30 Days

by Grace Owens

Bella insisted that I come downstairs with her. I prayed to God that her dad wouldn’t be there. His bedroom door had been open last night when we walked past, so I knew he hadn’t been home when I got here. So he was most likely home now.

  I was right.

  My praying hadn’t worked and the dad of my kissing-buddy sat by the small kitchen table in work clothes. Either he was on his way to work, or he had just gotten home.

  “Collin Jacobs?” he asked surprise as he saw me.

  Bella let go of my hand that she had been holding and went to retrieve two glasses. I felt like a pussy when I wanted her back with me, just in case her dad chose to castrate me because it was obvious that I had spent the night here.

  “Yeah, Dad. Collin needs a place to stay for the weekend,” Bella answered, shooting me a glance. I smiled slightly in thanks.

  “And that place is in my daughter’s bed?” he asked.

  “No, it’s on my floor.”

  “The floor, huh?”

  “Yes, sir,” I answered, not really knowing if I was lying or not. The ball was in Bella’s hands. If she wanted me on the floor, I would sleep on the floor. If she wanted me in her bed, well, then I would greedily agree to that too.

  He looked me over and I almost squirmed under his gaze. Then he simply said, “Huh, well, my daughter is a grown up so if she trust you to spend the weekend here, then I guess I just have to trust her. The door stays open, though.”

  I gulped as he stood up to rinse his dishes before he kissed Bella’s cheek.

  Then he was gone.

  “See? That wasn’t so bad, now was it?” Bella giggled, hugging me. I was still frozen in my spot.

  “No, I guess not,” I answered, letting out a nervous chuckle before Bella stood on her toes to kiss me. I was a little panicked to kiss her when her dad could come back any second, but I still responded to the kiss.

  It was impossible for me not to.

  Fuck, I just survived the first official meeting with my almost-girlfriend’s dad.

  DAY 19

  BELLA

  I FOUND COLLIN on my bed, watching TV. I had just arrived home from my Sunday-dinner with my dad. He had been called in to work once again. It always made me sad when they called him right at that time on a Sunday. That was our time, but I didn’t let him see my disappointment because it would only make him sad.

  He was a single father, working his ass off to provide for us. I knew we all needed to make sacrifices to make things work. Besides, our Sunday-dinners were only interrupted once or twice a month. Not that often when you thought about it.

  I had asked Collin if he had wanted to come, but he had insisted on staying here.

  I walked over to him and he turned the TV off as I climbed up to straddle his lap. He smiled crookedly at me, grabbing my ass in his palms before he kissed me.

  ”I want to call off the whole kissing-deal,” he mumbled against my lips.

  I stiffened in his embrace, wondering what I had done so wrong for him to call it off. This week, our kissing-weekend had been the thing I looked forward to, no matter how pathetic it made me sound.

  Now he wanted to call it off?

  I made a move to get off him, but he stopped me by hugging my body tight to his.

  “That’s not what I meant,” he murmured, looking down to our laps before he looked back up at me with fire in his green eyes. “I want to be able to do this,” he started, kissing me quickly on my lips, “whenever I feel like it. I want to hold your hand every day of the week. I want to…”

  “Call me your girlfriend,” I stated, finishing his sentence.

  “Yes.” He sighed, resting his forehead against my shoulder.

  I tried not to let the panic overtake me as I processed his words. He wanted me even though he knew about what James had done. He wanted me and I wanted him, but could I trust him enough to be his girlfriend?

  I had sworn I would never date after the James-incident, but Collin made me want more.

  “Why?” I finally whispered.

  “Because I like you… a lot. You’re funny and smart… and sexy as hell,” he answered, kissing the tip of my nose. “You deserve so much more than to be my friend with kissing-benefits. You deserve to be worshipped and loved.”

  “I like you, too,” I admitted quietly, feeling my blush coloring my cheeks. “It’s just…”

  I couldn’t find the right word to not hurt him.

  “Too much, huh?” he answered for me, looking almost pained.

  I nodded my head, stroking his cheeks. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to. It’s just too much, too fast. Maybe we could start off a little slower?”

  “Do you want to go out on a date with me?” he asked, smirking and I was happy that his good mood was back.

  Dating… I can do that… I think.

  “I would love to.” I smiled back and leaned in to kiss him.

  “Sorry, I don’t kiss on the first date,” he joked, pulling back.

  “Oh, just shut it.” I laughed, pulling his face back to my lips.

  This time, he didn’t pull back. Instead, he licked my lips, begging for entrance as I opened up my mouth for him. I moaned as I felt his tongue trace my own while his hands were all over my back.

  I grabbed a fistful of his soft hair in an attempt to pull his mouth closer to mine. He groaned into my mouth and that only spurred me on. I knew we couldn’t take it to the next level, both because we didn’t have a condom and because I promised myself not to sleep with him until after our first date, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy his kisses.

  Gently, he shifted us so he was on top of me between my legs. I pushed him down on me, wanting to feel his weight on me.

  “I don’t want to crush you,” he protested breathlessly.

  “You won’t,” I assured him, trying once again to get him to let go.

  He did, but not fully. It was enough, though, as I felt his heavy body on top of mine. He continued to kiss me and this time, he let me take control, letting me explore his mouth. I would never grow tired of his taste – spearmint, cigarettes and just Collin.

  Wrapping my legs around him, I felt his hard on press down to my core, but I tried my best to not let it get to me. Instead I tried to concentrate on his fingers in my hair and his mouth caressing mine.

  No more boring Sundays!

  DAY 20

  BELLA

  ”OKAY, YOU CAN open your eyes now,” Collin whispered in my ear, uncovering my eyes.

  It was just after six in the evening and Collin was taking me out on our first date. So far, it seemed as if we were in the woods. He had blindfolded me as he drove us here so I had no idea what our surroundings were.

  “Wow,” I almost whimpered as I took in the sight before me.

  We were in some kind of meadow, so I had been right about being in a forest. There were purple flowers everywhere and in the middle, there was a big blanket with several candles surrounding it. There was also a sheet hanging between two trees a few feet in front of the blanket.

  It’s so freaking perfect.

  “It’s dinner and a movie, but in private,” Collin explained, leading me over to the blanket.

  He was right. He had brought some food and there was a device behind us that was going to show the movie on the sheet that hang between the two trees.

  “I love it,” I whispered, sitting down beside him on the blanket.

  “I’m glad you do.” He smiled, leaning forward to kiss me.

  I grabbed his hair to keep him from pulling away. I wasn’t quite finished yet. He chuckled against my lips as he started to respond to my attempt at deepening the kiss.

  “I love it when you go all dominating.” He smirked as I finally let him pull away.

  “I know you do, Collie-kins,” I teased and patted his cheek.

  He chuckled and gave me one last peck before he started unloading the food. He had picked up food from the local restaurant – Casa Mia and there was ravioli. It tasted divine. Much better
than the greasy food at the diner.

  I was pleasantly surprised when he brought out the movie he had picked.

  “Fried Green Tomatoes?” I asked as if to check it was really the one I thought it was.

  “Yeah.”

  It was such an odd choice and it also happened to be one of my favorite movies. How the hell could he have known that? We had never discussed it and it was highly unlikely that it was his favorite too.

  “How did you know?” I asked curiously as I watched him start the movie.

  “Okay, before you say anything, I did all this by myself,” he said, gesturing around him and I didn’t doubt his words so I just nodded. “But the movie is actually yours.”

  “Mine?”

  “Yeah, Amanda gave it to me, telling me that if I picked that one, nothing could go wrong tonight. So she let me borrow your copy.”

  “I think she’s right, but everything was perfect before the movie as well so you’ve done a great job. With or without her help,” I told him as he sat back down beside me.

  He adjusted the big pillows he had brought before he laid down. He was lucky the day had been beautiful and the rain had yet to appear. Although, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had planned for that as well.

  “Come here,” he whispered, reaching his arms out.

  I didn’t hesitate before I laid my head on his chest and felt his arms wrap around me. He pulled up another blanket over us. I was grateful for that since it had started to get a little chilly.

  “Have you talked to your dad yet?” I asked softly a while into the movie.

  He had slept at my house last night, but he hadn’t mentioned about sleeping with me yet another night. Not that I would have minded, but I thought it was important for him to fix things with his parents, and he had told me he would talk to them after the weekend.

  “He was still at work when I got home,” he mumbled, rubbing my back absentmindedly. “Mom begged me to come home, saying Friday night had been just a big mistake and that they didn’t mean it. She said she was sorry for not standing up for me and told me she would pay for my education if Dad still refused to.”

  “That’s something, right?” I asked, looking up at him.

  “Yeah,” he answered, looking down at me sadly. “I’m just afraid that it’ll happen again, you know?”

  “You’ll always be welcome back to my bed anytime.” I smiled.

  “Thanks, Belly,” he said with a light chuckle and kissed my forehead.

  We continued to follow the lives at Whistle Stop Café. Although, there wasn’t much concentration once we started kissing. All that I could think about then was Collin’s kisses and how much I hoped he would follow his own dreams and that he would follow me to New York.

  Or the other way around – that I would be the one following him to New York. Whatever. Let’s just hope.

  DAY 21

  COLLIN

  ”COLLIN, WHAT THE hell happened to you?” Bella gasped with wide eyes.

  I was standing on her front porch, looking a little… punched. It might sound cliché, but the other guy looked a whole fucking worse than I did.

  “Can I come in?” I asked, ignoring her question.

  “Not until you tell me what happened,” she answered in a firm voice, blocking my way.

  “I got into a fight.” I sighed.

  “With who?!”

  “Can I come in now? I actually answered your question,” I said, not really wanting to tell her who it had been. I doubted she would be pleased, or maybe she would. I didn’t want to find out which on the porch, though. Preferably in her bed so there could be some hot make up sex if she got mad.

  She rolled her eyes, but she did actually let me in. I shrugged off my jacket and shoes before I followed her upstairs to her bedroom.

  “Let me see,” Bella said after I had sat down on her bed. She stood between my legs and pulled my hair to angle my face up towards hers.

  She hissed as she saw my face and she looked adorable as she pursed her lips.

  “It’s not that bad,” I mumbled.

  “Well, someone sure messed with your pretty face,” she said with a slight pout that I just wanted to kiss. “I’ll be right back.”

  She left and came back a few moments later with a first aid kit. She looked so good today even though she was wearing simple grey jeans and a hoodie. The fact that she was almost my girlfriend made her look even more beautiful somehow.

  I hissed as the stinging began when she started fixing my face. She mumbled a “Sorry” and continued. I gripped her hips with my hands, trying to distract myself from the stinging.

  “Was it your father?” she asked carefully.

  That kind of took me by fucking surprise. My father and I had our differences and he had his flaws. He would never put his hand on me like that, though. I understood where she was coming from since I had refused to tell her who it was before, but it was still a surprise to hear her ask that.

  “No,” I mumbled. “It was James.”

  “What?” she asked confused and pulled away slightly, but I still had her hips in a firm grip.

  “I fucked up James today,” I told her honestly.

  I left out the part where I had let him get a few punches in as well. He had it coming. The only reason to why I had done it today and not yesterday was because I had a date with Bella last night.

  I had been so close to telling her all the shit about the bet last night, but then I didn’t want to ruin the date that she seemed to love.

  Plus, I was such a fucking chicken when it came down to it.

  “Why would you do that?” Bella asked. She was neither angry nor happy. Maybe it was because she was trying so fucking hard to be angry, but in reality she was just as happy about it as I was.

  “Because of what he did to you,” I mumbled, looking away from her face.

  “We’re out of here in like a month. Then I wouldn’t have to see him ever again. You should have just let him be. He’s not worth it.”

  “He deserved it.”

  “Maybe he did, but you shouldn’t have done it. You’ll be lucky if he doesn’t press charges against you,” she murmured and went back to cleaning my face up. “Did you do it recently?”

  “Yeah, I came straight here. Mom would fucking kill me if I got home like this. And I don’t think he’ll press charges because I made sure he knew worse thing would come to him if he did.”

  “Did you really do it for me?” she asked and I knew her face so well by now that I could see a small smile play on her lips.

  “Yes, baby, I did,” I answered, pulling her onto my lap so that she was straddling me.

  She caressed my face carefully so she wouldn’t hurt me. She looked thoughtful for a while before her face broke into a big goofy smile that quickly turned into a smirk.

  “I can’t believe I’m dating a bad boy.”

  “You know you like it,” I teased, grabbing her ass.

  “God help me because I do.” She sighed and shook her head before she finally bent down to kiss me.

  So do I.

  DAY 22

  BELLA

  ”HELLO, ISABELLA,” MR. Jacobs said kindly with a smile.

  “Hello,” I said curtly. I didn’t correct him and told him to call me Bella. I despised the man standing in front of me and I didn’t know why he was even here. Collin had told me he wouldn’t be home. “Is Collin home?”

  “He’s in his room. I’ll go get him for you,” Mr. Jacobs offered.

  “I know where it is, thank you,” I said and he looked at me surprised before he let me in. I nodded in thanks and rushed past him and up the stairs to Collin’s room.

  I knocked on his door and I hadn’t even made it inside before Collin had me pressed up against the wall beside the door. I heard as he shut the door with a slam as he kissed me forcefully. It was a nice surprise.

  “I want you,” he mumbled against my lips.

  I just moaned in response and wrapped my legs around h
is waist. “Bed.”

  I heard as he locked the door before he walked us over to the bed, throwing me down on top of it. There was some heavy making out as we removed our clothes, scattering them all over his room. I didn’t care where they landed as long as they came off because I really wanted him too. I had been waiting for this ever since Monday. Okay, that was probably not very true. I had been waiting for this ever since we did it last time a week and a half ago.

  There were things I didn’t remember from last time. Such as the way his callused hands felt against my bare back or the way he paid special attention to my boobs.

  By the time he thrust inside me, I was more than ready for him. He was a master at teasing and knew exactly what my triggers were. I vowed that one day, I would study his body the way he had studied mine so that I could pay him back for all the teasing he was doing.

  “I’m so close,” I said with a moan and clawed at his back as if it would make him go faster somehow. Or maybe I just wanted to mark him as mine.

  I could feel the tingles all the way from the top of my head all the way to the tip of my toes before I exploded under him. It was the most intense orgasm I’d ever had and I had a feeling it was due to the intense connection Collin and I shared.

  He let out a groan I felt deep in my bones as he came. I used the last of my strength to hold him tight to me as he rode it out and he was in no hurry to get off me.

  “I would tell you to give it a few minutes and I’ll be ready to go again, but I’m officially out of condoms.” He kissed my neck and up along my jaw. “I think there’s a condom thief in this house.”

  I released a giggle, but I couldn’t deny my disappointment.

  “We could do some other stuff,” I whispered in his ear.

  “I like the way you think, Belly.”

  ♥️

  I knew I couldn’t spend the night here, but I could have an hour or so of cuddling. We spent most of that time, lying face to face, kissing sweetly. We were still completely naked and cozy under his comforter.

  I never wanted to leave.