He hesitated with my panties, standing up to kick off his pants and boxer briefs before sliding my pink polka dot underwear off.
“I wasn’t expecting anyone to see me in my underwear tonight.”
“That makes me very happy.” He sat down next to me, letting his eyes rake over me. “And finally seeing you in more light makes me happy.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
“Oh yeah? Still think I’m hot now that you’re sober?”
“No.” I grabbed him. “I think you’re sexy.”
“We’re supposed to be talking, aren’t we?” His voice was husky.
“Let’s promise to talk after.”
“All night.” He moved his hand between my legs.
I closed my eyes again, hesitantly opening up to his fingers.
“Are you nervous?” he asked softly.
“Kind of.”
“Why?” His fingers stilled. “You do want this.” It was a statement and not a question.
“It’s different doing this now. We’re sober, the lights are on.”
“And the lights are staying on.” He lifted me up slightly so he could pull down the comforter. “And we’re doing it on the sheets but not under them. I was robbed of watching you and your reactions last time. I get them this time.”
“Okay.” My confidence slowly returned as he stretched out next to me on the cool sheets.
“You’re so unbelievably beautiful. I can’t believe you’re real.” His voice was so strong, so clear. It was as though he really believed his words.
“Thank you.”
“And I promise this isn’t the last you’re going to see of me, Cara. Run all you want, I’ll keep finding you.”
“I’m not running. I gave you my phone number, didn’t I?”
“That you did.” He moved between my thighs.
I gazed up at him, waiting as he opened the wrapper of a condom. My whole body buzzed with anticipation.
“The look you’re giving me is the sexiest look I’ve ever seen.” With that, he thrust into me.
I gasped, getting used to the feel of him inside me again. He kept his eyes fixed on mine as he moved. He started slow, only moving in part way. I whimpered, feeling amazing but needing more. I grabbed on to his back and he thrust harder, filling me with the entire length of him.
I moaned, trying to bite back the scream that wanted to come out. We weren’t home alone. I needed to stay quiet. His lips attacked my neck, and I closed my eyes, giving him better access.
“Chase.”
“Yes, Cara?”
I opened my eyes to see him staring into mine again. “Don’t stop. Never stop.”
He laughed. “I’m not planning on stopping yet.”
I closed my eyes again, letting him move and fill me. I thought the first night was good, but without the effects of alcohol dulling the experience, the second was even better. He pushed me over the edge, and my whole body tingled when he reached his release moments later.
We lay quietly for a few moments before he shifted to my side. “How do you feel?”
“Emotionally or physically?”
“Both.” He kissed my shoulder.
“Perfect.”
He got a goofy grin. “I feel exactly the same way.”
I reached for the sheet but he stopped me.
“Do you want the sheets because you’re cold or because you’re trying to cover up?”
“I’m definitely not cold.” I was still sweating from the workout he’d given me.
“Then can you let me look at you a little longer?”
“I think you’ve looked at me plenty.” I resisted the urge to cover my chest with my arms.
“Nope. I need to look at you so long that I have every inch of you memorized. It’s going to be six weeks or so before I see you again.”
I leaned up on an elbow. “I’m already counting down the days.”
“Sounds like you’re going to be excited to see me?” He pulled me on top of him.
“Aren’t you going to be excited to see me?”
“Of course. I’ll get back here as soon as I can.”
“At least we still have tonight.”
“That we do.” He grabbed my ass.
“Okay, we need to do some more talking now.” I rolled off him and pulled up the sheet. I wanted to be cozy.
He snuggled in closer. “So tell me everything about you.”
“Oh, that’s all?” I teased.
“You can start with the smallest details of your childhood.”
“Or how about I start with where I’m from.”
“That could help too.”
“Florence, South Carolina. Where are you from?” I rested my head on his chest. My head felt so amazing right there.
“New York. The suburbs.”
“New York? Is that where you live when you’re not on tour?”
“Yup. I have this crappy place in Brooklyn.”
“I’ve always thought it would be cool to live in New York City.”
“You’ll have to come visit me there sometime.”
“Definitely.” I closed my eyes, taking in the feel of being in Chase’s arms. I felt so safe and comfortable. That reality hit me like a sledge hammer. I wasn’t supposed to feel that way. I could have fun with Chase, but I couldn’t fall for him.
“What year are you in college?”
“Sophomore.”
“Are you nineteen or twenty?”
“I turn twenty in April. How old are you?”
“I’m twenty-five.”
“Wow, I’m sleeping with an older guy.”
“I’ve never robbed the cradle before. That makes you my first blonde and first younger woman.”
“That’s an honor.”
“Am I your first older guy?”
“My ex is twenty-two, so not that much older.” I hated even thinking about Aaron while with Chase.
“Is he your only ex?” Chase rubbed my back.
“I dated a few guys in high school, but I never slept with them.”
“So I’m guessing this guy goes to your school then?”
“Uh huh. And he’s in the same frat as both of my best friends’ boyfriends. Talk about awkward.” I wondered how the mixer had gone. It was the first Delta Mu event I’d missed since pledging first semester freshman year.
“For him maybe, not you.”
“How do you figure?”
“He’s the idiot who lost you. You’re the winner who found someone better.” Chase grinned.
I laughed into his chest. “You can say that again.”
“So, am I really only the second guy you’ve been with?”
“Yeah… I guess that makes me really inexperienced.”
“You make that sound like a bad thing.” His hand roamed down to my breasts.
“Aaron said I was too uptight about sex. That’s probably why he went elsewhere for more.”
“Whoa. Your boyfriend cheated on you and told you it was because you were boring?”
“Not exactly. He told me I was boring before he went back to his ex-girlfriend.”
“Well, you’re not boring.”
“I’m not?”
“Nope. But then again, we’ve only had sex in one position so far.”
“Are you trying to get lucky again?” I ran a hand down his chest.
“Is it wrong that I want a double feature? I need to get my fill.”
“Double feature? You are so weird.”
“As long as it’s a sexy weird, we’re good.”
“Sexy weird? Well, then what does that make me?”
“Sexy hot. There’s no weird about you.” He ran his hand down my stomach.
“I’m on top this time.” I offset his hand, moving on top of him.
“And I thought I was going to have to beg for more.”
I positioned us, wanting more of him. “I happen to want to get some more from this weird sexy guy I’m currently in bed with.”
>
“You can have all you want from me.” He cupped my breasts.
“Good, because I wasn’t asking a question.” I eased him inside, ready to take control this time.
Chapter Five
“I guess we fell asleep.” Chase’s lips tickled my ear as I woke up tangled in his arms.
“What time is it?” I struggled to push off the sleep.
“It’s around seven thirty.” He shielded his eyes from the sunlight streaming in through the gap in the blinds. “The last thing you said before you fell asleep was that you needed to be home for your nine am today. I set an alarm.”
“That’s the last thing I said?”
“Okay.” He pulled me back against him. “The absolute last thing you said was good night, but I didn’t count that one.”
“I don’t want to go to class.” Clearly Chase wasn’t the one making me go, but he was the one leaving. If I’d have had another chance to see him maybe getting out of bed wouldn’t seem so hard. All I wanted to do was stay curled up in his arms for another few hours. I’d done some thinking while I lay in bed with Chase. Falling for him hard would be a mistake, but seeing him when he was in town wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. The trick would be forgetting about him when he was away, and not picturing him with other women.
“I don’t want you to go either, but who am I to promote truancy?”
I laughed. “I’ll go. Will you promise to call me when you’re in town again?”
He kissed my neck. “I’ll call you tonight.”
“Come on, you don’t have to do that.”
“But I want to. Don’t you want to know we made it to Charlotte in one piece?”
“It’s a three and a half hour drive.”
“Well, I’ll call you anyway. Besides, you’ll have to fill me in on your day.”
“You don’t have to do this, Chase.” I sat up, pulling the sheet with me.
“Do what?”
“Make more effort than you would normally. I’m a big girl, I can handle reality.” I got up to start searching for my clothes.
He pulled me back on the bed. “Hold on.”
“Yes?”
“Did you listen to anything we talked about last night? I want to keep seeing you. “
“I know.” He’d also mentioned he wouldn’t be in the area until March when he played a festival in Savannah. Evidently his use of the words ‘seeing me’ was in the very loose sense.
“Are you sure? You realize I’m not using you? I really want to see where this goes.” He searched my face.
“I just don’t want you changing your life for me. Okay?”
“Well, that’s too bad. It’s already happened.”
I smiled before getting dressed.
“I know you’re running late, but do you want to grab something quick for breakfast?”
“Oh, I’m fine.” Saying goodbye to him wasn’t going to be easy. Getting the moment over with might have the ripping off the band aid effect.
“You sure?”
“You bought me pancakes last night. We’re good.” I kissed him on the lips. “Have a safe trip.”
“How are you getting home? Want me to call you a cab?”
“I’m going to walk.”
“Want company?” He sat up.
“Thanks, but enjoy your morning. I’ll talk to you soon.” I needed to leave before I lost my resolve.
I scooped up my purse and headed for the door.
“Cara?” he called after me.
“Yes?”
“Thanks for staying this time.”
“You mean you enjoyed last night better than my fuck and run?”
I heard laughter, and it wasn’t from Chase.
I turned and nearly collided with Riley. “You leaving, Cara?”
“Yeah. I have class.”
“Great, I’ll head down with you.” He was dressed in a suit and was holding a briefcase, so I assumed he was on his way to work.
Awkward. “Okay, sure.” I waved to Chase one more time before following Riley down the stairs.
“Have a good night?” Riley asked as we reached the ground floor.
“Yes. It was nice to see Chase again.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I’m sure seeing him was fun.”
I tried to laugh. “I don’t know what you’re implying.”
He walked down the street with me. “You’ve definitely got Chase’s attention.”
“Yeah.” I looked at the rows of restaurants and stores that we passed. If I’d had more time, I would have taken a stroll along the battery again, but I had to put that off until later.
“You’re not the typical girl he sees, but that’s a good thing. Give him a chance. I think he may surprise you.”
“I’m giving him a chance, but is he really acting differently with me? I mean, when he says he doesn’t hook up with lots of girls, is that really the truth?”
“Listen, can I be completely honest with you?” Riley gave me a serious look.
“Of course.”
“I love both of my brothers. They both love music, but other than that they live different lifestyles. If you were getting involved with Len, I’d tell you to be careful.”
“I guess I should be glad that Jade left.”
“He’s not a jerk. She’s seriously young and he wouldn’t have taken advantage of her, but he does go through girls. Chase is different though. He’s had a few relationships, but otherwise he just flies solo. Sex isn’t his vice.”
“You make it sound like he has another vice.” Thoughts of alcohol and drugs came to mind.
“He’s obsessed with his music. When he’s writing an album, he’ll sometimes spend days locked away.”
“That’s not such a bad vice.” Not bad at all. At least it wasn’t hazardous to his health and those around them.
“No, and it’s not any worse than any of mine. I’m just making sure you don’t keep your distance out of misconceptions. Chase might be a musician, but that’s not who he is. You understand?”
“I get that.” I stopped in front of my street. “This is me.”
Riley smiled. “It was nice meeting you, Cara. I hope to see you again sometime.”
“Definitely. Tell Rachel I said bye.”
“I will. Don’t be surprised if she calls you for coffee. She’s pretty new in town and always looking to make some new friends.”
“Oh cool. I’d enjoy that.” I liked Rachel, and the Delta Mu connection would give us something to talk about. “Have a nice day.”
“You too.” A cool breeze had me crossing my arms over my chest. Evidently, the unseasonably warm front was heading out. It was definitely a jeans day. I walked the rest of the way to my house in a good mood. I’d had a great night, and no matter what happened, it was worth it. I felt great when I was with Chase, and even better, I felt good when I wasn’t with him. With Aaron, I was constantly worried about what he was up to without me. I didn’t care about that with Chase. I just wanted to keep enjoying any time I could with him. I knew if I wasn’t careful I was going to get hurt, but I could be careful. Besides, he couldn’t hurt me more than I’d already been hurt.
“Cara!” Aaron’s angry voice froze me as I reached the front steps of the house.
“What are you doing here?” I tightened my arms around myself. What the heck did he want?
“Where the hell were you? I was worried enough when you skipped the mixer. When have you ever missed a sorority event?”
I couldn’t help but let my anger seep into my words. “I had no interest in spending time with the Kappas for a very obvious reason.”
“Don’t you think you’ve been punishing me long enough?” He stepped toward me. “It’s been weeks.”
“Punishing you? I broke up with you because you’ve been back with your ex. Why would time change anything?”
“Don’t you understand why she called you? She was pissed because I told her it had to stop. I told her that I loved you too much to keep doing it.”
I coughed. “Loved me too much to keep doing it? That’s a good one. If you loved me, you wouldn’t have been messing around with her.”
“I’m sorry, Cara. I don’t know how many times I have to say it.”
“You’re acting like it was a one time thing. That would have been bad enough, and maybe we could have worked through it. But not this. Not every chance you got. Now I’m running late.” I tried to step around him.
“I said I was sorry. I’ll make it up to you. Anything you want. Want to go somewhere special for spring break?”
“Not with you.” I tried to push him out of my way.
“Where were you last night? You think you’re walking away without telling me?” His glare was so intense I could almost physically feel it.
“It’s none of your business.”
“Jade came home before midnight. I know because I was here. Yet it’s almost eight o’clock in the morning now. Who the hell were you with all night?”
“It’s none of your business.” I dared a glance at my phone. I had four SOS messages from Jade warning me that Aaron was around. I needed to get back in the habit of checking my text messages more often.
“Of course it’s my business. You’re pissed at me, yet you just fucked some guy, didn’t you?”
“My sex life is none of your business.” I slammed my palms into his chest. He was surprised enough about the action that he stepped out of the way, and I reached the steps. “We’re over, Aaron. Please just leave me alone.”
“That’s it? You want to just throw away our time together?”
“You’re the one who did that. I guess I should be glad I found out before I wasted any more of my time with you.”
“You’re going to change your mind. You’re going to come back. You need me. We both know that. I’m exactly who you want in your life, and if you wait too long, I won’t be here.”
“Keep telling yourself that.” I pounded the numbers into the keypad and walked inside.
The house was quiet as I made my way upstairs. My roommates weren’t around yet, and I wasn’t ready to listen to their twenty messages. I knew they cared, but for the first time in my life, I felt anti-social. I guess that wasn’t completely true. I’d had fun with Chase and his friends, but I needed a break from my usual life. One week in and I could tell there would be no slipping back into the old routine. I was going to have to step out of my element if I wanted to survive the semester.
The Hazards of Sex on the Beach Page 6
