I was completely blown away. The campus playboy had just kissed the shit out of me and then talked me out of having sex with him on our first real date.
Chapter 8
Jackson
The drive back to Kaylie’s dorm was hell. It took all of my willpower to not turn the truck around and race back to the cabin with her. My dick was stiff, my balls had to be turning blue, and I could still taste her on my lips. Being noble didn’t come naturally to me. It had been a new experience—one I really didn’t appreciate right now, but I hoped like hell would be worth it later.
I’d wanted her in my bed more than once, and I’d figured she’d have had an excuse to run if we’d gone too fast. And wasn’t that fucking ironic? I’d been worried about a girl not wanting to see me again after we had sex. Usually I hoped like hell I didn’t have to see her after instead.
Kaylie kept giving me strange looks as I drove. “What?” I finally asked while she was looking my way.
“Nothing,” she answered. “Just trying to figure you out is all. You really surprised me tonight.”
“Surprised you in a good way like a present you were really hoping for on Christmas morning or in a bad way like finding out you picked up the flu bug from kissing me?”
“Definitely the good kind of surprise. You really went out of your way to make this a good night for me, and I appreciate it. All of it.”
“Even me saying no to sex tonight?” I asked. I was a little worried that she might think I didn’t want her or something crazy like that when nothing could be further from the truth.
She reached over to grab my hand. “Especially that, I think. It’s been a while for me, but just because I’m horny doesn’t mean we need to jump into bed together right away. I probably would have regretted it after. You putting my feelings ahead of what would have felt really great says a lot.”
I squeezed her hand in response. “Crap, Kaylie. You can’t throw out words like horny right now. You’re killing me here,” I groaned.
“Okay, I’ll be good,” she giggled.
An image of me punishing her for being bad, smacking her ass until it was red, popped into my head. I wasn’t even sure she liked that kind of shit, but I couldn’t stop thinking about having her under my control. I’d enjoyed being kinky with other girls, and I’d always been willing to try something out if they’d asked. It had been more about what they’d wanted than what I was into, as long as I’d gotten off in the end.
But it wasn’t the same with Kaylie and I hadn’t even slept with her yet. It wasn’t that I was less interested in what she wanted in bed than the girls from before because I absolutely wanted to know what excited her, where she liked to be touched, if she preferred sex soft and romantic or hard and fast. But underneath it all, I wanted to make her lose all control and trust me with her body. I had a feeling that with her it would be about trust, and I’d have to earn it before she was willing to give it to me.
I fiddled with the radio to give myself something else to focus on, anything but the thought of driving my cock deep inside her pussy. Luckily, the drive wasn’t a long one and we were back at her dorm pretty quickly. The sexual tension in the truck had almost had me pulling off to the side of the road to kiss her again. But if I wasn’t going to take her when we were alone in the cabin, I sure as shit wasn’t going to start something in the cab of my truck on the open road.
“You don’t have to walk me up,” I heard Kaylie say as I parked the truck.
“But I’m going to anyway. This was a date, remember? And a guy should walk his girl to the door at the end of a date. Now if this was a thank-you dinner, then it would be a totally different story. I’d drop your ass off right here,” I joked.
I enjoyed how her pretty brown eyes lit up when she found something I’d said funny. And the sight of her legs in that skirt and boots as she climbed out of my truck was hot. Add in that she was sweet and I pretty much had the perfect girl. Maybe that was why everything was so different with her—because I was getting to know her as a person instead of just a conquest. I couldn’t help but wonder how many of the girls I’d screwed could have been more than that and I just hadn’t noticed. Had I been so wrapped up in the idea of Lex that I’d missed out on other opportunities? Or was there something special about Kaylie?
We made it upstairs to her room while all those thoughts were rolling around my head, and I realized I was fucking up this opportunity by thinking too much. I opened the door to make sure Char was inside.
“Hey. Kaylie will be inside soon,” I said before closing it again. I pinned her up against the door and looked up and down the hallway to make sure nobody else was around. “I had a great time with you tonight, and I want to do this again soon. What do you think? Did I earn a third date with you?”
“I’m still not sure about counting breakfast at your mom’s as a first date, but yes, I’d like to go out with you again,” she answered.
“Soon?” I pushed.
She smiled shyly at my question. “Yes, Jackson. We can do something again soon.”
“Good. Now that I’ve got that out of the way,” I said as I leaned down to kiss her again.
“Hey!” she protested, putting her hand over my mouth. “I thought you said you didn’t trust yourself with me tonight.”
I nipped at her fingers so she’d remove her hand. “I don’t, but this is about as safe a place as it’s gonna get since Char is on the other side of this door and anyone could walk up at any minute and catch us. And it’s not like I can let our date end without a kiss.”
“Ah, so you’re going to kiss me so you don’t miss out on a dating ritual?”
“No”—I bent my head so I could whisper against her lips—“I’m going to kiss you because I can’t stop myself from doing it. Because I want my kiss to be what you think about when you go to sleep tonight. Because I want to be able to lick my lips and taste you when I’m going to sleep.”
“Jackson,” she sighed as her lips parted and her eyes closed, waiting for me to kiss her.
I didn’t make her wait long before I started to place small kisses in the corner of her mouth and then moved across to the other side to do the same there. I sucked on her bottom lip before sliding my tongue inside her mouth. My fingers slid up her neck, and I could feel her pulse beating wildly. I nudged her head back to trail kisses down her cheek and across her jaw. I licked at her pulse point and sucked gently, using all my willpower not to bite down and leave a mark.
“You’ve got be fucking kidding me!” someone shrieked from behind us. “Get a room! There’s one right behind you for God’s sake.”
Kaylie’s eyes popped open and she started to blush. And then she looked pissed when she realized that it was Sasha complaining about us kissing in the hall. “Really, Sasha? People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
“And girls who are about to become Jackson’s latest one-night stand really don’t have any room to talk and shouldn’t advertise that fact in the fucking hallway!”
“Settle down, Kaylie. I’ll take care of this,” I told her before turning around with Kaylie protected behind me. “Sasha, I think I warned you before about messing around with people I care about.”
“Yeah, so what?” she asked.
“Leave Kaylie alone,” I continued.
“If I had to avoid all the girls you’ve fucked on campus, Jackson, then there would hardly be anyone left to bother with,” she argued.
“Kaylie isn’t a one-night stand. I’m dating her.”
Sasha’s jaw dropped open at my words. “What?”
“You heard me. She’s off-limits to you, too.”
“But you don’t date!” Sasha protested. “You always said you weren’t interested.”
“Things have changed. I wasn’t interested in dating before, but I am now that I’ve met Kaylie.”
“It fucking figures,” Sasha muttered under her breath before glaring at Kaylie over my shoulder and stomping into her room.
; Kaylie wrapped her arms around me and rested her head against my back. “Well, that was a great way to end the night.”
“Let me know if she causes any problems for you. You shouldn’t have to pay for my mistakes,” I grumbled, completely pissed off that Sasha had ruined the moment for us.
“I might not like knowing that you slept with her, but I’m pretty sure she would have been a bitch even if you hadn’t,” Kaylie said as she stepped around me and placed a kiss on my cheek. There she went again, being so damn sweet.
“There are going to be other girls who will act just the same,” I admitted, frustrated that my past actions might come back to bite me in the ass with Kaylie.
“Then I guess I’ll have to learn to deal with it if I want to date you.”
“If? There’s no getting out of it now. You already said yes to another date,” I reminded her.
“Well then there you go. I guess we’ll figure it out as we go along. But you’d better get going so I can share these leftovers with Char.” She waved the takeout bag at me. “And then let her grill me about our date before I can get some sleep.”
“All right, off to bed with you then,” I said, stepping away. I waited until she went into her room and closed the door before I left.
I made it down to my truck and all the way to the frat house before I realized that I didn’t have her phone number. Shit! I really did suck at this dating thing. Getting the girl’s number had to be the first thing a guy did, and I’d totally forgotten about it until now.
Going back to her dorm wasn’t an option at this hour because getting in meant I’d have to talk someone into opening the door since it was locked. I glanced at the clock and realized that I only had a couple choices. I could head over there in the morning and hope to catch Kaylie before she went to class. Or I could suck it up and ask my sister if she had it. Which meant she’d ask me how the dinner had gone and I’d have to admit that it had been a date and not a thank-you dinner. I pulled my phone out and dialed her number.
“Hey, bro! What’s up,” she answered on the first ring.
“I need a favor.”
“You do? What kind?” she asked.
“Do you have Kaylie’s number?”
“Of course I do. But didn’t you have that dinner with her tonight? Why do you need it?” She paused. “Shit, Jackson. Don’t tell me you stood her up for a thank-you dinner and now you need to call her and apologize!”
“That’s not why I need it.”
“So if you didn’t stand her up, then you went to dinner with her tonight. Why didn’t you just ask her for it if you wanted it?”
Damn. Why did my sister have to be so difficult? “I forgot to ask,” I admitted.
“And why do you need it anyway?” she continued without listening to what I was saying.
“Because I’m taking her out again.”
And that stopped her dead in her tracks. There was complete silence on the other end of the phone for a minute before she responded.
“Jackson, did I just hear you correctly? You are taking Kaylie out again? The same Kaylie that I specifically asked you not to mess around with? And after that conversation, which you apparently completely ignored, you want me to help you out by giving you her phone number?”
“Yes, Aubrey. That’s exactly what I am saying. I’m asking you to trust me when I say this is different. And to give me the number because I am your brother and I am asking you for your help. Something I almost never do, so it’s gotta count for something here.”
“Agh! You just had to pull the brother card, didn’t you?” she muttered. “Fine! I’ll text you her number, but if you mess this up and I lose Kaylie as a friend, I am going to be so pissed at you.”
“Understood. Thanks, sis,” I squeezed in before she hung up on me.
My phone chimed a few seconds later with a text message from her with Kaylie’s number. Mission accomplished.
Chapter 9
Kaylie
I hadn’t been kidding when I told Jackson that Char was going to grill me about our date when I got back last night. She wanted to know every detail and was super impressed with what he had planned. Not that I wasn’t, but I felt like I could depend on her judgment better to make sure I wasn’t making too much out of the date. But she agreed that his buying out a table at his favorite restaurant, taking me to one of his favorite places, and convincing me that it was better to wait to have sex were all signs that I could trust Jackson. That he definitely wasn’t out to sleep with me and walk away the next morning.
On the flip side, it took a lot of convincing from me to stop her from going next door to take on Sasha. She already didn’t like her anyway, so finding out that she’d been a bitch to me about Jackson was like waving a red flag at a bull. I was pretty sure the next time they bumped into each other that Char was going to have some choice words to share with Sasha. Not that it was going to help with the situation at all. I was just glad that we only had to live next to her for the next four months until graduation.
Damn, it was only four months until we graduated. What the hell was I thinking to start something up with Jackson when I planned to leave town right after? I’d been so worried that he might have been using me that I hadn’t even thought about the fact that I had no business getting into a relationship now. I needed to keep my focus on what was really important—finishing up with a good grade point average and blowing the judges away during the showcase. As hot as he was, Jackson would be a distraction and I could lose sight of my goals.
“Stop it,” Char said from her bed.
“What?” I asked. I wasn’t even doing anything. What could she possibly be talking about?
“I can hear you brooding from over here. Can you honestly tell me that you aren’t coming up with excuses for why you shouldn’t date Jackson right now?”
“Shit, Char. What, are you psychic now?”
“Kaylie, I don’t have to be psychic. I know you. Jackson’s different from any other guy you’ve ever dated. He’s not going to let you keep him at arm’s length. And I saw the way you looked at him last night. I don’t think you are going to want to do that anyway. So I am sure that you are trying to find a good reason to back away now before you have the chance to get hurt. Don’t do it,” she pleaded with me.
“But I’m leaving soon,” I argued.
“I know it’s horrible timing. But look at Shane and me. We’ve lasted through four years of my being here and him being back home. You never know what’s going to happen in the future, so don’t borrow trouble. Enjoy what’s happening right now and figure out the rest later.”
“I’m not sure I like the way he makes me feel,” I explained.
“That’s because you’ve been dating pansies for too long.”
“And he comes with a lot of baggage. What happened with Sasha could happen over and over again with other girls.”
“Only because they’re jealous. And it’s not like you don’t come with baggage of your own. It might not come in the form of a ton of guys you’ve slept with on campus, but trust doesn’t come easily to you. Jackson is going to have his work cut out for him, and from what happened last night it sounds like he’s willing to put in the effort,” she pointed out.
“I know,” I sighed. Then my cell phone chimed with a new text message.
Unknown: Thx again 4 last nite.
Me: Jackson?
Unknown: Yeah, who else would be thanking u 4 last nite? So I know who to beat up.
I laughed in response to his text and added him to my contacts list.
Char jumped on my bed so she could see my phone. “See? Totally putting in the effort,” she crowed.
“Yeah, I guess he is,” I admitted.
“No guessing needed, Kaylie. When a guy texts you the morning after a date, he’s interested.”
“Wait a second. How did he even get my number? He didn’t ask for it last night,” I wondered.
“The boy’s got mad skills.”
Me:
Was surprised it was you because I didn’t give you my number.
Jackson: I have my ways.
Me: Should I be worried about them?
Jackson: Nah, I’m sure my source will tell you all about it later.
Me: Your source?
Jackson: Aka my sister
Me: You asked Aubrey for my number????
Jackson: Yeah and I caught shit for it too.
Me: LOL
Jackson: Not funny! My sister’s a menace.
Me: Nice to know you’re scared of Aubrey. Might come in handy later.
Jackson: Haha!
Me: Gotta head to the shower and get ready for class. TTYL
Jackson: Fuck!!!!!
Me: Whoops. TMI?
Jackson: Give a guy a warning before you throw an image of yourself naked and soapy into his head.
Me: LOL! Sorry.
Jackson: Don’t be. Now I’ve gotta take another shower and head to class.
Me: Another?
Jackson: No comment. TTYL
“Awwww, you guys are so cute already. And you have the goofiest grin on your face right now. You totally like him!” Char clapped her hands together all excited. “I feel like a fairy godmother and a matchmaker rolled into one.”
I whacked her with my pillow before jumping out of bed to get ready. It was going to be a long one with three tough classes and a grueling dance practice at the end of the day, plus one of my classes was with Aubrey. I was sure she’d have questions for me after Jackson had asked her for my number last night. I just hoped that it wasn’t too awkward between us if I was dating her brother. She was pretty cool. I didn’t want to lose a friend over a relationship that probably wouldn’t go anywhere with graduation looming anyway.
My first two classes went pretty well. I turned in the paper I had finished over the weekend, only to have a new one assigned that was due in a couple weeks. We had a pop quiz in the second class, but I had luckily spent some time studying and thought I did pretty well.
The Blythe College Complete Series Box Set Page 27