Because of Him

by Terri E. Laine

  “I should ask,” she began but didn’t stop walking. “Girlfriend…?”

  “Is that a problem?”

  I hadn’t exactly planned to say that. It popped from my mouth, surprising me as much as I’m sure it had her.

  She shook her head, giving me a pleased grin.

  “I should ask you, why my place?”

  Her steps faltered a second. “I don’t know.”

  Once we got there, I steered her to the sofa, pulling out the remote.

  “What are you in the mood for?”

  She shrugged. “I haven’t watched a lot of movies lately because of my course schedule, and before that, my mom was pretty strict.”

  “Have you ever watched Game of Thrones?” She shook her head.

  “That’s a must.”

  I’d forgotten how the show began. She seemed rattled by the graphic nature of it. It only made me think more that she was a virgin.

  The kissing began when I asked if she wanted to watch something else. She’d shaken her head and leaned up to press her lips to mine.

  Wanting easier access, I’d pulled her onto my lap. I did my best to keep myself from grabbing her ass or palming the soft curve of her breasts that were plastered to my chest.

  The door slammed and Gavin joked, before disappearing upstairs, “Get a room.”

  Quickly, we separated. Her cheeks turned the color her lips had been before we’d made out.

  “Should we go to your room?” she asked, nibbling on the corner of her mouth.

  “Yeah.”

  I got up and adjusted. She had me harder than I thought possible.

  After I closed the door, I turned back to find her glancing nervously at my bed. Reaching out, I tugged her to me and resumed kissing her.

  Somewhere along the way, we ended up there anyway. Small as it was, I was practically on top of her. I gripped her hips until I dared slide my hands higher. This concept was new for me. She was different. I wanted to take my time.

  My hand was halfway home when she said, “Stop, wait.”

  I rolled to my side to put space between us.

  “No problem.” I scrubbed a hand over my face trying to think of something other than being inside her. I wanted to grip my dick into submission as it painfully throbbed. But I didn’t think calling attention to it was a good thing with the fear marring her pretty face.

  “I’m sorry.” She looked on the verge of tears and that stabbed me right in the chest.

  I cupped her face.

  “Shh. Don’t be. I would never pressure you into anything you don’t want to do.”

  Her eyes held mine as if searching for the truth of my words. “Thank you.”

  I should have told her that she didn’t have to thank me. But there were more pressing needs. I shifted into a sitting position.

  “We should go back downstairs. Why don’t you head down? I’ll be there in a second.”

  I needed to calm down before I went there. I helped her up. Awkwardly, as I couldn’t stand with my dick tenting my pants.

  She nodded and I let out a sigh when the door closed behind her.

  32

  REAGAN

  Why couldn’t I be normal?

  It was obvious he was as worked up as I was. For the briefest moment, I’d wanted him to go there. Was I a tease?

  I paced the floor, agitated to the point I couldn’t sit. Why couldn’t I get the sound of Mother’s voice out of my head? Then I heard his door close and I forced myself to stand still.

  His steps slowed when he caught me standing by the door.

  “I should go.”

  “Why?”

  My treacherous eyes dropped to his crotch. Embarrassed, I spun around and covered my face with my hands.

  He came up behind me and pried my hands free after spinning me to face him.

  “I’ll walk you home if you want. But I’d rather you stay.”

  “But—” I was more humiliated than I’d been in my entire life.

  “We can watch SNL or something and things will calm down.”

  When he held out his hand, I took it and let him lead me back to the couch. We sat, side by side.

  He tucked an arm around me, but didn’t do anything remotely sexual.

  As the night wore on, I curled next to him, legs folded beside me. I didn’t realize I’d fallen asleep until I woke up. It took me a moment to realize I was alone on his bed. I sat up to find he wasn’t in the room. But he’d covered me with a blanket.

  Worried, I got up and scrambled down the stairs to find him half on, half hanging off of the couch. He looked so uncomfortable, I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

  Who was this guy? He wasn’t anything like I assumed men would be.

  Something inside me loosened. Like a knot of fear had been balled up inside me. In its place I felt giddy. It was the kind of happiness I’d thought was lost to me. But he’d brought hope back. There was something else. Though I didn’t dare give it a name, I was sure with him…maybe…anything could be possible.

  As if he felt me staring at him, he stirred, stretching those strong limbs of his. He blinked at me a few times before speaking.

  “Morning, Biscuit.”

  I was slowly getting used to the name. It seemed odd at first, but the fact that he called me that made it kind of cute.

  “I should go home and brush my teeth and get breakfast before the café closes for the morning.”

  “If you give me a minute, I’ll clean up quick and come with you.”

  I did. He walked me to my door, holding my hand. Never before had I been envious of couples that did that. But I couldn’t help the smile that played on my face as we walked to my dorm.

  The funniest thing ever happened when my other roommate, whom I barely saw, walked out into the common room when we entered, and took one wide-eyed look at Tade before scrambling back to her room.

  I found her in there, frantically doing her hair and putting on makeup in our bathroom. Ours had two stalls and two sinks like you would find in a public restroom. The single shower was separate.

  “Is that your brother or cousin?”

  I tried not to be offended. I’d never brought a guy into our room before. The few conversations I’d had with her that broached the subject of boys, I’d made it clear that dating wasn’t my focus. So I couldn’t blame her for thinking him related to me even though we looked nothing alike.

  “No, he’s my boyfriend.”

  She pinned me with a gaze. “No way!”

  It wasn’t said in a bad way—more like utter shock, because she hadn’t expected me to date anyone based on my statements.

  I shrugged. “Can you blame me?”

  Her head swung side to side. “If you’d said he was just a friend, I would have knocked sense in your head. Good for you. He’s gorgeous.”

  He was more than that: kind, considerate, fun and far different from the guy I’d assumed him to be when I’d first met him.

  For that moment, I let it all sink in. He was mine. Mine.

  “Hurry up. Don’t leave him waiting.”

  I didn’t think he’d mind, but my stomach growled. I hated being hungry. It made me think about all the people in the world who had nothing to eat and reminded me how I couldn’t help them all.

  The café was full, which wasn’t a surprise, despite the late hour. Most of the people had been up late, partying no doubt. After getting our food, I went and sat by Megan, who flagged me down. I wasn’t ready to answer any of her curious questions.

  She whispered, but I was certain the entire cafeteria heard.

  “So that’s where you were last night.”

  I stared at her, hoping she would let her implication die a sudden death. There was no way I could tell her what happened and what didn’t with Tade there. I was embarrassed enough as it was.

  She aimed a finger at me. “You’re turning pink. Did you guys finally do the deed?”

  My jaw dropped, but didn’t lessen the glare I le
veled on her. Though my mortification didn’t totally have to do with her question. The fact was I’d been thinking about that very thing a lot even though I’d put the brakes on it last night. There wasn’t much more he had to prove for me to think he might be the right guy to take that step with.

  “Did you and Gavin work out all that frustration?” Tade asked, saving me.

  It was Megan’s turn to go pink. Kevin walked up to our table, ending Megan’s chance at a comeback.

  “Hey Rae.”

  “Hi,” I replied, uncomfortable with the silence that descended on our group. “You know Megan and this is Tade.”

  Tade reached out a hand. “Her boyfriend.”

  Kevin seemed to deflate even though Tade hadn’t sounded possessive when he’d said it. “Of course you are,” Kevin muttered. “Guy like you and a girl like her.”

  I was confused by his statement, but grateful when he brought up a familiar subject.

  “I wondered if we were going to study today.”

  “She’s…” Tade trailed off, glancing at me for what my plans were.

  “I’m busy today. How about tomorrow after class?”

  “Sure.”

  His tone was curt and brusquely, he walked off.

  “That guy was so into you,” Megan said before taking a drink of her coffee.

  “No way.” I wasn’t clueless when a guy liked me. And Kevin hadn’t ever given me the look or used words to suggest he liked me. “He was into you. You saw him practically drooling at you at the boat race.”

  Megan pointed to herself. “I was the fantasy. You were the reality.” I glared back at her. “I don’t mean it that way. Even though you're gorgeous, he thought he had a chance with you because you guys connected on that nerdy level.”

  I turned to Tade, who shrugged. “She’s probably right.”

  “I should talk to him,” I said.

  Tade stopped me from leaving my seat. “You should give him some time before you kill his dreams.”

  He grinned before tipping my chin to kiss me. I might have enjoyed it, if a slow clap didn’t start.

  Gavin gave us a wicked grin as he loudly announced, “My best friend has finally fallen.”

  Fallen where? was my first thought, until Gavin’s gaze, bouncing between us, had the pieces falling into place. Did he think Tade had fallen for me?

  Tade wrapped an arm around my waist, tugging me closer to him. It sent a wonderful thrill over my skin.

  “You should try it!” Tade announced.

  It felt like everyone glanced at us. Though I didn’t like the attention, I let Tade turn my head and kiss me for the whole world to see.

  There seemed to be a flash somewhere out in the distance. Or maybe it was the stars that danced in my eyes. I could have shouted it out that I’d very much fallen, and I didn’t want to get up.

  33

  TADE

  It had been a few weeks since Gavin’s little stunt in the café. I’d dared him to admit he was into Megan after I showed him just how little his taunt affected me. He’d stormed off and she’d disappeared too. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they ended up somewhere together.

  Since then, Biscuit and I had been spending more and more time together. I hadn’t pushed, but the last few times we were alone had been close calls. I’d never been this hard up. But there was something innocent and trusting in her eyes—I never let it go too far.

  Tonight she’d roped me into watching Pride and Prejudice, and only because it was the zombie version I didn’t put up a fight. In the middle of a battle, she turned to me with a grin. Something wicked flashed in her eyes.

  “Let’s go upstairs,” she said, breathing out the words like they were a promise.

  Bumping walls while we tongue tangled our way up the stairs, we barely made it to my room. She closed the door and leaned up against it with her hands tucked behind her. I slipped my fingers through the curtain of her hair and took her lips to explore her mouth with my tongue. She tasted like sour apple, which contrasted with her wild strawberry scent. I took a chance and kissed down the line of her jaw until her fingers curled in my hair. She pressed her hands on my chest, and I gave in, taking a half step back dropping my arms. She grasped the hem of my shirt.

  There was a second as I silently questioned her before she moved to help me out of it. She reached for the bottom of her shirt, pulling it over her head in one swift motion. The action left her hair messy around her head. I took a brief moment to sweep it back before curling a hand around her nape to draw her close again. I wasn’t in a rush, and was still unsure how far she was going to take this.

  “I want this,” she announced.

  Maybe if I hadn’t been so worked up for several weeks, I might have asked if she was sure. As it was, glancing down to see tits almost overflowing her bra sent me over the edge.

  Things moved fast after that. I unhooked her bra and she shrugged out of it. I cupped her breast, feeling her softness, as I’d wanted to for a while.

  Her hands got greedy and urgent. The tips of her fingernails grazed up my chest and I shivered in response. I took her mouth again, gliding my hands down the sides of her ribcage and back up to stop at the undersides of her breasts. I waited a second more before stroking the pads of my thumbs over the tips of them. They tightened in response. I groaned into her mouth only to groan again when her hand slipped to the waistband of my pants.

  My cock was made of steel and poked at my pants like a rod.

  “Are you sure?”

  I didn’t add that if we went any further my control would be lost.

  “Yes.”

  The slight hesitancy in her response made me cautious. I dropped my hands to the button of her jeans and snapped it open, but I didn’t do anything else.

  Understanding my reluctance, she popped the button on my jeans and took it further by sliding the zipper down.

  “I’m not afraid,” she said.

  Her words had been spoken so softly, I wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince.

  She didn’t give me time to question her about it. She pushed my jeans down and then worked on her own. We moved with urgency to shrug out of them while watching each other.

  She finished last and stood hesitantly before me in only a tiny triangle of fabric. Her tits were fantastic, round and had filled my hand perfectly.

  I felt cool air as the head of my cock popped from the confines of my boxer briefs. She hadn’t noticed, her eyes holding mine.

  With slow steps I drew her back toward the bed. When the back of my calf touched the mattress, I pulled her down on top of me, rocking the bed to bang against the wall.

  She giggled, having no idea how maddening that sound was. Her hair fanned on my neck as she placed a hot kiss to my mouth. I grabbed her ass, needing to feel the friction between us.

  I flipped her over, leaving her caged under me. When she laughed, I pushed strands of hair from her face.

  “You’re fucking gorgeous.”

  As if she didn’t know or didn’t believe what I said, she blushed.

  She licked her lips before catching the corner between her teeth. Then she reached for me. I caught her wrist, because if she touched me, I would explode.

  As I leaned down to kiss those pretty lips of hers, I moved to pin her arms over her head.

  A look of uncertainty entered her eyes, and I caught myself, letting her go. She’s new at this, I chided myself. I didn’t want her to think she didn’t have a choice. I rocked back to sit on my legs, leaving my weight off of her. Though it took a monumental effort, I wouldn’t go any further.

  “We don’t have to do anything more.”

  34

  REAGAN

  Not wanting to spoil the moment, I didn’t speak. I tugged off my thong, tossing it aside and spreading my legs some to give him room.

  The fact that he looked like he wanted to devour me didn’t frighten me as it should have. Slowly, he shifted each of his legs to rest just inside my thighs. I thoug
ht he would take off his briefs, but he didn’t. He crawled down my body, taking time to suck each of my nipples before moving on. Then he gave me one last questioning look before he put his hot mouth on me.

  My back bowed, muscles taunt. No man had ever kissed me there. His sucks and nips drove me crazy with need until I felt a finger at my entrance. I stilled and he froze too.

  His consideration made me fall just a little further in a four-letter word I couldn’t yet name. I didn’t want the mood to break. Damn fear, damn my mother, this was my choice.

  “I want you,” I pleaded, before becoming the aggressor.

  I threaded my fingers through his hair and aimed his head back at my goal. He graced me with a grin before stroking a tongue over the tight bundle of nerves that brought desire back in a rush.

  When my orgasm hit, making me dizzy, I lost my breath as the world spun around. He didn’t stop until my body went limp. I opened my eyes to see him smile. Shyly, I smiled back.

  He pulled something from a drawer. He tore the small square between his teeth and I watched for a second as he started to fit the condom over his cock.

  I hadn’t seen him take off his boxer briefs, so I marveled at his dick before I sat up wanting to touch it.

  We didn’t speak, but he seemed to understand my desire. He let me roll it down the long hard length of him.

  When it was done, I lay back. Ready for the first time in my life, I pulled him toward me as his dick jutted out thick and ready.

  If I expected him to pounce, he fooled me again.

  We kissed as his cock lay heavy pressed at my entrance. He moved a hand between my legs, not breaking the seal we created with our mouths. He touched and slowly worked one finger inside me while stroking my clit.

  He’d gotten me so ready, I bucked my hips in anticipation.

  It happened so fast, I sucked in a breath.

  My body stretched almost to the point of pain as he strained above me.

  “Does it hurt?”