“Right,” I finally responded, and he nodded his head smiling, happy with my answer, even though I had no clue if it was true. Now, Justin was on my brain again, and he was all I could think about.
I vaguely remember leaving with Mariah and Nash, but I missed most of the car ride—and fortunately, Mariah’s complaining—because I was focused on Justin and all of the what ifs. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to get much sleep tonight.
“YOU’RE JOKING, RIGHT?” I checked my phone to confirm that I was talking to my mom. Yup, it was still her and my ears were definitely working. I don’t know why I was so shocked. I should’ve seen it coming, actually.
“Adelaide, let’s not be a drama queen about this. You, of all people, should be happy about this.”
“Um…okay?” It came out as more of a question and I thought about why I should be happy about this as I half-listened to my mom drone on and on.
Zoey eyed me from across the back table that we had covered with textbooks in the library. I knew from hearing my side of the conversation, she was dying to get the details from this phone call.
“Well, I don’t know what I’m going to do, Mom. I’m at the library with Zoey. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, dear. Just think about what I said. No need to feel obligated anymore.”
I hung up my phone, tucking it back into my purse, and chewed on the end of my pen as I thought about what my mom had just told me. Leave it to her to drop a bombshell like that over the phone, and then move onto the next thing, as if she was talking about the weather or something. She seriously confused the hell out of me.
“So, tell me what that was all about!” Zoey demanded from across the table.
“My mom and Gerald are divorcing.”
“What?” she shrieked, her eyes widening as she pushed back into her seat. “Wow, that’s…wow. Was there any signs that was coming?”
I shook my head, and began stacking my books. “No clue whatsoever. And apparently, she has another guy all lined up.” It seemed like she would probably have husband number three before the ink was even dry on her divorce papers. I just did not understand that woman.
“Jeez. Well, Lillian sure knows how to find the guys. I mean, she’s hot for an older lady, but she’s an ice queen. I just don’t get the appeal.”
“Me either.”
“So, does this change anything with our roommate that we all love so much?”
I groaned loudly as I stood up. “She told me that I shouldn’t feel obligated to Mia anymore.” In a way, I had felt slightly obligated to have Mia as a roommate. My mom thought Mia needed a push in the right direction, kind of like me, but it didn’t work. I hadn’t spoken to Mia since Justin had shown up at the house and I found out that she had been lying to him about me being with Nash. I think she had been avoiding me, too.
“Well, you shouldn’t.” Zoey pulled out a notebook as I continued to clear the rest of my stuff off the table. “You’re way too nice to her, Della. She’s a bitch. We all know it. So, can we kick her out tonight?” She clasped her hands together, looking entirely too gleeful about the idea, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Give me some time to think about it. I’m gonna go to the gym, try to clear my head a little bit. Hopefully I’ll figure something out.”
“Ew.” She scrunched her nose up at the mention of the gym, and I rolled my eyes. Callie and Zoey didn’t understand my obsession with working out lately. I really didn’t, either. My mom harped on me for years to stay in shape, bringing in a personal trainer three times a week to our house. I hated it at the time, but one thing it did do was take my mind off of things, and lately I needed to do that a lot. It was pretty hard to think when you were pounding away on a treadmill, shaking because every part of your body was worn out, and dripping with sweat. “You have fun with that. I’d rather sit here and study my brains out.”
I waved at her over my shoulder and headed across campus to the rec center. Luckily, I’d brought my workout clothes along, so after making a quick stop in the locker room to change, I had my water bottle and IPod in hand.
I picked a treadmill that was set away from everyone else. I didn’t need some chit-chatty girl next to me or some random guy trying to hit on me while I was running my ass off. Didn’t you just love those people that tried to talk to you when you had earbuds in? I mean, obviously they were in there for a reason. Jeez, I sounded like a bitch even in my own head. I was really having an off day.
I set a timer as I stepped on, and selected a pace, letting myself warm up a bit before I went into full-blown crazy-person running mode.
I couldn’t believe my mom was divorcing Gerald. According to her, they both moved on with other people and mutually decided on a divorce, but I didn’t know if I could actually believe her. Whatever. Either way, it didn’t really matter to me.
What I was more focused on was Mia. Should I just kick her out of the house since she wasn’t going to be my stepsister anymore? Yes, she was a bitch to me, especially with the whole Justin thing, but I saw something in her that I had seen in myself when I was going through everything. Desperation. Desperate for attention, desperate for someone to love you—really love you—and desperate for someone to tell you no. I weighed all the pros and cons in my head, hating that I actually had a conscience about the whole thing.
Just as the speed picked up, a cool hand landed on my bare shoulder, causing my body to tingle with goose bumps, and I jumped. I let the treadmill completely stop before I turned around, pulling out my earbuds at the same time. Imagine Dragons faded out of ears as my eyes landed on Justin’s gray ones, and he stood there with a crooked smirk, blatantly doing one of those up and down perusals that guys do when they’re checking you out.
I squirmed in place while his eyes continued to roam my body, and I did the same to him. All he wore was a pair of black athletic shorts and running shoes. Holy balls, had I died and gone to Heaven? Was it possible that I ran myself to death and this is what I had to look at for the rest of eternity? There really was a God. Grams had been drilling it into my head over the years, and now I knew that she was right.
Just as I suspected, his body was even toner than the last time I’d seen him without this many clothes. He must’ve been here for a while, too, because his chest glistened with a slight sheen, and I felt the urge to just lick it all off. Don’t be stupid, Della. Yes, Mia lied to him about what was going on between Nash and me, but he chose to believe her, and then treated me the way he did because of it. He was an asshole. A sexy asshole, but still.
I cleared my throat, which made his head snap up, away from the very intense study he was currently conducting on my boobs. I really needed to start wearing a bag to the gym, instead of a sports bra and shorts. “Can I help you with something?”
“Nope,” he responded, popping the P. “I think I’m good.”
“All right,” I dragged out. Giving up on my run, I stepped off the treadmill and bent over to grab my water bottle, realizing halfway down that I really shouldn’t have done that. All it did was give him a better view. “Are you stalking me or something?” I asked, quickly popping back up.
He raised his eyebrows, pursing his lips, and I could tell he was trying not to laugh. I’m glad I was so amusing. “What? You’re not a student here anymore, so how’d you even get in?”
“I know the guy at the front desk.”
“Oh. Well, so great seeing you…gotta run…bye.” I brushed past him but didn’t make it very far before he grabbed my elbow, twisting me around so I was flush against his body. I looked everywhere but in those eyes of his. I knew if I even glanced there, I was done for.
He leaned forward, closing the little distance that was between us. “I think we need to talk.” His mouth brushed ever so lightly against the most sensitive part of my ear, and I pulled back, my eyes wide. I’m pretty sure he could hear my heart, that’s how rapidly it was beating at the moment. It felt like it was trying to pound straight out of my chest.
“Um….” I let out a nervous laugh, slowly backing toward the hallway so I could escape to the women’s locker rooms. “I don’t think talking would be a very good idea right now.” I spun around once I realized my feet were right at the threshold of the hallway and darted into it.
“Della. Stop.” This time his hand landed on my wrist, and after quite a bit of tugging, I realized I wasn’t going to get anywhere quick. I could try pulling him all the way to the locker room behind me, but knowing Justin, he would probably follow me in there anyway. “If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine.”
“Okay, then let me—” I lost my train of thought because all of a sudden he had my body pushed back into the wall, pinning me against it with his body. I realized I was holding my breath, so I exhaled before inhaling again, which was a mistake, because all I could smell was Justin. There was that smell of his, mixed with just a hint of smoke. I never thought I would actually find that smell appealing.
He placed one finger over my lips. “I’m okay with not talking.” His finger slid down slowly, running along my neck, then to my collarbone, and continuing until his hand landed on my hip. My skin was on fire from those simple touches, and I squirmed when his other hand landed on my lower back. I knew what was coming, but there was no way to prepare myself. I could fight him, kick him in the balls, yell at him, something, but I didn’t do any of that. I wanted this—so bad that I could practically taste it.
His head finally dipped forward, and from there on out it was like we were in a hurried frenzy, trying to pack everything we had missed from being away from each other into that one kiss. I grabbed at the back of his neck to bring him closer, his tongue darting out to lick the seam of my lips, like he needed to pry them open, but I was more than willing. I sighed into his mouth when his tongue entered, reintroducing itself to mine, stroking back and forth, memorizing every inch once again, and I savored the taste.
I couldn’t get enough.
My hips arched into him, and he ground his hardness against the thin material of my shorts. His hand moved to the band on my shorts just as I heard someone loudly snickering, and I suddenly remembered where we were. I squeezed my eyes shut in embarrassment before reopening them and looking over Justin’s shoulder.
There were two clearly entertained guys around my age standing behind him, both of them smiling widely. I was surprised there wasn’t any drool running down their chins. I gave them the finger as they continued to stare, but Justin ignored them, not even bothering to turn around as he slid my body sideways along the wall until we reached a door that he opened with one hand.
“So, where were we?” he asked after locking the door behind us. I think we were in a supply closet or something, but I wasn’t given time to form a sarcastic response before his mouth once again crashed into mine, our tongues meeting forcefully.
He lifted me up without breaking our kiss, bracing his hands on my hips, and I immediately wrapped my legs around his waist. He kept walking around the tiny space until I felt something behind me, and he sat me down on what felt like a countertop. I really couldn’t tell because my senses honed in on what he was doing to my mouth—my whole body, really. He was setting off every nerve, just by the stroke of his tongue, but I had a feeling he wanted to do a whole lot more.
“I missed this so much, Della,” he murmured against my mouth, his hands stroking up and down the sides of my stomach. “I missed you so much.” His warm hands again stopped at the band of my shorts, and this time, he gave a slight tug and I helped him along by wiggling my hips.
He stepped in between my legs once my shorts and panties were lying in a heap on the floor, and I couldn’t help but arch my hips into him. His fingers dropped down to my most sensitive part, and he began rubbing small, lazy circles that drove me crazy with a need that I hadn’t felt in a long time. I squeezed my eyes shut as he continued the torture with his fingers. His mouth moved to my neck, licking and sucking, then to my mouth once again, thrusting in and out to mime what his fingers were expertly doing to me.
I was so close, and then he pulled his hand away. I pried my eyes open to see him smirking at me, one hand adjusting the front of his shorts. Did he think we were going to…? Hello, Della? What do you think he dragged you in here for? “Justin, we can’t…I don’t want to—”
“I didn’t bring you in here to have sex, Della.” I blew out a breath and felt some tension release from my body. If only I could get rid of some of this other tension….
“When we do, and there’s no if’s about it, it’s not going to be in some damn janitor’s closet. It’s going to be in my bed, all night long, so I can have you every which way, like I’ve been dreaming about since the last time I had you. It will be something that you’ll never forget. I can promise you that.”
I squeezed my thighs together, trying to relieve some of the pressure that was only building at his words. I felt like telling him to forget whatever fantasy he had painted in his head, to just fuck me because I needed him now, but I knew that I couldn’t do that.
Then he dropped down to his knees, parting my legs so his head was right in the center of them, and darted his tongue out, licking me from top to bottom. Over and over again. Oh. My. God. I moaned loudly, not caring that those two pervy boys were probably outside the door with their ears pressed against it. All I could think about was Justin’s tongue and the magic it possessed.
I continued to watch his head move in between my legs, and every once in a while he would look up at me, those eyes framed by thick lashes, filled with so much lust. I just wanted to push him down on the ground and have my way with him. His warm breath blew against me when he moved up to focus on my clit as he pushed one finger inside me, and then added another. The rhythm he created was too much. Between the sucking and the thrusting of his fingers, I couldn’t handle it any longer. My hips arched violently against him, my ass flying off the countertop, and I exploded as I called out his name, relaxing back onto the cold, hard surface as I came down from the high.
Justin slid up, kissing the side of my neck before wrapping his arms tightly around my waist and burying his head into the crook. I reached between our bodies, so I could return the favor, but he quickly pushed my hand aside. “No, Della. Trust me. I’m good. I just wanted to make you happy.” He kissed my forehead once. “You’re so beautiful.”
I’m not sure how long we stayed like that, our bodies wrapped tightly around each other’s in silence, listening to the steady thrum of our heartbeats. The silence wasn’t awkward, it never was with Justin, and it was comforting, to say the least. I knew there were things we needed to talk about, but in that second, I didn’t feel the need. It was a perfect moment that I didn’t want to ruin, but of course, nothing’s ever perfect for long.
Justin’s phone made a noise from his pocket and he muttered something under his breath as he pulled back, leaning down to scoop up my long forgotten shorts and panties. I blushed as he handed them to me, and I slid them back on.
“So, I need to tell you something, Della.” He scratched the back of his neck as I stood up straight, trying to fix the mess that was my hair.
“What’s that? I mean, I already figured out that you followed me here.”
His lips curved up into a smile as he reached out to brush a piece of stray hair that I had missed while throwing my hair up. “Well, yeah, I did, but no, that’s not it.” His jaw tightened, and my stomach plummeted. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like what he was about to say. “It’s just that….” He rubbed his jaw, and I squirmed in place, not wanting to hear whatever was about to come out of his mouth. Couldn’t anything in my life ever be easy? Well, no of course not, Della. Where would be the fun in that?
“I’m sort of seeing someone.”
And there it was, ladies and gentlemen, the bombshell I had been waiting for. Bam. Just like that, I was back to hating stupid Justin Parker once again.
“You have got to be freaking kidding me!” I hissed, stomping one foot
so hard against the concrete floor that it caused my knee to buckle. Justin’s hand shot out, but I quickly knocked it away, and then curled my hand into a fist, slamming it into his flat stomach. Of course, it didn’t do anything, and I think the asshole actually had the nerve to smirk about me trying to do some kind of damage. He didn’t even groan from the impact.
“Look.” He grabbed my wrist and I squirmed, trying to get out of his hold. “I should’ve told you before. I know it makes me look like a jackass…especially because of what happened in the past….” He trailed off, and I wiped at my eyes with my other hand, the situation being way too similar, and bringing up way too many bad memories that I just wanted to forget. I didn’t want to relive another heartbreak from Justin Parker. That was not going to happen.
“Della, don’t cry. Please.” His thumb swiped across my cheek, and I sniffed loudly, straightening my shoulders.
“I’m not crying. I have something in my eye. There are no more tears left to waste over you.”
“I never meant to make you cry. Ever. Just hear me out. Please.”
I stopped my struggle, but looked away, determined to avoid his eyes. “Fine, get on with it, and quickly before I start screaming rape.”
He snorted loudly, but knew I was serious so he began talking. “It’s nothing serious, we’ve just been on a couple dates. I should’ve told you before…but we kind of got caught up in the moment. I needed to tell you, though, because I don’t want there to be any secrets between us. I know I messed things up the first time around because I didn’t tell you the truth. I don’t want that to happen again.”
“And who exactly said we were giving things another try?” My eyes snapped to his, and he blew out a loud breath.
“Della, I’m not trying to assume anything. But will you at least think about it? Things are different this time.”
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