by Nikki Rose
“I’m out of here.” Adam turned his attention to me, “let me know if you ever lose this douche. I thought we could hang out sometime.”
Adam turned and walked away.
“Come on. Let’s get you home.” Chris pressed his hand against the small of my back, guiding me down the steps and toward the car.
“Have you completely lost your mind? Adam is a guy in my class. He’s not some assassin sent to get me.”
“It’s my job to protect you. He put his hands on you. I stopped it.”
“He was just trying to ask for my number. You can’t just go around throwing people into walls because they touch my arm. That’s just insane.”
We stopped at the car and Chris opened the door for me. “Get in.”
I plopped down in the seat, put on my seat belt and watched Chris walk around the car. I glared at him still unable to believe he’d actually acted so irrationally. It was unlike him then it hit me.
“Were you jealous?”
“What?” He finally looked at me as he started the car.
“He talked to me in class. He was stopping me to ask for my number. You were jealous. That’s why you overreacted.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” He turned his gaze from me and pulled out of the parking lot.
“You’re the one being ridiculous.” I snapped. “That was so embarrassing...”
“I was doing my job.”
“You were being a bull headed, jealous, jack—”
“Watch it.” He cast me a warning glance and I thought it best to drop it for the moment. No matter how upset and embarrassed I was at how he had acted, there was a small part of me that warmed at his protectiveness. I turned my gaze out the window and watched the buildings fly by as we drove toward home.
We didn’t speak another word until after Chris pulled through the security gate and parked the car.
I unbuckled my seatbelt and went to get out of the car.
“I’m sorry. I overreacted.” Chris’s solemn words made me pause.
“It’s okay and thank you.”
“For what?”
“For always protecting me.” I flashed him a quick smile before getting out of the car and heading in to the house.
Chapter 10
I woke before my alarm on Memorial day like it was Christmas morning. This year felt extra special because it almost didn’t happen. There was nothing like almost losing something to make you appreciate it more.
For once, I was sure I’d woke up before Chris. I hurried to his room to wake him up only to find his bedroom door ajar. I pushed the door open slowly and looked inside. It was empty. Does this man ever sleep?
“Looking for me?” The deep rumble of Chris’s voice came from behind me and made me jump. Guilt struck me like a shock of electricity through my body and I whirled around, trying to play it cool but that plan went out the window when I laid eyes on him — shirtless, sweaty, in just a pair of gym shorts.
From the way his clothes fit, It was obvious from the first time I saw him that Chris was built but to see him without the shirt to hide his rippling muscles glistening with the light sheen of sweat that covered his chest and torso was more than my poor heart could handle.
Chris cleared his voice, pulling me from my blatant gawking and I blushed.
“Where you looking for me?”
“I thought you’d still be asleep so early. I was just coming to wake you up.”
“I was in the home gym for my morning workout.”
I snuck a glance up at him. The bastard was giving me that cocky grin that told me he was quite aware that his appearance was leaving me flustered.
“Do you ever sleep? You are working when I go to bed then get up to work out before I’m even awake.”
“You didn’t think I got this body by sitting around behind a desk all day did you?” He motioned toward his chiseled six pack and my face flushed.
I swallowed hard and tried to force down the heat rising in my neck and into my cheeks. “I haven’t really given your body much thought.” Lies.
“Uh huh. Sure.” He was still looking at me with that annoying, sexy grin that made me want to smack him and jump on him all at once.
I rolled my eyes. This subject needed to be changed — now.
“You told all the volunteers to be here at least a half an hour early, right? I know they only had three weeks notice for the party but my dad said we had to have —.”
“I’ve got it all under control, princess. You’ll have your Memorial day celebration today.”
I couldn’t help but flash a giant grin at the mention of the celebration which made Chris trade in his cocky smirk for a genuine smile.
“Thank you for making this possible. I know my dad would have canceled if it wasn’t for you.”
“You’ve been locked up most of the time since the threats started — hell, even before that from what you’ve told me. You deserve to have a fun day with your dad.”
My grin threatened to split my face in half but I couldn’t control it. I was so happy. Lost in my happiness, I lunged at Chris, wrapping my arms around his waist and squeezed him in a giant bear hug. “Thank you.”
His arms wrapped around me and pulled me into him so naturally it was like we’d embraced like that a hundred times but then he stepped back. “I’m getting you all sweaty.”
“Oh, it's okay. I have to take a shower before today anyway.”
“Sounds like a good idea. I’m about to hit the shower too.”
If the sight of sweaty post-workout Chris got my heart racing, the idea of seeing him in the shower with little rivets of water snaking their way down the valleys between his rippling muscles made my whole body overheat in the best ways possible. I pulled myself quickly from those thoughts before I embarrassed myself farther.
“Okay, well, I guess I’ll see you downstairs for breakfast.”
It was finally time. After a shower and breakfast, I got ready for the party and before I knew it, the guests started arriving. I rushed downstairs in my red, white, and blue fitted tee and jean shorts I knew my dad would complain were too short.
I rushed out on the patio where the extra grills were being lined up and other summer treats were being arranged by the caterers on a long picnic table. I snuck over to the food table and snagged a slice of watermelon from a large tray and bit into it sending juice dripping down my chin.
“Caught ya.” Chris snuck up behind me and grabbed my sides. I squealed and jumped around to face him.
“Gah, you scared me half to death. Don’t sneak up on me like that.”
“Now what’s the fun in that?”
“How about not killing the girl you’re supposed to be protecting?”
“Hey, you said I scared you half to death. I still had another half to go before you would have died so I think we’re safe.” His teasing grin didn’t annoy me today. Today it made me smile.
“Next time we might not be so lucky.”
“Lucky about what?” Amanda came up and interjected into our conversation.
“Chris scared me half to death. I was telling him next time it might actually kill me.”
“You can scare me to death if it means you giving me mouth to mouth.” Amanda was too flirty with Chris and I didn’t like it. She was lucky she was my best friend but her constant flirting and checking him out was getting old.
“If I scared you to death, I don’t think mouth to mouth would do much good.” Chris teased but it also shut down the flirting at least temporarily.
Amanda turned her attention to me after realizing she wasn’t getting anywhere with Chris. “So, is Derek coming?”
I glanced over at Chris and he stepped closer to me, grazing his hand gently across the small of my back. “I’m going to go check in with security and the volunteers. You girls have fun.” He smiled at me as he turned to leave.
“Okay, see you in a little while.”
Amanda waited until Chris was out of earshot before she grabbed my arm and pulled me c
loser. “Oh my gosh. Is there something going on between you and Chris?”
“What? No. Of course not.”
“I don’t know. You two seem a lot closer than last time I was here.”
“We’re getting along better now.”
“Oh yeah, I bet you are.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively which only made me roll my eyes.
“Nothing is going on between me and Chris.”
“Yeah, okay. Sure thing. Whatever you say. So is he a good kisser?”
“Amanda. Nothing has happened.”
“But you want it to.”
“No, I...” She was right. I did want it too. I couldn’t deny it. I could never lie to her so I settled for the short truth. “It’s complicated.”
“Because of your dad.” She didn’t even have to ask. Amanda knew better than anyone how my father could be.
“Among other things.”
“Like what?”
“Like, I don’t think Chris is even attracted to me like that.”
“He is.”
“What do you mean, he is? How could you possibly know that?” My tone was incredulous but inside it was hopeful. Maybe she saw something I didn’t.
“It’s in the way he looks at you. There’s an unexplainable look in his eyes when he looks at you that is something from an old romance movie.”
“You’re crazy. I think the heat is melting your brain. Come on. Let’s go get something to drink.”
I led Amanda to a table covered with plastic cups filled with a choice of lemonade or iced tea. We grabbed one of each, mixing them together before we each drank.
“It is so hot.”
It was an unusually hot day. I looked forward to once the sun began to set and the day began to cool off. Just then, one of our guest’s little kid’s squeal caught my attention. A little toddler no more than three years old ran through the sprinklers set up off to the side along with several other older kids.
“They have the right idea.” I nodded my head toward them and Amanda laughed.
“Yeah, I miss those days.”
“Why do we have to miss them? Come on.” I ran toward the sprinklers, pulling her along behind me.
The cold water struck my upper thigh and took my breath but as I got used to the cool water, it felt so good compared to the blazing sun. I let go of Amanda and she ran out of the water before messing up her hair and makeup but I didn’t care.
I closed my eyes, spinning around as the droplets danced on my skin. When I finally stopped, I was out of breath, a strand of damp hair clung to my cheek, and Chris was standing on the sidelines staring at me. The heat in his eyes made me hotter than the blaring heat of the sun ever could.
I took a deep breath and tried to pull myself together before walking over to him.
“Enjoying the show?”
“You looked like you were having fun.”
“I was, but now I’m all wet. I need to go get changed into some dry clothes.”
Chris nodded and I went up to my room. A chill ran through me being in the air conditioned house. I couldn’t wait to get out of my wet clothes. As soon as I walked in my bedroom door, I peeled my shirt over my head and tossed it in the hamper on my way to my dresser. I wiggled out of my wet shorts before digging through the drawers, searching for something else to wear.
I put on a new t-shirt and was digging through the pile of clean laundry I had yet to put away when I heard someone at my partly opened door.
The dark hall only offered enough light for me to see the familiar silhouette. “Chris?”
He stepped out of the dark and into my room. “I was just coming to check on you. They were just about to start serving the food.”
“Okay, I’ll be right down.”
There was something different in the way he was looking at me — a hunger in his eyes. Or maybe it was all in my mind.
He licked his lips, and all I could think about was how that tongue might feel running along my lips, sliding between them in a deep kiss. I wasn't sure what was wrong with me. I knew we shouldn't. But I was curious. I had to know what it would be like to kiss him. Just once. Just enough to satiate my curiosity.
I stepped closer to him, not giving him much room between me and the door jam. But he didn’t move away. He just stood there, staring down at me with a heated gaze. My heart pounded against my chest and it was hard to breathe. I couldn’t believe I was making a move on him.
“Kiss me?” My voice was a breathy whisper against his ear and I knew it affected him by the hardness that pressed against my thigh.
“Nothing can happen between us, Caroline. You know that.” His voice was firm but I sensed his willpower wavering.
“I know. But, I need to know what it's like to kiss you. Just one kiss.”
He finally met my eye. “Just one kiss? Out of curiosity?”
“Yes.” I breathed, my heart racing at the thought of his lips on mine.
His jaw clenched clearly fighting with himself.
“If I'm going to kiss you it's going to be a real kiss. I won't half-ass it,” he warned, but I took it as a promise. A delicious promise.
My face must have said it all because he didn't waste any more time. A growl erupted from deep in his chest. He grabbed me, backing me up until he pinned me to the wall, holding my wrists with one hand above my head. He pressed his body hard against mine and lingered there, not kissing me, just building the anticipation and making me ache for his kiss. I opened my mouth to speak, wanting to break the silence when his lips crashed into mine. Taking — claiming — his tongue coaxed its way passed my lips and began battling with mine with so much passion and need that my knees nearly gave out.
The kiss went on for several minutes, the heat between us only growing. I’d wanted to know what it was like to kiss him to prove to myself it wasn’t as great as I was imagining it in my head but it was better.
I knew we’d said only one kiss but I needed more. I hooked one leg over his hip and wrapped my arms around his neck.
“Caroline, we can’t.”
“Why not? Just once. I need to feel you inside me just one time.”
“We shouldn’t.”
I kissed him again, grinding myself against his already hard shaft. “Just once.”
“Like you said about the kiss?”
“Just one time. One night. We’re both adults. Can’t we give ourselves just that?”
He hesitated but I could see he wanted to. “Just a one night stand? Two adults getting what they need from each other and nothing more.”
“Sounds perfect.” I rolled my hips against the bulge in his jeans.
“It’ll have to be quick. There’s a party going on. People will wonder where we went.”
“That’s all I need. Just one hard, fast f—.”
Chris’s resolve finally disappeared. He kissed me again, hard. I unzipped his jeans and reached in to pull out his impressive length. He broke the kiss, reached into his wallet and pulled out a condom. He tore it open and rolled it on without missing a beat. His deep brown eyes met mine, searching and seeking for something.
“You’re sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
That was all he needed to hear, Chris didn’t even bother to undress me, just moved my panties to the side and thrust in hard. I cried out and he silenced my cries with his mouth, swallowing my screams of pleasure as he pounded into me. It was fast, desperate, and exactly what I needed.
The guys I’d dated in the past were all so proper. Most were hesitant to sleep with me because of who my dad was. When they did, there was a lot of fumbling, hesitant touches and timid kisses but not Chris. No, it was clear he knew exactly what he was doing. He took what he wanted and gave it back just as well.[1]
I didn’t need a long work up. The weeks I’d been around Chris, letting the sexual tension build everyday, every training session, every time we opened up to one another, it was all the foreplay I needed. From the time he’d p
inned me to the wall I’d been on a steady climb, racing for the precipice I’d soon be thrown over. My insides clenched around him, trembling as my pleasure neared its peak. His grip on me tightened and he thrusted again harder than before. My body exploded like a million little fireworks bursting all at once. I muffled my cry in the crook of his neck. His thrusts turned frenzied, like he couldn’t get enough until he came in a loud roar. His body moved in violent rippling waves as we rode out the aftershocks together.
We stood there against the wall, panting and struggling to catch our breaths when we heard the creaky board from someone walking. Chris zipped up and I readjusted my clothing just as one of Chris’s guys came up.
“Hey, Chris. You up here? Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to —.”
My heart pounded against my sternum and I was breathless when he pulled away. It stopped as fast as it had began, leaving us both at a loss for words and desperate for air.
“Mason. Hey, yeah I'll be right down.” Chris played it so cool but I knew he had to be panicking on the inside just like I was.
I nearly slid down the wall as he removed his hold on me. So much for getting it out of our system. I wasn’t sure about him, but I knew for me, it only made me crave him more. I’d still be fantasizing about that night years from now.
“You okay?” Chris brushed a stray hair out of my face but I didn’t want him acting different because he felt obligated to me after what we had shared.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“I — uh. I should see what Mason needed and check in with the other guys. And, you don't need to be missing out on anymore of the party.”
“Yeah, sure.” He left me standing against the wall of my bedroom.
“Chris.” I called back to him desperately as he stepped out of my bedroom door.
He stopped in his tracks, turning in the doorway to look back at me. I wanted to run to him, to be in his arms again. I’d never felt so safe and yet so excited in my whole life. I needed to say something to him but I didn’t know what.
“Caroline?”
I said the only thing I could come up with at the time. “You don’t think he’s going to tell my dad, do you?”