by McKinley May
“The issue is that this”—I motion between him and myself—“wasn’t part of my plan. I’m supposed to be focusing on school, my internship, my future.”
“And what about us getting together is going to stop any of that?”
“I just can’t afford any distractions right now. I can’t have anything throw me off course.”
He rubs his jaw and grins. “You know what’s distracting? Having to spend a substantial amount of time with someone and restrain yourself when all you want to do is rip their freakin’ clothes off. Think about it, babe. It’s waaaaay more distracting for you to ignore your natural instincts and pretend you don’t want me than to just go with it. Don’t fight human nature, Raynie. It’s wrong.”
“Vaughn! I’m serious,” I try to say sternly, but my laughter negates my tone. I mean, he does make a valid point.
He rolls over on his side and scoots towards me, our heads sharing the same pillow as we lie facing each other. I involuntarily edge closer, the magnetic pull between us too strong to ignore. When he speaks, his voice is devoid of the sarcastic humor it’s normally laced with.
“I’m not trying to sabotage you, Rayne. I’m not going to get in the way of anything you have going on. You have my word. I just want to be with you.”
And damn if this serious side of him doesn’t get to me, that smooth-as-butter, vulnerable tone cutting straight to my heart and warming my soul like a mug of hot apple cider.
But there’s still that one concern I had on the way over that hasn’t been rectified yet, so I put my swooning on hold for the time being.
“When you say ‘be with me’, what exactly do you mean? Because if this is just some big ploy to hook-up—”
His head immediately collapses into the pillow, his eyes closing as his body rumbles with laughter. When he finishes, he looks at me, mouth hanging open in disbelief.
“You're joking, right? You can't honestly think I've been chasing you the past week with no intentions of anything other than a hook-up.”
I shrug, blushing. “Well, how am I supposed to know?”
His blue eyes roll skyward. “Jesus Christ, woman. You are fucking killing me here.”
“What? I'm sorry, but I had to make sure. Being one of your many friends with benefits was not going to fly with me.”
“My ‘many friends with benefits’?”
I nod.
He scoffs. “Rayne, how many girls have you seen me with since you and I started meeting up?”
“Well…” It takes me a few seconds of consideration to realize I haven’t seen him with a girl since Little Red at Rabbit’s Foot. “None that I know of.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He laughs. “I haven’t even looked at another girl since the first time I saw you on this bed, babe. You’re the only girl I’ve been thinking about, the only one I’ve been spending time with or talking to since that night. You are the only one I want to do any of those things with.”
Giddiness rushes through me as he continues.
“And before you can come up with anymore ridiculous scenarios in that pretty little head of yours, let me lay this out clear as day for you.”
He gently tucks his hand below my chin, serious-sexy Vaughn back as his eyes bore into mine.
“I’m not interested in a fling with you, Rayne. I don't want to be friends with benefits, fuck buddies, or any of that shit.” He tilts my head up, a warm smile breaking across his face. “I want to date you and only you, baby. That's what I want.”
I lean forward, nuzzling into his chest as I revel in his words, soak up the sincerity of his declaration. The swooning has officially resumed.
I feel his lush lips as he places an open-mouthed kiss on my temple, warmth and bliss spreading from the spot in waves until it overtakes my entire body.
“What do you think, Raynie?” he mutters, fingers tracing slow, melodic circles against my back. “Can we give this a shot?”
I manage to find my voice somewhere within the tangle of emotions inside of me, and there’s no hesitation when I give him my answer.
“Yes.”
“Yes what? Don't leave me hanging here, babe. I need to hear you say the words.”
I laugh at his desperate tone, lifting my head as I give him what he wants.
“Yes, I want to be with you, Vaughn.”
“Oh, yeah. I fucking love hearing you say that,” he moans out, teeth tugging at the corner of his lip and eyes half-mast. He raises his brow. “Say it again.”
“You’re ridiculous.” I give him a little smack. “Leave it to you to ruin a perfectly sweet moment.”
“Can’t help it. Everything you say and do turns me on. Look, I know I said this wasn’t a purely physical thing, but don’t get me wrong.” His hand moves to the curve of my hip, lips turning up mischievously. “I’m ready to get freaky with you any time, any place.”
“Get freaky?” I snort and snuggle into him further. “Wow, you're so romantic.”
“Damn right I am.” In one swift movement he reaches over and scoops me up, lifting me on his lap. He places his hands on my hips, fingers sneaking under the hem of my shirt and teasing the sensitive skin there.
“I was thinking we could pick up where we left off this morning before we were rudely interrupted.” He wiggles his dark brows. “Do you know how hard it is to play with blue balls?”
I playfully roll my eyes. “Obviously not that hard considering you scored two more goals.”
He pushes his tongue in the side of his cheek and smiles. “Oh, it was hard alright.” He nudges his chin down towards his sweatpants, but I can already feel his stiff erection against me. “As you can see, I still haven’t recovered.”
Part of me wants to snort at his lame dirty joke, but a bigger part of me wants to jump him right here and now. He wasn’t the only one who was hot-and-bothered all day. Pretty sure I replayed our erotic encounter in the locker room about fifty times in my mind before I came over.
I lick my bottom lip, about to take him up on his offer when his eyes widen and he groans.
“Ah, shit,” he mutters, reluctantly lifting me off of him. “As much as I’d like to stay in this bed with you all damn night, we’ve got somewhere else to be.” He reaches to his left, grabbing his phone and checking the time. “And we’re gonna be late.”
I feel like he’s giving me blue balls at this point, but I ignore my aching core and give him a curious stare. “Late? For what?”
He hops off the bed and snatches his keys from the night stand before turning to me, a sneaky smile on his face. “It’s a surprise.”
I watch as he quickly slides on his sneakers and runs both hands through his dark hair, attempting to fix his permanently disheveled locks. When he stuffs his wallet in his back pocket and glances at me, I’m still sitting in the same soft spot on his bed.
He mock-frowns and gestures for me to move. “Let’s pick up the pace, Slow Poke.”
I start crawling my way off the bed, but he shakes his head. “Nah, that’s not gonna work.” He turns around and motions for me to get on his back.
“I’m not helpless, Vaughn.” I stand up and cross my arms. “I can walk!”
“Didn’t say you were, babe. Just that you’re slower than a snail.”
I leap onto his back, wrapping my arms and legs tightly around his muscular body. I place a tender kiss behind his ear, eliciting a soft hiss from his mouth. “Get going,” I whisper, giving him a swift kick.
He speeds down the grand staircase, and then down the outdoor staircase. When we get to the bottom, he sets me down and I quickly put on my shoes—way faster than a snail would, thank you very much.
He throws an arm around my shoulder, squeezing me into his side, and I wrap my arms around his waist as we make our way through the front yard. We’re barely past the pool when the gate squeaks open and I spot Liam, Diego, and Weston heading towards us.
When they see us cuddled up in a way undeniably couple-like, huge smiles light up
their faces. Diego does a slow hand clap as he lets out a long whistle.
“Brooo, I knew it, man! You friggin’ lovebirds couldn’t fight it forever.”
Weston gives Vaughn a hearty whack on the back when we reach them. He turns to me and grins. “Although I think relationships are fucking stupid and pointless, if anyone was gonna tie down Steel Blue, I’m glad it’s you, Rayne.”
I scrunch my brows together, trying to determine if that was an insult or a compliment.
I think I’m gonna go with insult.
“Gee, thanks, Weston. Don’t know what I would do without your support.”
Weston winks as Liam nods knowingly at Vaughn. “Cherry on top, mate?”
He laughs at Liam’s coded message that only the two of them seem to understand. “Yeah, man. Without a doubt.”
I tilt my head up at Vaughn, trying to decipher their secret bro-code, but all I see is the brightest, happiest smile I’ve ever seen on his face as he rubs the back of his head. I swear I even see a flush spread up his neck.
Diego butts in. “Man, V, I knew you were crazy about her since Más Mantequilla, dude.” He turns to me, dark brown eyes flickering with excitement. “You shoulda seen the look on his face when he saw you there, chica. Bro was in loooove from the get-go. Frickin’ nuts about you, probably whacking it every night to the thought of the two of you having—”
“Alright, enough,” Vaughn interrupts, shooting Diego a death glare as I bite back a laugh. “Get the hell out of our way. We’ve got a date to get to.”
I give the guys a quick ‘bye’ as we brush past them.
“First date? You guys are too fucking cute,” Weston coos out.
“Fuck off, Paine.” Vaughn flips his middle finger up.
“Can I come, man? Third-wheel it? I’m bored,” Diego calls out behind us. I laugh as Vaughn takes my hand and speeds up, getting us away from his crazy roommates as fast as possible.
When we get to his car parked out front, it beeps twice as he unlocks it. He opens up the side door for me, gesturing me inside. As I climb in, I feel him place both hands on my butt, hoisting me into the car.
“What do you think you’re doing, Steel?” I question, giving him a soft donkey kick to the chest.
“Helping my girl into the car?” He smiles innocently, but the impish shimmer in his eyes doesn’t evade me.
I arch one brow high, and he lets out a deep chuckle.
“What? Now that we’re dating, don’t I get an all-access pass to touch your ass? Isn’t that included in the package?”
I shake my head. “Nothing’s ‘official’ until we go on this first date, so you don’t have the proper ID badge for that quite yet.”
“In that case…” He shuts my door and jogs around the front of the car, getting into the driver’s seat in record time. He starts the engine and glances at me, that signature goofy grin plastered on his handsome face. “Let’s get this date started.”
23
“Where are you taking me?” Rayne questions from my passenger seat.
“Patience, Raynie. You'll see soon enough.”
I take a left, driving through the streets of off-campus apartments and Greek houses.
“Well, I'm not exactly dressed for a first date.”
I swivel my head for a moment to see her pointing at her black leggings and baseball tee, a concerned grimace on her face.
I sweep a hand over my own casual attire. “Uh, do I look like I'm 5-star restaurant ready?”
I hear her melodic laugh as she looks me over. “Most definitely not.”
“Yeah, we're fine. This is perfect, actually.”
Rayne fiddles with the air settings before questioning me some more. “So you said we're going to be late...That means you planned this ahead of time, didn't you?”
“Yup. Made all the arrangements yesterday.”
She lets out a snort. “Pretty presumptuous of you, huh?”
I shrug. “Nah, I don't think so.”
“How'd you know I'd say yes?”
I reach over, give her leg a quick squeeze, and put on my cockiest grin. “Because how the hell could you say no to me? That possibility didn't even cross my mind.”
“That is the literal definition of presumptuous, Vaughn.”
Even though I can't see her face—because I'm watching the road like the responsible driver I am—I'm positive she's rolling those golden eyes up in her head right about now.
“Presumptuous is my middle name, baby.”
“Vaughn Presumptuous Steel. Rolls right off the tongue.”
“You want the truth? Why I was sure you'd say yes?” I place a hand on top of hers on the center console. “I figured if you were feeling even a fraction of the things I've been feeling for you these past few weeks, you'd let me take you out at least once.”
I see her turn in my peripheral. “That's actually kind of sweet.”
“Plus, if for some mind-boggling reason you declined, I planned on taking Diego in your place. He was my second choice.”
“Poor Diego. Relegated to a backup plan.”
“Yep, but don't tell him that. Don't want to hurt his feelings. He's a sensitive dude.”
She chuckles lightly. “I think you and I will have a much better time together than you and him would.”
“Hell yeah we will.”
Although I'm putting on a confident facade, I'm actually a little anxious about the whole thing. I mean, hell, I've never taken a girl on an actual date before. And now the first time is gonna be with Rayne? When I'm desperate not to screw this up?
I don't know what the hell I'm doing.
I'm beyond clueless.
And if I'm being perfectly honest, I'm not just a little anxious about this—I'm nervous as fuck. And I never get nervous. Ever. Not before final exams that constitute 50% of my average, not before the state championship games in high school, not even before the national game last year.
Ne-ver.
But I'm nervous as all get out right now. Hands clammy, heart beating fast, I'm even feeling kinda nauseous. Not being 100% confident is so damn unnatural for me.
To make things even more complicated, I decided not to go with the whole “wine-and-dine” norm for first dates. It's not my style, and if I've read her right, I'm pretty sure Rayne isn't into that stuff either. Dressed up to the tens in stuffy button downs and fancy dresses to go to a restaurant where I can't pronounce half the items on the menu? We can save that shit for Valentine's Day.
Whoa.
Valentine's Day? Four months into the future? And there's not a trace of panic or reservation at all with that thought?
Shit. I really am dead serious about her.
We pull into the parking lot ten minutes later and I steal a stealthy glance in her direction, attempting to read her expression. When I put the car in park and she still hasn't made a peep, I feel a stab of apprehension, because—shit—maybe this was a mistake. Maybe she would have preferred an extravagant dinner.
Now it's my turn to be the nervous rambler.
“We could go somewhere else, or do something different. This isn't set in stone or anything. Fuck, Rayne, I'm honestly not sure how to do this.” I drag a hand anxiously through my dark hair. “I just thought this type of thing was more 'us', you know, and—”
“‘Us’?” She gives me a sidelong glance, pink lips twisted into a half-smirk and brows raised high. “We already have an ‘us’ label?”
Hmm. Maybe I'm coming on a little too strong a little too soon.
Eh, fuck it.
We totally have an 'us' and she knows it.
“You know what I mean, babe. When the two of us are together we have this laid-back, fun-loving vibe, so I thought this would be a fitting first date.” I rub the back of my neck and quirk my head at her. “Orrrr I could be completely wrong about that?”
She laughs and shakes her head back and forth. “No, you're completely right. This is perfect. If I had to choose something for us to do, I would'v
e picked something like this. And you know I wouldn't lie just to spare your feelings.” She flashes me a dazzling smile. “A trampoline park is definitely 'us’.”
I feel a whoosh of relief and return the smile. “Let's bounce.”
We head inside the massive building, barely having a chance to take in the rows of trampolines and arcade room before we're whisked off to the instruction class we're signed up for. After learning all the safety and precautionary shit which basically boils down to 'please don't break your fucking neck and try to sue us', we finally get to bounce, and bounce we fucking do.
We spend freaking hours jumping on the trampolines, wrestling one another into the massive foam pit, and playing arcade games like we're kids on a sugar high. We're the oldest ones in there, surrounded by ten-year-olds who continually challenge us to obstacle course races and backwards flip contests. Some of them must be Olympic gymnasts or circus performers or some shit because they're doing tricks that would throw out any normal person's back in an instant.
Not only is this more entertaining than I expected, watching Rayne bounce around like she's having the time of her life is both fucking adorable and sexy as hell. She's having a blast and so am I.
After our muscles have turned to jello and we practically break the air hockey machine from one too many rounds, we head over to the food court, loading up on pizza, cotton candy, and soda.