Manage Me: A Vagabond Romance

by J. D. Fox

  "Glad you think so." I broke our stare with determination, clearing my throat as I went to my closet. "I'll find you something to wear."

  I pulled out an old, soft t-shirt and some pajama pants, knowing she'd probably be swimming in them, and turned back to her. "Here."

  "Thanks," she said, and went to the bathroom, leaving the door open a crack. I should have looked away, but I couldn't help myself as I watched her pull her dress over her head and take off her bra. The smooth skin over her back made skin tingle, and I imagined running my hand over it.

  The door opened, and I immediately pulled my mind away from the thought of following my hands' progress over her skin with my tongue. I think my brain came to a full stop, though, when I noticed that she hadn't bothered with the pajama pants.

  "Your turn," she said, pointing to the bathroom. I ran inside and hurriedly brushed my teeth, wondering whether or not I had time to relieve the stress thinking of Dakota naked had caused. I knew, though, that she'd understand any lingering in the bathroom for exactly what it was, and decided it would simply have to wait.

  I came outside to see her sitting on the side of the bed, looking as though she was debating through a few different possibilities. I came to stand in front of her, clearing my throat. She looked up at me expectantly.

  "There's a spare blanket in the cupboard if you need it, and feel free to use any toothpaste or anything. I'll be just outside if you think of anything."

  I turned and headed to the door. Just as I opened it, though, I heard her say softly, "You don't have to sleep outside."

  I turned to look back at her. She was looking at me steadily, despite the nervous edge to her quiet voice. "I mean it; it is your bed, after all."

  I stared at the full-size bed, contemplating the possibility of spending the night next to her. I definitely wouldn't be getting any sleep, regardless of whether or not we did anything together.

  ​She snorted impatiently. "Come on, don't be a gentleman. Just come to bed."

  She got down under the covers and burrowed in. I chuckled to myself and came over to the other side, contemplating how, unknowingly, she'd taken the side that I didn't usually sleep on. I thought about weeks and months into the future, where that side of the bed had become permanently hers.

  ​I reeled back from the thought. WHAT had gotten into me? I barely knew this woman, and only two days ago had heartily disliked her. What was I doing, thinking of a future with her by my side, as if there was any remote possibility of that happening?

  As I got under the covers and settled myself, I noticed that she'd turned over and was looking at me with a strange curiosity. I rolled onto my side and stared back at her, wonderingly.

  "What are you thinking about?"

  "What it would be like to kiss you."

  The Dakota I'd thought I was getting to know would never have said anything remotely like that, but I reminded myself that anything I thought I knew about Dakota had turned out to be patently false. I reminded myself to be a gentleman, but, honestly, that ship had sailed when I'd turned back around to sleep in the bed next to her.

  "You don't have to wonder."

  There was barely a second before she leaned forward and pressed her lips to mine. Her lips were just as soft as I'd imagined them to be, molding themselves to mine. She gave a little gasp, as though of surprise, even though she'd been the one to kiss me, and the way she'd shocked herself was so cute that I couldn't stop myself from wrapping my arms around her and pulling her toward me.

  In another moment she had my face in my hands, running her fingernails gently through my beard as she bit lightly on my lower lip. I groaned, moving my hands up and down her back, unable to feel that smooth skin as I'd imagined doing through the t-shirt she'd borrowed. My tongue eased between her lips and her mouth opened like a flower with mine as I breathed in her air.

  Suddenly, her mouth wasn't there anymore, but the comforting weight of her head on my shoulder told me that I still wasn't alone. She settled into me, seeming to fit the curves and corners of her body with mine. "I really, really want to keep kissing you."

  "But you're so tired you can barely breathe?"

  She nodded, her chin running over the edge of my shoulder, as though she was reluctant to sever our contact.

  "Don't worry; there's always tomorrow."

  She lifted her head, and the lines of exhaustion were obvious around her eyes, despite the smile she gave me. "Promise?"

  "Whatever you want."

  She pressed her lips to mine again, quickly, chastely, before turning over and settling into sleep with her back to me. " 'Night, handsome bearded dude."

  I couldn't help my laugh. " 'Night, cute drunk bacon maven."

  I turned over myself, and even though I'd been sure I wouldn't be able to sleep with her beside me, I passed out instantly.

  Chapter 10

  Dakota

  I opened my eyes, my head pounding, to as the unexpected sound of a deep, even breathing broke into my early morning confusion. I turned over, hoping that the night before had been a dream when I saw Ryan sleeping peacefully on his back next to me. I moved as quietly and subtly as possible to get out from under the covers without disturbing him, picking up my dress from where I'd thrown it next to the bed, shucking off my borrowed sleep shirt, and throwing it on. For a second it occurred to me that I wasn't wearing any pants, but I couldn't let the possibilities of that fact break into my mind while I was making my escape.

  I ran for the door and got out into the lobby. The clock on the wall told me that it was only five-thirty, meaning I'd have plenty of time to get upstairs and into my own bed before Lauren noticed that I hadn't been there all night. I got up the stairs and into the dorm in record time, pausing only to check on Lauren's sleeping form when I got to our bunk beds. She was breathing normally and, amazingly, the bucket next to her was empty. I breathed a sigh of relief, not wanting to think of the riot that would have broken out over the smell of a bucket of vomit in the communal dorm. I climbed up to the top bunk and settled in, frustrated at the fact that, annoyingly, I wasn't able to sleep; I kept thinking of the scratchy feeling of a beard on my hands and the warmth of Ryan's body at my back.

  Eventually, though, I was actually able to sleep, and when I woke up, it was to see light streaming through the blinds on the dorm windows and Lauren shaking me.

  "Hey, there. How are you feeling? Never mind, I need coffee. Let's get coffee."

  I shoved her hand away. "Stop it. I'll be right down, just let me get dressed."

  I jumped down and started pulling on my clothes, pausing for a quick moment of mortification as the fact that I'd left my favorite bra in Ryan's room washed over me. I'd been in such a rush to get upstairs that I hadn't even noticed I'd left it off.

  I pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater, pulling my hair into a quick ponytail before rushing downstairs. I could bother with makeup later if I felt it necessary. I got into the lounge, spotting Lauren at Amelia's table, looking as though her head was about to cave in at any moment. I grabbed my own cup of coffee and went over to join them.

  "How are you feeling?"

  It was a rhetorical question; I knew perfectly well that Lauren felt entirely like death. But there was a certain amount of satisfaction as she looked at me and said, painfully, "Like death, actually."

  "Do you remember which rule of drinking you broke last night?"

  "You mean I only broke one?"

  "Nope, that was a trick question, and you answered it right. Good job."

  I looked up and spotted Ryan at the desk. His eyes met mine with such intensity that I could feel myself turning red.

  "What's wrong with you? You look like your face is about to explode."

  I downed the rest of my coffee and stood up. "Give me a sec."

  I left the table without bothering to see what they thought of me and strode over to Ryan.

  "Hey, I think I left something in your room last night."

  He nodded, gesturi
ng over to Drake to watch over the desk as he walked out from behind it without a word and led me over to his room. I followed him inside and turned around at the sound of him shutting the door. "Please tell me that I wore pants to bed last night."

  "You wore pants to bed last night."

  "You're lying, aren't you?"

  "Yep."

  I stopped and stared at him, mouth open with mortification.

  "Don't worry, nothing happened. I actually have no idea why you didn't wear pants; I'd leant you some."

  "I felt like they would've come off anyway."

  "While you were lying down?"

  "You never know."

  I'd only meant that I might've kicked off the pants in my sleep, but the implications of my statement settled into place.

  "We kissed, didn't we?"

  He nodded, looking at me warily. "Yeah, we kissed. It was kind of epic."

  "And we didn't do anything else? Why not?"

  He chuckled, almost surprised that the laugh had escaped him. "You were exhausted, and kind of a little drunk, and if I was going to screw you I wanted to do it in such a way that I knew that you didn't only want it, but would remember it."

  I swallowed, not breaking my look with him. "How can you be so sure that I'd remember it anyway?"

  He contemplated me. "Is that a challenge?"

  "It's a...request. You did say that there was always tomorrow."

  "I'm amazed that you remember that. Ask for what you want, then."

  I took a deep breath. It had been so, so long since I'd been with someone other than Cody. In fact, it had been so long since Cody that, strangely, flexing my sex muscles felt rusty.

  I exhaled. "Ryan, please kiss me."

  Before I knew it, he'd stepped forward and caught me up into his arms, pressing his lips to mind. Though the kisses between us last night had been deadened by my exhaustion and the drinks I had, this morning the press of his lips to mine felt like an electric shock. Feeling radiated out from my mouth down to my toes, and my mouth fell open under his without any prodding from him. His tongue delved into my mouth, sucking and licking and feeling everything that lay before him. I wound my arms around his neck and buried my fingers in his hair, pulling him as close to me as I could.

  His hands moved to the hem of my sweater, and he broke away from me, looking me in the eye to ensure that I was alright with what was about to happen. I nodded, my heart in my throat, and he put his hands underneath the soft knit, working it up and above my head. As I shook my head to clear my face of the stray wisps of hair that had escaped when Ryan had pulled my top off, I saw him staring at my chest, and I blushed, remembering that I'd left off a bra with the intention of reclaiming mine.

  He reached out and pulled me into him again, running his hands up and down my back as he passed his mouth along my jaw, slowly, before coming back to my lips.

  This time, the kiss was torturously, exquisitely slow. He eased my mouth open with his and pressed my tongue with his, gently making his presence in my space known all along my body. He reached up to my hair and pulled the elastic out, freeing it from its ponytail and allowing it to cascade down around my shoulders. He ran his hands through my waves, spreading them out so that they covered my shoulders and hung down over my breasts, mermaid-style. His eyes ran from my feet up to my face, worshipfully.

  It was all well and good to feel like I was being appreciated, but I wanted more. I reached forward, hooking my fingers into his pants' belt loops, and slowly undid his zipper, my eyes never leaving his face. On easing my hand first into his jeans and then into his boxers, I was shocked by the size of what I found there. I don't know why; it wasn't like Ryan was a small guy. But Cody had been a little smaller than average, and the idea of Ryan (who was maybe a little smaller than an English cucumber) made me bite my lip in intimidation.

  However, I'd come this far, and a new, very well-equipped opportunity stood before me with his pants open, waiting for me to make my next move. I wrapped my fingers around his hard, hot length and moved my hand up and down, slowly, feeling every inch of him filling my hand.

  He moaned and came in closer to me, reaching down to unzip my own jeans. Before I could do anything else, though, He'd lifted me up and carried me back a few feet, dropping me on the bed. He stood back again, gauging my willingness, and when I nodded at him again, he tore my pants off so quickly I was amazed they hadn't come apart under his hands. He reached for the leopard underwear I was wearing, the boy shorts with the black lace trim, and pulled them off.

  "These are cute." He dropped them on the floor. "Now they look even better."

  I couldn't help myself; I burst out laughing. "You're actually using a cheesy pickup line on me when you already have me naked in your bed?"

  He grinned sheepishly. "Is it working?"

  "I'm still here, aren't I?"

  He came back toward me and allowed me to pull his shirt up and over his head before dropping his hands down to my inner thighs. As he eased his hands upward, my legs quivered; it had been so long since anyone had taken the time to touch me, prep me, work me into an anticipatory frenzy. I gasped out in shocked as his fingers found the slick, ready cleft and the juncture of my thighs and moved his hand around the rim, teasing me, clearly relishing the way he was making my breaths come faster. He slipped his index finger inside me and immediately began to work me from the inside out, slipping a second finger in and claiming every inch of my depths, watching my face warp as the tension inside of me built.

  With no warning, he pulled his fingers out of me, ignoring my mew of protest as he pulled my legs forward on the bed so that they hung off the sides. Kneeling down in front of me, holding eye contact, he leaned forward and pressed his tongue to the swollen bud that seemed to be waiting for him.

  I gasped and opened up further for him. He laved his tongue around my entrance, alternating between firmer and smoother strokes. He eased a finger into me and began to stroke me from the inside, matching his internal movements to those of his tongue. He slipped his second finger into me again, and soon the sensations were building twice as fast as they had the first time, pushing me further and further up the cliff.

  "Ryan, I'm... Ryan..."

  "I know. Let go, Dakota. Let the fuck go."

  At the imperious words that emerged up from my center, I fell, spiraling into a haze of light and color that played out behind my closed eyes. His fingers kept up their movements, guiding me out of my orgasm, continuing to work me so that I didn't fall immediately into a post-sex fugue.

  I pushed his head away from me, reaching for the shirt that, annoyingly, he was still wearing. Pulling it over his head, I tossed aside to join my clothes on the floor and reached out with my feet, conveniently hovering around his hips, to start working his jeans down his body. He looked entertained but stood up to help my movements.

  As I pushed his pants down, the motion caught his underwear as well, allowing his cock to spring free. My eyes widened: it looked even bigger than it had seemed in my hand, ready and throbbing for my attention. I reached out eagerly, to touch his length, relishing in the velvety skin that covered him. His eyes closed and he let out a soft groan in that emerged from the back of his throat. The sound was so primal that I immediately felt the tension start to build inside me again, working me into another frenzy of anticipation.

  I let go of him and watched his eyes fly open, confused, before I scooted back on the bed, settling myself in the middle.

  "Do you have protection?"

  He nodded, walking over to his bedside table to grab a condom from the drawer. What a good boy scout.

  He ripped open the foil packet and rolled it over his length before sitting on the bed and rolling over so that he pinned me with no warning. He kissed me again, catching my upper lip with his teeth as he used his knee to nudge at my legs. I took the hint and opened beneath him, reaching down to position his head at my entrance. He broke away and looked down at me, pressing my lips with his thumb.

&nbs
p; "You sure? You can still say no-"

  "Please shut up and do me, Ryan."

  He grinned and pressed forward, slowly, opening me beneath him. I gasped at the fullness, feeling myself stretch and unfold to accept him inside me. The fullness was overwhelming.

  He paused, touching my cheek. "You good?"

  I nodded, breathing out slowly. "So good. Keep going."

  He pulled back and pressed forward again, building up a rhythm between our bodies. With each thrust, he moved deeper into me, and I felt another wave begin to build. This time the incline was higher, and I could feel my skin getting hotter as he started to move faster and faster.

  Seeing my face, he reached down between us and started to rub my clit with a gentle circular motion that managed to hitch up my breathing even more. With one quick flick of his thumb, I felt the wave break spectacularly, pulling me under in a massive undertow. I reached up and pressed my nails into Ryan's back, gasping into his neck as I was swept away in a wash of light and color, and then I felt his thrusts picking up speed and intensity and I felt the press inside me that told me he'd reached his own climax, accompanied by an animal groan in the back of his throat.

  He pressed his forehead to mine and kissed me sweetly before rolling off me and disposing of the condom in the wastebasket by his bed. He rolled back over and pulled me into him, wrapping me into the circle of his arms.

  "So, what do you think? Something you'll remember from your time here?"

  I chuckled, the sudden memory of our conversation from before this coming back to me. "I'd say so."

  ***

  A buzzing from my phone woke me an hour later, and I moved slowly, trying not to disturb Ryan's sleep as I found my way through his arms. I checked the text message on the home screen.

  Lauren: you didn't come back, so I went to sleep off the hangover. You owe me so many details. Hope YOU made good choices. XOXO

  I smiled to myself until another buzzing alerted me to a message from 'Cody.' My smile vanished, and I put my phone away, burrowing back into Ryan's arms and falling asleep again.