by Jenika Snow
“I think you have the wrong table.” Andrea sneered toward her. She flipped her perfectly curled hair away from her shoulder and lifted her nose. “The nerds hang out on the other side of the cafeteria.” Her friends giggled.
“I was just about to come find you. Come sit next to me, pretty girl.” Reese ignored Andrea’s comments and held his hand out. Reese stood and said, “On second thought, let’s go somewhere else to eat.” Kiera could practically hear Andrea grinding her teeth. Reese cast a glance toward Andrea, and Kiera could tell he wanted to say more, but he refrained.
“No, no. Right here is fine,” Kiera said and set her tray down next to Reese’s.
“This is unbelievable,” Andrea muttered under her breath, but made sure it was loud enough for Kiera to hear.
“Shut the fuck up, Andrea.” Reese spoke the words calmly, but there was a dark seriousness to them that had the whole table growing still. The shocked look that crossed her face was priceless.
“I don’t have to take this.” Andrea snatched up her books and stood. The tiny cheerleading outfit was indecent, and Kiera wondered how many days a week they felt the need to wear them since it seemed like that was what they were always in. Andrea all but snapped her fingers, and the others followed her out of the cafeteria. The air instantly felt lighter, and Kiera was glad she had made the first move and took a stand.
“Hey, sorry about earlier today. I meant no disrespect.” Marcus leaned forward so she could see him on the other side of Reese. His dark blond hair was a disarrayed mess on his head, but it was stylish and looked good on him. His brown eyes were warm and sincere, but she wondered if Reese had threatened him with another punch if he didn’t apologize. Either way she appreciated it.
“That’s all right.”
He grinned, showing straight white teeth. “I’m Marcus, and that over there is Leo and Christian.” She nodded to each of them. “Kiera, right?” She nodded again. “Yeah, I’ve seen you in the hallways.”
“We actually have economics together.”
Marcus looked away as if he was thinking about it. “Oh, right.” He looked back at her, his grin right back in place. “No offense, but I don’t notice anyone in that class. I tune out Hawthorn.”
Kiera couldn’t deny the bland way Mr. Hawthorn taught the class, or that economics in general wasn’t the most thrilling subject. He gave her a little chin nod, and she felt like that one small movement was his approval. Whether she needed it or not it was nice that his friends liked her. Marcus went back to talking to the other guys, and Reese turned in his seat to give her his full attention. He was so attractive, in his darkly handsome way.
“I don’t think Andrea is my biggest fan,” she said.
He lifted his hand and brushed a tendril of hair off her brow. “Don’t give her second thought. She isn’t worth your time. Besides,” he grinned broadly, “I don’t she likes much of anyone to be honest.”
She stared into his blue eyes. “Was she worth your time?” Kiera had no idea why she blurted that out, but wished she could take it back. He watched her for a while before answering.
“I don’t want to lie to you, but I don’t want to hurt you.” Her pulse increased as she waited for the rest of his cryptic answer. He ran his hand through his hair and exhaled loudly. Did she even want to know anything that had to do with him and Andrea? “Andrea filled a void for a small window of time.” He looked over at her sheepishly. “I know that must sound incredibly callous and conceited. I don’t have feelings for her, but we have a past, a short one, but one nonetheless.” He didn’t need to elaborate on what he meant. “But any girl compared to you … no contest, Kiera.” He brushed his finger along the side of her neck. “No contest at all, Kiera.” The gentle sweep of his finger along her skin had everything inside of her coming awake. “Do you believe me?”
She didn’t hesitate to say, “Yes.” Whatever the hell they were doing was getting deeper and deeper for her, and she didn’t know what she was going to do, or how she was going to feel when the time came to leave him for college, because whether she liked to think it about or not she was leaving in just a few, short months.
****
The rest of the week passed in a blur, and Kiera couldn’t believe her senior year would be over in the blink of an eye. It was surreal, but anticipation kept her going. With Alex moving out of his dorm for the summer and their parents going to help him pack and move back home, Kiera had the house to herself for the weekend. There was only one thing that she could think of doing in an empty house, and it had to do with Reese.
After the awkward lunchroom incident with Andrea, Kiera really hadn’t seen her. She still hadn’t discussed everything she learned about Reese with him, and didn’t honestly know if she would or if the timing would ever be right. Kiera figured showing him the affection and time that he never received was the first step in showing him that she was there for him. There hadn’t been a day that he didn’t come up to her and kiss her senseless. It didn’t matter that everyone still stopped and stared, or that they could get in serious trouble for doing it. Reese showed her that he wanted her, and didn’t give a damn who saw it. Besides she loved that he touched her whenever he wanted to. It was now Friday night, her parents had left a few hours ago to see Alex, and she contemplated calling Reese. Her phone vibrated, and she picked it up, smiling when she saw the guy who had consumed her thoughts as of late.
Reese: Hey pretty girl ;)
Hey
Reese: U want 2 grab some ice cream with me?
Kiera laughed out loud.
Of course
Reese: I’ll B there in 20
Kiera quickly changed into a sundress, threw her hair into a ponytail, and slipped on some sandals. Reese knocked on the door right on time, and like always she got butterflies in her belly. He was already smiling when she opened the door, and wasted no time in stepping inside, wrapping his arms around her, and slanting his lips on hers. Her back met the wall, and she moaned into his mouth. Their tongues slid along each other, and she knew if she didn’t stop this now she would beg him to take her upstairs. But did she really want to stop this? Kiera had already decided she wanted Reese to be her first. She didn’t need to date him for months, or even years, to know that he was the one. Kiera relied on her gut, and her instincts were telling her that being with him would be right on so many levels. They didn’t need to go anywhere, not when staying in sounded like a much better idea.
Slipping her hands between their bodies, she started tugging on his belt, but faster than she anticipated he stopped her from going any further. He pulled away, his warm, minty breath coasting over her lips.
“Wait, baby.” His breath was warm and smelled sweet. He rested his forehead against hers, and they both breathed in and out roughly.
“Why did you stop?” Even she could hear how needy she sounded. He pulled back and stared down at her. His gaze was on her lips, and his erection pressed against her belly.
An almost pained expression crossed his face. Yeah, she might have been moving fast, but ever since she decided this was what she wanted it had been all she could think about. “If we don’t stop I’m liable to do something we both may not be ready for.” He said the words, yet she could hear the heat and arousal laced within them. Kiera swallowed, thinking it slightly humorous that she was going to seduce Reese Trenton into bed. It should have been easy to talk him into sleeping with her. He was a guy after all, but a part of her melted over the fact he wanted to take things slow with her. That right there told her he really did care about her.
“Reese.” Her hands moved up his tattooed arms, and stopping at his biceps, she gave him a light squeeze. His muscles were hard and defined, and when she let her fingers curl into his soft skin he tensed beneath her touch. “I want this.” She moved an inch closer until her breasts were deliciously pressed against his hard chest. She noticed the way his breathing changed to a faster, labored setting. “I want you to be my first.” He closed his eyes
and groaned, but didn’t respond verbally. Then he cupped the side of her face and kissed her until she couldn’t breathe and her head spun.
“I want you, Kiera.” He murmured against her lips. “But I don’t want to rush this.” He pulled back but kept his eyes locked on hers. “You have no fucking clue how much I want this right now.” To solidify his words he gripped her wrist in his hand and moved it between their bodies so her palm was flat on his cock. He was hard, and it was all for her. Feeling for his zipper with her fingers, she slowly pulled it down. “I want so much more with you, Kiera. This isn’t just about a piece of ass for me, not when it concerns you.”
His grip tightened on her wrist, and she could tell that if she pushed hard enough he would cave, but that wasn’t how she wanted this night to proceed.
She whispered, “Okay, Reese,” but she didn’t let go of the little piece of metal. He loosened his hold while keeping his eyes locked with hers. Kiera slowly brought his zipper down, and it sounded obscenely loud, but she refused to stop. Just because she was agreeing to no sex tonight didn’t mean she couldn’t at least ease some of their agony, and lord knew she was feeling enough of that right now, especially between her legs. Slipping her hand through the fly and through the opening in his boxer briefs, her eyes widened when she came into contact with his dick. He held her stare with his own, and if not for the flicker of emotion that moved over his face when she tightened her hold on his shaft, she might have thought he was unaffected. Reese was far too good at hiding what he felt, and she was about to break that. Kiera wanted, no, needed, to see him come unraveled. He was big in her palm, hot and hard. To be fair Kiera had never felt or seen an actual penis in person, but she had seen enough in Sex Ed that she knew without a doubt he was larger than normal. She was pleasantly surprised when the tips of her fingers didn’t touch. His chest rose and fell fast and hard, and he lifted his arm and placed his hand on the wall beside her head, bracing himself as he leaned in closer to her. They shared the same air as they looked into each other’s eyes. The wetness that coated her panties caused the material to press against her pussy, rubbing along her folds and teasing her clit. Kiera licked her lips and pulled his shaft out from the confines of the material. He closed his eyes and once again rested his forehead on hers when she started stroking him from root to tip. A tingling sensation slammed into her pussy.
“Kiss me, Ree—” He didn’t let her finish the words before his mouth was on hers, and his tongue slipped past her lips. His cock felt like it swelled in her grasp. She had done some heavy petting with the only two boyfriends she had, but all of that had been done over the clothes, despite their frantic, pleas for her to do so much more. When Reese groaned and his hips jerked forward that tingling inside of her intensified and spread up to her nipples. He didn’t stop kissing her as he started a slow, steady thrust of his hips, further pushing his erection in her hand then pulling away. Over and over he did that, fucking himself using her hand as the instrument of his pleasure while he devoured her mouth.
He moved the hand that wasn’t beside her head lower until he had one aching and full breast in his big palm. It felt so unbelievably good as he moved his fingers over her nipple, not doing anything more than torturously teasing the stiff peak.
“Oh, God, Reese.” Kiera could barely get the words out. Maybe starting this and knowing it wouldn’t lead anywhere was a bad idea.
****
Touching her was torture, pure, agonizing torture. The way she responded to him had his cock harder than fuck. Dirty images slammed into his head, images of her beneath him, her smooth, soft skin bared, and her legs parted, showing him the part of her body that he wanted to sink into over and over again. . He ran his palm over her nipple, groaning when the little bead tightened further. He took her mouth, worrying that he might be too rough, too demanding, but unable to help himself. She drove him crazy. There had never been another female that had him in knots, or had him so worked up he could come just by the feel of her breath along his lips.
“Reese.” Her head fell back against the wall, and he latched his mouth onto her throat. She tasted sweet, like vanilla and honey. The flavor bathed his tongue in everything that was Kiera. His shaft throbbed in her hand. He needed to remind himself that going slow was what he needed, what they both needed. Pushing her would be disastrous, and besides, they had all the time in the world to become intimate. He meant it when he told her she was different from others. He had no plans on going anywhere, not when it was clear she was just as into this as he was, but he wouldn’t be sleeping with her right now.
“That’s it, baby.” He pressed his erection farther into her hand, and they both groaned. He started a slow thrust against her, and loved that her breathing changed in response. “God, Kiera. The things you’re doing to me.” If they kept this up he would come in her hand in just a few, short strokes.
Her mouth was by his ear. She whispered, “It feels so good, Reese.” He squeezed her breasts, the mound soft and giving. She was so damn responsive to his touch.
“Yeah, baby.” He moved his hips into her a little harder, and she gripped his bicep. He could see himself sliding his hand up her inner thigh and touching those innocent little panties he knew she wore. He bet they were wet, soaked just for him. If he didn’t control himself he’d push her to the point she’d run from him. “We have to stop, baby.”
****
Kiera took a deep, steading breath and let Reese’s words sink in. He might be right, but it felt wrong to stop what they were doing, especially since it felt so good. He thrust into her palm a few more times before giving her one last kiss and moving back. Her eyes dropped down to his erection that was still out of his pants. She had been right—it was thick and long, and quite frankly a bit intimidating.
When he was tucked back in his pants and she had calmed somewhat he muttered, “You’re going to be the fucking death of me.” He grinned, showing her he only teased. He reached for her, but she knew she needed just a moment to get herself together. If he touched her again she couldn’t be held responsible for her actions, and those might include tackling him to the ground and taking matters into her own hands.
“Give me just a minute.” Kiera dashed upstairs, feeling mortified that she needed to change her panties, but that was the reality of the situation. When she came back down Reese was leaning against the wall, his fingers moving quickly over his phone as he texted. He slipped his phone back in his pocket and smiled at her.
“Hey baby, you good to go?” The wink he gave her had her flushing. Did he know she had to change her panties because he had made her so aroused they were uncomfortably wet? He pushed off the wall and stood in front of her a second later. Cupping her cheek in his hand, her whispered, “You are so pretty when you blush.” And her heart just jumped right out of her chest. One more light kiss on her forehead from him and he led them out the front door to his Trans-Am. When they were both inside and he was on the road, he reached for her hand and placed their twined fingers on his thigh.
“Would you want to go to a bonfire at Marcus’s after ice cream?” He glanced over at her.
Was that really something she wanted to do? Images of her time at Haden’s party played through her mind, and Reese squeezed her hand, as if he could sense her unease.
“Hey, no worries if you don’t want to go, but this won’t be like Haden’s. It’s only a handful of close friends.” He squeezed her hand once more. “Besides, I’ll be by you the whole time, and I swear to fucking God, Kiera, I won’t let anything happen to you.” He brought her hand to his mouth and gave her fingers a kiss. The seriousness and hard truth to his words relaxed her. “Seriously though I’m not hard-up to go or anything, but I do eventually want to introduce you to the rest of my friends.”
She trusted him. He had already proved he could protect her, and that had been when they didn’t even know each other. “I’d like to meet your friends.”
“That’s good, baby.” He looked at her again and grin
ned. “You know what, Kiera?”
She swallowed, “Yeah?” The way he said her name was heated and low and made her think of all kinds of dirty things she had no experience with.
“I want everyone to know you’re mine.” Her breathing hitched at his meaningful words. “And you’re mine, Kiera, yeah?” The serious expression on his face told her everything she needed to know. Reese did want her as much as she wanted him.
“Yes, Reese, I’m yours.” He kissed her hand again, rested it right over his heart for a moment then laid it back on his thigh. Even when they were done with their ice cream and heading over to Marcus’s he kept her hand on his thigh. It thrilled her.
Chapter Eight
Reese took Kiera’s hand and led her toward the bright, large fire in the center of an empty field. Marcus lived in an older farmhouse with his father. The three acres had a small creek that ran through it, an old horse pasture, and a shed that was in just as in bad shape as Kline’s barn. Thinking about that barn had her arousal spiking again, and Kiera quickly pushed those thoughts away. They passed a handful of cars and trucks on their way to the fire, and the closer they got the louder the music became. The house was a large two-story log cabin style home with a wraparound deck and even a swing on the front porch. Instantly she recognized Marcus, Leo, and Christian, but there were five other guys, three of whom she recognized from school but didn’t know personally, and the other two that she had never seen before. Her heart leapt when she saw Kelly, the hostess from the Italian restaurant Reese took her to last week. Kelly gave her a dirty look, but turned her attention to the guy she was currently perched upon. He was one of the guys from their school, and Kiera thought his name was Mike, or Mark.
“Yo, Reese, what’s up?” Marcus stood, and he and Reese clapped each other on the back.
“Hey, man.” Leo was next, and then Christian came up and greeted them.
“How’s it going, Kiera?” Marcus wrapped his arms around her as if they had been friends for years. All she could do was stand there from shock.