Grace laughed as she made her way to my closet.
“I’ll help you figure it out on Sunday.”
I sighed and leaned back.
“Thanks. I guess I really should have taken it with you in school. The transfer would have been the smart idea.”
Grace smiled but shook her head.
“You’re an English major, so that was your focus. Between that and history, you ended up transferring about the same amount.”
I smiled. I had busted my ass to get out a number of credits. Last thing I wanted to do was waste my college life doing all the boring work when there were so many interesting classes available.
“Enough about school,” she said, throwing my closet door open. She turned and gave me a wicked smile. “So how adventurous are you feeling?”
I felt the butterflies floating in my stomach once again. All week I had been working myself up to this. Now was not the time to back down.
“Very,” I said. Grace raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I’ve been thinking about it. I want him to eat every last word.”
The smile slipped from her face a fraction of a second as she nodded in understanding.
“Okay,” she said and turned back to the closet. “Let’s see what we have to work with.”
I sat waiting as she sorted through the hangers.
“Good lord, Emma.” She turned, hands planted on her hips. “Don’t you ever buy anything sexy?”
I thought for a long moment and realized I didn’t. For the most part I was a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl. At prep school we’d had uniforms, so I really didn’t have to think about it. Even when I did get dressed up, it was more like what you’d see at a brunch. Most of the evening functions I’d successfully avoided, but maybe that had been a mistake.
Grace sighed loudly and stomped from the room. I slid from my desk chair and made my way to her room. Despite being best friend and roommates, I had yet to go in her room. Usually Chase was over, or we were in my room. I frowned slightly. Actually, we had always spent most of our time together in my room.
It was everything one might guess a pretty princess would have in her room, large four-poster bed, silk sheet and an ample dresser. In the corner sat an ornate desk that seemed to be moonlighting as a make-up table, complete with a large mirror. Touches of light pink speckled the room, and I had a knee jerk reaction to go beat up a particularly pink pillow. Things just shouldn’t be that pink.
When Grace turned around with a slinky white dress, I nearly choked on my tongue.
“I can’t wear that!”
Grace crossed her arms and gave me the stare-down. “And why is that?”
“Well for one, you’re taller than I am. Not to mention you’re thinner than I am.”
Grace rolled her eyes and made her way over. “First of all, this is just barely a dress on me, so it should be fine length wise. Not to mention that it’s got a loose fit to it.” She thrust the dress in my hand and pinned me with a hard stare. “We aren’t that different in size.”
I knew what she meant, but fact was she was taller and larger breasted. Not by a ton, but it was enough.
“It’s white,” I protested. “And, um, it’s after Labor Day?”
She rolled her eyes. “Go put it on.” She pushed me over to the mirror.
“What if I stain it?”
Grace planted her hands on her hips, and I knew the battle was lost.
“Would you just put on the damn dress, Emma?”
Without another word she was gone, and I was left holding the very shimmery white dress.
I stared in the mirror at the me that was so very different from the one who attended that party with Chet years before. That me had been excited, scared and ready for anything that might come. The me today was not the same girl. I wasn’t looking forward to this party. I couldn’t even muster the energy to pretend I was.
I held up the slinky dress and pressed it against my skin without putting it on. It would look good. Scratch that. It would look damn good.
I sighed. Did I really want to go to the trouble?
Irritation knit my brow. I did. If not to show up Chet, to make a point to myself. Too often I spent my days not caring, not dating and not feeling. I had spent far too long closed off, so I wouldn’t get hurt. That wasn’t how I wanted to spend my days.
As much as I hated to admit it, Gavin sparked a flame in me, and now I wasn’t going to be happy unless I changed something.
Chapter Six
I fidgeted in the back of Chance’s car. Despite my apprehension, the dress did look amazing. Screw a little black dress, every girl needs a slinky short dress, whatever the color. Grace had been absolutely right. Where the dress just barely covered her, it fell nicely at mid-thigh on me. It hugged my hips and butt. The end result was that I had curves and looked like I was ready to take on the town.
About the only thing that was really making me unsteady, aside from the three-inch heels she had me in, was the make-up. Normally I’m very plain with my application. Tonight Grace had insisted I let her “work her magic.” This included some very violet eye-shadow mixed with a shimmery smoky color. She topped it all off with some light pink, nude lipstick. She had semi-curled my hair and twisted the long brown locks on top of my head.
It wasn’t a bad look, but it was different. I sighed. Maybe it was time to stop being all up my own ass over these things and just go with the flow.
I leaned back and enjoyed the ride, thankful we decided to skip the game. Grace may have figured there was no point in pushing her luck. Or maybe she just didn’t want to risk a meltdown.
We drifted further away from the campus, into the forest. As we turned off the main road, I started to get nervous. Hopefully, I would find a way to fit in.
When we came to a stop, I was in awe. Chet’s family lake house had nothing on this one. Old memories resurfaced, but I worked to push them back down.
We made our way to the front and walked in the open door.
Unsurprising to me, Grace and Chance were recognized almost immediately and called over to a large group of twenty. They had taken over the billiards room, most betting both money and drinks.
I scanned the crowd, both hoping and dreading the moment when I’d be forced to face Chet.
Instead of my dreaded ex, my eyes were instead drawn to the dark-haired devil that had recently been haunting my dreams. Gavin was laughing with a group of other guys, off in the corner of the living room. As if he felt my gaze, he caught my eyes and held them.
I shuddered as I struggled to take a breath. It was obvious he had noticed my look. Heat radiated off of him as he searched me from head to foot. Despite how I should feel, it excited me that I could elicit that sort of response.
Chance leaned in front of me, breaking the connection.
“Got you a drink.” He leaned in slightly for only my ears. “Be sure not to take any drinks from other guys. You never know who’s going to try and slip you something.”
I smiled at his concern and realized that my outfit might get the attention of those I’d rather not have.
“Roger that,” I said and took a long drink off of the cup.
The alcohol burned as it went down, but it was fruity and tasty. I took another drink and let the warm fuzzy feeling settle in the pit of my stomach.
From time to time, I would glance over to Gavin. One thing was for certain, he was popular among the woman. I knew I shouldn’t be jealous, but that was exactly what was happening. Despite Grace mentioning Julia, I didn’t spot her, so at least I didn’t have that annoyance.
As the night wore on, Chance brought me another cup of sweet goodness. My irritation over Gavin continued. Not that I wasn’t getting my own attention. I had noticed that several of the guys moved closer to me. The strong smell of liqueur combined with the excessive use of cologne was almost too much to take.
Quietly, I excused myself to the restroom. Once finished, I made my way out back. The air was cooler but fresh and h
elped to clear my head. I slipped my hair out of the up-do and massaged the scalp. It was all so exceptionally quiet. Apparently this crowd was not a fan of the outdoors. I made my way further outback. The lake was just far enough back that near the edge of the property, they had installed a pool. The clear pool water reflected the partial moon in the sky. I looked up and saw the all too familiar landscape.
“It’s amazing how much you can see outside the city.”
Startled, I jumped at the sound of Gavin next to me. He had been so quiet, I hadn’t even heard him approach.
I looked back up.
“I love the night sky.” I sighed. “There’s just something so comforting in knowing that we might all be different, but in the grand scheme of things, we’re all the same.”
I turned to find Gavin staring at me.
“I’ve never known someone to see the world like you do.”
Was that a compliment? I battled with what to say. How was I supposed to respond to something like that? Not only was the alcohol from the night getting to me, but his nearness wasn’t helping. There was just something about him that threw me off.
I started to take a step back when the heel of my shoe caught on a bump in the concrete. With nothing to stop me, my balance swayed and down I went. Instead of hard concrete, I fell into a soft cushion.
I sat up slightly dazed by it all and turned to survey what had happened. Lucky for me, the owner liked their big lounging chairs. The wide, round lounger seemed like the perfect spot on a sunny day. I could already picture some wealthy woman enjoying ‘nature’ by the pool, champagne in hand.
Gavin dropped down beside me, concern on his face. For some reason, I couldn’t help but try to hurt myself in from of him. Either he was a devil or a saint. He certainly seemed to be around to rescue me quite a bit recently.
I giggled. It’s strange how someone can go from scaring the crap out of you to making your heart race.
“Are you all right?” Gavin reached around and felt the back of my head. “You didn’t bump anything, did you?”
His reaction only made me laugh harder until I fell back on the lounger and tried to catch my breath. I felt a twinge of regret when he stood. It hadn’t been my intent to run him off, but maybe it was for the best.
When the lounger dipped next to me, I tried not to let my heart leap out of my chest. This was normal. It didn’t mean anything. Friends could look at the stars together. I sighed. Well sort of friends could look at the stars together.
Out of the corner of my eye I watched him. He really did look great tonight. It was just so nice to see him out of a polo shirt and khakis. Seemed like that was the only thing guys on campus wanted to wear.
The corner of his mouth twitched, and I knew I’d been caught. I slipped off my shoes and tried to hide my discomfort. As if on invitation, Gavin toed off his own shoes. For some reason this made me blush. Here I was, lying out with a guy and the act of him taking off his shoes seemed so intimate.
“What are you thinking?” His husky voice struck something deep and made my nipples tighten.
I scrambled to think of something. There was no way I was telling him what I was actually thinking. Besides, he’d make fun of my since it really didn’t mean anything.
“Gran,” I said quietly.
He turned on his side and propped his head on his hand. “Miss her?”
“Every day,” I said and turned to look at him. “Summer was always our time.”
“Grace said you still have her house and want to move there when the school year is up.” Gavin’s gaze burned through me.
I wasn’t sure what answer he was hoping to hear, but I was totally going to have a chat with Grace. Spilling the beans on Gran’s house was the last thing I wanted. It was my sanctuary, and I wasn’t quite ready to share that part of me.
Despite all this, I found myself nodding.
“She willed it all to me.”
Gavin grinned wide. “I’m sure your parents were thrilled.”
I couldn’t help the grin that popped up. “Gran’s last wish was for me to be a thorn in their side.”
A soft look came over him as he leaned back to look at the sky. It was such a sad face, I had to strain not to put my arms around him.
“You know I met her once?”
“Gran?” I watched his profile as he nodded. He seemed so far away.
“She and your mother were having lunch when mother and I spotted them. Your mother introduced us and we had lunch together.”
I hadn’t known this. Why didn’t Gran ever mention she had lunch with Gavin? Seemed like something she would want to tell me.
“And what did you all talk about?” I leaned slightly closer to him, in part because the air was getting a slight chill to it but also to be closer to this part of Gran that I didn’t know.
He turned to his side again, our faces just inches apart. Gavin stared down at the closeness of our hands. When his eyes met mine again, my heart nearly burst from my chest.
“A little about Grace,” his voice dropped to almost a whisper, “but mostly about you.”
His hand slid over mine and rubbed the pulse point with his thumb.
“Oh?” I squeaked. This was so much more than I thought.
“She told me to help keep you safe.” Gavin’s eyes grew dark with anger. “I didn’t keep my promise well. If I had known things were going to go like that with Chet—”
“You were there when I needed you,” I said. When I flipped my hand, he held it so we were palm to palm. The trembling in his fingers pulled at my heart. I laced our hand together and became the one to do the soothing. “It’s really sweet that you wanted to protect me, but it was good I learned how to deal with guys like that.”
His hand squeezed slightly, and the muscle in his jaw started to tick.
“It wasn’t good for you,” he said. I could see the anger bubbling up. “She knew that this life would ruin you. We both saw the effects.”
I scrunched my face in confusion. “So you two sat around and talked about what a delicate flower I am?”
The anger dropped from his face. He threw his head back and laughed. It was such a nice sound and not one I’d heard from him.
“Hardly.” He looked back at me with a twinkle in his eye.
“Well that’s not the way it sounds,” I said. Irritation was winning as I tried to yank my hand from his.
Instead of just pulling his hand away, I was yanked on top of him. My eyes shot to his with surprise.
“You are special, and we both knew that you needed to be protected in this lifestyle we live.” The sincerity in his voice struck something in me.
Before I had time to question what it all meant, I pressed my lips to his and savored the moment. I was thrilled at the surprise on his face. It wasn’t often that someone could catch Gavin off guard. His hand slipped into my hair and maneuvered us into a better position. When his tongue slipped into my mouth, I surrendered to the moment.
Now I’m not going to lie, it had been a long time since I had been able to even make out. Guys weren’t exactly lining up to be with someone who just publically humiliated the last guy. Sure it was lonely, but there was always a good book to fill the void. But after Gavin, I wasn’t sure if that was going to be the case.
He didn’t just kiss me back but instead consumed every one of my senses. Everything around me was Gavin. My hand slipped from his and both came up to cup his cheeks. He groaned at the tender gesture. The hand on my back tensed and suddenly I was on my back being pressed deliciously into the lounger.
Whatever nagging thought I might have had went out the window when I felt his weight on me. Never before had it felt so right, having someone nestled between my legs, lifting up to grind myself against him. Our mouths broke away and I gasped for air as he trailed hot open-mouthed kisses down this side of my neck. The hand that had been on his face I slipped through his fine brown hair. The softness glided through my fingers and made me want to feel it sliding al
l over my body. I shuddered thinking where I’d like his head to go on my body.
I cried out when his mouth found my pert nipple. He quickly pressed his mouth to mine again.
“Just can’t stop yourself from making noises,” he said when he pulled away, a smile teasing his soft lips.
I could feel the heat rising in my face. Two could play this game. I slid my hand down his chest, slowing down just enough to enjoy the dips I found along the way. Just at the band of his jeans, his shirt had slipped up revealing a sliver of skin. I traced my fingers there, marveling at the movement of muscles.
When my hand stilled, I looked back at Gavin. His deep green eyes were just inches from my own. Continuing to watch, I slipped my hand further down and traced the length of him in his pants. He closed his eyes and moaned at the touch.
I leaned forward and put my mouth to his ear. “Just can’t stop yourself from making noises,” I whispered.
Gavin shot back and grabbed the teasing hand. He wove our fingers together again and pressed them next to my head. When he shifted his body back into place, he firmly planted himself over my throbbing heat.
When he rocked into me this time, the friction was so sex-like, I had to remind myself we still had clothes on. Gavin placed his forehead on mine.
“Oh, Em, you don’t know the fire you’re dealing with.”
“Maybe I do,” I said and rocked back into him.
Gavin groaned as I ground against him. It was nice to know that I could summon that sort of response from a man like him. There was a sort of power in knowing that he was a flustered as I was.
“You can’t believe how much I want you,” he said. His warm hand traced a path up the back of my leg, pulling the flimsy dress up with it. The touch sent a zing to my very center.
“Em, are you out here?” Grace’s voice cut through the silence.
We froze, still locked in each other’s arms. Gavin dropped his head to my neck and kissed the skin there.
“You had better go to her,” he said in a strained voice.
I nodded. The words I wanted to say just couldn’t seem to find root in my mouth. I stood and situated the dress back into place. Gavin sat back and watched me as I did this. There was no mistaking the hunger in his eyes.
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