by ZN Willett
"It is, but it wasn't too nauseating." He laughed.
"I still can't believe I have a book out there."
"Yeah. Ummm...Andria…" He looked hesitant and uncomfortable. "How much of it was about me?"
I stepped back confused. "What?"
"The parts and all…"
It had taken me a minute before clarity came. "Brandon, nothing was about you."
"Ouch." He stumbled back placing his hand over his heart.
"Did you want it to be?"
"I'm not saying that. I was only curious."
I looked around us, to see if anyone was near. "Brandon, that night was a mistake."
"I know," he whispered. "I was just wondering."
"I see. Now I'm curious as to what parts you thought were about you."
"Well, actually. None of it, but I thought maybe you had embellished."
"I would have had to embellish a lot."
"Andria!" he half shouted.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. You know it was awkward and—"
"Not good."
We both stood there staring at the other before we started to laugh.
"Can you believe I'm a romance writer, and my first experience was almost with my best friend? It would have been horrible."
He looked hurt. "Hey! Not horrible. It would've be—"
"Wrong," I said as he nodded in agreement. "Although, I will never be able to thank you for being so kind to me."
He looked puzzled. "How was I supposed to be?"
My eyes glanced down to the floor. "I don't know, but it could have gone all kinds of wrong." I looked up at him, and his half grin before he turned to enter the bathroom.
I was on a date with Joe Walter. He was one of the popular boys in high school, and I was stunned when he had asked me out on a date. I was so excited, even though Brandon and Erin both warned me not to go out with him. Erin had a sick feeling that something was going to happen, and Brandon said he had a bad reputation. I blew both of them off, and that was something that I’d always regret.
Everything seemed to go fine at first. We went to see a movie and then had pizza at a restaurant before Joe took me home. Dad was away that evening working the late shift, and I mistakenly invited Joe inside. We sat and talked for a while before he made his move. I was thrilled and excited at first—I was a virgin in every way—and he was my first kiss. I naively thought that was as far as it would go until he started grabbing and groping me. Even though I said to stop, he continued on.
Panicked, I started to scream, but he reminded me that no one was home and that I had been begging for it all night. I realized something horrible was about to happen, and I only had a quick window of opportunity to do something to stop it. I thought back to everything Dad had taught me about defending myself. Then I shoved my knee hard into his groin, pushed him off of me, and ran to my room. I grabbed the phone and called Brandon, knowing he was at the auto shop he worked at down the street. While Joe continued to bang on my door.
Soon, Brandon came crashing in. He was working out then and was built like a tank. His mere size was already intimidating, yet the anger radiating out of his blue eyes was horrifying. He beat the crap out of Joe.
After, Brandon said he would call Dad, but I asked him not to. I let him in the house knowing I wasn't allowed to have boys over, and at the time, I blamed myself.
I knew none of it was my fault. But, at that time, I wasn't thinking rationally. Even though Brandon told Joe he was going to tell Dad anyway, I wouldn't let him. However, I did let him and his friends from school beat the crap out of Joe, before telling him never to look or speak to me again.
Erin and Brandon rotated staying with me at night when Dad was working the late shift until I felt safe again. It was during those nights that Brandon and I got closer. Eventually, I felt better and Erin stopped coming over, but Brandon would stop by to check in after his shift at work.
One night, I asked Brandon if he thought I was attractive. Of course, he looked at me as if I were crazy, but he said I was. I confessed to him that I was still a virgin with no prospects, and Joe was the first and only guy I had kissed. He was appalled and said he would rectify that immediately.
The kiss Brandon and I shared was sweet and nice. Nothing heavy or heated—at first—then something happened, and he kissed me more firmly. I wasn't sure then, but I suspected Brandon and I had totally different feelings for each other. Even though I could see why a lot of girls were attracted to his dark and handsome features, I wasn't into Brandon like that. I didn't want to hurt him. I was the one who had asked, and I stupidly decided to see where it went.
I opened my eyes to see if he was getting into it. His eyes were closed, and the sounds he was making made it obviously clear how he felt. I froze; I halted my lips and stayed as still as possible. Brandon took that as an opportunity to unbutton my blouse and jeans at the same time.
After the initial shock that he actually thought I would have sex with him ended, I grabbed his hands as they fumbled with my buttons. He asked me what was wrong, and I told him "everything." The whole thought of what we—no he—was about to do was wrong.
He panicked and said he should have been more sensitive after the whole debacle with Joe. He wasn't thinking. I told him it had nothing to do with Joe. I wasn't sure why he looked so hurt, but he joked about getting carried away, and of course nothing more would have happened.
I loved Brandon, but I wanted my first experience to be…everything.
As I turned to head back down the stairs, my cell rang in my pocket. Usually, I don't answer private unknown numbers, but when I looked at my cell, I had a weird, unexplainable feeling. "Hello?"
"Hello, I'm looking for Andria Moore."
I stopped walking. I knew that voice. "This is Andria."
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important."
My mouth went dry. "No, Ummm, I was…ah, I was just finishing talking to Brandon."
Why did I sound like a bumbling buffoon?
"Brandon is there, Andria?"
With that, my mouth watered as my entire body hummed with excitement. Andrew's tone was clipped, yet all sorts of visuals flashed in my head.
He dragged out. "Andria?"
"His mother-in-law is dating my dad. How did you get this number? I mean, I didn't give it to you, and I wanted to tell you thank you for the basket."
"I'm a pretty resourceful guy. I'm glad you liked it."
"My dad really likes it," I laughed. "You didn't have to—"
"I wanted to. Are you busy this evening?"
"We just finished dinner…" Not quite sure why I whispered the last part.
"I happen to be in the area and thought I could see you."
I slid down the wall, sitting on the floor. "You just happened to be in Baltimore? It's a two hour drive."
"Yes, I know, but once I drove out of DC, I was heading in the direction of Baltimore."
I smiled big. "I see. Well, since you're in the area, I would love to see you again."
"Good, I will be there within the hour."
"Oh, okay. Do I even need to give you my address?"
"No, need."
"Should I be scared of your ability to track me down so easily?"
"You can trust me Andria. I won't bite."
And with that, I was a little disappointed.
It had been over an hour, and I started to worry if I had imagined the whole conversation. Andrew was late, and since it was our first…whatever, I had nothing to compare his sense of time to. I thought of calling him, but I didn't want to seem too eager or desperate.
What was I thinking? The man tracked me down, was driving two hours to see me, and I was worried about looking anxious? Well, maybe a little. I tried my best not to act like a fangirl, but Andrew Hughes was driving to my home to see me. Me, Alexandria Paige Moore. It didn’t matter how successful I was. Or the fact that Andrew wasn’t the only celebrity I had met. Every insecurity a girl could have came floo
ding over me. Even ones I never thought I had.
Having rushed everyone out of the house, I asked Pilar to cover for me with Dad. I gave her my credit card, treating them to a movie. I knew Dad was suspicious with my sudden "headache," but I wanted everyone out.
When I heard the doorbell, my heart nervously beat faster. I slowly counted to ten before opening the door, and finding Andrew soaked from head to toe. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?"
I didn't even realize it was raining, and by the looks of it, it was turning to ice and sleet.
"Come in before you freeze to death."
"I think it's too late," he coughed out as he entered.
Even though I felt sorry for the wet man who stood in front of me, my lady bits started tingling at the sight of a wet Andrew. His hair was darker and somehow sexier, and his lips were plump and red from the cold. The gray jacket he wore was open, displaying the black wet t-shirt that defined every inch of his chest. Thoughts of Andrew in the shower came to mind before hearing him cough again. "Let me get some towels, please, come and sit down. I'll make some tea." He followed me into the kitchen.
As Andrew took a seat at the table, I ran upstairs to collect a bunch of towels. I put a few in the dryer to warm-up and gave him the others. I poured a cup of tea that I had made and placed it in front of him. "Drink, you could catch pneumonia. What happened?" I asked, sitting next to him.
"I had a flat tire and a low battery cell. This made it impossible to keep a signal when I tried the auto club. I had to change the tire myself in this weather," frustratingly saying as he ran his hand through his hair.
"Oh, Andrew."
He took a sip of the hot liquid. "Thanks for the tea," he sneezed.
I stood and grabbed his coat as I headed upstairs to get the warm towels. I threw his coat in the dryer, and grabbed my hairdryer before returning downstairs to wrap the towels around him. "This should warm you up, and I placed your jacket in the dryer. Do you want to dry your hair?" He nodded and started to dry it off with a towel. "I had a better idea."
Turning on the hairdryer, I started combing through his wet hair with my fingers. He let out a contented moan that spoke directly to my girly bits. It didn't help that I was thinking of grabbing and pulling said hair.
"Andria," he purred. "That feels so good."
There was only so much of that I could hear without mounting him right then and there in the chair. "I think you're dry now," I said turning off the dryer.
"Thank you," he cooed as he placed his hand on my wrist.
I stood looking at his hand for a moment. "It's the least I could do. You did come all this way. Why exactly?"
"For you." He said directly into my eyes.
"Okay?"
"Am I scaring you?"
I wasn't sure what Andrew saw on my face, but I wasn't alarmed that he had found me; I was scared as to where it would lead. "Andrew, I've been hurt—"
"Never by me," he said confidently and with finality.
I gaped at him, lost for what to say next before asking, "Are you hungry? Why don't I fix you something?"
"You don't have to do that." He squeezed my wrist.
"I want to. It will only take a minute. We had a seafood boil, and there is plenty left. It'll only take a few minutes to heat up. I’ll grab some French bread for dipping and make a salad to start," I said and began to cook Andrew Hughes dinner.
Watching Andrew eat was worse than watching him drink. I was envious of Dad's utensil as he placed the fork in his mouth. "This is incredible, Andria. You're a terrific cook."
"Thanks. My dad isn’t the best cook. As a kid, I got tired of his cooking quickly, so I started to do all the cooking for both of us. When I come home, I try to cook for him as much as possible. Things have changed now that he is dating Pilar, but I wanted to do this for him today. Pilar can cook on Thanksgiving," I said smiling.
"Do you like Pilar?"
I started to collect the empty dishes. "I do. I've known her for...what seems like my entire life."
"She's this Brandon's mother?" His brows furrowed.
"Mother-in-law." I smiled to myself.
He finished his food and insisted on helping with the dishes. It felt weird and normal at the same time. We fell into a fairly comfortable domestic flow. I washed, he dried, and after wiping down everything, we sat in the living room and talked.
"I can't believe you came all this way to see me," I confessed.
He slid closer to me on the sofa stretching one arm behind me. "You were the first person I thought of when I woke up this morning."
I was literally left speechless.
He moved in closer as his free hand started tracing imaginary circles up my arm. "There seems to be some sort of connection between us, Andria. Don't you feel it?"
Heck yea! But, all I could do was nod my head.
"I have never just dropped in to see a girl that I just met, but you are not just any girl, are you, Ms. Moore?"
His voice sounded like pure sin, and I wanted to give him my soul right then and there. I sat staring as his fingers continued to move up and down my arm while goose bumps followed in their path.
"May I kiss you, Andria?"
Looking into his burning eyes, my entire being was nervous and excited by what I saw in them. He continued to make me speechless, yet I nodded, and then he leaned in.
My chest heaved as Andrew stopped within an inch of my face and looked intently into my eyes. My mouth watered as he glanced at my lips before tilting his head forward.
Seeing his beautiful face up close was too much, and I closed my eyes. His lips were warm and soft, and I found it difficult to breathe. As he pressed his lips into mine, I slightly opened them, and he followed leaning into me.
Andrew kissed slow and gentle, and as I felt his arms wrap around my back, I stiffened up. I willed my body to relax, but I was kissing Andrew Hughes. I was a total wreck inside. I kept telling myself to breathe, but my body wasn't listening. When his hands soothingly started to caress my back, my mind and body finally relaxed in his arms.
After several more warm kisses, I threw caution to the wind and opened my mouth a bit more. I then felt his smile on my lips as he followed and pressed harder.
That should have been my first kiss, I thought.
As the kiss deepened, my body began to have a mind of its own when my hands found refuge in his hair. My fingers wrapped themselves around the silken strands as I pulled Andrew in closer. The moment that I heard myself hum in satisfaction, he shifted closer and the kiss heated up.
When I say heated, I mean, it heated the hell up.
I couldn't get enough of him, and the sounds vibrating off Andrew caused my thighs to rub together. When he pulled me in tighter, it was getting harder to breathe. Our mouths seemed to fight for dominance, and I surrendered gracefully to the master that was Andrew Hughes. When his hand glided around to my breast squeezing, a wanton, "Andrew, yes!" escaped me.
I was on sensory overload. My mind couldn't focus on one specific act as my core pulsated. Andrew broke the kiss, seeking air along my neck as he nipped and kissed up and down creating a heated trail. When he reached my collarbone, he inhaled with a low rumble. "Need you now, Andria."
I wasn't sure what happened first, but all I remember was a group gasp at the same time I felt a breeze on my chest as Andrew ripped open my blouse. I could hear the buttons hit the hardwood floor at the same time I heard my Dad yell, "Andria!"
"Dad!"
We both looked over, and I saw fire in both Dad and Brandon's eyes as Pilar and Jaimie grinned widely while Carlos looked on in disgust. "Geez, Andria. I'm going to be scarred for life," he said.
"Alexandria Paige Moore, what the hell is going on, and who the hell is he?" Dad asked as he stormed toward us.
"Is that Andrew Hughes?" Jaimie pointed her long fake nails towards us.
"Answer him Andria," Brandon added coming behind Dad.
"Guys, could you give us a minute," I pleaded.
I watched as they all headed to the kitchen, leaving Andrew and me alone.
He took my hand before saying, "That wasn't exactly how I wanted to meet your father."
I think I was more in shock that he thought of meeting my dad versus my dad walking in on us. "I am so sorry. I didn't realize what time it was—they're early."
"Why are you apologizing?" He smirked. "I was the one who got carried away. Andria, I hope you don't think this is why I came here," he said, looking a bit concerned while he collected my buttons.
"No. Ummm...no, of course not. I hope you don't think I would…and we just met."
We both sat there awkwardly before hearing my dad say, "Anytime!"
My eyes had widened in horror before Andrew shook his head laughing. "I am totally embarrassed, but please believe me when I say that I don't normally do this."
He took my hand and placed a soft kiss on the inside of my wrist before saying, "Andria, if I were being honest, the only thing I regret is that they came home early."
My mouth opened.
Feeling the cold breeze hit my bra clad chest; I excused myself as I ran upstairs to grab another shirt. When I entered the kitchen, everyone was seated, including Andrew having a cup of coffee. "Do I need to introduce Andrew?"
A gruff came out of my father as he folded his arms. "No, he took care of that. Why didn't you tell me he was coming?"
I looked around the crowded kitchen as everyone waited for an answer. "It was a last-minute thing, Dad."
"Is that so? A last-minute drive from Virginia, Andria."
I glanced at a guilty Andrew. I wasn't gone that long. "Dad…"
Pilar placed her hand on my father’s arm. "Dan, leave Andria alone. She's an adult. Andrew, please excuse Dan. It’s hard sometimes for fathers to see their little girls grow into women." Dad grunted. "It’s true. Even for Mothers with their sons. Last month Carlos told me he had a girlfriend. Even though I said he was too young. "She glanced over at him.
"Mom!" Carlos said wide-eyed and embarrassed.
"But…I had to face the fact that my little man is growing up."
"That’s all nice and dandy," my father added.
"Anyway. So Andrew, do you know you look a lot like that movie star?"