Bad Boy Next Door: A Small Town College Bad Boy Romance

by Hunter Rose

  “So, I’m guessing roasting hot dogs is on the agenda for tonight,” I say.

  “They are in the cooler,” he smiles.

  I laugh and slide up close to him on the gray leather bench seat. He drapes his arm around me and kisses the top of my head. Every time I learn something new about him, I feel like another piece of us is meshing together. There’s so much more to him than I ever would have thought. I’ll never get enough of discovering him.

  My hand touches his thigh and runs along it, feeling the muscles. His thighs open a little further. I don’t know if it’s intentional or just a reaction, but I take it as an invitation and run my palm over the bulge already forming. Talon draws in a breath, and his hands tighten around the wheel. I brush my lips along the side of his neck, letting the tip of my tongue trace a line down the taut tendon there. He hardens under my touch, and I add more pressure to my stroke. His groan makes my body tremble and heat rush between my thighs. I love that I can make him react like that and want more.

  Tracing my fingertips up along his zipper, I release the button at the front of his pants.

  “Wren,” he murmurs, almost like a warning.

  “Hmmmm?”

  My fingers find the tab on his zipper and start to pull it down.

  “I’m driving,” he says, his voice already strained.

  “Then you should be paying attention to the road,” I wink.

  His zipper is all the way down now. I slip my hand between the sides of his pants to rub my palm across him with less fabric between us. My fingertips dip into the fly at the front of his trunks and feel the heat of his bare skin. Talon draws in a sharp breath between his teeth.

  I explore him for as long as I dare to, then zip his pants up again. My body is on fire, my heart racing in my chest. Desire for him completely clouds my thoughts, making it impossible for me to think about anything else. I press closer to him, wanting to touch every inch of his body I can while we’re still in the car. I’ve been waiting for so long, and now I know I can’t wait anymore. I kiss up the side of his neck and bring my lips over his ear, close enough for them to brush his skin.

  “I want you,” I whisper.

  Just saying the words makes my stomach tighten and my hands shake. Talon nuzzles his head against mine.

  “Are you sure?” he asks.

  “Yes.”

  The rest of the drive is less than an hour but feels like an eternity. As soon as we arrive at the campsite, Talon pulls the bag with the tent out of the back of the truck and starts setting it up. When it’s ready, I bring in sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows, spreading them out to create a soft bed. I step back out of the tent, and he’s waiting for me. His arms open, and I step into them, sighing as he envelops me. My hands run down along his back and sweep along the waistband of his pants.

  I step out of my shoes and move closer to him. My fingers gather his shirt and touch the skin of his back. He reaches back over his head and pulls off his shirt, then reaches for mine. When I’m in my bra, my eyes flicker around the campsite, searching the edge of the woods and the road we just followed to get here.

  “It’s just us,” he whispers. “Just us.”

  I nod, and his mouth covers mine. Our tongues massage each other as our hands move over our bodies, peeling away clothes until there’s nothing left between us. Standing out in the open air makes me feel vulnerable and exposed, but Talon’s eyes on me are reassuring. I’ve never felt as beautiful as I do when he looks at me, and in this moment, there is nothing that compares. We duck into the tent and lower down to our knees. We continue to kiss as he turns me and eases me down onto my back on the sleeping bags, my head resting on a pillow.

  Reaching down, he slides one finger up through my center and lets out a breath when the slickness smooths across his skin.

  “You’re already ready for me,” he murmurs.

  I nod. He kisses me again for a few seconds, then pulls back and reaches out of the flap of the tent. When he comes back in, he zips the tent closed and comes over to stretch across me again. I revel in the warmth and weight of his body, pressing me down into the ground. He completely envelops me, surrounding me with his scent and his presence. I wrap my arms around him, grasping at the muscles of his back, and apply gentle pressure to guide him down onto me. He resists and pulls back, bringing his hand in front of me to show me the little foil packet between his fingers.

  He tears through it with his teeth, and his hand disappears again. I feel it moving between us, guiding the condom onto his hardened shaft. His eyes meet mine, and I feel the tip touch my tender opening just before he sinks inside.

  I gasp, my fingertips pressing into his back. I knew there was going to be pain, but I didn’t expect it so deep in my body. He senses my body tense around him and pauses. The tip of his nose brushes against mine, and he kisses me softly.

  “Are you okay?” he whispers.

  I nod. “Yes.”

  “If you want me to stop, tell me.”

  I shake my head, pressing harder on his back to hold him to me. The last thing I want right now is for him to stop. Even the pain feels incredible, and I press into it, opening my thighs a little more so Talon can move a little deeper. The ache intensifies, but so does the pleasure. Soon, he starts to move his hips. He’s slow and patient, rolling in gradual strokes that nurture me as my body learns his. His kiss touches every inch of my face and along my neck, brushing my collarbones, and burying in my hair.

  Sweat beads on his skin as he controls his movements so carefully. I lift my head to lick some away, reveling in the saltiness of him. My body relaxes, letting him move more easily and bringing a new wave of pleasure that softens me even more. He taught me what pleasure my body was capable of experiencing and of giving. It was his patient hands and sweet, blissful tongue that guided me to learning myself and to discovering him. Now I’m lost in it, my eyes closed as I fully give myself over to every sensation moving through my body.

  Talon groans, and in the same moment, I’m aware of my climax coming. The delirious pressure is even more intense, with him cradled deep inside me. I open my mouth to let my sounds pour out rather than trying to hold them back. This seems to spur something in Talon, and his movements speed up. He’s been propped on his elbows, but now he lifts up to rest on his hands and give himself more leverage. He stares into my eyes, and I watch his face as he comes.

  I was already close, and the feeling of him pulsing inside me is all I need to push me over the edge. I cry out and reach up, clamping onto him and holding him close. My tongue slides across his skin, and I kiss his shoulders and neck, desperate even though I’m not sure for what.

  Finally, our bodies slide down the other side of the peak and ease down to rest together. Our arms and legs tangle together, and our mouths play across each other until I let myself slide away into sleep.

  42

  Talon

  Wren giggles and takes off running across the campsite. Wearing only a pair of boots and a zip-up hoodie unzipped to the middle of her chest, she isn’t exactly dressed for an outdoor adventure, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. With messy hair, lips still swollen from my kiss, and cheeks high with color from her laughter, she looks more beautiful than I’ve ever seen her. I chase after her, and she whirls around, trying to fake me out by going one way around the fire pits, only to turn and go the other direction. It doesn’t fool me, and I easily catch up with her.

  She lets out a high-pitched, delighted squeal when I wrap my arms around her waist and scoop her up off the ground. She’s laughing even harder as I set her down on her feet and turn her around so I can flip her up over my shoulder. The hem of the hooded sweatshirt comes up to her waist, revealing her sweet little bare ass to the morning air. She lifts her hands to try to cover up, but I give one cheek a playful smack.

  “There’s nobody out here but me,” I tell her. “I don’t think you’re offending the woodland creatures.”

  “You don’t know that,” she says, stil
l upside down, dangling behind my back. “They could be very sensitive.”

  “Then we probably already scandalized them,” I point out. “But we wouldn’t want to make it any worse.”

  I start down a path leading through the woods and feel her head turn back and forth as she tries to figure out where we’re going.

  “What are you doing?” she asks. “Where are you taking me?”

  “You’ll see,” I tell her.

  “Don’t start that up again,” she smiles.

  I laugh. Those early days of us working on our history project together, trying to navigate a world where the other one existed again, seem so long ago. It’s only been a few months, but everything has changed so much. In those first days of the semester, as we got accustomed to going to school together and working together on the project, there were times when it felt like the divide between us was insurmountable. There was so much pain, so much damage already done that it was hard to imagine anything could ever fix it.

  Even then, I couldn’t stay away from her.

  We make our way down the short path, and I stop on the grassy edge of a creek. Carefully lowering her down, I turn Wren to face the water. She draws in a breath and lets it out in a contented sigh.

  “This is so beautiful,” she says.

  “Come on. Let’s get in,” I tell her.

  “Get in?” she repeats.

  “Of course. Don’t you like bathing in the morning?”

  I smile at her and loosen my button and zipper. My pants drop down, and I step out of them before reaching for her. Turning her around, I kiss her softly, then lower the zipper on her sweatshirt. Pushing it back over her shoulders, I peel it away from her, so she’s in nothing but the boots. I lower down to my knees and untie the laces. I kiss along her leg I’ve lifted up so I can take off the boot. Then repeat the process on the other side. My mouth finds the center of her stomach as I kiss all the way up her trembling skin.

  After a few seconds, I stand and step down into the water. It’s cold but feels good rushing against my skin. I wade out a few yards to test the depth and make sure the bottom is secure before walking back to her. I take both her hands and lead her out onto one of the rocks dotting the water. She leans down and puts her hands on my shoulders, and I pick her up to bring her down into the water with me. She gasps when her skin touches the brisk water, but I hold her against me to offer her some of the warmth of my skin.

  I carry her into the center of the creek, holding her safe from the current that flows past. It’s moving to create a light spray that dances in tiny droplets on our skin. Wren wraps her arms around my neck and relaxes into the water. She trusts me completely. She has handed herself over to me, offered everything, and there isn’t a hint of regret or questioning in her eyes.

  A surge of primal protectiveness rises inside me. It’s not something I’ve ever felt, and it only adds to the constantly changing, constantly growing feelings I don’t fully understand. This isn’t like anything I’ve ever experienced. Wren isn’t like anyone I’ve ever experienced. She never has been. Not from the first moment I saw her.

  I carry her over to a shallower part of the water and set her down on the smooth rocks at the bottom of the creek. Filling my hands with the water, I pour it down over her shoulders and let my hands glide across her skin. She sighs happily as I bathe her, letting her head drop back and her eyes close, so she can just enjoy the feeling. Soon, she joins in, and her eager hands trace over my body. She may not have a lot of experience, but she’s certainly willing to make up for all the lost time.

  The sunlight warms my face as I tilt it back, pleasure filling me as her fingers wrap firmly around my length. I’m already hard. I have been since seeing her scurry across the campsite with the bottom of the hooded sweatshirt bouncing high enough to show the bottom of her cheeks and the dip between her thighs. Wren kisses along my collarbones to the center of my chest, just above my heart. I’m not going to be able to hold out for long, but she doesn’t mind. I reach between us and slip one finger gently inside her, knowing she’s going to be sore, but wanting to feel her wrapped around me when she makes me come.

  A few minutes later, we’re lying on the grass beside the creek, stretched out on what little clothes we were wearing when we came down here. The spring sunlight isn’t quite warm enough for us to be lying out like this after being in the water, but neither of us wants to get dressed. We’d rather just wrap up together and let our skin warm each other. She nestles close and kisses the side of my neck. I smile and turn to kiss her head. A thought I’ve been toying with comes back into my mind, and this time I don’t push it away.

  “Don’t go back to the dorm,” I say.

  She lifts her head and looks at me questioningly. “What?”

  “Don’t go back to the dorm. When we go back to campus,” I tell her.

  “Where should I go?” she asks, a smile playing on her lips as she tries to understand what I’m saying.

  “Home with me.”

  Her eyes lift from where she was watching her finger trace a droplet of water across my chest, and she stares at me.

  “Home with you?” she asks.

  I nod. “Come live in my apartment with me. I want you there when I wake up and when I go to bed. I don’t want to have to sign in when I want to see you or leave before midnight if it’s a weekday. I just want to be able to roll over and hold you in the middle of the night.”

  “There’s only a couple weeks left before the semester ends,” she points out.

  I swallow hard, a fleeting reminder of what that means racing through the back of my mind before I force it away.

  “So spend those with me,” I say.

  She lifts up and kisses me, sliding up onto me. I run my hands down her back and let them rest on her hips. I don’t want to think about anything else.

  43

  Wren

  The sound of Talon’s phone buzzing breaks through my peaceful sleep, but I don’t want to give into it. I bury my head deep in the pillow, tucking close against him, and try to drift back off. The phone quiets for only a second before it starts up again. As usual, nothing gets past his sleep. I’m fairly certain the entire apartment building could come tumbling down around us, and he would just sleep right through it. It’s peaceful and reassuring in a way, but also annoying when he doesn’t notice the phone buzzing incessantly just beneath his head.

  Finally, after the third round of buzzing, I shove my hand under the pillow and pull out the phone. It’s early enough in the morning that the light is still blue, and the screen glowing makes my eyes hurt. I have to wait for them to focus before I can see the name on it.

  Why is Damien calling so early?

  The phone falls silent again, and I go to put it back under the pillow, but it starts right back up. I let out a sigh of exasperation and smash my finger on the green button to answer.

  “What do you want, Damien?” I ask.

  I know I’m not going to wake Talon up, but I still lower my voice to a whisper. Sitting up, I pull my knees to my chest and yank the blanket up to cover up. No one else is in the apartment, but it feels strange to talk on the phone naked.

  “Wren?” he asks, sounding confused.

  I don’t like that sound in his voice. Not when he’s calling Talon’s phone before the sun is fully up.

  “Who else would it be?” I ask.

  I shouldn’t have worded it that way. It was harsh and defensive, and I have no reason to justify being there with Talon.

  “Where’s Talon?” he asks, jumping right past the question.

  “He’s asleep. Like I was,” I tell him.

  “Wake him up. I need to talk to him.”

  “No.” I don’t know why the demand offends me so much, but I’m getting less and less patient with this. It feels like an intrusion, and I don’t like it. “What are you doing calling so early in the morning?”

  “I need to talk to Talon,” he repeats flatly.

  “He’s asleep.
Talk to him later.”

  I hang up and immediately feel guilty about being rude, but I shove the feelings away. Hanging up without a proper goodbye isn’t as rude as the calls in the first place. I push the phone back under Talon’s pillow and curl up against him again. My fingers trace over his chest and rest over his heartbeat. I want to go back to sleep, but the call ruined that for me.

  Instead, I touch a kiss to Talon’s lips and carefully climb out of bed. Slipping his t-shirt on over my head, I make my way into the kitchen. We went grocery shopping together a few days ago, so I know the cabinets are well-stocked. I move around, gathering ingredients and piling them up on the counter. My day is getting an earlier start than I thought, which means it’s the perfect time for some muffins.

  I pull up the next episode of the show I’ve been binging and prop my phone against a coffee canister so I can listen to it while I grate a few zucchini and carrots. When that’s done, I add the pile of grated vegetables into a large mixing bowl with various other ingredients. I lean my hip against the counter and watch as I stir the batter together. It smells fresh and cinnamon-y at the same time. It may not be the most traditional choice for May considering the spices, but they’re my favorite.

  Hands suddenly gripping my hips, and a kiss on the side of my neck makes me jump, but a second later, I smile and melt back into Talon. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me back against him, continuing to kiss my neck.

  “You’re going to spill the batter,” I say through a giggle.

  “That’s alright,” he shrugs. “We can clean it up later.”

  I’m about to set the bowl aside and let him bring me back to the bedroom when the video playing on my phone pauses, and my piercing ringtone takes over the sound. Talon cringes. I know exactly what he’s thinking because he’s said it to me about a dozen times.