need to start somewhere, and I want to get used to the feel of you against me.”

  “Oh.” His tone quickly became serious. Perhaps it was the mention of our bodies touching.

  “Is that okay?” I double-checked.

  “Yeah,” he replied, his voice much quieter than before.

  What followed next was the most seductive hug I’ve ever had.

  I leaned forward, holding my hands out in front of me until I came into contact with his chest. I felt his muscles jerk underneath my fingers, and it made me feel powerful. I flattened my hands against his pecs, moving them lower until they rested on his stomach. His breath hitched in my ear as I slid them around his sides, pulling him against me tightly as I let my hands wander up and down his back.

  He held himself stiffly against me at first, before finally letting go and wrapping his arms around me, almost crushing me.

  It felt amazing.

  His large, warm hands settled on my lower back, until he began to mimic my stroking movements up and down my spine.

  Resting my head on his shoulder, I turned into his neck before whispering, “Mmm…that feels good.”

  “Yeah?” His voice sounded strained, which made me feel even more powerful. I pressed my breasts against him as firmly as I could manage, giving him the benefit of feeling them without the awkwardness of asking to touch them. I wanted his mind on how good the two of us felt together.

  I leaned even further into his neck, making sure that he could feel my breath and lips moving against his skin the next time I spoke. “Logan…can I kiss you again?”

  I felt the vibrations of his moan underneath my lips. “Yes,” he choked out. “Please.”

  I slid my lips across the surface of his skin, dragging them slowly along the firm edge of his jaw until I found his mouth, even though my vision had started to adjust enough so that I could see him pretty well in the dark.

  I was granted another delicious whimper as I settled my mouth over his, and the sound of it set my body on fire. I reached up and grabbed the back of his head, pulling him more firmly into the kiss. I could feel his lips moving back against mine, trying to follow my lead, but still very tentative.

  “Kiss me back,” I begged against his soft flesh. “I want you to.”

  “I’m sorry,” he groaned between small kisses. “I’m just…so fucking turned on right now…I can’t think straight!”

  I gasped around his mouth. “You think too much. Just go with it!” I flicked the tip of my tongue over his lips and he shuddered against me, growling low in his chest before opening his mouth to me. He slowly stroked his tongue across mine, feeling the slick textures rubbing against each other for the first time.

  From the loud moan he sent into my mouth followed by the way he urgently shoved me back into the shelves, I would guess he liked it.

  His large body pressed into mine, unconsciously rubbing up against me as he devoured my lips and tongue. I loved every minute of it, pulling him into me hungrily. Logan’s hands were shoved into my hair, anchoring my head in place so that he could continue to kiss me deeply and passionately.

  His kisses were a bit sloppy, but in that moment they were perfect.

  I could feel his erection digging against my belly as he moved, and the greedy sex demon deep inside me wanted nothing more than to feel him rubbing where I was starting to throb. Before I knew what I was doing, I had lifted one of my legs up around his hip and was trying to raise the other when he reached down and grabbed the backs of my thighs, lifting me up enough so that I could wrap my legs around his waist.

  There it was.

  Thick and solid, pulsing between my legs, just where I needed it.

  “Yes,” I moaned, pulling him back to my lips for another voracious kiss. I shifted myself against him, seeking out that delicious friction, and it caused him to buck his hips wildly into me.

  “Oh…God,” he panted loudly, doing it again.

  I must have gone into sex autopilot or something after that, because I started grinding against him as hard as I could, moaning and groaning at how good he felt.

  “Oh…oh, God…oh fuck…Eden!” Logan cried out against my throat, his entire body shaking and shuddering around me.

  I didn’t care that he blew his load after about thirty seconds of dry humping. That was one of the sexiest make-out sessions I had ever had.

  As he gently set me back down on the floor, I could practically feel the heat of his blush in the dark. I knew he was going to start feeling awkward any minute, and I realized how I could head him off.

  “I’m sorry, Logan,” I apologized.

  “Wha—? Sorry? You’re sorry? What for? I’m the one who should be saying that!”

  “I’m sorry because I let that get way out of hand, way too fast.”

  He was quiet for a moment before I heard a small whisper in my ear. “I’m bad at this, aren’t I?”

  “No, not at all, that’s what I’m trying to say. I didn’t mean for it to go that far. I thought we might have a few steamy kisses, but I didn’t mean to do other things with a room full of people right outside. But…after just a few kisses with you, I didn’t care about anything else but more. You felt so wonderful, I didn’t want to stop.”

  “Really?” He sounded amazed that he’d actually done a good job.

  “Yeah. In fact…um…”

  “What?”

  “Well…” I was embarrassed at what I wanted to tell him next, but I forced my way through it. My days of being the inexperienced one were over. If I wanted to teach him what I liked, I needed to be honest and open. “I think that’s the closest I’ve ever been to, you know, finishing, without extra…effort on my part. Know what I mean?”

  “Oh, God,” he groaned low in my ear, leaning over and dropping his forehead on my shoulder. “Are you serious?” he whispered into my neck.

  “Yeah…actually, you aren’t the only one who needs to change their underwear right now,” I giggled.

  “Oh no, did I get something on you?” He sounded absolutely mortified.

  “No. It’s just…” I took a deep breath. How could I put it without being blunt? Riley was always grossed out whenever I mentioned being wet; he liked how it felt but was too embarrassed to talk about normal physical reactions openly. Screw it. If Logan was going to learn this stuff, then he was going to learn how to be a man about it.

  I turned my head so that my lips were level with his ear and whispered seductively, “It’s just that you made me so wet…my body is on fire for you.” As I pulled back, I nipped his earlobe with my teeth, trying to convey the fact that what I was telling him was something erotic, not gross.

  “Fuck,” he gritted through his teeth, and I swear he swayed on his feet a bit. “How do you make me want you so badly?” he moaned. “It sc
ares me, how badly I want you. I’ve never felt like this before.”

  “I can safely say that it’s not one-sided,” I replied, slightly out of breath after his confession.

  Logan was quiet for a moment before he reached up and held my face in his hands. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine briefly, before running the tip of his nose over my cheek. I heard him take a deep breath, and then his beautiful lips were on mine again, this time in a kiss completely led by him. It was tender and loving, almost as if he were thanking me for admitting my feelings for him.

  He pulled back slightly to speak, kissing me continuously between his whispers. “Do you…need me to…do something for you? I can…help you finish.”

  “I don’t think we should tonight.”

  “Right…sorry.”

  “No, don’t be embarrassed. It means a lot to me that you offered and aren’t only thinking about yourself. I just think we should wait and take things slowly.”

  “So this isn’t my only chance to be with you?”

  “Of course not,” I laughed, until a new thought made me sober quickly. “Unless this was all you wanted?”

  “Me? God no!” he said, kissing me quickly. “I’ve been crazy about you for months. There’s no way in hell I only want a few minutes in a dark closet with you. I’m sorry, I’ve been so backward about this whole thing.” He grabbed my face again so that he could find my eyes in the dark. Taking a deep breath, he finally blurted out, “Eden, will you please go out to dinner with me tomorrow night? I would really like to get to know you better.”

  Who could say no to that?

  “I’d love to.”

  The next thing we knew, our quiet little world exploded with a few loud knocks on the door.

  “You guys alive in there?” Devon’s muffled voice came through the wood.

  Logan sighed deeply. “Christ, what now?” he muttered to himself before turning to face the door. “Yeah, why?” he called out.

  “I just wanted to let you know that the party’s breaking up. Amy needs to get going, so Eden better get a move on if she plans on staying the night with her.”