The Dating Series

by L. P. Dover

  That’s exactly why I’m pacing myself. Having a hangover is no fun at all. “Stop while you’re ahead and drink lots of water. You’ll be fine,” I tell her.

  She turns to face me. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.” I take another sip of the wine and her gaze narrows. “So, what do you think about Zeke? He’s pretty cute, isn’t he?”

  I nod. “He is.”

  Her lips pull back wider. “Think you guys will go out?” she asks curiously.

  “Don’t know. I’m not really thinking about that right now.” There’s another man on my mind, one I really didn’t need to be thinking about.

  Emerson snorts. “What exactly are you thinking about then?” When I don’t answer, she sits up straighter, her expression serious. “Uh-oh, I know that look. Something’s going on. What is it?”

  Sheepishly, I bite my lip. “If I tell you, don’t freak out. It’s not something anyone knows.”

  Her eyes light up. “Is it scandalous?”

  I roll my eyes. “Only you would ask that. And no, it’s not scandalous. I ran into someone at the store and he walked with me here.”

  She gasps. “Who?”

  “Brennan McLean.”

  The second I say his name, her mouth opens and then closes. She’s at a loss for words which isn’t normal for her. “Oh, my dear ever-loving God. The Brennan McLean?”

  I laugh. “Yep. He also happens to be my ex-boyfriend. We grew up together.”

  Her eyes widened so far, I thought they’d pop out of her head. “Shut the front door. You can’t be serious?”

  I nod. “I am. We dated in high school before he got famous. He’s in town visiting his parents and it just so happens that he’s upstairs right now with a guy we graduated with.”

  She jumps to her feet and squeals. “Holy shit, this is insane. My best friend used to date Brennan McLean.” After her squeal fest is over, she takes my wine glass away and pulls me to my feet. “What did you two talk about? Were you all super excited to see him?”

  I shrug. “Of course, I was excited to see him. It’s been so long. We just talked about our lives in general.”

  She fans herself. “Girl, if that was me, I’d be screaming from the rooftops.”

  I shake my head. “It’s not like that between us.”

  “Did you love him?” she asks.

  There’s no hesitation in my answer. “Yes,” I admit honestly. “We were young, but our love was more real than anything I’d ever felt. He was my first in more ways than one.”

  Her mouth gaped and she gasped. “You had sex with Brennan McLean. I don’t know if I hate you right now or if I’m just totally jealous. That’s so hot.”

  She makes me laugh. “It was a long time ago. I was his first as well. I’m sure he’s gotten a lot of practice in since then.” I don’t even want to think about all the women he’s been with.

  “Do you think you’ll see each other again?”

  I look at her and sigh. “Don’t know. We exchanged numbers but I doubt he’ll call.”

  She glances over at her bedside clock and smiles. “You know what? I think you should go to him. It’s New Year’s for goodness sake. Think of it like Las Vegas. What happens on New Year’s, stays on New Year’s. What do you have to lose?”

  Everything. Things with Brennan couldn’t be simple like that. There’s too much history. With Zeke, I could handle a one-night stand, but with Brennan …

  “I don’t think I can,” I say.

  Emerson grabs my shoulders and squeezes. “Yes, you can. If you don’t, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. You might never get this opportunity again? He’s upstairs right now.” She shakes me. “Go to him, Natalie.”

  I want to more than anything, but I’m scared. She has a point though. I might never see him again. If one night is all we have, then so be it. I have to take a chance.

  I blow out a nervous breath and stand. “Okay, I’m going. Wish me luck.”

  She squeals again and hugs me so hard I can barely breathe. “Good luck. I want all the details later.”

  Grabbing my coat, I rush out of her bedroom and out the door to the elevators down the hall. My hands shake as I pull out my phone, but I don’t have the courage to call him yet. As soon as the elevator doors open, I step in and take a deep breath as I hit the button for the floor above.

  “What the hell am I doing?” I groan.

  Heart racing, I shut my eyes as the elevator comes to a stop and the doors open. The second I open my eyes, my heart stops completely. Standing right in front of me is Brennan looking just as surprised as I am.

  “Brennan,” I breathe. “What are you doing?”

  He smirks. “I could ask you the same thing.”

  Five

  Brennan

  My hand rests on the wall, waiting for the elevator to arrive on my floor. It seems slow, or maybe it’s because I’m impatient. It could also be because I have a million thoughts running through my mind right now, mostly about what I’m going to say to Natalie when I see her again or how I’m going to weasel my way into the party downstairs. Of course, I know once I knock on the door, whoever answers will let me in simply because of who I am. Celebrity status goes a long way in that regard.

  The metal doors open slowly. I see the snow boots first, followed by jeans and a sweater. Typical winter wear in Boston. Funny thing is, people think it’s cold in Los Angeles right now, and it’s not, at least not compared to the North East.

  Finally, my eyes travel north to look at the person who I will be sharing the ride with. It’s almost as if I’m seeing her for the first time all over again. I’m not talking about when I saw her earlier in the grocery store, but when she kneeled down next to me after I tripped, when she became my angel years ago.

  “Brennan,” she says my name breathlessly and I pretend it does nothing to me. I’m a liar, that’s for sure. The instant attraction, the lust at first sight, it’s all there. “What are you doing?”

  “I could ask you the same thing.”

  “I . . . uh . . .” she stammers and it’s the cutest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. The doors start to close and I step in between them, praying the sensors are working. If not, well my parents stand to inherit a shit ton of money.

  Thankfully, my life is spared, and the doors remain open. If they’re anything like the elevators in my building back in California, they’re going to start beeping. “I was coming to see you,” I tell her.

  Her head pops up and she looks at me with shock and awe. “You were?”

  I nod and reach for her hand. She clasps mine and allows me to tug her gently out of the elevator. We have two options, go back to Jordan’s party or go to the end of the hall. I chose the latter because I want to speak to her in private, before we have to mingle with others. At the end of the hall, there’s an alcove, with a view of the city and a semi-circle bench to sit on. It’s almost perfect. Natalie sits down and I take the spot right next to her. I fully expect her to move away, to put some space between us, but she doesn’t. Our thighs are touching, shoulders too, and it doesn’t feel like enough for me.

  “I went to Jordan’s party and tried to mingle, to be present, but something felt off. All I was doing in there was thinking about you and wondering what you were doing at your friends’.”

  “Emerson . . . she invited one of her husband’s co-workers over. Callum, he’s a police officer and they wanted me to meet Zeke.”

  “Am I keeping you from Zeke?”

  She shakes her head. “I told Emerson about you. Our relationship isn’t something I’ve ever really talked about, especially when I got to college and you hit it big time. All the girls were so in love with you, they would say things and I’d find myself starting to respond but realized no one would believe me. Sure, I had pictures, but no one was going to believe we were a couple.”

  “Why not?” I ask her.

  Natalie shrugs. “People assume we’re different. They don’t know you like to read comic books or your idea o
f a watching a movie at home means making a blanket and pillow fort on the floor with a bowl of popcorn.”

  “You remember that about me?”

  She nods. “There isn’t much I’ve forgotten, Brennan. You were two years of one of the most impressionable times of my life. Every first I had was with you. You can’t just forget those moments.”

  “And you never told anyone about us?”

  Natalie puts her hand down between us, separating our thighs. Instantly, my hand goes next to hers, our pinky’s touching. She turns her head slightly to look at me, but I’m focused on her lower lip and how it’s nestled between her teeth. “There were times when I wanted to brag, but then I thought people would be up in my business, asking about you, thinking they could get to you through me. I didn’t want to explain we decided to make a clean break and go our own ways. I also didn’t want to be reminded of what I missed out on or whatever. I also liked keeping my memories to myself, they were ours and I wanted them to be private.”

  “I’ve talked about you, in interviews,” I tell her. “I’m always doing those quizzes or whatever for the teen magazines and they ask if I’ve ever been in love and tell them yes. Most people assume it’s Rayna or whoever my publicist has set me up with. I let them believe it because it’s easier than explaining the truth sometimes. I also like keeping my private life, private, and didn’t want anyone coming to look for my long-lost high school girlfriend.”

  “That was very kind of you,” she says, and I start to laugh. “What’s so funny?”

  “Oh, I’m just picturing the paparazzi following you around. They’d probably make a reality show out of you. Brennan McLean’s Loving Nurse or something like that.”

  Natalie laughs. Her nose crinkles and her brows pinch together, while she snorts. She’s mortified and I love it. I want to kiss her, and it’s been a long damn time since I’ve wanted to kiss anyone.

  “Do you want to get out of here?” I ask, even though I don’t want to take her back to my parents.

  “I only live five blocks from here if you want to go back to my place.” I do, very much. I take her hand in mine and drag her down the hall, back to Jordan’s. When we enter, everyone cheers, almost as if they’ve been waiting for us, but they’re not focused on us, they’re watching the clock.

  “Look,” I say, pointing to the time. “We have only a few minutes until midnight. Maybe we should stay and ring in the New Year? I’d hate for you to miss it.”

  Natalie squeezes my hand and nods. I meander us through the crowd and head toward the balcony where we can watch the fireworks from the harbor. The door is open and we step out. She shivers and I wish I had my coat on to give to her. I know how much she loves fireworks and don’t want her to miss these so I do the best I can and stand behind her, wrapping my arms around her. It’s not much, but hopefully I’m keeping her the tiniest bit warm.

  Except having her this close does things to me, to my body. The way she smells, like sunshine, flowers, and sex––sex, because my Johnson is starting to go a bit crazy. He thinks he’s about to get some action and he’s perking up, when I really need to stay calm right now. Natalie knows what she’s doing too because she’s pressing into me, rubbing her ass against the front of my jeans. Damn it, if I don’t want to put my hands on her hips to hold her still but letting go of her isn’t an option.

  Everyone around us starts counting down, ten . . . nine . . . eight . . . seven . . . six . . . five . . . four . . . three . . two . . . I turn her around in my arms, cup her face and press my lips to hers. It’s the first time, in a long time, I’ve wanted a New Year’s kiss, and I’m so thankful it’s with Natalie.

  Her hands clutch at the collar of my shirt and she deepens the kiss. Her tongue pushes into my mouth and it’s the sweetest fucking taste ever. When the fireworks start going off she pulls away and rests her forehead against mine.

  “Wow,” I say loudly enough for her to hear.

  “Sorry, I—”

  I tilt her chin up because I want to look into her eyes. “Don’t you dare apologize to me, Nat. I loved every second of that kiss.” Her lower lip moves in between her teeth and I use my thumb to gently guide it out. “Wanna go?” She nods and I take her hand in mine and rush toward the door, but not without grabbing my jacket. My beer will become someone’s nightcap. Natalie presses the button for the elevator and unfortunately when the doors open, there’s a couple of other people in there. We step in, I keep my head down and count the seconds it takes us to go up one floor. Thankfully, the ride is too short for anyone to recognize me by the time we get off.

  “I think it’s best if you stay out here,” Natalie says with her hand on the doorknob. “It’s not that I don’t want you to meet my friends . . .” she pauses. “Emerson is a fan and we’ll never get out of there if you come in.”

  I lean down and kisses her. “Hurry,” I tell her before she slips inside the apartment. The music is loud, and someone is squealing. My assumption is it’s Emerson after Natalie’s told her she’s leaving with me. The wait is about five minutes when the door opens, and Natalie slips out. She motions for me to follow, not to the elevator, but to the stairs.

  “What are we doing?”

  “Emerson is going crazy, but she’s not dressed for the weather so she’s trying to get dressed. We are escaping.” Natalie laughs as we stomp down multiple flights of stairs. When we get to the bottom, we’re laughing, out of breath, and exhausted. She opens the door and drags me to the sidewalk where we blend in with all the other holiday revelers.

  We hold hands and when we get to a crosswalk, I kiss her behind her ear, on her neck, and on her lips. The best part is, she kisses me back. The entire walk to her place, we’re never alone. There are so many people out celebrating the new year, all laughing and happy, and I think of how different my night would’ve been if my flight hadn’t been canceled.

  Natalie pulls me under an awning, says hi to a doorman, and through a set of automatic double doors. The entryway is white marble, and fully decorated for the recent holiday. “This is where you live?”

  She nods, and almost looks embarrassed. “Cheating ex-husband had it before we were married, I took it in the divorce.” We get into another elevator and she presses the button for the eighteenth floor.

  “Damn,” I mutter.

  “I’m sure your place in Los Angeles is nice.”

  Slowly, I shake my head. “Nope, I have one of those keypads outside a door. It works sometimes. No doorman, but if you want to come in, you can press a button and talk to me while I’m in my living room.”

  “Crazy, I expected you to live in a super fancy place.”

  “Nope.” I brush her hair away from her face. “I kind of wish you lived on a lower floor though.”

  “We’re almost there,” she says quietly.

  “Thank God.” I lean in to kiss her, only the lift to stop and the doors to open. “Please tell me this is your floor.”

  “Come on, cowboy.”

  Natalie speed walks down the hall, to the last door, pushes her key in and opens the door. As much as I want to look around, I’d rather see her naked right now. In the morning, I’ll explore her apartment. For now, I slam the door shut, and shrug out of my jacket without taking my eyes off her.

  Six

  Natalie

  He takes off his jacket and slams the door and all I can think about is that I must be dreaming. His hands feel real as they touch my face, and his lips press against mine as if he’s just as starved for my touch as I am of his.

  The next thing I know my boots fly across the foyer floor and all I have left on my body is my white cami, bra, and underwear. It’s like we can’t get to each other fast enough. Brennan wraps his arms around my waist and lifts me up, kissing his way down my neck to the tops of my breasts.

  With my legs around his waist, he carries me down the hall, ripping my cami off before we even get to my bedroom. Giggling, I look down at the tattered garment on the ground and back up to him. Hi
s heated gaze makes me tremble.

  “I’ll get you another one,” he assures me.

  Leaning me against the wall, Brennan lifts my bra and cups my breast in his hand, shifting me up so he can suck my nipple between his teeth. Closing my eyes, I moan and hold him close, my insides tightening. I can feel the blood rushing to the spot between my legs that aches to feel his touch. Only one gentle stroke and I’ll be completely lost and at his mercy.

  “Brennan,” I breathe, arching my back.

  Chuckling, he reaches around behind my back and unclasps my bra, letting it fall to the floor. He leans back and looks up and down my body as I straddle him. His cock getting harder between my legs.

  “You are so beautiful, Nat,” he murmurs, sliding a strand of my hair off my forehead. “You have no idea how many times I’ve thought about you.”

  Slowly, he leans forward and places his forehead to mine, breathing me in. My God, I’m falling for him all over again. It happened so fast, but there was no way I could fight it. Brennan holds a special place in my heart … he always has.

  “Same,” I murmur back.

  Eyes dark with need, he focuses on the closed doors in the hallway. “Which room? I’m about to say fuck it and just take you right here and now.”

  Giggling, I nod at the door to our right. He carries me over and I reach behind me for the knob and push it open. It’s dark in the room, but there’s a sliver of light coming from the nightlight in the bathroom. It gives off the perfect glow. Brennan tosses me on the king-sized bed and covers me with his body.

  I pluck at his shirt. “This needs off, now.”

  He smirks and lifts one arm. I promptly tug his shirt over his head, and he lets it fall to the floor along with his pants and boxers. His chest is so smooth and hard as I run my fingers down to his perfectly chiseled abs. Starting at my lips, he trails his fingers down my neck, in between my breasts, on to my underwear where he slides them down my legs and tosses them to the side. His hands are warm as he runs them up my legs to spread them, caressing my thighs.