She throws her arms around me, crushing the flowers between us. She says into my ear, “I’ll hold you to that promise, McBride. Please don’t break my heart.”
Hearing her say those words almost breaks mine. I’m more than a little surprised to feel my throat tightening and tears threatening to prickle my eyes. I blink them away before I become a sappy lovesick puppy. I clear my throat and whisper, “You can bet your life on it.”
She pulls away and looks down at the flowers as if she’s just noticed me holding them. “Purple orchids,” she says. “How did you know?”
I try to fix the bundle of flowers that we crushed in our embrace. “Uh, I called your folks and talked to your dad. I told him that I fucked up. Well, not in those words, but I said I needed to beg for your forgiveness and I asked him what your favorite flower is.” I frown at her. “I feel like a douche not already knowing that. I’m sorry.”
“You called my dad?” She looks at me through wide eyes.
I nod. “Yeah.”
Her eyebrows furrow in confusion. “And he told you to get these? He specifically said purple orchids?”
“Yes, why, is that not okay?” I ask.
She smiles, flashing me her perfect teeth and that adorable dimple. I guess she’s okay with it then.
“Actually, we talked for fifteen minutes. Before we hung up, he said he was proud of me for admitting I was wrong and for calling him.” I shake my head, still finding it hard to believe. “Can you imagine that?”
I couldn’t quite get my head around her dad accepting my faults and then declaring his pride. It was the first time in my life that any man, other than my coaches, has ever said those words to me. After hanging up the phone, I sat and stared at it for what seemed like hours. This is the man who, if I’m lucky enough, will someday be my father-in-law and I already like him better than my own dad.
“Of course I can, Gavin,” she says. “I told you before, he’s just a big teddy bear.”
“Yeah . . . a big teddy bear that’ll put my balls on a platter if I ever hurt you again.”
She laughs. “He did not say that.”
“Well, not in so many words, but he sure as shit got the meaning across.”
“Thank you.” She smiles up at me. “For the flowers. For calling my dad. For truly being sorry.” She looks at the ground. “I’m sorry, too. I didn’t mean to tell you . . . um, I didn’t mean to say . . .”
“Don’t be sorry, Bay. I think we’re both feeling a little insecure about our summer apart. I promise you as soon as I can get there this summer, I’ll come to Maple Creek.” I take her face in my hands. “Wild horses couldn’t keep me away from you.” I kiss her forehead. “Six weeks. That’s all. It’ll go by fast and then we’ll be together.”
She looks so damn sad and I watch as her lower lip quivers. I really didn’t think it was affecting her so much. I’ll do anything to wipe that look off her face. Anything. I blow out a long breath. “I think I should cancel Brazil.”
Her glassy eyes snap to mine. “What? No! You can’t do that for me. I won’t let you. You’d resent me for it later. Plus, it’s an incredible opportunity.”
“I don’t think you understand, Bay.” I grip her waist and pull her hard against me. “I wouldn’t be doing it for you. I can’t breathe without you. I know that makes me sound like a goddamn girl, but it’s true.” With my eyes, I follow the tear that runs down her face before I kiss it, tasting the saltiness of it along with the sweet flavor of her skin. “Are we risking forever by being apart, darlin’?”
She smiles at me sweetly and runs her hand along my bicep. “Forever will be there when you return from Brazil, Gavin.”
God, I love this girl.
“What do you say we skip philosophy and go back to my place to make up properly?” I raise an eyebrow at her. “I’ve never experienced makeup sex, but I hear it’s smokin’-hot.” I wink. She blushes. We laugh.
“I’d love to, and I promise we can later, but I can’t afford to skip class. I’m behind enough as it is.” She narrows her eyes at me tentatively. “Gavin Maddox McBride, weren’t you supposed to be at practice?”
“Some things are more important,” I say.
She shakes her head. “No. I don’t want you skipping practice for me. Don’t do it again. Not ever,” she commands. The dominance in her voice makes my dick twitch.
“Bay, we’d better get to class before I take you right here against this wall.”
I spend the next hour and fifteen minutes of our philosophy lecture thinking of all the ways I’m going to make it up to her in my bed tonight.
chapter twenty
I understand the need for Baylor to concentrate on her studies. But that doesn’t make it hurt any less when I hear from someone, usually Karen, that she and Asswipe were seen at Starbucks, or the library, or even at her dorm. I know they’re friends and he helps her study a lot as, apparently, I’m too ‘distracting.’ And of course, I’d be a total dick to say anything after our blowout a few weeks ago. But, dammit, we only have a few weeks left before we’ll be apart for six weeks. You’d think she’d want to spend every waking minute with me. There are times I convince myself that she’s pulling away from me since our fight. But then when we’re together, even if it’s just for a few hours, she gives me her undivided attention and makes me feel like the most important person in her life—like the only guy left on earth even. It’s those times I try to remember when I’m feeling like I am right now, which is pretty much like the whiney pussy-whipped douche that I am.
The thing is, school has always come pretty easy for me. I never really had to hit the books hard like most students. Even though Bay is almost a straight-A student, she has to put in a shit-ton of effort to do it. So even thinking of taking her away from her studies, more than I already have, makes me feel like a selfish bastard. So while she’s off studying with Asswipe or one of her other friends, I’m at the library immersing myself into researching film production jobs and what it takes to land a good one. I know I still have two more years of school, but I need to make absolutely sure I can give Bay the life she deserves without having to accept handouts from the congressman.
My dad’s not very happy with me right now. I explained that instead of interning with his office when I return from Brazil, I’ll be heading to Connecticut for a few weeks. He’s not supporting that decision, but he doesn’t have to. I’m twenty years old, I’ve earned a damn fine scholarship and I have a small trust fund from my dad’s older sister. He could cut me off completely and I’d still get by, although Mom would never allow it.
I still haven’t told him about switching majors. It’s not a conversation I intend on having with him until graduation if I can help it.
So, even though he fought me tooth-and-nail, I went ahead and secured my plane ticket to New York City that departs two days after I return from Brazil. I haven’t told Baylor yet. She knows I want to visit her, but she has no idea I’ve planned it all out, and I’m sure she won’t expect that I’ll stay for two weeks. I ran it by her dad of course, when I called to ask which hotel I should stay in. He wouldn’t have it. Said I’d stay in the guest room as long as I respected his rules.
I can’t wait to tell her this weekend. We have a whole day planned right before finals week. No school, no studying, no Karen or Asswipe—just us. She’s agreed to a sleepover. We haven’t had one since spring break for one reason or another and it’s been pure torture. She’s been hitting the books hard these past few weeks, and is rewarding herself with ‘Gavin Day’—her words not mine. She can call it whatever the hell she wants as long as it means I will have her to myself for twenty-four amazing hours.
My phone vibrates and I smile when I see the text.
Baylor: Whatcha doin’?
Me: Research. You?
Baylor: Taking a break from the final paper in my creative writing class.
Me: Sounds thrilling.
Baylor: Not as thrilling as say . . . running my fingers d
own your strong body and reaching them inside your jeans to grab you . . .
My pants get tight and I quickly glance around to make sure nobody notices. Nobody does, of course. They are all too busy studying for their finals to pay me any attention.
Me: Are you sexting me, darlin’?
Baylor: Do you want me to sext you?
Me: Hell yeah! But I’m not entirely sure how smart that is right now considering I’m sitting in the library.
Baylor: Do you want me to stop?
Me: Absolutely not! Tell me what you were gonna grab.
Baylor: I was going to grab you, Gavin.
Me: Say it, Bay. I want to see you text the words to me.
Complete radio silence. I contemplate telling her I’m joking, but I give her a few more seconds to see if she’ll really do it.
Baylor: I want to grab your cock and stroke it just like you showed me.
Holy shit! I re-read it to confirm my girl really texted the word cock. I won’t be able to move for a while. I’m stuck to the chair with a rapidly growing hard on. I hope there’s not a fire drill.
Me: Do you know how hard you just made me, darlin’?
Baylor: No, I don’t. But you could show me.
Show her? What the hell, does she want me to take a picture of it? Before I can respond, my phone vibrates again.
Baylor: Look behind you, Gavin.
I turn around as much as I can without revealing my . . . situation, and I see my beautiful blushing girlfriend sitting at the table directly behind me. I quietly laugh and shake my head, then I tap out a text.
Me: Got 20 minutes? Okay, maybe 30.
Baylor: Just. What do you have in mind?
Me: Go to the 3rd floor, find study carrel 39 – it belongs to the soccer players. I have a key. Wait there. Give me a few minutes to follow. Once inside, you can grab all the cock you want.
I hear an audible gasp behind me and I know she’s read it.
Baylor: R u serious?
Me: As a heart attack, darlin’.
Baylor: How many others have you taken there?
Me: It’ll only be you, Bay. It’ll only ever be you.
Baylor: K. Meet you there in 5 :-)
My day just got a whole lot better.
When I come around the corner for our Wednesday morning run and see Baylor, she instantly turns red. Since yesterday’s Film Studies class was cancelled, it’s the first time I’ve seen her since we violated the study carrel two days ago.
If I ever need a memory to get me through our six weeks apart, it’ll be of her sitting on the desk—legs spread wide for me as I feasted on her under the fluorescent lights of the small private room. I didn’t have a condom with me, but we took care of each other in every other way possible. She said it was the best study break she ever had. See—King-fucking-Kong.
She covers her flushed face with her hands, and as a result, I can barely hear the cock-twitching giggle behind them.
“Mornin’, darlin’.” I pull her into a hug.
“Morning,” she replies. “I still can’t believe we did that, Gavin.”
“Hey, everyone should have some kind of sexual escapade at least once in the library during their college career,” I say. “At least we were in the locked study carrel and not the stacks like some people.”
She looks appalled that some students would really do that. I nod my head at her to assure her it’s true.
“Oh, so it was all about the ‘college experience’,” she says, using air quotes.
“Hell no, it was about the ‘Baylor Experience’,” I say. “I’ll take you anywhere and any way I can get you. That’s a right good fact, darlin’.”
I belatedly notice that she looks tired today. More so than usual at this early hour. She has dark circles under her eyes and I could swear she’s lost weight. “Bay, are you sure you’re not spreading yourself too thin? Maybe you should cut back on some of your responsibilities.”
She glares at me. “Which would you have me do, Gavin, quit my job or disappoint the kids at the hospital?”
Based on the look she’s giving me right now, I’m not sure there is a right answer. So I do what any guy would do in my situation. I shut up about it.
“Tell me again exactly what you do at the children’s hospital?”
“I started out reading to the kids. Sometimes in a group and sometimes at their bedside if they’re too weak to move to the common area. But then I began telling them stories and they really seem to like that. Every time I go in, they get excited, asking me what’s going to happen next.”
I study her for a beat. “Maybe you should write books. It’s obvious you have a great imagination.”
She laughs. “I could never be a real writer, Gavin. Well, more than newspaper articles and stuff.”
“You’ll never know unless you try,” I say. “I mean, you didn’t know that you could give a killer blow job until you tried, now did you?”
As her face turns three shades of red, I grab her hand and pull her along to start our run. I try to enjoy every minute of it as I know it’s one of our last for a good while. She’s missed some in the last few weeks, claiming she was simply too tired from studying so late. I had to bite my tongue every time to keep from asking her if she was up late with Asswipe. I’ll do anything to keep from fighting with her again, even live in denial if I have to. And denial has become part of our normal routine these days. Since our fight, neither of us will mention Karen or Chris, and if we happen to be with them during a text or a call, we simply say we’re with friends. We both know we’re doing it. It’s an unspoken rule. But sometimes I wonder if it’s the right thing to do or if we are simply putting off something we inevitably will be forced to deal with.
We’re slowing down and approaching her dorm when she asks, “Will you still run with me when you’re in Brazil?”
I smile at the fact that she’s brought it up. I’ve been waiting to see if she would and I have long since worked out the time difference. “I know you said you’ll work most mornings this summer at the restaurant, and since I have a busy schedule during the day, maybe we could shift our runs later. How about I run at seven o’clock my time and you run at four in the afternoon your time. Would that work for you?”
Her face lights up. “You already thought about this?”
“Of course I did, darlin’. Just remember, this is us now—we can text or call before or after each run. It’ll be like I never left. You can even Facetime me to see my sweaty mug if you want.”
“Can I get some more pictures of you before I go back home?” she asks.
I raise an eyebrow at her. “Now, exactly what kind of pictures are we talkin’ about, Bay?”
She blushes and elbows me in the ribs. “Perv,” she says.
“I’d do it if you wanted me to. I’d even let you take ‘em,” I say, getting a semi just thinking about what we could do five thousand miles apart with naked pictures of each other.
This week has gone by all too fast. Hell, this whole semester has. Three months. That’s how long we’ve been together. But I feel like I’ve loved her my whole goddamn life—that she was custom made just for me. I’m an entirely different person now than I was a mere eight months ago. Stalking Baylor was the best decision I’ve ever made in my entire twenty years.
I went all out this weekend. I needed to make it a day she’d remember. Flowers. Candles. Music. All that sappy shit that chicks love. We’ll only get one more chance to really be together next Friday before the summer break, but even that will only be a few hours as she will have a late-afternoon flight to catch. So, I’m pulling out all the stops. There’s not a chance in hell I’m sending Baylor back to Maple Creek with Asswipe unless she’s thoroughly fucking satisfied.
We’re off to a good start as I lay here and wait for her to return from the bathroom after a night of marathon sex followed by a few short hours of sleep. Naked Baylor. I never realized how happy I’d be one day having my own private bathroom off my bedro
om. But with our quest to remain unclothed as much as possible, it has come in right handy.
She runs out of the bathroom and quickly jumps into bed, hurdling over me and diving under the covers. I laugh at her shyness. “Darlin’, I’ve seen you naked as a jaybird dozens of times, and I can assure you, you’ve got absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I feel fat,” she whines, pulling the sheet around her.
I shake my head at her and try not to roll my eyes. “Baylor, you couldn’t be fat if you tried,” I assure her. “Your curves are perfect.” I run my hand along her hip, over the top sheet that covers her. “You are petite and beautiful and I could stare at your incredible body all day long.”
Her face lights up at my words. I add, “But if you feel the need to burn a few more calories, I know just the thing.”
She giggles. “You’re a machine, Gavin McBride. You know that, don’t you?”
“Only for you, darlin’.” I grab her hand and watch as I lace our fingers together, sparking a memory. “What did you do with that plastic ring we won, did you throw it away?”
She wrinkles her nose and hesitates.
“What?” I ask.
She sighs. “I’m a silly sentimental girl, Gavin. Of course I didn’t throw it away.”
I lean closer to her fruity-smelling mussed up hair and whisper, “You know I’m going to marry you one day, right?”
Her body stiffens, sending darts of poison straight into my heart. “We’ve only been together three months. You shouldn’t say things like that,” she says, frowning.
I pull her tightly against me, refusing to let her words slay me. “It didn’t seem to bother you when I mentioned it last month. Why the change?”
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