by T. A. Foster
I had walked the route of my scavenger hunt three times, and it took me an average of twenty minutes to complete the course I had created. Beau could probably beat my time, so I estimated I had about fifteen minutes before he found me.
I ran back to the car and grabbed my bag. Everything I needed was packed inside. I had sent Beau on a loop so I could safely walk in the other direction without running into him. We would eventually meet in the middle.
There was an open patch of ground near the stone wall overlooking the grounds. I pulled out a thin tarp before spreading a blanket over top. I had two camping lanterns, which I anchored just off the corner of the blanket.
I pulled out my phone to check the time. He should be here any second. I looked down the path. It was empty. I had hiked past this place twenty times since I was a freshman, but I had never really stopped to look at the building that made the area such a famous landmark.
The round turret and the climbing ivy gave it a gothic feel that was starting to creep me out. Maybe I hadn’t concocted the best date. Beau was missing, the sun was almost down, and the legends about ghost stories in these woods all of a sudden haunted me.
One of the stories from the 1830s was about a student who had died on this land in a duel. Legend had it that in a panic to cover up his death, the students at the duel buried his body under a rock. When the girl he had been courting found out her beloved had died, she supposedly waited at the rock for him to return. The eerie part of the story was that the rock also happened to be the rendezvous point where the couple used to meet secretly for dates. There were legendary stories that circulated about people who had seen the ghosts of the torn apart couple walking the woods together.
After I watched last week’s Love Match episode, I thought this was the closest thing we had to medieval tales and a castle. I nervously scanned the woods again. Finally, I swiped the screen on my phone to call Beau. I couldn’t stand it anymore.
“London. Found you. Man, this is awesome!” Beau was smiling as he jogged through the trail.
I hid my phone in the bag.
“Gimghoul Castle at sunset? Great idea. Did you know this was on my bucket list?” He seemed ecstatic.
“Maybe.” Of course, I had started studying the list more intently. “I’m glad you like it.” Now that Beau was here, I wasn’t as nervous about the ghost stories. The castle did look like it was glowing from the dropping golden rays of the sun. It was beautiful.
He knelt at the edge of the blanket. “Now do I get my prize?” He started crawling toward me like a tiger on the hunt. It gave me chills thinking what he would do when he caught me. Although, that was the whole point: kiss at Gimghoul Castle at sunset.
I sat up on my knees, anxious for him to make his way to the edge of the blanket. His body collided with mine, and in one swift motion, he pulled me directly under him.
“Gotcha.”
My giggles quickly turned to something else. Beau was staring directly in my eyes, and it was impossible to hide how much I wanted him. My mouth parted as his lips descended on mine. I tried to steady my breathing, but the way he touched me only made me want more. I already loved kissing him. It felt hot, sexy, and just a little dangerous every time he made me moan. And he could make me moan.
“Hey! Hey!” I heard someone yelling at us. This was not happening.
“You kids shouldn’t be out here. Go on!” A guard from the castle walked on the other side of the wall and motioned to us to leave, throwing his hands in the air.
Mortified, I scrambled out from under my frustrated partner. My romantic gothic date was a complete catastrophe.
Beau reached for my hand and pulled me up. He shrugged his shoulders. We started stuffing my scavenger hunt items back into my bag. Back to the drawing board.
CHAPTER NINE
It didn’t seem to matter what date Beau and I devised. We could never find a way to be truly alone. His roommates were never gone. Those boys played video games like it was oxygen straight to their lungs. Nina and Candace were more unpredictable every day with their habits. I couldn’t count on them to stay out of the house. Beau knew so many people on campus, and with my small stage fame, it meant that in public we had to act as if we were strictly group partners on an experimental date. Our blog had also collected quite the following. Each week we had more and more comments from students sounding off on our Love Match theories. People were watching and waiting for our weekly updates, including Professor Garcia.
The colorfully clad professor began our class lecture. “All right. I know you are just itching to get your spring break started, just don’t forget that while you are in Panama City or Myrtle Beach that your reality shows are still on air.” The girl in the row below us groaned at the reminder. “I would like to point out a few of the projects I’ve noticed that are coming along nicely.”
I held my breath and avoided Beau’s face. I couldn’t look at him. It made me feel too guilty. Although, what had we really done since the Valentine’s pact? He had other classes he studied for, I was back in rehearsals, and we could never find a way to be together alone. That was until tonight. Spring break was the start of a full week of alone time. Beau. Me. An empty beach house.
“Maggie and Blair have just done an exceptional job so far this semester with their Lion’s Den project. Ladies, I wanted to let you know at the halfway point, your grasp of the class concept is phenomenal. Helping launch a new business in town is so original.” Professor Garcia clapped her hands in the air, just a few rows in front of the pair. “The other group I think everyone has noticed this semester is the dynamic duo of Beau and London. You two have really examined the theories of reality production and have challenged the notion of relationship theory—truly good work, you two.”
I didn’t mean to slide lower in my seat, but the praise from our professor brought sudden awareness to my partner and me. Beau seemed to take it in stride. His hat was on backward and he was cool as usual.
“Ok. That’s it for today and for the week. Be careful out there on the beaches. Sunscreen people! Don’t come back looking like tomatoes.” Professor Garcia laughed at her joke.
I looped my arms through my backpack straps, being careful not to stand too close to Beau as the class filtered out of the swinging doors. I caught a wink from him before I turned the corner to leave Manning Hall. In an hour’s time, I would be on the road, headed to Beau’s family beach house.
***
North Carolina beaches weren’t particularly warm in mid-March, but Beau told me the house had a hot tub on the deck so it was a good idea to pack a bathing suit. I had been giddy for two weeks over the invitation to go with him to Holden Beach. I assumed since it was our senior year that he probably had some crazy Cancun adventure planned with his roommates. It seemed that would make the top of his bucket list. He never told me what was on his calendar originally. I accepted the invitation with limited questions. He assured me his family would not be at the house. His mom was too busy working on a big insurance case and his father taught at the local high school. His spring break wouldn’t be until April. We had the whole house to ourselves.
Storm clouds hovered on the horizon. I saw a flash of lightning when I hit the peak of the bridge that careened onto the island named Holden Beach.
I pulled into the driveway, admiring the breathtaking house sprawling in front of me. Beau mentioned his mother was an attorney, but he never said anything about his family’s financial status. The house was unreal. His motorcycle was parked in the garage. I stepped out of the car and looked up at the towering three stories rising above me. The wind had picked up and my hair whipped in the breeze.
“Hey! You made it. Let me help you. I’ll be right down.” Beau leaned over the lowest balcony railing before jogging down the stairs.
I moved to the trunk and pulled out my backpack. My laptop was snugly crammed inside. With an entire week at the beach, I’m sure there was going to be plenty of time to work on the project. I thought I heard
thunder cracking overhead.
Beau met me at the bottom of the stairs. I wasn’t sure if we should hug or kiss. Seeing him away from school was surreal. It was as if we were untethered from the world that had brought us together.
“I’ll take that.” He slipped the bag off my shoulder and reached for the suitcase in my hand. “Come on. I want to show you the house. Good thing you got here before the rain.” He surveyed the storm clouds on the horizon.
Eagerly, I followed him up the stairs, taking note of the cute ass leading me upward, one step at a time. He ushered me past a row of rocking chairs and into the house through a sliding glass door.
“This is the kitchen. Snacks in here. Drinks in the fridge. Help yourself to anything.” He breezed past a stainless steel refrigerator and the double doors that opened to the walk-in pantry. “TV over there.” He pointed to the couch and a sleek flat panel splayed across the longer wall in the open room.
This was evidently the NASCAR version of the house tour. I scarcely had time to get my bearings before he raced toward the hallway.
“Down here are all the bedrooms.” He wheeled my suitcase along the shiny pine floors. “I thought you might like this room.” He stepped aside to give me a clear view of the ocean.
The room was decorated completely in white. There was a set of French doors that opened to the ocean side of the deck. Beyond the breakers, I saw another streak of lightning. Thank goodness I had made the four-hour drive before the clouds unleashed the rain. I glanced around at the rest of my accommodations.
It was unavoidable. In the center of the room was a king size bed. An enormous bed. A bed that was screaming: I’m a bed.
My knees were like Jell-O and my stomach twisted in knots. But the good kind of knots—the ones that had me jumping out of my skin waiting for Beau to make the first move. Although, why was I waiting on him? I knew exactly what I wanted.
It was silly to think it was ingrained in my head that it would be too forward or would come across as too slutty to tell a guy what I wanted—that I wanted him. However, in all my other relationships, I never made the first move, especially not in bed. Something about Beau aroused a primal instinct I kept buried with my last boyfriend. Beau challenged me on so many levels, or maybe I was just that turned on by the thought of having nothing between us.
He turned and pointed to a closed door. “There’s a private bathroom right here. Towels are on the shelf. My mom stocks the guest cabinet with extra toothbrushes and stuff.” He hurried past the end of the bed and was moving toward the hallway. “Everything good?”
This was my chance. For the first time in a month, we were finally alone together. And not just any kind of alone—utterly alone in a beautiful house, secluded on a quiet beach. No Nina or Candace or Xbox-playing roommates. No gawking blog followers. No one.
“Beau?” One of his hands was on the door and he was headed in the direction of the kitchen. I couldn’t tell if he was excited to show me the house or nervous that I was there. It was kind of cute to see him shed some of his ultra-cool exterior.
“Hmm? What’s up?” He had both feet back in the bedroom.
I sat on the edge of the bed, taking my time to unzip each of my knee-high leather boots before setting them on the floor. I peeled the cardigan sweater I was wearing off one arm and then the other. I tossed it on the chair. This was the best come-hither look I had. I leaned back on the bed. Self-admittedly, I had perfected this pose as Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
“Kiss me.”
I pushed myself to a place I had never gone, but I wanted him to stay. The fire burning under my skin wasn’t going to let this moment pass by without Beau knowing how I felt. I was willing to sacrifice any pride I had left to show him. It didn’t make any sense to let him walk out the door. I smiled as he crossed the room, closing in on me a step at a time. Mission accomplished.
He eased his athletic frame onto the bed. “Like this?”
Beau’s gaze was focused on my mouth. He studied the curves of my lips with his thumb, sending ripples through my body that surged in other places I wanted him to touch. I waited for him as the space between us became the boundary for our breath. He kissed the side of my cheek while his hand gripped the back of my neck, sending a moan from my throat.
“Yes,” was all I could manage to sound out as he pressed his lips into mine. I drank in his kiss, while the outside world and its stormy skies faded away. This was better than what I could have asked for. I loved how he tasted. I was sure more perfect lips did not exist. I reclined back, pulling Beau with me on the summer white quilt.
The house shook with a loud clap of thunder, and the lights flickered several times before the room was thrust into sudden darkness.
Beau shot up on both arms, hovering over me with his broad shoulders. “Shit. We just lost power.” I could tell he was contemplating leaving our compromising position for the more responsible house-sitting duties that had to be plaguing him.
The rain pelted the wooden deck outside the window, and I could hear the howling of the wind as it ripped around the corners of the house.
I had waited over a month for this moment and I wasn’t about to let him off the bed or out of my arms. I was finally right where I wanted to be. After the cat and mouse game we had been playing, a little power outage wasn’t going to stop the heat that was building between us. Lightning flashed through the glass door. A few kisses weren’t enough. I wanted so much more.
I snaked my arms around his waist and gripped the small of his back. I might be tiny, but I didn’t want him to have any doubts about what I was willing to do to keep him entangled in this position.
“Stay,” I whispered. “Stay with me.”
His mouth found mine in the darkness and I raveled my legs around him. I caught my breath as he worked the buttons open on my shirt. His hands explored every inch of my exposed skin, and I couldn’t keep from moving under his touch, inching his fingers farther below my hips. I tugged the T-shirt over his head and let the backs of my nails trickle down his chest. His skin was hot and smooth under my fingertips. Even after my eyes adjusted to the lack of light, I closed them, trying to savor every touch and kiss. Each sensation Beau created with his fingers shot through me until I felt like a prisoner in my own skin. I wanted him to release me from the pressure building deep within.
He seemed to be enjoying making me squirm with want. A devilish look flashed across his eyes before his lips began dropping kisses across my stomach like falling raindrops. Starting at my navel, I felt the intense sensation of his mouth while he drew a heated line to the buttons on my jeans.
“London, are you ok?” he whispered to me so softly over the thunder.
I couldn’t think. I could only feel what he was doing to me, and it was amazing. We had never talked about having sex. I knew it was inevitable after the night we decided to make our fake relationship real. Every time he touched me, it felt like my body was drawn to him. This night was meant to happen. I had never wanted anyone or anything so much. Seriously, he couldn’t be trying to talk to me right now. I thought my body was saying it all without me having to utter a single word.
Then it hit me. I froze. What if I wasn’t doing enough?
Beau steadied himself on his arms. “London?” I saw the smoldering look in his eyes. Oh my God, he was hot.
“Yes?” I didn’t want him to stop. I reached for the zipper on his jeans and tugged it until it reached the base of the seam. This was no time for conversation.
He exhaled deeply as I slid my hand between the denim and his skin. “I want you. Don’t get me wrong, this is all I can think about, but I need to know you’re ok with us—with doing this.”
I shimmied out of my jeans, tossing them on the floor. “Does that answer your question? Beau, I want this too. I want to be close to you, like this.” That was kind of an understatement, but I didn’t think I could tell him all of my feelings, especially right now.
He smiled before kissing me so deeply
I couldn’t remember ever being kissed before.
Taking my lead, Beau unbuckled his jeans, shoved them off his legs, and laughed when we heard them land somewhere in the dark.
Growling in my ear, he pushed my shirt farther down my arms. “Too. Many. Clothes.”
“Mmm…hmm.” I couldn’t agree with him more, reveling in how my skin felt pressed against his. He was so warm.
Nimbly, his fingers released the clasp on my bra, and he gradually tore the lacy lingerie from my breasts. As much as I wanted Beau, I loved that he wasn’t rushing me or us. He took his time exploring, touching, and driving me crazy beyond my limits.
His mischievous eyes softened as his hand slid down my hip and began peeling the lacy fabric down my legs. I bit my lower lip and nodded to him. “Yes.” I didn’t want anything else between us.
