I’m so tired. I just need to sleep.
“Alex. Alex!”
I pulled the pillow over my head. “Grace, leave me alone. I have a hangover.”
“Alex, damn it! Get the hell up. Will has been blowing up your phone!”
I sat up faster than I should have. I put my hand up to my mouth, jumped out of bed, and ran into the bathroom. I no sooner got in the bathroom before I was throwing up. I sat down and leaned against the wall.
“Oh my God, I’ve never felt so terrible before in my life.”
I looked up to see Grace staring down at me, holding my phone.
“You left it in here last night. It looks like he has been trying to call you since one in the morning.”
I reached for the phone. I had twenty-five missed calls and ten text messages. The last call was ten minutes ago.
“Oh shit.”
I pulled up and read the messages. They were all pretty much the same.
Will: Lex, call me.
Will: Lex, I’m starting to worry.
Will: Fuck, Lex, you’re scaring me.
The last one really caught my attention.
Will: I’m heading to Austin. Borrowing a friend’s car.
I snapped my head up and looked at Grace. Then, I let out a moan and held my throbbing head. “Oh my God, Will is on his way here.”
Grace turned and walked away.
What in the hell is wrong with her?
I stood up and quickly brushed my teeth. I took a few Tylenol and headed back into the room.
“I need to get dressed.”
“You need to take a shower. All I smell is alcohol and the remnants of Blake Turner.”
I stopped dead in my tracks. I turned slowly to look at her. “Excuse me?”
“Smell your hair. You smell like his cologne.”
I shook my head and went back into the bathroom. Turning on the hot water, I tried to remember what had happened last night.
Why is Grace so mad?
Oh God, did I do something with Blake?
No, I would never do that to Will, drunk or not.
I jumped in the shower and began washing my hair. I moved on to my body and scrubbed it with soap. After drying off, I brushed my teeth again and then made my way out to the room. I picked up my phone and hit Will’s number.
“Alex?”
My heart dropped. He never called me Alex.
“Will, I’m so sorry.”
“What in the hell? I’ve been worried sick. I even tried to call Grace, but she didn’t answer.”
I looked at Grace and gave her a funny look. “Um…I’m not sure why she wasn’t answering her phone.”
Grace smirked at me. “I wasn’t answering because after I went running this morning, I stopped at Starbucks, and I left my phone there. They’re holding it for me.”
“Grace left her phone at Starbucks this morning. Will, I’m so sorry. I left my phone in the bathroom last night, and I just woke up a little bit ago.”
“It’s almost one in the afternoon, Lex.”
I closed my eyes and felt the tears building. “I had too much to drink last night.”
Silence.
I swallowed hard. “Will? Are you still there?”
“Yeah. I’m turning around and heading back to A&M.”
“Wait! Where are you? I can meet you!”
Silence again.
“Will? I’m really sorry. I didn’t even realize I had drunk so much, and…well, I just wanted to have fun.”
“Sounds like you did, Lex.”
I closed my eyes. “Where are you? I can meet you.”
“I’m tired, Lex. I have a test on Monday, so I’m just going to head back to A&M. I’m glad you’re okay. I was really freaking out.”
My heart was literally hurting. I opened my eyes and felt a tear rolling down my face. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you. Will you please tell me where you’re at?”
“I’m in Austin.”
I jumped up. “Will, why would you leave? You’ve already come all this way. Please…I need to see you.”
“I’m sitting outside your dorm, Lex. I was just talking to your friend Blake.”
My whole world stopped. Oh God. What did I do last night? I looked at Grace. “How in the world did you meet Blake?”
Grace’s eyes widened in surprise.
“He asked who I was looking for. After I mentioned your name, he said you were in his study group.”
My heart began pounding. Blake had lied to him. I had never gone to the study group before.
“I’m on my way. Let me throw on some clothes. Please, Will, please don’t leave.”
“I won’t,” he whispered.
“Be right there! Bye.”
The phone went dead.
I looked at Grace and busted out into tears. “Oh my God, Grace. Did I do something wrong last night? I don’t remember anything. Grace! What did I do?”
She got up, picked up a pair of jeans, and handed them to me. I pulled them on quickly and grabbed a T-shirt.
“Alex, you didn’t do anything but drink too much. You danced a little too close to Blake, that’s all.”
I stopped moving. “What do you mean, danced a little too close?”
“You were all up on him, and his lips were getting a little too friendly with your neck.”
I felt sick to my stomach. “Did I…did I…”
“You didn’t do anything.”
I let out a breath. “Oh, thank God.”
I made my way to the door and quickly ran to the elevator.
Why would Will leave if he’s right here? He’s mad. He must be so mad at me.
I pushed open the doors and quickly started scanning the area outside. When I saw Will, my heart began pounding in my chest. Smiling, I made my way over to him. When his eyes met mine, I started running. He smiled, and I began crying. I jumped into his arms and wrapped my legs around his waist.
“Oh God. Oh God, I’ve missed you so much!” I cried as I buried my face into his neck.
“Lex, baby, I’ve missed you, too.”
“Please don’t be mad at me. I’m so, so sorry. I swear I’ll never drink like that again. I swear.” I pulled back and searched his eyes. “I love you, Will.”
He reached up and placed his hand behind my neck. He pulled me in for a kiss. I wasn’t sure how long we were kissing for, but it was turning more passionate by the second.
Then, I heard a male clear his throat. I pulled back some and smiled at Will. He smiled back and winked at me as he slowly put me down.
Will turned and looked at someone. “Thanks, Blake.”
Blake? My stomach knotted up as I slowly looked over at Blake.
He smiled at Will. “Sure, no problem. I’ve never seen you here before, and you looked like you were lost.” He glanced over to me. “Good morning, Alex. I heard you had a little too much to drink last night.”
Bastard.
He was playing a game with me, and I wasn’t about to participate.
“You would know, Blake. You were there.”
Will looked between Blake and me with a confused look on his face.
Blake laughed. “Yeah, I was. It was my party after all.” He slapped Will on the back. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Will. Hope to see you around soon. Take care of her. She’s a special girl.”
Wait—what? What in the hell?
Will attempted to smile as he shook Blake’s hand. “Yeah, nice meeting you, too.”
Blake turned and walked away. I quickly looked back at Will.
I grabbed his hand and smiled. “Come on, let me show you our room!”
He chuckled and quickly kissed me on the lips. “Sounds good.”
I opened the door.
Grace screamed and ran into Will’s arms. “It’s so good to see a familiar face! I’ve missed you, William Hayes.”
Will laughed. “Same here, Grace.”
Grace and I showed Will all around our dorm room, the buil
ding, the café, and a few other places around campus.
Finally, Grace said, “Well, I think I’ll go get my phone and hang out at Starbucks for a couple of hours or so. I have a book I’ve been dying to read.”
Will grabbed my hand. Then, he leaned down and kissed Grace on the cheek. “Happy reading. Love ya, girl.”
He quickly turned and began pulling me back toward our dorm.
I looked back at Grace and yelled, “Thank you! Love you!”
She lifted her hand. “Yeah, yeah. See ya soon. Have fun!”
Will opened the door to my room and shut it before pushing me against the other side of the door. He began stripping me out of my clothes.
“Oh God…Will…” I was panting heavily.
I quickly began unbuttoning his pants. He grabbed a condom before I pushed them down, and his dick sprang free. I grabbed it and began stroking him.
“Jesus, Lex, I want to make love to you. I want you so bad.”
I dropped my head back against the door. “Take me, Will. I need to feel you.”
Will reached down for a condom and quickly put it on before he ripped my lace panties off and picked me up. The moment I felt him inside me, I felt whole again. It was like something had been missing this whole time.
“Yes! Oh God, yes!”
“Lex, I can’t stop myself.”
He pounded in and out of me, fast and hard, and I loved every second of it.
“Harder. Will, I’m so close.”
“Lex, baby, hurry.”
He pulled out and then slammed back into me, causing me to slam against the door. I was sure anyone walking by would know what was going on.
“That’s it! Yes! Yes! Yes!”
He pressed his lips against mine and let out a moan. He moved in and out of me a few more times before he stopped. He stopped kissing me long enough to pull out, take off the condom, and toss it into the trash. He kicked off his pants, picked me up, and carried me to my bed. He laid me down and crawled on top of me where he began teasing my entrance with his semi-hard dick. The way he was kissing me was both tender and passionate. I couldn’t get enough of him.
“I’m. So. Sorry,” he whispered between kisses.
I pulled back and looked into his eyes. “For what?”
He shook his head, and his eyes looked so sad. “For fucking you when all I really wanted to do was make love to you.”
My stomach did a crazy flip, and my heart felt like it had dropped to my stomach. I placed my hands on the sides of his face. “I loved every second of it. It was hot as hell, and I’d love to do that more often.”
He smiled bigger. “It was pretty hot, wasn’t it?”
I bit my lower lip and nodded my head. He leaned down and kissed me as he began pushing himself into me, a little bit more each time. It felt amazing.
He moved his head back and closed his eyes. “Motherfucker. That feels so good, Lex, but I don’t have a condom on.”
No wonder it felt so good. “Just a couple more times, Will. Please, I just want to feel you.”
He pushed all the way in, and we both let out a moan.
“Don’t move, Will.”
I wanted to feel him inside me with nothing between us.
“Lex…” he whispered as he moved just a little bit.
He quickly pulled out of me and jumped up from the bed. He went to his pants on the floor. When I saw him grab a condom, I felt disappointed. I was on birth control, so why he insisted on a condom was beyond me.
He rolled it on and climbed back over me.
When I felt his fingers inside me, I let out a sigh of relief. “Feels so good,” I whispered.
Then, he moved and slowly pushed himself in so deep that I let out a gasp. He continued to move in and out. He was being so gentle. His lips came to my ear where he began telling me how much he loved me.
That was when last night decided to rear its ugly head. Blake’s voice invaded my thoughts.
I want you to know what you do to me.
I squeezed my eyes shut as I pushed last night and Blake from my mind. I whispered, “I love you, Will. I love you so much.”
Two Months Later
I sat in the small café, trying to study. I had only seen Lex one time in the last two months because of our crazy schedules at school. It seemed like both of us had taken on schedules tougher than we had anticipated. Then, Lex had a huge project she had been working on with a few classmates the last two weekends in a row.
I was going insane, and I knew she was, too. Our last two attempts to FaceTime each other hadn’t worked out, and I had heard the frustration in her voice. Weeks of texting and not being able to release our sexual frustrations were getting to the both of us. After Thanksgiving vacation, Lex was going to bring her car to school, so we could at least attempt to see each other more often.
I let out a sigh and picked up my phone.
Me: Thinking about you.
Lex: Thinking about you. What are you doing?
Me: Studying. You?
Lex: Heading to a study group. Big chemistry test before vacation.
I knew Lex had been hanging around that Blake guy more and more. They were in a study group together, and she had brought him up a few times. I didn’t like the guy. The first time I’d met him, I’d mentioned I was Lex’s boyfriend, and he’d rubbed me wrong. The way he’d looked at her pissed me off.
Me: Who all is going to be there?
Lex: I guess the normal people. Grace was supposed to go, but she backed out. She’s not feeling well.
Me: How late will you be there?
Lex: I don’t think too late. I can’t wait to see you! I can’t wait to go home for Thanksgiving and see everyone!
Me: I can’t wait to fuck you against another door.
Lex: God, Will. I’m so horny all the time, and you don’t make it easier when you talk to me like that.
Me: Can you FaceTime? I’ll go to my truck.
Lex: I can’t. I’m here. I love you! I’ll call you when I’m done. Bye!
Me: K. I love you, too, Lex. Later.
“Fuck,” I whispered as I gathered up my books.
I headed back to the dorm. I pulled up and saw Callie Morgan talking to her fiancé, Joe Michaels. They were both in my English Lit class. Callie was a cute girl with blonde hair and green eyes, and she was shorter than Lex. She was probably one of the most outgoing girls I’d ever met. Joe was tall and built, and he had no problem telling you how it was. They made a cute couple, and where one was, the other was surely nearby.
“Hayes! How’s it going?” Joe said.
I smiled and reached out to shake Joe’s hand.
Callie smiled. “How are you?”
“Frustrated that my girlfriend is at another school, but other than that, I’m doing good. What are y’all up to?”
“We’re planning our next mission trip. We’re heading to Oklahoma to help rebuild some places that were destroyed by the latest round of tornados that moved through that area.”
Callie and Joe were probably two of the kindest people I’d ever met.
“You want to go with us, Hayes?” Joe asked. “It’s over Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks.”
I smiled. “I wish I could, but I miss my family. Miss my girl, ya know? When is the next one?”
“Spring break! We’re going home for a couple of days and then heading to Florida to help a church build a new schoolhouse.”
I shook my head. “Y’all are good people. I’ll keep it in mind.”
“That’s better than a no!” Joe said.
I laughed as I shook Joe’s hand again and said good-bye. I headed to my room, and I spent the rest of the afternoon waiting to hear back from Lex.
“Alex is going to be so surprised that you’re showing up a day early to pick her up,” Libby said with a giggle.
I smiled and nodded my head. “I hope so. Hey, are you sure you want to drive home with Luke? You seemed uncertain the other day.”
“Nah, it�
�ll be fine. I’m going to bring back my car, I think. That way I don’t have to depend on you two.” Libby looked around. “Where is Luke?”
“At the gym. He’s been going a lot lately. Something has been weighing heavily on his mind. He hasn’t even gone out in the last month. He’s been here every night.”
I sighed and shook my head. Lex and I hadn’t been able to have our FaceTime fun because both Luke and Grace were always in our dorm rooms whenever Lex and I could fit in a chat.
“Give Alex a big hug for me, and tell her I’ll see her tomorrow night.”
It was Sunday, and I wasn’t supposed to be in Austin until tomorrow. The plan was to pick up Lex and Grace and head to Mason on Monday. I’d booked a hotel room in Austin for Lex and me for tonight to surprise her.
I walked out to my truck and turned to face Libby. “Lib, what’s going on with you and Luke? Y’all used to be the best of friends.”
Libby’s eyes glossed over, and she looked away as she shrugged. “I don’t know, Will. I guess Luke doesn’t want to be friends with me. I think he likes his fuck buddies better.”
I closed my eyes and sighed. “Lib, he hasn’t even mentioned Abigail in so long. I don’t think he’s seen her since that weekend on the coast.”
Libby sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “Doesn’t matter. I’ve tried to figure it out, and I’m done with it. I just have to get through the drive home. Then, I’ll have my own car, and I can see less and less of Luke.”
My heart hurt for my sister. I knew she cared about Luke. She might even be in love with him. I’d also seen the way Luke looked at her. He had strong feelings for her, and he was fighting them. I needed to make sure it wasn’t because of me.
“Have a safe drive. Let me know when you get there.”
“Will do. Love you, Lib.”
She smiled. “I love you, too, Will.”
An hour and a half later, I was in Austin. I pulled over and parked my car in the parking lot, and then I sent Lex a text.
Me: Hey, baby. What are you up to?
Lex: Hey, handsome. Nothing. Just finishing up lunch with a few people. What about you?
Me: Not much. Where are y’all eating?
Without You Page 16