by Marni Mann
“Yasss, and about fucking time.”
My eyes shot open, and I burst out laughing. “This is why I love you.”
She waited until we both quieted before she asked, “Was he good to you?”
Each time I moved, the soreness between my legs brought back another memory from last night. And every ache made my heart pound faster. “He cuddled me this morning, showered with me, and then cooked me breakfast before he walked me home.” I took a breath, feeling the warmth spread through me. “He was perfect, Molly. In every way.”
“I just died.”
I rolled onto my side, holding a pillow against my chest. “I know.” I rubbed my chin over the top of the pillow. “I felt him everywhere. I mean, there wasn’t a part of me he wasn’t paying attention to.”
“More details, girl. Way more.”
My eyes were closed again, and I squeezed my lids together, seeing the moments play out. “Once I got past the beginning part—which wasn’t pretty, at all. My God, that hurt—he touched this spot and …” I took a breath as I recalled the intensity of that sensation. “I completely lost myself.”
“He made you come after he took your virginity. The man is a fucking unicorn.”
“Well”—I laughed—“he technically made me come twice.” I filled her in on what his tongue had done first.
“Oh, honey, I have all kinds of wildly inappropriate reactions, but the most important thing I can say right now is, I’m so ridiculously happy for you.” She paused, and I could see her expression even though she was thousands of miles away. “You picked a good one, babe.”
He wasn’t a man I’d dated for a long time or someone I could say I’d fallen in love with. But my gut told me he was someone special, and these were the strongest feelings I’d ever had.
My voice was extra soft when I replied, “I’m so thankful.”
“Me too.” She was quiet for several seconds. “Now that you’ve survived sexy times, is the plan to just spend the semester together? Thank God you met him at the beginning and not the end … can you imagine?”
I could. Because I’d thought about that.
And while he had brought me home this morning, my mind fast-forwarded to the end of the semester, and it was a thought I didn’t like at all.
“We haven’t discussed it,” I admitted.
“Should you?”
Things between us were moving fast. It was what I wanted, and I could handle it all so far. But bringing up the next steps, when I had no idea what those steps even looked like, was a heavy conversation.
“Probably,” I responded. “And it should happen sooner than later, I’m sure.”
“Take it from someone who’s been hurt in the past; setting expectations is never a bad thing. It could help a lot, given you’re a newbie to all of this and you’re dealing with a situation that isn’t exactly traditional.”
Molly was watching out for my heart, and I was so grateful for that. She knew much more about men than me, so I looked to her for guidance. But it didn’t take someone with experience to know she was right.
In a handful of months, I was going back to the States, and that was something Oliver and I needed to discuss.
“Okay, that’s on tomorrow’s agenda,” I said, refocusing my thoughts so a replay of this morning’s good-bye kiss was now in my head.
Followed by his hands.
And then the tingling that took over when his beard grazed my cheek.
“Today,” I continued, “I’m just going to live in the memories of last night.”
She groaned in a way that made me grin. “I love that idea so much, babe.”
Fourteen
I stood from the desk, where I’d been sitting for the last hour, and once I hung my bag across my body, I walked out of the classroom and down the long hallway toward the front of the building. This was my last class of the day; I’d had two with an hour break in between, where I’d gone to the library to write a paper. But it didn’t matter how much I’d tried to focus on what I was writing or the notes I was taking during class because the only thing on my mind was Oliver, especially after reliving my conversation with Molly this morning.
And it was the impending talk I needed to have with him that I was focused on when I stepped out of the building. I was only a few paces from the door when I felt a hand on my stomach and heard, “Chloe,” in Oliver’s perfect voice in my ear.
As though it were completely natural in this cold weather, a wave of warmth passed through my chest and went straight to my toes.
I felt him.
Everywhere.
And I had all day, like each time I’d shifted in my seat or rubbed my thighs together. And as he turned me toward him, it happened again, our eyes instantly connecting. He looked so handsome in the cold with his dark wool hat and puffy coat, each of his breaths hitting the air as steam.
“I was hoping to catch you.” Through my jacket, I could even feel the power of his fingers, and they became stronger with every second that passed. “After last night,” he continued, “I didn’t want to tell you over the phone that I have to go away for a few days; I wanted to say it in person.” He leaned forward, briefly pressing his lips against mine.
He was more than just heat.
He was sex and passion and thoughtfulness and patience, wrapped together with the most delicious beard and accent.
I shook my head as I realized what he had just said. “You’re leaving?”
“Me and my mates are going skiing in Switzerland. We’ve been doing it since our first year. I meant to tell you last night.” His eyes went to my lips the same time his hand caressed my chin, both making the heat in my body start to boil. “But you distracted me … like you’re doing right now.”
We were in the middle of the sidewalk, not far from class, but we could have been in the center of the road, and it wouldn’t have mattered. I couldn’t move, not with the way he was making me feel.
“How long will you be gone?”
His thumb brushed against the bottom of my cheek, back and forth. “Five days.” His gaze dropped again, the hunger in his expression growing, the more he stared at my mouth. “Another reason I didn’t call”—he looked up—“I wanted to kiss you before I left.”
I couldn’t respond.
Because now, both of his hands were on my face, and I was completely melting, taking in every bit of air he exhaled.
As he pulled me against him, his lips crashing to mine, I felt his pulse in my chest, his taste on my tongue, and I didn’t think I could feel more complete.
“Fuck,” he growled as he separated us. “It’s impossible to keep my mouth off you.” I smiled, and he gave me one more brief kiss. “I have to go, but I’ll text you in a little while.”
I had no idea what to say. I wasn’t even sure I was breathing. So, I nodded, just so he knew I heard him, and felt him squeeze me one last time before he walked away.
How will I give this up?
That was the thought that clutched me and wouldn’t let go as I watched him move down the sidewalk and turn a corner, disappearing from my sight.
Oliver: I just ran my hand across my face and smelled you.
I stared at the screen, reading his text over and over. They were just letters, but they had the power to create these feelings in my body that were explosive. And they were doing just that, his touch so fresh in my mind.
Me: That must mean you miss me.
Oliver: So fucking much. Are you out?
Me: With my roommate at a pub.
Oliver: I wish I could hear you say that in your American accent.
Me: I feel the same about yours.
Oliver: Be careful tonight. Don’t leave her side.
Me: Yes, sir. ;)
Oliver: Baby, that’s a whole different kind of trouble you don’t want to get yourself involved in … yet.
I glanced up from my phone and immediately caught eyes with my roommate.
“Oliver?” she asked.
&
nbsp; My relationship with her was much different than what I had with Molly, but she was a wonderful person to experience this with. “Yes. He’s so naughty.”
She lifted her beer and took a drink from it. “Is he asking for something?”
“No.”
“What would he do if you sent him a selfie?”
I shook my head. “I have no idea … nor do I even know where to start with any of that.”
She stuck out her hand. “I do. Give me your phone.”
I lifted my cell off the table and handed it to her.
“Turn your face toward the door,” she instructed, holding my phone into the air.
I prepared myself for the shot, running my fingers through my hair, tilting my body in a better direction, aiming my face at a good angle.
“Got it.” She tapped the screen several times as though she was checking to be sure, and then she returned the phone to me. “What do you think?”
I couldn’t stop staring at the picture because it looked nothing like me—not the smile or the glimmer in my eyes. It was a happiness I’d never seen before, never felt, and I knew it was from him.
Oliver Bennett.
“Don’t cover it with a filter or have me retake it. Send it just the way it is.” I glanced up as she added, “Trust me.”
Before I could overthink it or question myself, I attached the photo to his text and hit Send. “Done.”
She clinked her glass against mine. “Now, we wait.”
Oliver: Fuck me … you’re gorgeous.
I smiled as I glanced up from my cell, lifting my beer off the table. “He approves of the picture,” I said.
“Of course he does.” My roommate returned the grin. “It’s his turn, and you’d better tell him that too.”
She was good at this, and I was certainly going to take her advice.
Me: Show me something.
Bubbles appeared on his side of the screen, staying there for several seconds before an audio message came through, followed by another text.
Oliver: Listen to that when you’re alone in your bed.
Me: That could be hours from now.
Oliver: It’ll be worth the wait.
Me: Tease.
Oliver: Remember how I was rubbing your clit? That’s what I want you to do while you’re listening to it.
I glanced at my roommate, feeling the blush on my cheeks, and I saw that she was talking to a guy at the next table. Feeling a little less guilty, I returned my attention to the screen.
Me: You’re relentless. But I like it.
Oliver: Now, you have an idea of what you’re doing to me. Text me after.
Me: It could be late.
Oliver: I’m not going to bed anytime soon.
“I need another drink,” I said as I put down my phone, my voice loud enough that my roommate stopped talking to the man next to her, and she glanced at me. “And I think I need something a little stronger than this.” I was on my second beer, and it was less than half full.
“I like where this is going.” She adjusted herself over the small barstool, called over our waiter, and said, “We’ll have four shots, all tequila, and please make them extra cold,” once he arrived at our table.
When we were alone again, I put my hand on top of hers. “I have to remember tonight. That’s vital.” I showed her Oliver’s texts just to give her an idea of what we were dealing with.
When she read enough, she smiled and said, “We’re just warming you up; we’re not losing you. Don’t you worry.”
“Hello?” I said into my phone after I saw Oliver’s name come across the screen.
It was past three in the morning. My roommate had gone home with the guy she’d been talking to at the bar, so I was alone. I had taken full advantage of the privacy, and while I’d listened to Oliver’s forty-four second message that gave me instructions on how to touch myself, I had done exactly what he’d told me to. The picture I’d taken After—the caption I’d also added under the photo—I’d just sent to him a few minutes ago. I couldn’t believe how fast he responded.
“I’ve never wanted to be in London so badly in my fucking life,” he responded, sounding so different than what I was used to. Rough and more growly, like he’d been laughing for hours and he was giving me the little bit of voice he had left.
My eyes briefly closed as the heat began to spark in my body, spreading through me with fierce speed.
To take the shot, I’d turned off all the lights and posed in front of our full-length mirror, wearing only a tank top and panties. Relying on just streetlamps, which was hardly much at all, it made the picture extremely shadowy and too dark to show any details.
Still, it was a taste of me.
One he obviously liked.
“Come back to me, then,” I replied, rolling onto my side, bringing the blanket with me.
“Can’t happen, sweet girl.”
I tucked the scratchy wool under my chin and adjusted my pillow. “Then, how many more days until you come back to me?”
Tequila was in my blood, and it hadn’t died down even a little since I returned from the pub.
“Too many.” He exhaled a long, deep breath. “My God, Chloe. Your fucking body is perfect. If I didn’t want all my mates drooling over this photo, you’d be the background on my phone.” He sighed again, reminding me of when he had done that across my body, his air so delicately hitting my skin. “When I get home, I’m going to kiss every inch of your skin.”
I smiled and rolled onto my back, bending my knees and grinding my toes into the bed.
“Are you still sore?”
I didn’t know why, but I couldn’t sit still as his words vibrated through me, every move causing the tenderness between my legs to ache. But it was the softness in his question, his sensitiveness that was the reason I was melting.
“A little, but I’m okay.”
I heard him take a breath. “I’ll be gentler next time.”
I put my hand under my head, kicking the blanket down, hoping that would cool me off. “Oliver, that’s not what I want at all.”
He chuckled, and it was the sexiest sound. “I’m fucking crazy about you.”
I smiled as I looked up at the ceiling, thinking of him all the way in Switzerland and how many days until I saw him again. There were far too many.
“You have no idea …” I whispered.
“Sleep well, sweet girl.”
Fifteen
“Hi,” I said, answering Oliver’s call as I passed the pub a block from my dorm. “Are you about to pop out from an alley and scare the shit out of me?” I glanced behind me just to be sure.
He laughed. “Not this morning, but I’ll be back tomorrow night.”
I continued to walk toward my building, shoving my free hand into my pocket to keep warm. “I can’t wait.”
Every time he called, every time we exchanged texts—both happening several times a day—it made me miss him more.
“It’s going to be late,” he said. “How about I text you the code to the back door, and you can wait for me at my place? I’ll order you some food, and if you get tired, go to sleep, and I’ll wake you.”
I was a little blown away by his offer.
I tried to imagine what it would feel like to be there by myself, eating food he had delivered and then getting into his bed. I’d spread out over his big, comfy mattress with his extra-fluffy blanket, all of it smelling of leather and lust, and wait for him to return.
There was a feeling in my chest, almost like my lungs had frozen and the air was jump-starting them. And once they were filled, a burning sensation began to spread through me.
“That sounds perfect,” I replied, and I walked up the steps of my building. My hand was now slick inside my jacket, and I pulled it out to grab the handle of the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
“Yes, you will.”
As I climbed out of the taxi, I repeated Oliver’s code in my head so I wouldn’t forget it as I rushed up to
his door. I slipped off my glove to enter the five-digit code, and once the lights above the lock turned green, it unlocked.
Since I’d been here before, I knew the basic layout of the home and where the most important things were located. I just didn’t know small details, like where the light switches were. My hand banged around the wall, searching the dark entryway until I found the cold metal knob.
The inside looked exactly as it had the last time I was here. It was a bachelor pad, which meant most things didn’t have a home and it was semi-clean. None of the guys had Molly’s level of organization; that was for sure.
At the thought of her, I took out my phone and pressed the button to call her.
“Are you at his house?” she asked as she answered.
I took a seat on one of the barstools in the kitchen, resting my arm on the counter. “Yep.”
“When’s he due back?”
“They’re just waiting for their flight. It’s a short one, I believe.”
“Girl, what the hell are you going to do in the meantime?”
I shrugged even though she couldn’t see me, and I wandered over to the fridge. “He’s sending me dinner, so I guess I’ll eat and watch TV. I have no idea.” I took a beer off the shelf, found an opener in one of the drawers, and sipped it while I walked to his room. My heart pounded as I turned his doorknob. “Oh my God,” I moaned as I swung open his door.
“What, woman?”
I closed my eyes, taking a long, deep breath. “His room smells amazing.” I inhaled again, not wanting the scent to ever go away. “Whatever he sprays on his body is seriously magical.”
“I think that’s just part of being a unicorn; smelling magical is a requirement.” She giggled. “What’s his room like?”
“A king-size bed.” My eyes fell over the white comforter, remembering how it had felt when I stabbed it with my nails. “There’s a giant flat screen on the wall with books and clothes are kinda everywhere and a massive bag of soccer balls takes up an entire corner.”