“Come on, let’s dance.” He follows behind me as we walk toward the dance floor. I need to forget about my brothers and their bullshit for a bit. As we find an empty spot for us, Jeff spins me around a couple of times, stopping when my back is to his chest. He pulls me against him so smoothly and sync’s our hip movements so easily, it’s like we’ve been doing this forever. His arms are around my waist and our hips are rocking side to side. His lips touch the bottom of my ear as he whispers in it.
“I’ve missed you.” It sends sparks of desire shooting down to my core. His long, hard body pressed all against the back of me has me remembering how good we were in bed and wanting to strip him naked. This was a mistake. I grip his hands and pull them off of my hips as I turn to look at him.
“This was a bad idea,” I tell him as I quickly walk away from him. I need to go to the restroom so I can splash some water on my face and get some distance from Jeff. I don’t want to do something with him I’ll regret.
“Shelby!” I can hear him somewhere behind me, shouting my name. I pick up my pace as much as these heels will allow. I’m almost to the bathroom when I’m jerked back by Jeff grabbing my arm.
“Shelby, what’s wrong?” His brows are drawn together and there’s concern showing in the deep blue depths of his eyes. I shake my head at a loss for words and look away from him. He takes my chin in between his thumb and index finger, turning my face back to him. He holds me there so I can’t turn away and waits for me to answer him. The silence is uncomfortable and so is the fact that he’s staring so intently at me.
“Dancing with you was a mistake.” I chew on my lip and try to think of what else to say. I don’t want to tell him that I was feeling attracted to him. I don’t think that would be a good idea.
“What’s going on Shelby?” He asks me, taking a step closer to me. Our bodies are now almost touching and I can feel the heat coming off of him. “Were you enjoying yourself a little too much?” He nuzzles my neck and I arch back without even thinking. He takes advantage of it by kissing his way from my collarbone up to just below my ear. My body shivers from the touch of his lips on my neck. Jeff chuckles and it breaks the spell he has me under. I pick my head up and lean away from him, pushing off his chest with both of my palms.
“We can’t do this. I’m involved with someone else.” He nods his head and holds his hands up.
“You can’t blame me for trying.” He smiles innocently at me and we share a laugh which helps break the haze of sexual tension I was trapped in for a moment.
“Let’s go get another drink,” He says, ushering me from the hallway.
***
The sun shining through my bedroom window wakes me earlier than I would like. It only takes me a moment to register that someone’s in bed with me and we’re wrapped around each other. I slowly open my eyes, knowing that I’ll be gazing at Jeff’s handsome face. Yep, it’s him and he’s still sleeping. I can’t remember how we ended up in the same bed last night. I didn’t think I’d drunk that much, but maybe the margaritas hit me harder than I realized. I want to sneak out of here before he’s aware, but I don’t think that’s going to happen; not with the iron clad hold he has on me. I lie still while I try to think of the best way to handle this unwelcome situation, but I’ve got nothing...nada...zilch. No ideas are coming to me and I’m starting to feel like a panic attack may be inevitable. I slow my breathing, trying to calm myself and it seems to do the trick. I guess I need to wake him up.
“Jeff,” I say as I gently prod his arm. He doesn’t stir so I repeat his name again; a little louder this time. “Jeff.” I poke his arm with my finger. His eyes lazily open and he smiles sleepily at me. He’s so adorable. If Garrett weren't still possibly in the mix, I’d be all over this hunky, sleepy guy in my bed.
“Good morning beautiful,” He says as he pulls me in closer and presses his morning erection into me. I groan and grip his shoulders with my fingernails.
“Jeff, you need to behave.” I scold him. “How did we end up in the same bed last night?” I can’t remember anything and I have no idea why I’m wearing one of his tee shirts and only my panties. He takes his time answering me, too busy letting his hands roam over the curves of my hips and ass.
“Jeff,” I moan. “You need to stop right now and tell me what happened.” He moves away from me and turns over onto his back. His breathing is a bit labored as if he’s been running, but I know it just means he wants me as much as I want him. It can’t happen though and the longer I’m in this bed, the more danger I’m in of succumbing to temptation. I roll over and sit up on the edge of the mattress, putting some well-needed space between us. I look at him and cock my eyebrow, waiting to hear his explanation.
“Last night, when we got back here, you were pretty shitfaced. I helped you into your room and undressed you. I gave you the tee shirt I had on and put you to bed. You begged me to sleep with you and I’m not going to lie Shelby...I wanted to. I stripped down to my boxers and climbed under the covers with you, but nothing happened between us. We only slept, but that was the best night of sleep I’ve had in the last month.” We’ve been over for a little over a month now, so that must mean he’s still broken up over what happened.
“Jeff, you’ll never know how sorry I am that I hurt you. Ending things with you was painful for me too. I’ve missed you so much.” His answering smile is tight as if he’s clenching his jaw.
“I’m not convinced this thing between us is over, Shelby. I haven’t been with anyone else since you broke things off with me. I’m not going to jump into something when all I want in this world is sitting here, next to me.” I can’t help but feel emotional after he just bared his soul to me. Tears are welling up on my lower eyelids and the more I try to hold them in, the more they come, until they overflow in a lazy river, trailing down my cheeks. I can hear Jeff shift in the bed behind me and feel the mattress move as he sits up. I turn around until I’m facing him sitting on my knees. He takes one look at my distraught expression and pulls me into his lap. I somehow end up straddling his legs and my face is buried in his neck. I can smell the comforting scent of his manly cologne as I breathe in slowly, trying to stop the emotional train wreck that I’ve become. He’s stroking his hands up and down my back in a soothing manner and as I focus on what he’s doing; I can feel myself settling down. I raise my head, looking into his eyes, hoping he can see how much he means to me and how sorry I am for hurting him. He wipes the tears away with his thumbs and cups my face in his palms.
“Shelby, don’t cry. You’re breaking my heart. I only want to see those gorgeous lips of yours smiling. He leans forward, still holding my cheeks in his hands, and gently kisses me. It’s such a sweet, soft kiss, it makes me smile. Jeff must take my smile as a sign that I’m okay with him kissing me and next thing I know his tongue is in my mouth. I fall into the kiss and do some hair gripping and maybe even a little dry humping. Things are getting heated and we’re both reaching the point of no return. I know we shouldn’t be doing this, but I haven’t heard from Garrett and for all I know he could be doing the same or worse at this very moment. Kissing Jeff is as hot as I remembered it being. He flips us over without losing contact with my mouth, placing himself on top of me. The way he rolls his hips against mine creates a delicious friction between our bodies. The only thing keeping him from sliding inside me is the underwear we both have on. Knowing we’re so close, yet so far is delicious torture. Jeff’s hand slides down my stomach and toys with the top of my skimpy panties. Before he can take this any further, I push his hand away. I’m not going to let this escalate beyond what we’ve been doing. He pulls away from me, putting some much-needed distance between our overheated bodies and looks questioningly at me. I look up at his handsome face hovering over me and wish that things were simpler. Part of me admits that my life was going along fine before Garrett came into the picture and smashed it all to shit. I can’t think about him now, I need to deal with what’s happening, here in this moment.
&nbs
p; “Jeff, I can’t have sex with you. I shouldn’t have let you kiss me and I definitely had no right to kiss you back. I’m not sure where my relationship stands with my boyfriend right now. We had a fight and we haven’t talked since. He was going home for the holidays and I’m hoping when he comes back we can figure out what’s going on. I can’t sleep with you and ruin my relationship with him and you deserve so much more than what I’ve given you over the past year. You deserve someone who loves you and only you.” I caress his cheek with my fingers. “I’m a damaged mess and you can do so much better.” Before he has a chance to say anything, there’s a knock on my door and Greyson comes in before I even answer.
“Well, well, well, it looks as though my little sister isn’t as innocent as I was hoping.” He shakes his head as he walks forward.
“Greyson, are you fucking kidding me? Nothing like barging in, asshole. Next time you should try waiting for someone to tell you to enter. What if we were getting it on in here and you saw? You’d be scarred for life.”
“No actually, Jeff would be scarred for life from the damage my fists would do to his pretty face,” He answers, his typical cocky attitude present. He such an annoying ass…a lovable, annoying ass, but an ass just the same.
“Well here’s a little something you may want to remember the next time you barge into my room. I’m an adult and I’ve never taken a vow of chastity, nor will I. I love sex and I plan on continuing to love it for many more years. Knock and wait for a reply next time. If you catch me in the midst of something, I can guarantee it’ll be worse for you than me. I grew up with you guys constantly embarrassing me and teasing me. My skin is pretty thick at this point.” Greyson crosses his arms and cocks his eyebrow at me.
“I only knocked on your door to tell you that Rose will have dinner ready in two hours. We’re eating at noon.” He smirks at me before he turns and walks out of my room. Grrr, he makes me so mad.
Jeff has been silent through our entire exchange but now that Greyson is gone, he barks out a laugh.
“Your brothers are too awesome.” He nods his head and smiles at me. “I’m kind of shocked he didn’t kick my ass for finding us in this position. Then again, they do want me to make an honest woman out of you…” He trails off.
“Ha-ha, you guys are all so freaking funny. You can take my place when I join a convent.” We both share a good laugh before getting up.
***
The rest of Thanksgiving was spent pleasantly with my family before Jeff and I had to make the drive back to Boston later that night. My brothers actually acted civil while we ate but I’m sure that had something to do with my father being there. Even though they’re grown men, he has a way of controlling them all with just a glance. It’s pretty impressive to watch. I’m sure it’s that same air of power he so effortlessly wears, that’s made him such a successful businessman.
We could’ve stayed at my father’s house longer than we did, but I wanted to get back to the apartment and catch up on my studies. I also need to give this place a thorough cleaning and that’s why at eight o’clock on Saturday morning, I’m already doing laundry. Hailey hasn’t come back from her visit with her family. We could’ve carpooled but I don’t like to be stuck without transportation and I wasn’t sure when I would head back this way. Jeff and I have been exchanging texts daily and things seem to be back to normal with us. Neither of us has mentioned what happened on Thanksgiving morning and I don’t plan on bringing it up. I’m actually thankful that Greyson knocked on the door when he did. Who knows how far it may have escalated?
I’m listening to my favorite playlist and dusting the living room when there’s a knock on our door. I glance down at the plaid pajama pants and black tank top I’m wearing and grimace. I’m a mess, but there’s not much I can do about it at this point. I smooth my hair back away from my face and redo the messy bun sitting on top of my head as I walk to the door. When I look through the peephole and see who’s there, I jump back as if the door is on fire. I spin around, leaning my back against the cool metal surface as I tip my head back. I can’t believe Garrett is here. I’m not sure I’m ready to talk to him, but I know I need to. We need closure if this relationship is really over. He knocks on the door again, making me jump. I need to calm down. Okay, I can do this. I try to psyche myself up as I turn the knob.
When our eyes meet, the punch of our attraction hits me and it moves all the way down into the depths of my stomach. It takes me by surprise after more than a week without seeing him. In the time since our fight I’ve tried to convince myself that our connection isn’t that extraordinary, but the truth is, I’ve never before experienced anything like it; not even with Jeff.
As I stand in the doorway, I cross my arms over my chest, waiting for him to say something.
“Hi, Shelby. Can I come in for a bit so we can talk?” His expression is flat, making it hard for me to read. I shrug my shoulders and step aside. As he walks by me, it’s impossible not to notice the way his jeans hug his ass just right and how broad his shoulders look in his black hoodie. I close and lock the door before joining him.
“Please, sit down. Do you want anything to drink? I have coffee or water.” He sits down on the couch as I wait for him to answer.
“No thank you. I’m all set.” I sit down next to him, careful to leave some space between us. If he’s breaking up with me, I’m going to want some distance. He clasps his hands in front of him and rests his elbows on his knees, looking down at the floor. I stare at him, willing him to break this awkward silence that feels as though it might smother me. He looks at me and I try not to get lost in the depths of his hazel eyes. I want to despise him for ignoring my calls, but I can’t. Seeing him again, having him sitting here with me, makes me realize how much I’ve actually missed him.
“How was your Thanksgiving?” Seriously?
“Garrett, did you really come over here to ask about my Thanksgiving?” He sits up, angling his upper body near mine.
“No, I didn’t come here for that. I wanted to apologize for the way I acted when you said you didn’t want me to meet your family. I shouldn’t have made such a big deal out of it. I was hurt, but you’re right...we haven’t been together long and there’s plenty of time for that to happen.”
I’m kind of confused right now. He’s acting as if we’re still together and I didn’t think we were. Are we?
“Garrett, I was under the impression that we’d broken up. I called you a few times and never heard back from you. It’s been nine days since our fight and we haven’t spoken. What was I supposed to think?” I hold my hands palms up and shake my head at him.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you. I just needed some time to work it all out in my head.”
“I’m no relationship expert, but I’m pretty sure that you shouldn’t ignore someone for nine days, especially when you claim to be serious about them...serious enough that you think it’s time to meet their family.” I cross my arms over my chest and sigh loudly. The more I think about this whole situation, the angrier I’m getting. I’m not letting him off the hook until he explains why he hasn’t even bothered to call me.
“You’re absolutely right, Shelby. I’m serious about you, but my actions over the past week or so haven’t shown you that at all. I should’ve called you and admitted I needed some time instead of disappearing without a word. If it’s any consolation, I had a horrible time with my family. They all told me to come back here and make things right with you as soon as possible. No one could bear to be around me because I was so miserable. There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t wonder what you were doing or wish that you were there with me. I’m not perfect Shelby. I’m far from it, and I’m going to mess up and make mistakes along the way. I’m not used to being in a relationship, but I want to be in one with you more than anything. Do you think you can move past all of this and forgive me?” He looks so earnest and sweet, waiting for my answer, it’s hard to be mad at him. I still need to address the fact that
Jeff came home with me and I’m sure that’s not going to go over well. Hopefully, it’s not a deal-breaker for him.
“I need to tell you something before we talk about anything else.” He looks concerned. “Jeff came home with me for Thanksgiving. Before you freak out, you need to know that he already knew my family from when we were together. My father and brothers come to some of the Beacon home football games and they love that Jeff is the quarterback. Hailey and I went out to J.J.’s one night and Jeff was there. He apologized for shutting me out and we agreed to be friends again. I had no intention of asking him to come with me, but he wasn’t going home for the week and I felt bad. We spent most of the vacation around my brothers.” I nervously chew on my lip as I think about the best way to tell him about making out with Jeff.
“Shelby, just tell me the rest of it. Did you guys have sex?” He looks worried.
“No! We didn’t have sex. We slept in the same bed on Wednesday night and in the morning we kissed some...just kissing...nothing else.” He looks skeptical about what he’s heard. “Garrett, I’m being honest about what happened. We only kissed even though I assumed you and I were through.”
“I believe you, but it sucks knowing that you spent so much time with him. I hate that his lips were on yours, but I know that it’s my own fault. If I had just called you and let you know what I was thinking, then none of this would’ve happened. You aren’t planning on getting back with Jeff are you?”
“No, we’re just friends. I’m actually hoping to get back together with this gorgeous, stubborn guy that drives me wild. The simplest touch from him sets my body on fire and I miss him when we’re not together.” He slides over close to me and pulls me onto his lap, wrapping his arms tightly around me. He kisses my neck and rests his cheek on the top of my head.
Waiting for Love ((Waiting) Book 2) Page 12