by Hanna Ruthie
He nods, pulling his keys out of the front pocket of his bag. He slips the keychain onto the key ring and holds it up for us to see.
“It looks good,” I say.
He nods and slides it back into his bag.
“Thank you,” he says coarsely.
“Of course-”
“No,” he interrupts. “I mean really, thank you. Not just for that. For everything.”
My brain short circuits when I feel him touch me. His arm is stretched across my lap, rubbing soft circles against my thigh.
“Everything?” I repeat.
He nods his head slowly, watching me as his other hand gently brushes hair behind my ear.
“You’ve been a saint this whole weekend.”
A saint? “I don’t know about that. I don’t think I did anything worthy of sainthood.”
Matthew chuckles, running his hand down my shoulder and arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake. Those circles on my thigh are feeling better and better. I’m a rapidly heating girl with every stroke of his finger and brush of his hand. I’m wearing a big sweater again and Matthew’s fingers tug gently on the collar until my shoulder is revealed. He kisses me there and a sharp breath leaves my mouth.
“What did you get yourself?” He asks me.
I struggle to keep up. “What?”
He kisses my shoulder again, higher this time, nearer to my neck.
“From the city,” he adds.
“Oh I-” Kiss. Kiss. “Nothing,” I manage to get out.
Matthew pulls back to look at me. He’s so damn attractive. His grey eyes pierce mine, his dark hair tousled and sexy. He runs a hand through his hair, frustrated.
“You look at me like that Josie, and it makes it hard not to kiss you.”
Yes! Kiss me! I look at his lips, then up at his eyes. He’s watching me carefully, his gaze flaming in lust. He wants to kiss me. I put my hand against his chest, needing to touch some part of him. My hands can feel his heart pounding and mine is beating just as hard.
His fingers move to tuck my hair behind my ear but then stay there. He’s just as stuck in place as I am. We’re frozen. We’re inches away. And his hands are in all the right places.
“Maybe I want you to kiss me,” I whisper.
His hand slides deeper into my hair and he shuts his eyes, resting his forehead against mine.
“Josie, I shouldn’t,” he says.
“Yes, you should,” I reply, breathless. “Please.”
“Are you sure?” He asks.
Yes!! God, just kiss me already!
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“You have to be really sure Josie, ‘cause if this is what you want, I’m not gonna hold back,” he says.
I want his lips on mine so badly. It’s a fire in my body, one that needs to be tamed now.
“Matthew, please,” I reply. “Don’t make me beg.”
At this, his lips finally press into mine, claiming me, taking me to the moon. My lips fall into place between his and I swear the world shifts. It’s like I don’t need air anymore, Matthew is breathing for me. I just need this- his lips on mine, forever. My hands curl into fists in his shirt, willing him to give me more. He gets my signal and his tongue brushes across my lips, asking permission. I grant it happily and sigh into him when his tongue brushes across mine. I want more. I let my hands travel from his chest into his hair and I tug lightly. Matthew groans in response and pulls his lips away from mine, pressing kisses down my neck. His hands slide down to my hip, his fingers tensing against me.
“Do you know how good you make me feel?” He asks as my head rolls back.
All I can do is moan softly in response. I give him freedom to do whatever he wants to my neck because it feels so good, and my nerves are on fire. His teeth scrape along my skin possessively, and when it gets to be a little rough, his tongue brushes across the spot soothingly, making me breathe in quickly.
“God you taste good,” he groans against me.
His words make a bolt shoot through me and I soon feel like I’m burning, every nerve in my body on edge for him. I can’t help the moan that escapes my lips.
At the sound, Matthew pulls his head up and his lips meet mine again. This is quickly turning into a heavy make out session, and our clothes are starting to feel like a bother. I tug his hair aggressively, trying to provoke a response from him. I get one. His hands slide under my ass and pull me into him before lying us both down on the bed. He hovers over me, kissing me hard, his body brushing against mine. My legs wrap around his waist, and he groans, setting his head in my neck.
“Fuck Josie,” he groans.
I want his lips again, I want them badly.
“What?” I ask.
He pulls back, his hands grabbing my legs and pulling them off of him.
“You can’t do that,” he says. “Or I’m going to lose all my self control.”
I sit up, pulling my legs under me, and kiss him again. He groans into it, surprised when I push him down so I’m on top, straddling his lap as I kiss him. His hands grab my hips, pulling me against him harder. It makes me whimper, and he rolls us back over so he’s on top. We’re on fire, fighting for dominance, which I’m happy to give him. Matthew’s hands are sliding through my hair and then finding my hands, holding them above my head as he presses searing kisses down my neck. And then suddenly, there’s a knock at our door.
“Housekeeping!”
The voice shocks us both, forcing us apart. I look up at Matthew, who’s giving the door such a dirty look it makes me laugh.
“No thank you!” He shouts harshly.
He looks back down at me when I laugh.
“Well at least you added the thank you,” I giggle.
Matthew snorts a laugh, releasing my hands. He rolls off of me and onto the bed next to me. I lie against the covers and look over at Matthew. He’s looking at me, breathing heavily, the lust still evident in his eyes.
“I didn’t mean for us to get that worked up,” he says sheepishly.
I smile and lean forward, kissing him again, but lightly now. When he pulls away, he tucks a piece of hair behind my ear, propping himself up on an elbow so he can look down at me.
“Was that too much?” He asks me, his eyes serious and concerned.
“No,” I reply, immediately. “It was perfect.”
I look over at the clock and gasp, sitting up.
“Shoot! Matt we’ve got to go!”
He looks over at the clock and groans. We get up and grab our things, rushing out of the hotel. From there, the rest of the day is a blur. We rush through TSA and just catch our flight. Matthew does homework in the sky for his new English class. When we land, we have to drag our things back to his truck and from there, he drives me home. As soon as his truck drives away, I head inside, collapsing on my bed. What a weekend.
Chapter 24
Matthew Steele.
Me: Hey, sorry I haven’t called yet. I know it’s been a few days, I’m still a little worn out
Josie: No worries. Guess where I’m at?
Me: Bookstore?
Josie: Try again
Me: Library?
Josie: Bingo. I’m impressed, only took you two guesses
Me: The list of places you frequent is short
Josie: excuse me?
Me: Bookstore, Library, Burger Joint, Hospital.
Josie: You’re mean
Me: And you’re surprised?
Josie: :(
Me: Hey, cool if I drop by the library? I need to study for English and I have something for you too
Josie: Sure! It’ll be just like old times
Me: oh yippee
* * *
As soon as I see Josie in the library, there’s an enormous shit eating grin on my face and it’s not just from seeing her. When I sit down at our table, it shakes, jolting her from her book.
She looks up at me, surprised. “Oh, I didn’t see you come in.”
“What are you wearing?” I blurt out, una
ble to keep it in.
Her medium brown hair is up in a ponytail, but a few strands have fallen free which now frame her perfect face. It’s not a bad look, but I’m entirely more interested in what she’s wearing. A black shirt with The Burger Joint embroidered in pink across the upper right hand corner tucked into an old 50’s style pink skirt with poodles on it. Her hazel eyes seem more fresh and awake today and I also take note of the freckles that dust across her neutral skin. Her lips look good, pink and shiny. Oh man, I don’t know why, but something about that outfit has the caveman in me beating his chest. I want to do things to her right now. All sorts of things. Kissing, touching, tasting things.
Josie sighs, scooting closer to the table in hopes of hiding her outfit. She knows me well enough to know that I’m just getting started, so she settles in, preparing herself for the bombardment of taunts about to come her way.
“Didn’t we already pass Halloween?” I ask rhetorically.
She squints at me, not enjoying the teasing. “The Burger Joint changed uniforms okay? I just came from there and I didn’t have time to change.”
“When you say you just came from there… you mean the fifties right?”
She sighs, burying her pretty head in her hands.
“Please God,” I laugh. “Tell me Johnny has to wear one too.”
Josie actually snorts a laugh at that.
“His skirt is blue,” she plays along.
I laugh hard, imagining Johnny in a blue skirt with poodles. When I finally calm down, I pull out my phone. “Can I get a picture?”
“Of me? No Matthew!”
I pretend to pout. “Please Josie. It’s too damn good to pass up.”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “What are you going to do with a picture of me looking like this?”
I chuckle, leaning forward in my chair. “I can think of a few things,” I reply, wiggling my eyebrows at her suggestively.
Josie kicks my leg under the table. “Matthew!”
It just sends me into another fit of laughter, cackling at her. She waits me out patiently. As my laughter subsides, I hold my hands up in surrender.
“Okay, okay, I’ll stop. But first, I need you to stand. Give me the whole 360.”
Josie rolls my eyes, tired of my childish antics. She stands up and gives me one spin, showing me the whole outfit. Then she puts her hands on her hips, looking down at me.
“Are you done now?” She asks.
I’m trying my best to hold in laughter, biting my lip to keep it in. I nod my head and Josie sits back down, picking up her book.
“What’s your work schedule look like?” I ask her.
“Tuesdays and Thursdays from three ‘till nine. Why?”
I shake my head at her, chuckling. “Because there is no way in hell that I’m done seeing you in that getup. Not even close.”
She scowls at me and puts her book down again. “Don’t you have to study for English?”
“Don’t you have to dance the jitterbug?” I ask, leaning forward in my chair.
Josie groans loudly, her head falling back. “You’re relentless!”
“Rebel Without a Cause,” I pretend to cough.
Josie raises eyebrows at me. “You realize that makes you James Dean right?”
“Quick quick, Elvis is on the jukebox!” I continue, waving my hands around like a frenzied teenage girl.
Josie finally breaks, smiling and giggling. “I won’t lie, your repertoire of fifties fads is pretty impressive.”
“Thanks, I use it to impress all the gals.”
“Gals?”
I nod my head. “Gals. That’s fifties lingo for you.”
Josie rolls her eyes. “Since you’re obviously not going to study for English, didn’t you say you have something for me?”
“Ooh, greedy, is she?”
Josie tilts her head to the side, giving me a look. I entertain her look with my own smirk. Finally, I pull out a green ticket from my back pocket and hand it over to her.
“That’s your ticket for the home game this Saturday. Front row seats.”
Her eyes go wide as she looks at the ticket. “Really?”
I nod. “You’re right next to Harper.”
“This is great Matthew! I’m so excited!” She smiles wide, sliding the ticket between the pages of her book like a bookmark.
I watch her for a minute, smiling at her. I can’t stop thinking about that kiss we shared in Chicago. It heated up fast but it still felt right. It didn’t feel rushed. But now, I can’t tell if it was a spur of the moment thing. She had just spent the entire weekend at my side, comforting me, helping me, supporting me. And then she gave me that damn gift and my heart just flipped out, making my brain short circuit. I was running on instincts. On emotions. Now that my brain’s back on the board, playing the game, I’m a little confused. She hasn’t showed me any signs that she wants more, and even if she did, I wouldn’t know where to start. I pull out my English homework and settle in at the desk. Josie opens her book back up, eyeing me carefully. She doesn’t think I’m done with the teasing yet.
“You know…” she says. “If you ever needed a tutor, there’s a sign up sheet over there.” She nods her head to the board of tutors in the back.
“I don’t know,” I sigh. “My last tutor was a pain in my ass.”
Josie kicks my foot under the table, making me chuckle.
“Are you tutoring again this semester?” I ask.
“I’m not sure yet, my last student was a pain in my ass,” she throws back.
I chuckle and shift in my seat, looking back down at the English work in front of me. When I really think about it, I get a little uncomfortable. Josie spending another semester’s worth of weeks with some other guy. Tutoring him the way she was tutoring me. Always kind and willing to go the extra mile. I look up at Josie, her eyes traveling over the words of her books.
“Are you though? Tutoring this semester?” I ask.
She looks up at me to nod her head. “Yup. Need the money.”
“Who is it?” I ask immediately.
“Some guy named Bruce.”
A flash of jealousy flashes through me. Of course it has to be some guy.
I repeat the name. “Bruce?”
She nods, bookmarking her story again. She pulls out her notebook and flips it open. There are a couple of names scribbled there, the first one mine. Underneath it, “Bruce Bryant.”
“Oh, Bryant,” I sigh in relief. “I know him. He’s a good guy. He’s on the basketball team.”
Thank God. I can let him know that Josie’s off limits. Josie nods slowly, showing me she’s listening to me.
“Yeah? Any idea what he needs help in?”
“No clue,” I shrug. “He’s a senior. I think it’s his last semester.”
Josie’s eyebrows pinch in concern. “That’s kinda a lot of pressure. What if I can’t help him and he doesn’t pass and then he can’t graduate?”
I shake my head. “I wouldn’t worry about it Jos. He’s a good guy and you’re a great tutor. He’ll be fine.”
Josie sits forward a little bit. “You just said I’m a great tutor.”
I look back down at my English, putting pencil to paper. “Yeah yeah, read your book Marilyn Monroe.”
Josie pulls opens her book back up, but not before I have a chance to sneak a glance at her smile.
Chapter 25
Josie Virginia.
Harper and I shout and cheer, hoot and holler, and participate in every crazy chant going on in the basketball arena. The game really is something to witness. To start, the team is really good. Like, really good. They’re completely dominating the court with the crowd behind their back. But more than that, the sheer athletic talent blows my mind. They run back and forth across the court so many times. I don’t know how they aren’t winded after five minutes. And watching Matthew. Watching Matthew I feel a lot. I feel… possessive. There are girls here with their eyes on him, hundreds of girls. With the wa
y he’s playing, it’s not just girls that watch him, it’s everyone. He truly is a star on the court. And I realize, I feel really really special. Because when I think about it, he asked me to come. I mean sure, I asked first, but that was a while ago. And he bought my ticket. And every once in a while, his eyes will glance over at me for half a second before flicking away. In those moments, my heart beats faster, my cheeks blushing as my eyes sweep up and down his body in desire. I felt that body a few days ago and it was wonderful. I want to feel it again.
“You have got that boy on your mind, haven’t you?” Harper asks me, poking me in the side with her huge foam finger.
I nod my head a little, biting my lip. I most certainly do.
Matthew takes a shot from behind the three point line and it goes in without even touching the rim. The crowd goes insane. I can’t take my eyes off of him as he chases the rebound back down the court.
“You are in trouble missy,” Harper comments.
And don’t I know it.
* * *
I’m still waiting with Harper on the bleachers when Matthew comes out of the locker room. It’s been about a half hour since the game ended so hardly anyone is left in the gym. There are a few stragglers hanging out, the cleaning crew is around picking up all the trash that’s been left in the bleachers, and a few cheerleaders remain, eyeballing the locker room. Matthew walks over to us, fresh and clean with wet hair from his shower.
“Hey guys,” he says, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans.
We both greet him and I stand up to give him a hug. His hands quickly come out of his pockets and wrap around my back and I don’t miss the heavy breath he releases as my arms are around his neck. I pull away slowly and look back to Harper as the locker room opens.
“Is it Thomas?” She asks.
I look at the player and shake my head. “Nope.”
Matthew clears his throat. “He’ll be out in a minute.”
I feel his hand sliding against mine and I look down at our hands as his fingers slide between mine.
