Combust (The Wellingtons #1) (5 page)

“See, Ruby? Just goes to show you that you can’t judge a guy by his concert T-shirt,” he joked, causing me to laugh.

Time was lost to us as we started sharing our favorite bands, and it was fun learning new songs and bonding over some of our mutual favorites while playfully disagreeing on others. I didn’t care what he said—Boyz II Men will always beat out All-4-One, and Backstreet Boys over N’SYNC any day. As the night continued, I realized that my initial assessment of Cohen was right. I liked him and was really enjoying being in his company. He was just a genuinely nice guy, and the fact that he made me laugh until my sides hurt definitely was a plus.

When I took a glance at my watch, I was shocked to see that it was nearly two a.m. Hours had gone by way too quickly as we’d continued to get to know each other. I was feeling a fantastic buzz—in both my head and my heart—when he got up from the bed and went to the refrigerator. Opening it wide, he pointed to the inside and gave me a sad frown, indicating there wasn’t any more.

I felt a twinge of disappointment until, through my drunken haze, I remembered that Reese had slipped a gift into my purse earlier before we left for Cy’s party. As I went to scoot off the bed to retrieve my purse, Cohen chose that exact same time to hop back on. Somehow our bodies tangled together, and before I knew it, we were on a collision course, falling towards the floor, with Cohen landing directly on top of me. I caught my breath as he looked down on me, and my eyes willed him to finally close the distance so he’d kiss me. His gaze was hungry, wanting, and when he started to lean in, I closed my eyes in anticipation of his kiss—and he did not disappoint.

When his lips met mine, the kiss was soft, sweet, with a lace of what I could only call hesitation. Fireworks didn’t go off and magic didn’t fill the air, but there was an electricity there that I’d never felt before, and I knew that this was the best first kiss of my entire life. It sounded cliché, but it was the truth. Every other first kiss had been filled with anticipation of how far the guy could get me to go, with racing lips and tongues that darted in and out like frogs trying to catch a fly. Cohen’s was different. It wasn’t hungry. It wasn’t frenzied. It was tentative, cautious, and it made my heart flutter at his tenderness. I’d never been given that before, and I knew I’d never forget this moment for the rest of my life, even if I was feeling a buzz. No amount of alcohol could take this memory away from me.

My arms were stock-still by my body even though I wanted nothing more than to reach up and slip my hands around his neck so I could pull him in deeper. Before I could move, he made it clear that he had other plans.

He pulled away from after the chaste kiss and grinned down at me. The instant his lips left mine, I missed them, and I whimpered, letting him know just that. It only caused his smile to widen, and I wanted to lean up and give him something else to smile about.

“I’ve been wanting to do that ever since you said People Equal Shit.”

My heart melted. Fluttered. Lifted. Swooned, even.

Matching his own smile, I gazed up at him. “And I’ve been wanting and waiting for you to do that ever since you called me a bitch.”

He laughed, and a shiver ran down my spine as his hand went to my waist, where it slid underneath my T-shirt and trailed along my bare skin. “You do know Elton’s talking about himself, right?”

Nodding, I didn’t say a word. Instead, I wished he’d stop talking and get back to kissing me, but he didn’t. He just kept watching me as he traced his fingers up and down my side. It became unnerving, and I could feel my heart racing and my breathing turn shallow the more he moved across my skin. He didn’t say a word, just continued to touch me, but not where I wanted him to. It seemed like I’d have to take matters into my own hands.

Turning my head to the side, I found that my purse was within my reach, so I pulled it to me. Slipping my hand inside, I rummaged around until my hand connected with the stainless-steel flask. I pulled it out and held it up for him.

“Party favors?”

His fingers stopped moving as he slipped his hand out of my shirt. I wanted to curse myself for ruining the moment, but perhaps a little more liquid courage would help things progress between the two of us. He pushed up and helped me off the floor before he led me back to the bed.

“Woman, you’ve been holding out on me.”

I unscrewed the cap and took a good, long swig before handing it over to him. “Nah, not holding out on you. Just saving the best for last,” I teased, giving him a brazen wink and what I hoped was my best
come hither
look as I patted the bed beside me.

As soon as I said those words, the whole losing-my-virginity plan came to the forefront of my mind and I could hear Reese cheering me on to just do it already. The alcohol made my brain a little fuzzy. Not so much so that I didn’t know what I was doing, but just enough to get up the courage to take my virgin status by the reins and say goodbye to her once and for all.

Hell, Cohen was cute. He was funny. He had a great taste in music. He seemed like someone I could get along with, and it felt so nice to be with a guy who didn’t look at me like Blake’s ex-girlfriend, a wild mare to be conquered, or the mayor’s daughter. If he made love the same way he kissed, I knew he’d be tender, that he’d take care of me, and it’d be so, so worth it.

“Oh yeah, you definitely saved the best for last,” he agreed after downing a bit of tequila. “I didn’t drink much in high school, and that stuff always goes to my head. But damn, that burn feels good.”

“I lived in the sticks. All we did was drink, have bonfires, and listen to country music. Think of your most cliché idea of a small backwoods town and that’s where I’m from. Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t downing tequila every weekend, but I’ve had my fair share of Boones Farm and Bud Light over the past couple of years.”

He lay down on the bed and held his arm out for me to lie down beside him. Being around him was comfortable, and I didn’t hesitate to move in close. He put an arm around me and we cuddled up, sharing his pillow as we continued to pass the flask back and forth while talking about our high school years. I couldn’t believe how different they were. While I was from a small-ass town, he grew up in an affluent suburb of Nashville where celebrities lived. I never would’ve guessed he came from money, and the way he glossed over it, I could tell that he didn’t care to flaunt it.

“What did you mean earlier about your dad being disappointed with you wanting to go to med school? I’d think any parent would be proud of that,” I asked, hoping it wasn’t too intrusive for a first date. Not that this had been classified as a date, but it had begun to feel like one.

Sighing, he looked up at the ceiling before he spoke. I watched him with curious eyes and hesitantly placed my hand on the hand he had resting on his stomach, intertwining our fingers.

“Long story short? It’s been too good of a night to dwell on my family problems, okay?” I murmured a quick okay, more than ready to tell him that he could stop, but he went on. “Dad had three sons and expected each one of us follow in his footsteps in his consulting firm. Ever since I can remember, he’s talked about making Wellington Enterprises a family-run firm. I think he had big plans of changing it to Wellington and Sons one day. At the same time, ever since I can remember, I’ve been interested in medicine. I’ve never had the desire to go into business, and as much as he hoped he’d change my mind, he couldn’t.”

“What about your other brothers? Isn’t two out of three enough?” I asked, and he let out a sad laugh.

“My oldest brother, Branson, wants nothing more than to be CEO of the company one day. I swear he was born and bred for that position and he’ll stop at nothing until he’s top dog.”

“What about your other brother? Does he work for your dad, too?”

He blew out a deep breath and placed our joined hands on his chest. “Oh hell no. Knox had always planned on working for the firm, but things changed for him the summer after his senior year. Another long story short.” He paused and took another swig from the flask before handing it back over. “You see, Branson’s always been kind of an asshole. Well, actually he’s a huge fucking asshole with no loyalty or care for anyone around him. Essentially, he stole Knox’s girl, his high school sweetheart. Okay, not even essentially. He actually did. Knox walked in on them after they’d obviously slept together. Once he found out it’d been going on for a while, he woke up the very next day and enlisted in the Army. That was…” He stops as he thinks about it, and I can’t help but love the way he pulls his lower lip between his teeth as if that simple act helps him concentrate. It has the opposite effect on me, and I momentarily forget that we’re even having a conversation until he continues. “Almost eight years ago. My parents took Branson’s side for whatever reason, and Knox hasn’t been home since. There was a huge fallout and I’m the only one he still talks to.”

“Damn.” It’s all I could say. Even the shortened version was hard to handle, and I couldn’t imagine a rift in my family like that.

“Yeah, but let’s forget about that for now. Talking about the Wellington problems is kind of a buzzkill and I’m having too much fun to ruin tonight,” he told me.

As I polished off the flask, I tossed it off the bed and turned to face him. He took my cue and repositioned himself so he was on his side, no longer looking at the ceiling. Instead, he was looking at me. His hand came up to caress my cheek, and my heart started racing as he scooted closer to me, leaving only a smidgen of space between us.

“I’ve never really been into redheads, but you’re one of the prettiest girls I’ve ever seen,” he whispered, his lips hovering over mine, his eyes watching me.

“Such a sweet-talker, Cohen. Lucky for you, I’ve always liked dirty blonds,” I teased, and I didn’t miss the way his eyes glazed over. Electricity seemed to crackle in the air as we watched each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move.

His arm wrapped around my waist as he pulled me into him until our bodies were touching. I could feel his erection pressing up against me, and a fire ignited between my legs, sending impulses to my brain, telling it to mount up and take a ride much like Reese suggested.

“Then I guess it’s lucky for you that I’m blond…and dirty,” he growled seductively, causing my panties to dampen with anticipation. Cohen Wellington knew just what buttons to push, and I loved the change from sweet and cute to gruff and sexy.

This was exactly what I’d been looking for and just what Reese had meant when she’d said that I needed to be with an experienced guy for my first time. The way he’d said it had been seductive, sensual, and part of me wished he’d rip my clothes off right away. And I decided I'd do whatever I could to make it happen as soon as possible.

“And I guess it’s lucky for you that I want you to show me just how dirty you can be,” I whispered, hoping I sounded more confident than I actually felt.

Desire flashed in his eyes as he leaned in to kiss me, slipping his tongue into my mouth. As mine met his, they danced in a furious, frantic rhythm, and I could taste the tequila on his tongue. I knew I probably should’ve stopped him to at least let him know that I’d never done this before, but his hands began roaming my body as he pressed himself into me, and for once, I knew I wanted this to go further than I’d ever gone before. And because of that, I decided that I wasn’t going to stop him to tell him something that probably wouldn’t matter in the end.

I should have.

As we lay in his bed, our make-out session continued, and it wasn’t long before my hands joined the party. He kissed me with the skill of an expert, and I was equally as hungry for him. I couldn’t get enough. I wanted to taste him, touch him, feel every single inch of his body, and I wanted him to do the same to me. I craved that physical connection, hoping it would be as strong as our musical one—or perhaps even stronger. We both had fumbling fingers, and I blamed it on the alcohol coursing through our veins. At first, it was endearing, cute, and we laughed at each other as we tried to strip each other bare, not stopping until every article of clothing was in a conjoined pile on the floor. I’d never been completely naked with a man before, but the reverent look on Cohen’s face made me feel at ease, and I knew I wanted this. I wanted him.

His long fingers roamed my body, and mine did the same to him as we stroked each other in preparation for what was to come. A flutter of nerves attacked my belly as his hand traced across my breasts and down my torso until it reached the apex of my thighs. The soft pad of his thumb found its way to my clit, and I moaned out loud, more than grateful that he’d found my favorite spot.

I don’t know if it was the act or my vocal approval, but in that moment, something shifted in Cohen. “You like that, baby?” he asked in a husky voice, and all I could do was nod in reply, surprised at the change in his demeanor.

Gone was the sweet, adorable guy. He’d been replaced by one who was there for my sexual gratification. I loved the sexy tone of his voice and the question even more. No one had ever asked me that before, and I realized that I’d been wasting my time with a bunch of jackasses who only cared about themselves. Cohen wasn’t like that.

As he continued to caress my clit, he slipped a finger inside me, slowly pumping in and out, causing me to shudder from how good it felt. When he added another finger, I tensed, but he didn’t seem to notice as he moved away from my mouth and rained kisses down my throat. Closing my eyes, I gripped the sheets as his mouth found its way to my breasts, his tongue gliding down between them before moving to settle on one nipple. He traced slow, deliberate circles around it until it hardened. I could feel the grin form on his face, but all thoughts were quickly wiped away as he crossed my chest and found the other one, giving it the same amount of attention while he continued to work his fingers in and out of me.

“Cohen,” I breathed, unable to contain myself. I’d never felt so sexy, so adored, and I wanted more.

He lifted his head up, a knowing, cocky smirk crossing his lips. Normally I’d be annoyed at that look, but with Cohen, I was one hundred percent okay with it because he clearly knew what he was doing.