Series Starter : Firsts in Series Collection

by Kaylee Ryan

  I try to control my emotions at this sexy man calling me his girlfriend. I’m also trying really hard not to let my insecurities consume me. I just had my first kiss a few months ago and now here I stand in nothing but my underwear with Liam’s sexy body wrapped around me, and he’s calling me his girlfriend. Holy Shit! I should be nervous being exposed to him, my first time ever being exposed to a guy. However, I’m not nervous. Liam makes me feel safe, protected, wanted.

  I take a deep breath. I’m tired of fighting it. I’m going to take a chance on Liam, just like he asked me to. I just hope my heart can take it when he walks away and realizes I’m not what he wants after all. I take another deep breath. “Well, I guess you better help your girlfriend get changed before Aiden starts beating down the door.”

  The smile that lights up Liam’s face is one I’ve never seen before. He kisses me tenderly, then engulfs me in his big strong arms for the greatest hug I’ve ever received. “You’re really mine?” he asks me, pulling back only far enough to look into my eyes.

  I nod. I’m not capable of more than that, my emotions are running rampant.

  Liam pulls away and takes his dress shirt off. He pulls the t-shirt he has on underneath it off, and has it over my head before I know what’s happening. He shrugs back into his dress shirt and buttons it up. “I can’t have my girl sleeping in another man’s shirt, now can I? It’s bad enough you’re sleeping in his bed.” He takes a deep breath. “I know he’s like a brother to you, but I want you next to me, wrapped in my arms. I want you to be the last thing I see before I fall asleep and the first thing I see when I wake up,” he says as he kisses below my ear, trailing down my neck. I feel him slip his hands under the t-shirt and caress my back. The next thing I know, he has my bra unhooked and is helping me pull it through my sleeves.

  “Tonight is the last night you’ll ever sleep in another man’s bed. I’m going out tomorrow and buying a futon, so if Blitzen is here there will still be enough places to sleep for Hales, him, and Aiden. Because you, my beautiful girlfriend, will be in my bed with me.” He then picks up all of my discarded clothes, places a kiss on my temple, and says he’ll be right back as he leaves the room with my clothes.

  I can hear him talking to Aiden in the hallway. He tells Aiden he needs to get me something really quick before Aiden can come back in. Well, actually what he really says is, “Don’t fucking go in there, I’ll be right back, she’s not decent, yet.” I don’t hear Aiden’s reply.

  Liam comes rushing back into the room, holding a pair of sweatpants. “I know these will swallow you, but I can’t stand the thought of you sleeping in just a t-shirt in his bed.” He looks almost embarrassed at his admission.

  I roll my eyes at him as he drops to my feet and begins dressing me in his sweats. He gently pulls me off the bed to pull them up over my hips. “Let’s get you tucked in, so we can get this night over with and get you back in my arms where you belong.”

  I slide under the covers as Liam bends down to kiss me goodnight. “Goodnight, my beautiful girlfriend,” he whispers, then turns and walks toward the door.

  “Liam,” I call out to him.

  He turns to look at me. “Yeah, baby?”

  “What did you do with my clothes?”

  He smiles his panty melting smile. “I put them in my room where they belong.” He winks, then turns and opens the door. “Keep your fucking hands off my girl, Emerson.” I hear him tell Aiden as he passes him in the hall.

  Aiden enters the room shaking his head. “What was that about?” he asks me.

  I smile. “He brought me a pair of sweats to sleep in,” I say, shrugging my shoulders.

  Aiden picks up his shirt lying on the chair. “I see he found you a different shirt to sleep in as well.”

  “Yes, he’s having a hard enough time with his girlfriend sleeping in another man’s bed, the clothes he could easily fix,” I say, like I hadn’t just announced news I was sure would affect all four of our lives in some aspect.

  Aiden’s mouth drops open in shock, but he’s able to quickly recover. “Did you just call yourself Liam MacCoy’s girlfriend?” he questions me, like I’ve lost my ever lovin’ mind.

  I smile again. I’m unable to prevent it. I’m happy. “I did,” confirming he heard me correctly.

  “Would you mind elaborating on that subject for me?”

  I sigh. “Liam and I have been tiptoeing around our attraction for one another since the day we met. He knew I wanted more, but he wasn’t sure he could give me what I wanted. Now he says he can. I’m taking a chance on him.” I pause to gauge his reaction. “We’re taking a chance on each other.”

  Aiden’s quiet for several minutes while he processes what I just said. “Is this what you want? Are you happy?”

  “Yes, and yes I am. There’s this connection between us, Ace. I can’t explain it, but I want him, and I’m willing to risk a broken heart to have him.”

  Aiden nods in understanding before I’m even finished speaking. “Liam’s a great guy, my best friend, aside from you. If anything, Liam is a man of his word. He would never lead you astray on purpose. Not to mention, he’s never had a girlfriend. I’ve watched him mope around here, since the day he met you. I’ve seen him turn other girls away, saying he would just be pretending they were you.” He smiles at me. “I’ve lectured and warned him off of you. Threatening if he starts anything, he’d better be serious. We’ve been thick as thieves, since freshman year, and I’ve never seen him act like this. He really is into you.”

  Again with the smiling. My face is going to be sore tomorrow. “I want to see where this goes. I feel safe with him, wanted-” I don’t bother to elaborate; Aiden knows how I feel about being alone in the world. “Shit.”

  “What is it, what’s wrong?” Aiden asks, concern lacing his voice.

  “I’m Liam MacCoy’s girlfriend,” I whisper.

  Aiden throws his head back and laughs.

  “It’s not funny. I’m in your bed, sleeping next to you, while my very new, very sexy boyfriend is sleeping just down the hall.” I can see why Liam is so frustrated. I’m not so sure I could handle him sleeping with another girl, best friend and adopted sister or not. He really is practicing great restraint with this entire situation. I’ll need to make sure I make it up to him.

  “It’s not your fault, and, besides, with you and Liam being an official couple this will not happen again. Liam will make sure of that.” Laughing, Aiden leans over and kisses my cheek. “Night, Ash.”

  “Night, Ace.”

  Chapter 18

  Liam

  It takes all the fucking willpower I have to walk away from Allison. She’s all snuggled up under the covers in fucking Aiden’s bed. Jackass. In reality, I know it has nothing to do with Aiden and it’s simply the bad luck of Blitzen being flooded out of his apartment, as well as me not wanting to make Hales sleep with Aiden. I’m hoping she’ll ask me to do just that. I won’t be able to tell her no. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen.

  I make it to my room, and Hales is sound asleep. I change into gym shorts and climb in beside her. I love my little sister, we’re close, but I don’t really like her all that much at the moment. I’m definitely getting a futon tomorrow. Little sis and I are going to have a long chat tomorrow about her choice of dates; Todd and Jason of all people to go on a date with. What the fuck was she thinking? Either one of them could have been hurt worse than Allison’s bruised hand. The thought of either one of them hurt in any way has me seeing red. After what seems like hours, I finally fall asleep.

  I wake to the sound of footsteps in the hallway. I immediately open my eyes and hop out of bed. Today is a new day, and I’m going to spend every damn minute of it with my girlfriend. I stall, waiting for the panic to set in—nothing.

  I make my way down the hall, following the noise, which leads me to the kitchen. I find Allison standing at the sink, opening the new bottle of Advil I bought last night. I stand here just watching her. She’s so sexy, even in m
y sweats that swallow her, and she’s all mine. Finally. She must sense me watching her because she looks up. “Good morning, beautiful,” I say as I make quick work of the space between us. I pull her back against my chest and nuzzle her neck. “Need some help?”

  She exhales. “Yes, please.” She hands me the bottle, and I reluctantly let her go to open it for her. “I can never get these damn things open.”

  “How are you feeling today?”

  Allison shrugs her shoulders. “I’m fine, Liam. I have more of a headache than anything.”

  I lead her to the table and pull out a chair for her. “Sit while I make you some coffee. You probably need to eat something with this as well, eggs and toast okay?” I ask her as I shuffle about the kitchen, making coffee and grabbing eggs out of the fridge.

  “Thank you, but I can just grab a Pop-Tart or something back at the dorm. You don’t need to wait on me.”

  I immediately stop what I’m doing and stalk to the table and kneel down in front of her. I tuck a loose piece of her hair, which has fallen out of its holder, behind her ear. “First of all, I know I don’t have to make you breakfast, I want to. Second, you need to get used to me taking care of you. You’re my girl.” I kiss her on the forehead. “And third, why are you going back to the dorm so early? I thought maybe we could hang out today.” I rise to my feet and go back to making breakfast.

  “I need to get clean clothes and call Gran to check on her.” She pauses. “Besides, I wasn’t sure you wanted me to stick around. I thought maybe you might have regrets about the whole girlfriend thing.” She averts her gaze, looking at the wall in front of her.

  As soon as I hear the word regret out of her mouth, I panic. I’m at her chair in three strides. I bend down, scoop her up, then sit in her chair, placing her on my lap. I wrap one arm around her, holding her tight against me while the other rubs circles on her thigh. “Allie, look at me.” I wait patiently. Internally I’m unnerved waiting until she turns to face me. “I cannot, and will not, ever regret you. I’m all in. You and I are taking a chance on each other, remember?” She nods her head in agreement and it suddenly hits me—maybe she’s the one with regrets. I take a deep breath “Unless, do you ….” I can barely get the question out before I start to get flustered. I just got her, I can’t lose her. “So—do you regret your decision to take a chance on us?” I whisper, too afraid of what she might say.

  “What? No, of course not. I thought, maybe in the light of day, you would, you know, maybe change your mind about me, about us.”

  Instead of responding, I pull her close and kiss her. I start out slow and easy, but when she parts her lips and invites me in, I take full advantage. I thrust my tongue into her mouth, gently caressing her thighs with my hands. The taste of her on my tongue is amazing. Will I ever get enough? Allison pulls away, and I groan in protest. She meets my gaze and licks her lips as she stands up then sits back down, straddling my hips. Hell yes. I envelope her body in my arms, and she resumes her sensual assault on my mouth. Allison places her hands on my shoulders and rocks her hips into my erection. I moan deep in my throat. Before I know what’s happening, Allison pulls away and buries her head between my neck and shoulder. Confused from the lust coursing through my body, it takes me a few seconds to realize what’s happening. Hales, Aiden, and Blitzen are all three standing in the kitchen doorway beside us, mouths gaping.

  I smile over at my sister and my two best friends as I rub circles on Allison’s back. She keeps her head buried in my neck, and I’m just fine with that. I cherish the fact that I’m the one holding her close. “Good morning,” I address them. That seems to snap them out of their stupor, and they pile into the kitchen. Hales takes over making breakfast, Aiden makes coffee, and Blitzen sits at the island, just taking it all in. Continuing to rub my hands up and down her back, I pull Allison just far enough away, so I can look in her eyes. “You okay, baby?”

  She nods her head yes. Her face is still flushed from embarrassment. Without thinking, I lift her in my arms, and she instinctively wraps her legs around my waist and clasps her arms tight around my neck. I feel the grin spread across my face as I carry her down the hall to my bedroom. I kick the door closed with my foot. I walk over to the bed and sit down. Allison remains wrapped around me, no sign of moving, so I scoot back on the bed and lie down, and she stretches out beside me, her legs entangled with mine. I gently brush the hair out of her eyes. “You okay, beautiful girl?”

  She offers me a small smile. “Yeah. This is all just so new to me.”

  Fuck. “I’m sorry, I let myself get out of control, but you tasted amazing. I promise I’ll never force you to do anything you aren’t ready for.”

  “No, it’s not you, Liam. I liked what we were doing. I’m the one who straddled you, remember?”

  I laugh. “How could I forget?” I say as I run my hands over her hips. “So, what is it then?”

  I can see the blush rising across her face. “I guess I’m just embarrassed we got caught. I’m not sure how we do this. I mean, I know you called me your girlfriend, but are you okay with what just happened in there? Are you okay that they caught us?” She nervously chews on her bottom lip as she focuses on the ceiling. “Is it okay if people see us like that?” This last question is almost a whisper.

  I’m dumbfounded. This beautiful, smart, incredibly sexy girl thinks I want to keep her a secret. Did she not hear me last night when I told her I was all in? Hell yes, I want people to see, especially all of those fuckers who watch her every move. She’s mine, damn it. She’s staring at the ceiling so I sit up on my elbow, I’m now looking down at her. I have her full attention. “Allison, you and I are together now. You agreed to be my girlfriend, and I refuse to let you take it back.” I kiss her nose. “I want the entire world to know we’re together. I want you, all of you, and the more people who know you’re mine, the better. So, to answer your questions—no, I’m not embarrassed, and hell yes, I want them to see us.” With that I kiss her hard. She immediately opens her mouth for me, and my tongue finds its way into her warmth. Allison moans deep in her throat, and if I wasn’t already harder than a rock, I would’ve been in this moment. I find myself on top of her, bracing my weight with my hands on either side of her head. Her legs fall open and invite me in. Even though she is wearing sweats, and even through my shorts, I can feel her heat.

  Somehow, I’m able to see through the hunger I have for her to realize we’re in a compromising position. I want things with Allison to be perfect. Her first time needs to be special. I slowly end the kiss and drop my head to her chest. “We need to stop, before I’m not able to.”

  Allison lifts her hips into mine. “What if I don’t want to stop?”

  Holy shit, she’s trying to kill me. “I want nothing more than to bury myself deep inside of you and never leave. What I don’t want is my sister and two best friends in the next room. I want our first time together to be special.” I roll off the bed and stand up, pulling her up with me. I draw her into a hug so tight I’m probably cutting off her air supply. I can’t get her close enough. “You’re special, Allison. You’re not just some girl. I need to prove to you how important you are to me.”

  She places her hand on the back of my neck and pulls my lips back to hers. I gently run my tongue along her bottom lip before biting down gently. She moans, and I know I need to slow down, so I kiss her lips softly one more time before pulling back. Fuck, I don’t want to stop kissing her.

  I cradle her cheeks. “I want nothing more than to stay here in this bed with you all day, but we need to go shopping.” I place one more chaste kiss on her lips and pull away. “Now, let’s get you some breakfast. You have a phone call to make before we head out.”

  Chapter 19

  Allison

  I’m mortified when everyone walks in on me grinding on Liam. What the hell has gotten into me? I have my first official boyfriend for less than twenty-four hours and I turn into a slut. Ugh! I know slut is pushing it, but that’s exactly what
I feel like when they walk in on us. Then I realize Liam might not want them seeing us like this and my embarrassment rises even more. I can feel the heat in my face, so I keep it buried in Liam’s neck. Not that I’m complaining about that part.

  Liam carries me to his room and cuddles with me. Yes, my six-foot-four boyfriend is a big teddy bear. He reassures me he wants me, and he wants the entire world to know it. I must admit, I melt when he says that. It’s hard to think that out of all the girls he’s been with he would choose me to actually have a commitment with. I’m still stunned.

  I let Liam lead the way back out to the kitchen where Hailey, Aiden, and Blitzen are sitting at the table eating breakfast. I can feel my face getting hot as we walk into the room. Liam pulls out the remaining chair and plops down, as he pulls me down onto his lap. Blitzen winks at me, and Aiden laughs out loud. Jackass, he knows I’m embarrassed. My dear roommate, Hailey, Liam’s little sister, goes straight for the kill.

  “Holy shit, that was hot! I’m never going to bed early again,” she says as she sips her coffee. “I always miss the good stuff.”

  And there it is, my good friend embarrassment. Front and center. Liam chuckles as he places his hand on my belly and pulls me back against him.

  “Hales, Blitzen, Aiden,” he waits until he has their attention, “I would like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Allison.” He beams. Yes, my badass quarterback boyfriend is beaming at his admission that I am indeed his girlfriend. The pride and admission in his statement causes a burning deep inside me.

  None of them respond with anything other than a smile. After what they just saw, I don’t think words are necessary.

  Liam starts making a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast, then places it in front of me. Hailey sees he isn’t about to let me go and brings us both a cup of coffee and orange juice. I just stare at the plate, still in a daze from everything that has transpired since I woke up this morning. Liam notices I’m not eating. “You want me to make you something else?” he whispers in my ear, which causes goose bumps to cover my entire body.