Tallulah I wasn’t an idiot. That kiss in the parking lot had been enough to let me know where his head was. I didn’t want to be so inexperienced and clueless about these things. I could pretend I wasn’t, but that was stupid. Nash knew I was. He knew who I was last year. He knew he’d been my first kiss. My heart was slamming against my chest so hard I was sure he could hear it as we climbed the stairs in silence leading up to his private den or whatever this was called. My mother would have never approved of one of these. Just like if she knew I was here now, she’d freak out. If I wasn’t so excited about being here with Nash, I’d feel bad about betraying her trust in me. But I was almost eighteen. It wasn’t her decision where I went and who I went there with. He reached around me and opened the door, then held out his hand for me to go inside. It smelled like leather. The lights came on, and there was a large black leather sectional sofa in the center of the room. It didn’t just make an L shape; it made two connected in the middle. An ottoman was in the center, and a flat screen hung on the wall. The rest of the space had footballs lining the shelves. Some looked signed and others well used. Framed photos of football players I didn’t know decorated the place. “Wow” was all I could say. They’d really gone all out with this. “I can’t imagine why your friends would go anywhere else.” He shrugged. “I haven’t been in the best mood this summer. They’ve been up here a couple times, but only
because Ryker forced it on me. The damn footballs remind me of what I lost. I used to collect them. Now they stare at me, taunting me. I need to redecorate. My mom meant well bringing them up here, I guess.” Walking over, I studied the first few balls. They were scribbled on by young kids, or so it appeared from the handwriting. “Those were our Toy Bowl championship game balls. We were seven and eight. We signed them. We signed several. I just got those two.” Smiling, I decided these were my favorites. I lifted my head to tell him so when he closed in on me, and my breathing paused. I knew this was coming, just like I knew he planned on more than kissing up here. That didn’t make me any less nervous. “I’d like a good memory up here. So far I haven’t had one,” he whispered, and I went into his arms willingly. They were strong and warm. He smelled amazing. Being here tucked against him might be the best feeling in the world. When his lips met mine, I sighed from the pleasure of it all. Being alone up here with him was exciting. My body was tingling, and I shivered as he slid his hands under my shirt. He didn’t move up—he simply rested them on my bare back, his fingers slowly caressing my skin. No guy had ever touched my bare back. That seemed silly, but to me it was a big deal. My hands held on to him, and I felt a little weak. Too many emotions running through me. It was all so new. Overwhelming. The moment his hands eased upward, I became unable to breathe. I waited as his tongue slid over mine, then I froze
with a mix of anxiety and excitement. His thumbs brushed under the bottom of my bra, and I inhaled sharply. He pulled his mouth back, his eyes locked with mine, and his pupils had gotten so large the color was almost gone. His breathing was heavy as he moved his hands to unclasp my bra. I gasped when his warm, rough palms touched my breasts. It was different. My entire body seemed to feel it, be affected by it. I was seventeen, and most girls my age had done this long ago. But to me it was exotic. He closed his eyes a second and inhaled de eply through his nose, then, when he opened them, he looked down at me. “If you want me to stop, I will.” I shook my head. “No,” I r eplied, my voice barely a whisper from my lack of oxygen. “Lift your arms,” he instructed. I did, knowing why. It was my turn to close my eyes as he took my shirt off. Then tugged my bra until it fell from my arms to the floor. I was topless in front of a guy. In front of Nash. I felt my entire body flush. I knew he’d see it. But at that moment I couldn’t care. “You’re beautiful,” he said, pulling me back against him. His hands on my back, then tangled into my hair. “I want to feel you like this with nothing between us. Are you okay with that?” I nodded. Words weren’t coming out right now. He pulled his shirt off quickly, and I only got a glimpse of his perfectly chiseled stomach before my body was pressed against his. He inhaled with a hiss.
“Fuck, that’s good.” His voice was thick and de
Ep I agreed. It was more than good. It was as if a bolt of electricity was humming through me. Every nerve in my body was reacting to this. I wondered if it was always like this, or if this was because it was new to me. “Lie down with me,” he said, moving us toward the sofa. I went, both my hands in his. His eyes were locked on my chest. My breathing making it heave with each de ep intake. That seemed to hold his complete attention. He tugged me down on top of him, and I felt the rigidness under his pants as it pressed into my stomach. I hadn’t had sex, but I knew what that was. I also knew why it was like that. I’d read plenty of books. My body stiffened, and he cupped my face with his hand. “Tallulah, my pants are staying on. This is all I want. To hold you. I promise.” I eased down into the curve of his arm. His left hand slid over my bare breast, and I shivered in response. “Well, I want to hold you and do this,” he said, a smile in his voice. “Okay,” I r eplied, watching his hand on my skin. I squirmed when I felt a tingle between my legs. That was new. “Unless you want me to touch somewhere else,” he said as he tucked his head in the curve of my neck and inhaled de eply as if smelling me. I knew that, yes, I wanted his hands somewhere else, but was I ready for that? “I don’t know,” I said in all honesty. He moved his right hand to the inside of my thigh and slid it up under my skirt until the side of it touched my panties. I
was frozen. My body was screaming for more, but my head was screaming I needed to slow down. This was too much too soon. “It’s okay. I’ll leave it like this.” His mouth was at my ear, and I shivered. I wanted to shift my body and move against the hardness in his jeans. But I didn’t. I stayed still. As much as I wanted more, I knew for now this was enough. A knock at the door before it swung open and Ryker’s voice calling out “You in here?” was enough to throw the cold water on me I definitely needed. I started to sit up, and Nash moved over me and covered me with his body. “You’re topless,” he reminded me. Then he lifted his head to look over the sofa. “Get the fuck out,” he growled angrily at Ryker. “You got a girl in here?” his cousin asked. “Get. Out!” Ryker laughed then. “Calm down, I’m going. Thank God you’re getting laid. Maybe it’ll loosen your ass up some.” “I’m not getting laid,” Nash shot back. Ryker laughed. “I see the bra on the floor. Damn nice size, too.” “I swear to God I am going to beat your ass if you don’t get the fuck out of here!” More laughter. I watched as Nash turned red in the face. He was really upset.
Surprisingly, I wasn’t. Ryker hadn’t seen me. And we had needed something to cool us off. Things had gotten too heated. “I’m gone. Bye, Tallulah,” he called out. Then the door closed. I stared up at Nash now, worried that Ryker had seen me. But how? Nash sighed. “It was a good guess. You’re the only girl he’s seen me with.” Oh. Okay. “But he did see my bra.” Nash smiled then. “Yeah. He did. You worried that he knows what it looks like? He didn’t see these,” he said teasingly as he brushed a thumb over my left breast. “True.” We stayed there, staring up at each other a moment. Then another knock on the door sounded. “Your dad just drove up. My guess is he knows about the suspension. Get her shirt on, and I’ll come in.” Nash moved fast then. He grabbed my bra and handed it to me. “Shit,” he muttered. “We better hurry.” I quickly got my bra and shirt on while Nash got his shirt on. When he saw I was covered, he went to open the door for Ryker. Ryker smirked at me. “Glad I called the correct name.” “Don’t be a dick,” Nash snapped at him. “I’m saving your ass. You owe me.” Nash looked at me and smiled. It hadn’t ended the way I had imagined, but it had been perfect nonetheless.