My hands wander down, unbuckling his belt.
Rex catches my hands and pulls back a notch, his forehead pressed to mine as our noses bump and our breathing picks up. “We can take it slow. It’s okay.”
“Slow?” I pull back, amused. “I’ve known you for over a year. This is hardly a one-night stand.” My fingers work quickly to unbutton and unzip until his blue boxers appear underneath.
His dimples go off as he winces again. “I know, but, what I mean is, we can build up to it. We don’t need to go for the gold tonight. We can get there when we’re ready.” His mouth stays open as his line of vision strays. I can taste the regret in his words before he even senses it himself.
“What if I’m ready tonight?” I reach back and unzip my dress, shimmying it off my body until I step right on out, revealing my lace panties and bra. Honest to God, this is the nicest set I own. I usually opt for my sports bra on almost all occasions, but I made the effort for the country club, and, after what’s transpired between Rex and me, I’m damn glad I did.
“Scarlett”—he backs us up until he lands on the couch with me sitting square on his lap—“as much as I want this, I don’t want to regret moving too fast.” He glances down at our conjoined hips. The muscles in his jaw pop as if he’s wrestling with his own morals—sudden as they might be. “You’re special.” His eyes harden over mine. Those slight commas dip in on either side of his mouth as he gives the faintest grin, and my stomach bisects with heat. “Yes, I said it, and I mean it.”
A dull laugh sputters from me. “I think you’re special, too.” I bite down on my lip to keep my face from exploding with heat, but it’s no use. My skin prickles as if it’s about to blister. My Irish genes afford very little room for emotional error. “And you’re being way too nice to me. Why do I get the feeling any of the other girls who have sat on your lap didn’t get the kid glove treatment?”
“That might be true, but you’re not just any girl. You’re you.” He gives my waist a slight pinch. “You’re right. This wouldn’t be a one-night stand.” He swallows hard because here it comes. “But I want your first time to be perfect.”
My neck arches back as I let out a hearty groan. “Rex, you have a problem the size of a foot long. It feels painful just digging into my thigh, and you want me to just head back to my dorm?” I swing my hair around and let it drape over one eye in a last-ditch effort to seduce him. “Let me help you with that. I may not be as experienced as the cheer squad, but I’m a quick learner and competitive as hell.” I rake my nails lightly over his bare chest, and my body weeps for him. “I’ll make sure this is the best night of your life, and thoughts of all other skanks you’ve bedded will dissipate like a bad dream.” Not exactly the most romantic sentiment. Probably not exactly the truth, either. If I would have told my thirteen-year-old sexually obsessed self that one day when I finally get around to doing it that those would be the words I uttered, I’d probably find a way to claw through the porthole of time and slap my future self. And as much as I hate to admit it, Rex is probably right.
His hands float over my back, heavy and heated. “You’ve already made it the best night of my life.” His eyes glisten in the light, and I can make out the flecks of color in his eyes with perfect clarity. “Let me make what’s about to happen between the two of us special.”
A hot swell of emotion pulses through my veins at the thought of Rex caring enough to make it special. I bow down and seal my lips over his. Rex rolls me over and lands on top of me with his weight over his elbows. He kisses me with urgency, with careful control, and everything in between. And I take him right where he needs to be. Problem solved—all over me.
“Sorry.” He lands a light kiss to lips, looking down at me with a wry smile, a softness in his eyes that I’ve yet to witness. “But turnabout is fair play.”
“No need to apologize.” I lean up and take a nibble out of his bottom lip. “I wanted to help you out of that hard situation.” We share a quiet laugh. “And I’m a big believer of fair play, so let’s see if you can take it home.”
“Oh, sweetie”—his chest rumbles as he lies back over me—“we’re not going anywhere until I’ve returned the favor.”
“In that case—fair is fair.”
The smile glides right off his face as his lids flutter.
Yes, Rex Toberman knows exactly how to return the favor. In no way does it bother me that this isn’t his first rodeo. In fact, my body is penning a thank you note for all of his diligent practice.
“Crap,” he grunts. “You drive me insane. You know that?”
“Anyone ever let you in on the fact you have a dirty mouth? But I’m loving the dirty talk.” My breathing picks up pace as I grind my head into the sofa. Holy heck. If Rex Toberman’s hands aren’t insured for millions, they should be.
“That wasn’t dirty talk. That was a heartfelt sentiment.” His glazed eyes hook into mine while his hand continues to work me into a frenzy. I pull back and do my best to catch my breath.
“I hope you enjoyed it. That’s just a preview of the things I have planned for you.”
I give a dark smile.
“I might just have a thing or two planned for you as well.”
All the rest of that week, Rex and I get together, replaying those heated moments as if it were a live performance we were obligated to adhere to—and let me tell you the matinée is just as ticket-worthy as the dinner show. Also, all week I’ve read every Cosmopolitan I could get my hands on, every dirty sexed-up blog with tips on how to please your man, listened in on a few racy conversations taking place in the commons room. I’ve even gone off the peep show deep end and watched a couple of skin flicks—albeit with my fingers spread over my eyes. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m pretty much a prude. Rex asked if I’d go away with him to his family’s cabin up at Mirror Lake next week, and I’m more than sure that’s when the big IT will happen—not that what we’re indulging in doesn’t qualify as some sort of it in certain parts of the world, but, technically, I’m still a virgin, and for whatever reason, Rex is determined for me to hear a hallelujah choir at the moment he tears through my hymen. He’s a gentleman that way. Although he’s more of an ex-con when he’s working me into a frenzy. Dirty talk or not, Rex Toberman is a bad boy through and through.
But this morning, Daisy and I amble into Hallowed Grounds, groggy from a late night study sesh on all things coital. Daisy might be taking it off in public—thankfully, not all the way to her birthday suit—but she’s only been with her steady boyfriend back in high school. As soon as graduation came, they amicably broke up, and she’s still searching for someone to smooch with. She’s practically shaking with glee at the thought of Rex and me unleashing on one another. It’s as if she’s been in solitary confinement for the last six months, and living vicariously through me will somehow quell the tension.
Speaking of tension—let’s just say that Rex’s threats to impale me with his long, prehensile tongue get me where I need to be each and every time. I never dreamed that I would appreciate hearing the P word coming from my boyfriend’s mouth, but, in all honesty, I silently beg to hear those hot, cunnilingus-based threats.
Piper and Cassidy wave us over once we pick up our coffee, and we join them in the back.
“How’s summer treating you?” Cassidy pulls the words out with her sweet country drawl. Every now and again mine tries to surface, but I’ve spent so many years sequestering it, all traces of it have all but depleted.
Daisy leans in so far her boobs ripple up to her neck. Daisy has what most women wish for, and other women pay for, a perky size D that looks perfectly silicone on her tiny frame. But they’re a far cry from plastic—she swears on her stack of vintage Louis Vuitton purses. In fact, everything about Daisy is real, including her self-proclaimed obsession with all things retail. She’s sort of a shopaholic by nature, but not even the very real prospect of being crushed by an avalanche of handbags can make me dislike her.
“Guess what!�
� Daisy squawks with such a fervor that even I’m prickled with anticipation at what her squawk-worthy news might be, and I’ve been with her every single day for a year.
“What?” Piper barks it out with an aggression that stomps right over Daisy’s enthusiasm, and it suddenly feels as if I’ve been thrust into an alternate shouty universe.
“Scarlett and Rex have been knocking boots all week!”
“Oh, for crap’s sake.” I crane my neck around wildly to see just how many people heard the ludicrous announcement. “Have not!” I chime just as loud. “Geez.” I scoot my seat in and bang my iced drink against the table as if calling this coital court to order. “Rex and I have not been knocking boots,” I hiss at the three of them. “We’ve been getting to know each other.” By dry humping. Of course, on certain occasions outright masturbation has taken place, but I think they’d be surprised how much you can learn from a person by the way they strong-arm their junk—not that Rex has anything about him that qualifies as such. He’s more a treasure trove of sexually explicit secrets. Like for instance, that boy is hung.
Daisy snorts back a laugh. “More like getting each other off.” She strums her blue frosted nails between Piper and Cass. “She’s gearing up for her first time this weekend.”
“Next weekend,” I correct, cringing at how easily Daisy’s roped a confession out of me. “We’re headed to his family’s cabin. Nothing sexual was promised.”
Piper chokes on a laugh. “And nothing sexual was not promised, I’m assuming. Scarlett, this is huge.”
“Like really huge.” Cassidy’s face clouds over with a harsh bite of reality. I so hate reality. It’s really not a good look on her or just about anyone else. “Is this what you want? Is this who you want it with? Isn’t he destined to be your big bro in a few short weeks? Oh, hon”—she tsks over at me and effectively kills all of the budding excitement I have brewing over the main event—“you’d better be sure this is the real deal. Honestly, if it were anybody else, I’d be over the moon for you,” she says it sweet enough, but I can feel the final blow coming. “But, you know, this is a person who you’ll be seated at the Thanksgiving table with for the rest of your life. If things don’t end well between the two of you, it might make some awkward exchanges with his future wife.”
Future wife? Suddenly, I’m enraged at both Rex and his “future wife.” Savannah Anderson pops to mind, and I envision her staunchly by his side with her perennial ponytail, a giant sparkler weighing down her finger—in bubble gum pink knowing her.
“First, I don’t believe in destiny. And second, this isn’t exactly fly by night. Rex and I have known each other for over a year.” Exactly a year and three days. I can’t help but do the giddy girlfriend math. Not that I’m his girlfriend, but technically, I think I am. Hey! “I’m officially dating my future stepbrother.” There, I said it out loud because I know they’re all thinking it. “Come on, it’s not like he’s a priest or a pedophile. It’s not incest. We just got caught in the wedding web spun by our parents. It’s not like we actually grew up together.”
Piper wrinkles her nose. “Cassidy is right. This is serious. Once you cross that line with him, there’s no going back. It becomes a part of your history. Your kids are going to be like cousins. Your husband is going to go ballistic if he ever finds out Rex landed you horizontal. I sense hostile waters up ahead. Enter at your own risk.”
“What?” I balk, scooting my seat back an inch. “What Rex and I have is real. I can’t believe you’re just dismissing it like it’s some summer fling engineered to infuriate our parents.” I bite down hard on my bottom lip. “Okay, so it may have started that way.”
Both Piper and Cassidy gasp in turn. Daisy, of course, is totally indifferent because she’s been apprised from the very beginning.
“But that doesn’t discount the fact Rex and I have very real feelings for one another.” Right? I’m so confused I’m half-tempted to bolt and run all the way to the overlook in hopes to collect my thoughts. It’s as if the night Dad and Lynette unleashed their big news on the world both Rex and I collectively lost our minds.
Daisy snickers into her coffee. “She especially likes the way he feels.”
“Would you hush?” I elbow her arm right off the table. “Yes, for the record, Rex Toberman does feel good, but he’s also one of the smartest, nicest, best looking guys on the planet. At the end of the day, I really truly believe that Rex and I are meant to be together.” An electric current runs through me in a tiny jolt of confessional execution. Did I just say those words out loud? Huh.
“Like forever?” a pinched female voice calls from behind, and I turn to find Savannah looking as green as her iced tea. “Like, that’s totally disgusting. Incest is illegal—and not just in North Carolina, but in all fifty of our great states. If you want to bop your brother, that’s your sick and twisted business, but don’t go shoving it down the rest of our throats. I’m reporting you to the student incidents department for indecent behavior.” She and her two bookend lookalikes stride out of here as if they had a serious fire that needed putting out.
“I’m not worried about it.” I glance around at the stray faces still poised in my direction. “And I’m not dating my brother!”
“So, next weekend, huh?” Cassidy tries a false smile on for size, but her voice drips with disapproval.
“Never mind. Forget all about next weekend, would you? In fact, if any of you don’t approve, you can forget about me, too. I don’t need this bull.”
I jet out the door and cross Founder’s Square on my way to Roxy’s apartment where she has deliveries for me that reach the ceiling. Rex already volunteered to help, and, of course, I promised to pay him in donuts among other creative means.
My phone bleats for attention. It’s a call from my mother, and my adrenaline spikes for a second.
I pick up, breathless, and share a brief hello. Mom segues right into small talk regarding school, my “cute little summer job at the bakery” as she refers to it, and seemingly benign questions about my siblings. How are Sabrina and that boy you dated? Has Lawson been captured and bound by a gaggle of girls? She’s almost right on that last count. I’ve seen the way girls swoon over my brother. Suffice it to say, he has his pick of the litter when it comes to the kittens clawing at him for attention. He’ll be at Whitney Briggs next year, so I’ll get to witness the carnage for myself.
“So that brings me to my next question—” Her voice drags painfully slowly, and I take a seat on the benches across from the field in anticipation. While the chance of Savannah phoning my mother and informing her that I’m about to bed my big bro is slim to none, after the way my summer is unspooling, this wouldn’t necessarily shock me.
In the distance, I spot the football team warming up on the field, and a goofy grin comes at the thought of one of those hard bodies being pressed tight to mine later tonight.
“Is everything okay with your father?”
Her question wipes that goofy grin right off my face. My adrenaline kicks right back up again at the thought of anything happening with my father.
“Yes—as far as I know. Why wouldn’t there be?” My heart thumps unnaturally as if she’s about to deliver some life-altering news.
“I don’t know.” She snows up the line with a heavy sigh. “He called this afternoon to let me know about Lawson’s summer schedule, and, well, he sounded a bit down. When I asked him how things were going with Lynette, he brushed it off and said it wasn’t anything I needed to worry about.”
“Well, it’s not.” My heart sinks right down to my feet because that little fact should have been enough for me to reconsider any plans I had on destroying what happiness my father’s found.
“Of course, it is. Even though your father and I aren’t together, it doesn’t mean I don’t want to see him fulfilled with someone else. What kind of a monster do you think I am?” she puffs incredulously into the phone.
“No, of course, I don’t think that.” I would be the mo
nster in question. “I’ll talk to him and see if there’s anything going on.” I’m pretty sure I don’t need to ask. I already know. I wrap up the conversation with my mother just as a pair of strong arms encases me from behind.
Rex drops a kiss to the top of my head. “You have any plans after we make those deliveries?”
I spring up into his arms and marvel at this dark-haired boy who makes my heart go boom. “I thought we were eating donuts, and you were going to whisper naughty things into my ear until we landed ourselves in a sticky situation?” I flick his chin, and he rumbles a quiet laugh. “Why? What did you have in mind?”
“I thought maybe we could drive up to Mirror Lake a little early.” He tries to give an indifferent shrug, but his lips are curling at the tips, and his eyes have hooded over in that same way they do right before he loses it.
“I’d like nothing more.”
“Really?” He inches back a notch as if to assess my sincerity.
“I swear it. Cross my heart, hope to lose my virginity.”
Rex laughs and spins me, peppering my face with kisses. “We can play it by ear. No pressure. It’s all you. I just wanted to test out a new compound bow I bought for my girlfriend. Maybe you can tell me if she’ll like it.”
My mouth falls open with fury at first, quickly melting to endearment as I realize that Rex Toberman just called me his girlfriend for the very first time. It feels official. It feels perfect.
All of the smart-ass comments that beg to vomit from my throat are quickly encapsulated by the fact I’ve got better things to do with my mouth, like kiss my newly minted boyfriend.
My lips touch his, and Rex and I indulge in an explosion of a kiss that makes me dizzy with lust for him. Rex might have given me the sexual out if I want it, but every last part of me knows what’s going to happen later tonight. Rex Toberman is going to have me in the most intimate way. I’m not worried about any future spouses. I’m not worried about our siblings, or even our parents. Tonight is about being with this beautiful boy and making him mine, and not just for a few brief hours. A part of me wants what Rex and I have to last forever.
Summer Breeze Kisses Page 36
