The Single Game

by Amanda Black

  “Oh my God,” he said, breathing rapidly, looking down at me with amazement. “I’ve never felt anything like that…never seen anything so sexy.”

  “Really?” I asked, smiling up at him as I brought my hands to my chest, running them through the cooling liquid, smearing it all over my breasts. Lifting my finger to my mouth, I sucked it clean, tasting him the way that he’d tasted me. “God, you’re delicious,” I moaned, loving his earthy, salty taste.

  “Holy shit,” he choked out. “I was wrong. That’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”

  We both put our clothes back on, but not before Logan gallantly offered me the use of his shirt to clean off. It had mostly dried at that point anyway, so I told him I’d just wash off the stickiness when I got home.

  On the drive back he looked over at me and smiled sheepishly. “Does it make me sick if I say that I like the idea of you going home covered in me?”

  “No,” I laughed. “It just means you’re in touch with your inner caveman. You like marking your territory.” I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

  “God, I really do. That was… Eden, that was fucking intense. I can’t believe that happened.”

  As he pulled up to my house I turned to face him. “Are you okay with everything we did? I’d hate to think I rushed you if you weren’t ready.”

  “Did I look like I wasn’t okay with it?” he teased. “This has been the best night of my life, and I know it will only get better.”

  “Are you sure that you don’t think any less of me? You know, after tonight?” I had to put it out there. Guys were funny about this stuff, and I didn’t want to be on one page only to find out Logan was on another.

  He paused for a minute, grabbing my hands and holding them before he continued. “Eden, even if we never did anything like that again, I would be thrilled just to spend time with you. And no, I could never think any less of you. I think you’re sweet and patient and kind. And sexy as hell.”

  I took a deep breath and committed those words to memory, filing them away in my mind as the most romantic thing anyone had ever said to me.

  “I should get home before it gets too late,” he said, glancing at the clock. “Can I call you tomorrow?”

  “I’d love that,” I said, smiling brightly. I kissed him quickly on the lips before opening my door and stepping out of the car. “Oh, Logan?”

  “Yes?”

  “If you’re going to be my boyfriend, you never have to ask permission to call me. I’ll always love to hear from you. Even if I’m busy, I’ll call you back as soon as I can.”

  “Is that what I am, Eden?” he replied. “Am I your boyfriend?”

  “Well, don’t you want to be? From the way you were talking, I sort of assumed we were headed that way.”

  “Yes,” he said, nodding quickly. “I would have said something sooner but I just…didn’t know how to ask you.”

  “Well, there. It’s settled. Nothing to be nervous about, was there?”

  “No.” He shook his head, almost in a daze.

  “All right, then. Good night, boyfriend,” I smiled at him.

  “Good night, my beautiful girlfriend.” The look of pride on his face as he said those words was indescribable.

  He waited until I stepped inside my house before pulling away, making sure I got in safely. Always the gentleman.

  After showering off my dirty deeds for the night, I got ready for bed. Laying there in the dark, I couldn’t help but replay every single thing that happened, over and over again.

  It wasn’t just that Logan was attractive and his inexperience turned me on—he was also sweet and thoughtful and fun to be around. I liked him as a person and he treated me with respect.

  I couldn’t help thinking that this could be more than just the average high school relationship, and he was more than the average boy.

  I was certainly not going to turn my back on the rare gift that I’d been given in Logan.

  Chapter 14

  Late Sunday afternoon, while I was in the middle of changing out loads of laundry and cooking a meatloaf for dinner, I heard my cellphone ringing upstairs in my bedroom. I slammed the dryer shut and tore up the stairs, answering it just in time as I bounced on top of my mattress.

  “Hello?” I gasped, panting from my sprint.

  “Is this a bad time?” Logan asked, worry evident in his lovely voice.

  “No,” I smiled, thrilled that he had followed through on the phone call. “I was just downstairs helping with the laundry since my mom left this morning. Forgot to take my phone with me.”

  “Oh, okay¸” he sighed, audibly relaxing.

  “I’m happy you called,” I blurted out awkwardly. “I mean, I know you said you would, but it’s still nice, you know?”

  “Did I wait too long? I didn’t mean to worry you.”

  “No, I wasn’t worried. I’m just happy to hear your voice, I guess.”

  “I feel the same way,” he said. “I had to force myself to wait this long to call you. I thought it might freak you out if I called as soon as I’d wanted.”

  “When was that?” I asked, smiling at how sweet he was.

  “Oh, about six thirty this morning.” We both laughed, but as we settled down his voice dropped to a whisper. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you all night.”

  “Same here,” I admitted, feeling my cheeks heat at the image of his head thrown back in ecstasy.

  “Not just about that, although I thought about that a lot, too. I just kept thinking about finally being able to call you mine.”

  “So you’re as happy about this as I am?”

  “More.”

  “Nope, not possible.”

  “All right, how about we call it a draw?” he chuckled. God, I really loved his laugh.

  “I suppose that’s fair. So, what have you been up to all day?”

  “I had to help my dad clean out the garage earlier, then I worked out with Devon for a while.”

  I felt lightheaded for a moment, remembering the way his firm muscles had moved under my hands. “How long have you guys been doing that?”

  “About a year now. Devon said that he was tired of me looking like a sickly string bean.”

  “I’ll bet you were still a cute string bean,” I giggled. Christ, the boy was making me giggle.

  “You think I’m cute?” he asked. I could hear the smile in his voice.

  “Of course I think you’re cute. Especially your sexy little glasses; they just kill me.”

  “My glasses? You’re kidding.”

  “No way. You looked so nice last night, and those glasses just…” Thoughts of my naughty professor fantasy flew through my mind. “Baby, they just do things to me.”

  “God,” he sighed. “I really like it when you call me that. So,” he chuckled, “you think I’m cute and my glasses…do things to you.”

  “Yes. Do you, um…” my voice dropped to a whisper. “Do you think I’m pretty?” I knew I was fishing for a compliment but I couldn’t help myself.

  “No.” He was quiet just long enough for my heart to skip a beat. “I think you’re stunning.”

  “Really?” I swear to God I squeaked.

  “Eden, the very first moment I saw you, you took my breath away. There’s just something about you that pulls me in…like a magnet.”

  “Wow.” Was this guy for real? Did I fall down and hit my head and my mind was now running rampant, conjuring up the perfect man? If I suddenly woke up to find out that this was all some elaborate bullshit dream like The Wizard of Oz, I would be really pissed.

  “My mother was thrilled that you accepted her invitation. You’re still coming next weekend, right?”

  “Yes, but I’m a little nervous about it. Do you think they’ll like me?”

  “They already like you because I like you. They’ve seen how happy you make me. Once they get to know you, I’m sure it will only grow.”

  “You’re so damn sweet,” I cried, feeling tears welling up in my eye
s at his lovely words.

  He was so sensitive and innocent. On one hand, it drove me crazy and made me want to corrupt him; to show him all the dirty things we could do together. On the other, I was secretly worried that, not only would I corrupt him, but that I would ruin him. What if all his sweetness just disappeared one day, and all he wanted was sex?

  Or what if he thought that all I wanted was sex? What if he was feeling pressured or thought I expected something from him?

  “Logan, I hope you know that I really do like you…so much.”

  “Why do you sound upset?”

  “I’m just worried that after our date, you might not have the best impression of me.”

  “Why? I told you last night that you didn’t rush me.”

  “I know, but I don’t want you to think that’s all I want from you. We kind of started out backward, getting physical so fast. I’d hate for you to think that’s all you mean to me. I don’t want that to end up being all I mean to you, either. I swear, we can go out without doing anything like we did again, for as long as you want. I’ll wait as long as you want, absolutely no pressure.”

  “Eden,” he chuckled. “Just because I’m a virgin doesn’t mean I don’t want to do those things. Yes, last night we went farther than I expected, but I sure as hell don’t regret any of it. I was actually a little relieved that you were so forward with me. If you were as shy as I can be sometimes, we’d still be in that damn closet waiting for the other one to make the first move.”

  I couldn’t help laughing at the visual. “True,” I sighed.

  “I think it’s kinda sexy when you show me what you like. I think I need that. I don’t feel so self-conscious when you start things. I know if you had expected me to lead last night, I would have panicked.” He was silent for a bit, choosing his words carefully. “Listen, we can go as slow or as fast as you want. I’ll be comfortable with whatever pace you want to set. Just please don’t worry about my opinion of you. I think you’re amazing.”

  “Jesus,” I gasped. The butterflies in my stomach were fluttering like mad.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Well, it’s just that every time I think I’m getting used to my feelings for you, you go and say something wonderful like that and throw me off again.”

  “I’m glad,” he said softly. We were both quiet for a moment before he added, “I was wondering how this might change things at school.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, we’re dating now. Is there any sort of game plan I need to know about? I’ve never done this before. Do we just do the same things we’ve always done, or will I see you more often?”

  “What do you want to do?”

  He thought for a moment. “I don’t really like it when couples become so clingy that they don’t have their own identity anymore; going everywhere glued at the hip, never doing anything without the other one’s approval. It just seems forced to me.”

  He had just described what I thought a relationship was supposed to be like when I was with Riley, as if we were playing roles that were expected of us.

  “You know what, Logan? I totally agree with you.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah. I think that people need to be true to themselves, not change everything just because they’re dating exclusively.”

  “That’s a great way to put it,” he laughed. “But I did hope that I would at least see a little more of you during the day. Is it okay if I pick you up in the morning?”

  “Oh, that sounds great! Wait a minute—what about Devon? Doesn’t he get a ride from you every day?”

  “Yeah, well, I sort of reminded him that his girlfriend has a perfectly good car. I can still give him a lift if he’s ever in a pinch, but he understands that I want to spend some more time with my girl.”

  His girl. He just called me his girl. So sweet!

  “Okay, as long as it’s not going to cause a problem between you two. I’d love to ride with you.”

  “Great. I can’t wait to see you in the morning.”

  “Me, either,” I smiled.

  Just then, my father’s voice carried up the stairs. “Uh, hon? Why is the oven smoking?”

  “Oh shit, my meatloaf! I’m sorry, Logan, I really have to go.”

  “That’s okay, I understand. I’ll see you in the morning, beautiful.”

  “Good-bye,” I replied, smiling as I hung up the phone.

  “Eden?” my dad’s voice called up again, only this time it was followed immediately by the high-pitched ringing of the smoke alarm.

  Crap.

  Guess it’s takeout tonight.

  Chapter 15

  The following morning, I was surprised to hear my doorbell ringing promptly at seven fifteen.

  I was running late so I threw my coat on in a hurry and grabbed my half eaten pop-tart and backpack before opening the door to find Logan standing there in the pouring rain, holding out an umbrella for me.

  “Oh my God, you’re getting soaked!” I cried, trying to be heard over the storm. I pulled on his arm, dragging him back toward his running car. He kept trying to hold the umbrella out over my head until I finally shoved it back at him, sliding my arm around his waist so that we were close enough to both fit underneath it.

  He opened my car door for me, making sure that I was in and completely out of the rain before moving around to his side of the car and getting in.

  “Why didn’t you just honk the horn?” I asked as he tossed the umbrella behind him onto the floor of the backseat. “I would have run out.”

  “Don’t be silly,” he smiled, running his hands through his wet hair. “I didn’t want you to get caught in the rain. Besides, I didn’t know if your dad was home or not.”

  “No, he usually leaves around six thirty for work. Why would it matter if he was home or not?”

  “I didn’t think it would make the best first impression to just pull up and honk; I wanted to introduce myself.”

  “Oh.” I didn’t really know what to say to that. I wasn’t used to dating a guy who actually wanted to meet my father. “Well, unless you see his car here in the driveway, it usually means he’s at work. Feel free to honk away.”

  “Eden,” he said incredulously. “Do you really think that I would be okay with not picking you up properly?” He blinked at me a few times through rain-speckled lenses. When he spoke again, it was almost a whisper. “You’re precious to me.”

  There went those damn butterflies in my stomach again.

  I reached out slowly and wiped away the little rivulets of water running down his cheeks from the dripping hair plastered to his forehead. Unable to break eye contact, I leaned in closely until my lips were hovering right over his. “And you,” I whispered. “You take my breath away.”

  I closed the gap between us, slipping against his wet lips and loving how it felt. My pervy side couldn’t help but wonder what being with him in the shower would be like, while my girly side was exploding in fireworks and rainbows from the sweetness of his kiss.

  Logan grunted at first, surprised by my amorous attack, but he followed it up with that whimper that was fast becoming my favorite sound in the world. I felt his hands cup each side of my face to hold me steady before the slick tip of his tongue flicked out against my lips. I opened to him eagerly, sucking on his tongue before swirling my own around it. The noises he was making were turning me on like crazy, and when he moaned even louder into my mouth, I felt the strangest flip-flopping in my stomach. It was almost painful, as if someone had punched me in the gut, followed quickly by an intense throbbing between my legs.

  Oh my God.

  Just one kiss from him had given me blue balls. Or blue cooch, or whatever. All I knew was that he was fucking killing me from just one kiss. How the hell was I going to slowly introduce him to this stuff if he had that kind of effect on me?

  “Logan!” I panted, forcing myself to pull away from him. “Baby, we’ve got to stop.”

  “Is something wrong?�
�� he asked, breathing heavily and staring at my mouth again.

  “No, it’s…it’s all too right! If you keep kissing me like that and making those sexy noises, I’m going to end up mounting you right here.”

  He made a choking sound and squeezed his eyes shut. “And that’s a bad thing, how?” he gritted through his teeth.

  “Well, for one, we’d be late to school. Not to mention that I don’t really want to give my neighbors a peep show, so get me out of here now before I do something stupid.”

  “You’re right,” he sighed, shoving his hands through his hair again. “Christ, Eden, you make me forget myself so easily.”

  “Don’t worry,” I said, kissing his cheek quickly. “The feeling is definitely mutual. Now take me to school, boyfriend.”

  He chuckled lightly before kissing the tip of my nose. “Yes, girlfriend.”

  When we pulled into the lot at school, I could feel everyone’s eyes on us before we even got out of the car. The rain had died down to a light drizzle, so there were more people standing around outside than I thought there would be. It was as if the entire student body turned their heads to us at the same time.

  I took a deep breath to steel myself and went to get out of the car, but Logan’s hand on my shoulder stopped me. “No, wait! Allow me.” He jumped out and ran around to open my door for me. When we started walking toward the building, I felt his arm drape around my shoulder possessively. I looked up at his face and was met with the biggest shit-eating grin I had ever seen in my life.

  “You’re pretty proud of yourself, aren’t you?” I teased, trying to ignore the ongoing stares we were getting.

  “To let everyone see that you’re finally mine? Absolutely.”

  “Don’t forget that it works both ways, mister. You’re mine just as much as I’m yours.”

  The warmth in his eyes as he smiled down at me was breathtaking. “Exactly.”

  Fucking butterflies.

  We walked into the school smiling like idiots, overhearing tons of stupid comments as we passed.