by Jill Shalvis
He looked at her. “She picked up your call?”
“She did.”
“You . . . called my mom and she picked up.”
“I called her as an employee of a funeral home . . .” She grimaced and started talking, getting faster and faster as she went, like she was really nervous. “And I’m hearing my own words and realizing what a huge invasion of privacy this was, but I just wanted to help. I knew you weren’t getting through to her. When I called, I sort of left out the fact that I’m really an ex-employee . . . and apparently she also spaced out on the name of the funeral home being different from the one where your grandma’s cremated remains are. Anyway, I got her to digitally sign the release. Which means you can arrange for your grandma’s remains to be blessed by her priest—which I get isn’t exactly how she wanted it, but I figured it was better than nothing, and then she can be put in her church’s cemetery.”
He was boggled. “She really agreed, no problems?”
“No problems.”
“Why?” he asked.
“It’s simple, really. The longer you wait to decide, the more the cost. There’s now additional storage and administration fees . . .”
He didn’t care about that. He was . . . overwhelmed and humbled by what she’d done, and almost unbearably touched. He felt her hand slip into his as she stood at his side, waiting for him to get a hold of himself.
It wasn’t easy. For one thing, he still couldn’t believe that she’d pulled it off. And for another, he was just starting to realize how deep his feelings for her had gone. No one had ever done anything like this for him. He started to speak but found he couldn’t. Literally couldn’t, because there was a big, huge ball of emotion stuck in his throat, leaving him too choked up.
So instead, he stared some more at the paper, which was now blurry. And because his legs were wobbly—something he decided to attribute to his swim rather than emotion—he sank onto the sand and sat.
“Hey.” She dropped to her knees at his side. “You okay?”
The nod was automatic, because he was always okay. He’d made sure of it. If he wasn’t okay, his entire world would tumble down, and he had people in it that relied on him.
Brynn cupped his jaw and tipped his face to hers, studying him with a worried frown. “You’re trembling.”
“No.” But he was, and it was his own damn fault. He’d skipped lunch and then swam for an hour. His tank was empty and his blood sugar way too low.
Brynn got to her feet and moved off, and he nodded again, because her walking away was definitely the best thing for her. He’d promised her she was safe with him as a roommate, and all he wanted to do was take her home to his bed and do some very not roommate-like things to her.
She was smart to walk away.
But then suddenly she was back, once again on her knees at his side, handing him a soda and a fully loaded hot dog she’d just purchased from the food stand. She nudged the soda at him, and he took a long pull and then grimaced when the sugar hit his system.
“Nothing like a quick sugar rush, right?” she quipped, but her eyes were serious as she watched him carefully. “Now the hot dog.”
Already just from the soda, the cobwebs left his vision and his brain cleared. And he was able to remind himself he was an idiot. But because she was looking so worried, he obediently took a bite of the hot dog and made a face. “Pickles.”
“My favorite,” she said. “Another bite.”
“Is that your teacher voice?”
“Yes, is it working?”
He gently reached out and pushed her glasses farther up her nose from where they’d been slipping. His fantasy life was as rich as the next guy’s, but he’d never had any particular fantasies regarding a teacher—until now. He stared into her eyes, slightly magnified behind her lenses, her wild hair piled on top of her head with tendrils slipping loose and framing her face. “Yes,” he said. “It’s working. Keep talking.”
She narrowed her eyes, as if unsure if he was kidding or not. She must have decided it was a combo of both, because she said, “Eat some more or you’ll get detention.”
Oh, yeah, most definitely working. It was one of those seemingly innocuous moments in time, but this one felt . . . different. He was somehow aware that he’d remember it forever: the feel of the salty ocean air brushing over him, the sound of the waves rhythmically hitting the shore, Brynn’s breath warm against his skin. How sweet she looked feeding Mini a bite of the hot dog, then her hands back on him, and that inexplicable magnetic pull he felt whenever she was close. He smiled and she stared at his mouth, reassuring him he wasn’t alone in this. He took another bite of the hot dog, and then held it out for her.
“It’s for you,” she said.
“Pretend it’s share time.”
She rolled her eyes, but opened her mouth.
He fed her, laughing softly when she tried to nip his finger along with the hot dog.
She chewed and then her tongue darted out to catch a dollop of wayward ketchup on her lower lip, making him smile. “I’m going to share something else,” he murmured. “I’m having a serious teacher fantasy.”
She looked intrigued. “Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Do I give you detention in this fantasy?”
“Among other things.”
She laughed, just as Mini yelped and began pawing frantically at her own nose.
Brynn moved toward Mini but Eli beat her there, dropping to his knees. “Shit. Again, girl?” He opened Mini’s mouth, but when he found nothing, he swore and then scooped the dog up against him and stood.
“What’s wrong?” Brynn asked, worried as Mini lay unusually still in Eli’s arms.
“She ate a jalapeño sky raisin.” He strode toward the house at a pace that required Brynn to run to keep up with him.
“Did you forget to tell her she’s allergic?”
“She’s a lab. She lives to eat shit.”
They rushed into the house. In the kitchen, Eli lay Mini on her bed and pulled a bottle of Benadryl from the top drawer. He shook out a pill and held it out to the dog. “A trick from my vet, designed to save me a bazillion dollars since Mini’s done this four times already this year.”
Mini sniffed at the pill and then turned up her nose at it.
“Oh, sure, yesterday you ate the neighbor’s week-old trash, but now you’re going to be picky,” Eli muttered.
Mini whined and began scratching herself with her hind foot. Her fur was now raised in spots all over her.
“Hives,” Eli said. He went to the fridge, liberally coated the small pink pill in enough cream cheese for a dozen bagels, and offered it to Mini.
Mini gobbled up the entire blob and . . . spit out the pill.
“Are you kidding me?” Eli asked.
Mini whimpered.
“Dammit.” He went to the cabinets and pulled out the peanut butter, once again liberally coating the pill.
Mini ate the peanut butter and . . . spit out the pill.
Eli, on his knees, shook his head. “We both know that if this was cat poop, you’d eat it so fast I’d be dizzy.”
Mini’s tail thumped against the floor.
He stood, turned back to the fridge, and took out some deli meat, carefully wrapping up the pill.
Mini nearly took off Eli’s finger to get at the meat.
Both Eli and Brynn watched a long moment, but no pill reappeared.
Eli, on his knees in front of the dog, sagged in relief. “She’s going to be the death of me.”
Mini lifted her head and licked his face.
“Yeah, yeah,” he murmured, stroking the dog. “You love me. I love you back, you crazy girl.”
Brynn would swear that Mini grinned at him. “You do realize she just conned you for high-quality deli meat, right?”
“Yep.”
“What now?”
“She sleeps it off. She’ll be okay.” He rose to his feet and came toward her. “Why do all the women in m
y life play hard to get?” Gently, he pulled her in and kissed her. “I told myself I wasn’t going to get emotionally attached to you, but the truth is I’ve been emotionally attached since we were nine years old.”
She was stunned, and a warmth rolled through her, a warmth she hadn’t felt in a while. “No one’s home,” she whispered. “Right?”
“Right.”
“Take me to your room?”
He raised a brow.
“Share time isn’t over,” she said.
He was smiling when he kissed her again, sending shivers down her body. They kissed their way out of the kitchen. They kissed as they staggered up the stairs. They were still kissing when halfway up, she tripped and went down, bringing him with her.
They laughed, and Mini appeared, trying to join the fun. Eli gently nudged the dog away just before she pounced on them. “Go to your bed,” he said.
“Yes, sir,” Brynn quipped.
His mouth twitched. “That’s another fantasy all together,” he murmured, kissing her again, cupping the back of her head so she didn’t hurt it against the wood floor.
Somehow they got back to their feet, this time getting as far as the hallway before she couldn’t help herself. She pressed him up against the wall, slid her hands beneath his shirt, and nibbled his lower lip.
With a groan, he reversed their positions, running his hands down the backs of her thighs, encouraging her to wrap her legs around him.
Her dress rode up. Eli took in the sight of her itty-bitty sky-blue panties and smiled. “Pretty.” His hands cupped her ass as he ground against her, kissing her again, taking his sweet time about it too, dragging sounds from deep in her throat that she’d never made before.
“Thought we were headed to your bed,” she managed on a gasp, as his fingers slowly stroked the damp silk between her legs.
“This first.” He was beneath the silk now, and doing something cleverly diabolical that had her head back against the wall, her mouth open to just breathe, and some seriously needy little whimpering pants coming from her lips. He scrambled all her brain cells, surrounded her with his warmth and muscle.
“Eli,” she whispered, her toes beginning to curl, and she was mere seconds away from dragging him to the floor, needing him inside her. “You—I—I’m going to—”
“Good,” he murmured, using his teeth to tug down the strap her sundress, then her bra, and from there it was a nudge of his jaw to reveal a bare breast. He sucked her into his mouth at the exact same time as his fingers slid into her and she came in wild shudders, completely losing herself.
When she could hear and see again, Eli was still holding her up, watching her, eyes hot, his body thrumming with an erotic tension that eradicated any embarrassment she might have had about how quickly he’d managed to get her there. “Um.” She bit her lower lip. “Hi.”
He smiled. “Hi.”
“I hope there’s more.”
“Me too,” he said fervently. “Just wanted to make sure you were still with me before I get you beneath me.”
“Maybe I want you beneath me,” she said.
His smile went Big Bad Wolf, and he got her to his room and on his bed so fast, her head spun. He lay on his back and encouraged her to straddle him, smiling up at her, eyes hot. “Have at me, babe. Whatever you want.”
She started with her hands, then added her mouth, which had him alternately swearing and groaning out her name in a rough voice that gave her a secret thrill. She could tell when he got close. He’d had his head back, throat bared, body gorgeous and tense, his hands in her hair. Then suddenly, he moved so stealthily she never saw it coming. Pressing her into the mattress, his mouth moved down her body, his lips and tongue forging a path that had her crying out again, her hands fisted in his hair as stars exploded behind her eyes.
Before she’d caught her breath, he was inside her. “Brynn,” he said huskily. “Look at me.”
She managed to open her eyes. His own were filled with heat and affection and desire.
“You’re so beautiful.”
And then his mouth found hers again and she couldn’t think; all she could do was feel as their bodies strained against each other. They moved together like this was a dance, but there was nothing practiced about it. It was shockingly powerful and primal, and she loved it, even as it overwhelmed her. This time he came with her, shuddering in her arms as they gasped for breath, savoring every last second.
After, he tucked his face into the crook of her neck, where she could feel the heat of his breath against her skin as he slowly regained control. When he finally lifted his head and looked at her, she knew.
This wasn’t a playful, casual hookup between friends.
This wasn’t a friends with benefits situation.
Something was happening between them, something intangible and yet more real than anything else in her life.
Everything was going to be different now, she knew that. What she didn’t know was how. She stared into his eyes, not quite knowing if their tentative friendship would survive this . . . until he smiled at her. Relief flooded her as he leaned in and pressed his lips to her damp temple.
“It’s okay, Brynn. We’re okay.”
Good thing, as she was rag-doll floppy and still making contented, purring noises. All she could do was bask in the glow and the way his hands were slowly moving over her body, soothing, calming, comforting as he headed south. She got her hands involved in the action, and the next thing she knew, she was moaning and rocking up into him again, needing more. “Aren’t you tired after all that hard work you just did getting us here?”
He laughed softly and looked up at her from between her thighs. “If you think this is work, then I’m doing it wrong.”
She arched into him without conscious thought, her body wanting more of him. And for once, her body and her brain were in accord. “Trust me,” she gasped. “You’re not doing anything wrong.”
He smiled and rubbed his stubbled cheek against her belly, his warm breath on the underside of her breast as he moved up her body toward her mouth.
“Again?” she whispered hopefully.
“Unless you’d rather sleep?”
She slid her fingers into his hair and tightened, bringing his mouth to hers. “There’s no sleeping in detention.”
Chapter 17
From sixteen-year-old Brynn’s summer camp journal:
Dear Moms,
Okay, so this year is . . . SO MUCH FUN! I know, shock, right? I bet you never thought you’d get this letter. ☺ But now that I’m a junior camp counselor, we get to stay up late, and there’s a TV they let us use, AND . . . there’re cute guys!
Still no Kinsey. Or Eli. BUT get this. Kinsey called me. Wanted to know if I’d see her. I was like, yeah, right. And then she hung up on me! I immediately felt bad, so I called her right back, but she sent me to voice mail. I feel like such a jerk, but I also feel like that stupid little kid again, you know? Why does she make me so crazy?
Gotta run. We’re going to make s’mores.
Love you both!
Brynn
BRYNN WOKE UP wrapped around her own personal heater. Eli was on his back; she was pressed up against him, her face smashed into his armpit, her arm and leg holding him down. Her body couldn’t have said “mine” any more clearly than if she’d crawled inside him.
It was light outside and she froze. She’d slept with him, here in his bed, all night. How had that happened?
Okay, so she knew how it’d happened. He’d pleasured her into a near coma. But now it was morning, and she was really great at making mornings awkward, so, holding her breath, she tried to disentangle herself without waking him up. But just being this close to the body that had given her such pleasure throughout the night had her body getting . . . ideas.
No. You’ve got morning breath and God knows what your hair looks like. Plus you have to pee, and— Her stomach growled loud enough to wake the dead.
“Hungry?”
Her ga
ze flew to Eli’s, which was sleepy, sated, and . . . sexy as hell.
And also amused.
Her stomach growled again, and he laughed softly.
Okay, so he wasn’t feeling awkward. No emotional conflict for him as he stopped her attempted escape by tucking her beneath him. Pushing her hair from her eyes, he got serious. “You okay with everything that happened last night?”
She blinked. “Are you asking me if you were good?”
He smiled. Right. He knew he’d been good. He probably still had the nail indentions in his ass to prove it. “I’m asking if you’re okay,” he clarified.
“I’m pretty sure I’m better than okay.”
“Glad to hear it.” He kissed her softly. “Going to try to keep you that way.”
“It’s not your responsibility.”
“I know. I just like seeing you happy. And if I can be the cause of it, even better.”
She bit her lower lip.
“What?”
“So for you, last night was . . . okay?”
He laughed sexily, then tightened his grip on her when she tried to wriggle free. “Brynn, last night was . . . amazing. If you’d held out on me for even another second, I’d have started begging. Go out with me tonight.”
Any lingering awkwardness vanished as she smiled. “I don’t know, I might need some convincing. After all, I apparently agreed to sleep with you too readily, seeing as I missed out on making you beg for me—”
She was cut off by his kiss, a very hot kiss. “Careful what you wish for,” he warned softly, his lips brushing hers. “You’ll find I can be very persuasive when forced to beg.”
The innuendo in his tone set her blood on fire. Definitely out of her league. “I’ve gotta . . .” She gestured vaguely to the door. “I’ll use my bathroom, since I know you’ve got to get up too . . .” And then she slid out of bed and shoved herself back into her dress and retreated to her room. Okay, so clearly she’d failed spectacularly on her own personal deal about not involving her heartstrings or tugging on anyone else’s. She’d promised herself she’d step away when she wanted to step closer, that she’d keep things light when she wanted to reveal her soul.
