Dirty South (A Blue Collar Bad Boy Romance) (20 page)

Chapter Eight

I tap my pencil against my nose as I stare out at the ocean,
my damp hair leaving a dripping trail down my back. When I got back from my run
with Jack, which turned into a much longer one than I had planned, he left me
at foot of the stairs with these words: "My door is always open."

I turned them over and over in my mind while I showered, and
now I can't stop thinking about him. I wish I'd made a good girlfriend at
school so I could have someone to talk to about this. I always had my mom, my
brother, and Andrè and Silvio, but I can't talk to any of them about this
situation for obvious reasons. I smile, thinking of how torn the brothers'
allegiance would be…their hero athlete trying to score with their little Bree.

I'm surprised to find that I keep coming back to one central
question: why
not
sleep with him? He said he could make me feel
beautiful, and something about how he looked at me made me believe him. I'd
never consider him as relationship material, but that's a plus, since he's said
he's not interested in relationships.

He'd have to wear a condom, that's
a given. I'm clean, but I'm not on the pill, and he didn't say anything about
being exclusive. I wrinkle my nose…would I be OK with him sleeping with other
women while he's sleeping with me? For that matter, what if I want to sleep
with someone else? OK, that option is less likely, but still. I suppose I'll
have to be alright with it.

And really, he's probably a good
person to learn about sex from. I mean, the idea of me being some well-trained sexual
badass…that sounds fucking cool. If I knew I could drive Miles wild in bed, I
bet that'd help me look him in the eye.

My door is always open
…shit.
Am I really thinking about doing this? I really am. I stand up and take a deep
breath. Now that I've made a decision, I want to go to his room right now. But
maybe there are some things I should take care of first.

I head into my bedroom and put my
pad and pencil back in my desk. I walk into the bathroom and turn the shower
back on. I washed off after my run, but I wasn't really thinking of anything
but the hair on my head. I run my hand over my legs…stubbly, as usual.

I switch out my old razor blade for
a new one, and slap some conditioner on my legs, figuring it'll help to get a
close shave. I shave my calves and then my thighs, for a change, going all the
way around. I pause as I stare at the mound of light brown hair between my
legs. It's not like I haven't seen reruns of
Sex and the City
. I know
what most women have going on down there.

I tentatively reach my razor down
and begin narrowing the strip, then trimming down the hair. It ends up a little
shorter than I intended, but I think it looks nice. I rub my thighs together
experimentally, and am surprised by the buzz of extra sensation that spreads from
all the newly exposed skin. I splash some water down there, wondering briefly
how I know if I smell good, and turn off the water.

In the bathroom mirror, I examine
my body as I dry off. I worriedly run my hand over my stomach for a moment, and
then shrug. Jack's already seen almost all of me already, so it's not like
there will be much of a surprise. As I head into the bedroom, I wish for a
moment I had some nicer clothes to put on, but again, he's already expressed
definite interest, so it's not like I have to impress him or anything, right?

I pull on my underwear and some old
cotton pajamas, then cover up with a long-sleeved denim shirt. I turn off the
lights in my room and close the door after me as I head into the hall. I think
my mom and Ray are asleep, but I want to make it look like I am too, in case
anyone comes to check on me. I walk down the hallway, passing the foyer and
stopping at the stairs up to the third floor, where Jack's bedroom is. I rarely
go up to the third floor of the house, considering it to be Jack's territory,
and I've never even been inside his bedroom, though I did glance inside it
during my first tour of the mansion.

I place my right foot on the first
step and slowly ascend. The interior decorating choices on this floor are lighter,
more airy, lending it a feeling of existing in the clouds even though the
hallway is on the leeward side, without views of the ocean. I pass a casual
sitting room and stop in front of the next door, Jack's bedroom.

My palms begin to sweat and my heartbeat
jumps in my chest. What seemed so possible and even reasonable in my bedroom
now seems frightening in this dark hallway. I look down and study my toes,
wiggling them against the cold marble.
I'm not committing to anything by
just knocking
, I remind myself.
I can always back out.

I raise my hand and softly knock. I
wait, but can't hear anything from the other side of the door. Maybe he's
asleep. Maybe he didn't mean tonight. I hesitate, then raise my hand to knock
one more time. The door swings open and I yank my arm down.

"Um, hi. I hope I didn't wake
you up," I stammer, my mouth suddenly dry as I look up into Jack's face,
his body silhouetted against the soft light from somewhere in the room behind
him.

"Nope," he says, and
pushes the door open, keeping his hand on it as he gestures me inside with the
other. Our height difference is such that I don't even have to duck as I pass
through into his bedroom. I glance around, fidgeting with the hem of my
button-down. It's more of a suite than a bedroom, and it makes my room look
tiny.

I hear the door shut and turn
around. Jack's walking toward me with an expression on his face that makes my
knees weak. I take an instinctive step back and hold up my hand.

"Wait. Some business
first."

"Business?" he asks, looking
amused.

"Business," I repeat.
"Condoms. Always."

"Agreed," he replies
gamely.

"We can both sleep with other
people, but we have to use protection then, too."

"Agreed," he says again,
though he begins to walk toward me. I lose my train of thought as he takes the
bottom of his white t-shirt and whips it off over his head, tossing it onto a
beige armchair as he passes it.

"And one last…one last
thing…" I trail off as he wraps his arms around me and picks me up off my
feet. Our eyes are suddenly level as I feel my feet dangle in the air. My
breasts pillow against his pecs and I can feel our hearts beating against each
other's.

"It can wait," he
murmurs, his lips millimeters from mine. I don't have time to breathe before
his mouth is on mine. I wrap my arms around his neck and my legs around his
waist as my entire body responds to his touch. My lips open as his tongue
presses against mine, his hands spreading across my back and then reaching up
into my hair. I feel him begin to walk and then he gently lays me back against
his bed. He's still on top of me, but making sure not to put all his weight on
me.

One of his hands moves to the back
of my knee and then begins to slide up my inner thigh, the cotton fabric of my
pants bunching slightly. He shifts, moving his body a little higher on mine,
and I can feel something pressing against my pelvic bone. His hips move, and I
gasp as his erection grinds against me.

"I'm a virgin!" I blurt
out, pulling my mouth away from his. He freezes.

Chapter Nine

"Very funny."

"I'm serious." He pauses,
then straightens up, looking down at me with wide eyes. "It's not a big
deal or anything," I rush on, "but I just thought, I mean you said
honesty was important so—"

"You're a
virgin
?"
he repeats.

"You really didn't even consider
that as a possibility?" I ask, raising myself up on my elbows.

"I—well, now that you say it,
I guess I can see it."

"I'm only eighteen," I
reason defensively. "When did you lose your—"

"Fourteen."

"Oh. But it's not a big
deal," I say again, as he moves away from the bed, drawing his hand over
his face like he's just seen a ghost.

"It is a big deal, Bree! I
mean, my first time was with a virgin, but that was different. I mean, this has
to stay purely sexual."

"And it will," I reply
with a shrug.

"It's different when it's your
first time. You're going to get attached."

"No, I'm not."

"You will."

"I won't! My god, you're
arrogant!" I exclaim, standing up and smoothing my clothes back out.
"I mean, this is exactly why I won't get attached to you! Because you're
so convinced I will!" To my outrage, he begins to laugh. "Oh, now I'm
amusing to you? A second ago you were jumping away from me like I had the
plague or something!" I storm toward the door, my cheeks burning with
anger and humiliation.

"Wait, wait, Bree!" he
says, grabbing my arm. I shake him off, but stop and turn around to face him.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh. It's just…you're so little, and you
get so mad…it's kind of cute."

"That's insulting," I
glower at him.

"Look, I'm just…I'm sorry I
reacted like that. I was surprised. You're so beautiful, and I started thinking
of you a certain way…we just have to slow down."

"I'm ready to have sex,"
I insist.

"Maybe you are," he
concedes. "But what else have you done? Sexually, I mean?"

I cross my arms over my chest. "Well, you know,
kissing," I murmur.

"OK…" A blush begins to spread across my cheeks.
"Is that it?"

"I'm introverted, alright?"

He smiles. "Right. Is that why you were so embarrassed
that I saw you naked? Because no one else…" I nod. "Well, what if we
just took things step by step? And if you ever feel like you're getting
attached, or it's overwhelming, you have to promise to tell me, and we'll
stop."

"And
you
have to promise, too," I say,
narrowing my eyes. "Don't act like this is a one-way street."

His mouth twitches but he nods. "Fine. I will admit
that being the first to introduce you to these things does…interest me,"
he finally says, his eyes sparkling.

"So…what's the first step, then?" I ask, jutting
my chin out and sticking my hands back down at my sides, trying to look braver
than I feel. He grins and reaches forward, taking my hand and leading me over
to the couch in the sitting area at the front of the room. He sits, and I sit
next to him.

"I feel like I'm in high school again," he says
with a smile as he leans in. He kisses me more gently this time, his tongue
slowly working my lips open. His hand wraps around my waist, and I place mine
on his shoulders. His tongue moves around my mouth, sometimes moving quickly,
and other times taking its time to massage mine. I try to match what he's
doing, hoping I'm doing it right.

I feel his hands move under my legs and he slowly picks me
up and turns me ninety degrees before placing me down on his lap. I pick my
knees up slightly and curl toward him, feeling his cock under me, but not as
alarmed by the sensation. I gasp as I feel his fingers brush against the bottom
of my shirt, pushing the hem up slightly. His fingers just graze the skin of my
stomach, and I marvel at how responsive I am to his slightest touch.

His hand slides up under my shirt toward my breasts, and my
body actually begins to throb. I feel like I'm one giant exposed nerve. His
fingers open and slide around my nipple until it grazes against his palm. An
ache forms there as my nipple hardens against his palm. I groan as he closes
his hand around my breast.

He pulls his mouth away and kisses me across my cheekbone
before pulling my earlobe into his mouth. His hand moves to my other breast,
pinching my nipple between his fingers. My eyes are closed, and my lips parted,
simply enjoying the pleasure coursing through my body. I stir. I don't want to
simply receive, I want to learn how to give, too.

I turn my head, pulling my ear from his mouth, and kiss him softly
on the lips before mimicking his move across my cheek. I taste his skin as I
go, working my way over to his ear. I wind my tongue across its curves, and
revel at the quick intake of air I hear him take through his mouth.

His hand glides off my breast and back down. My stomach
clenches as his fingertips hit the tops of my pajama pants and keep going. They
don't continue straight, though, but turn right and graze against my thigh. My
hand moves to his shoulder and I dig my fingers into his muscle there as the
ache that's been building up between my legs starts to become unbearable.
I
want him to touch me so much.

Just as I'm about to scream, he moves his fingers over,
dipping them slightly into my wetness. My mouth falls away from his ear in
shock and delight at the feeling. But then he moves one finger over my clit and
I gasp, my back arching of its own accord as pleasure shoots through my whole
body. His finger keeps circling as his other hand moves to my breast and he
pulls my back against his chest. I feel his breath at my ear as our cheeks fall
together.

"Tell me if you want me to
stop," he whispers.

"Don't you dare," I
manage to gasp out, and feel him grin. His finger moves faster, back and forth,
and around. My eyes roll back in my head and my body stiffens. I catch my
breath in my throat, feeling overwhelmed by the wave of pleasure that's
building up inside me. What if it takes me away? I feel his hand move from my
breast and he spreads his huge palm across my heart, holding me back against me
as though he's keeping me safe.

"Relax, Bree. Let it
happen," he murmurs. The tension in my throat releases, and I gasp in a
fresh breath of air. Almost simultaneously, my lower back arches and an orgasms
rips through me, extending from the tips of my toes through every last hair on
my head. His hand stays on my chest through every spasm, until I finally relax
back against him. Only then does his palm slide away, reappearing a moment
later against my cheek, turning my head so that he can softly kiss me.

I open my eyes and see his pale
eyes staring straight back at me. I blush, and suddenly have the desire to pull
my shirt down. I've never felt so vulnerable.

"You're embarrassed," he
notes, his expression inscrutable.

"Yes," I admit in a
whisper.

"Maybe now you're glad we
didn't jump straight to sex," he says, raising his right eyebrow ever so
slightly.

"Maybe," I reply, resting
my head against his. "But can I…" I begin, twisting my body so I can
lay my hand on his stomach before sliding it downward. He stops it with his
other hand.

"Tonight was just about you.
Plus, hand jobs aren't really my thing," he says with a grin.

"But you will teach me how to
do your thing?" I ask, regarding him seriously. "Because I want to
know that when I get into a real relationship I'll know how to—"

A wicked smile spreads across his
face. "Oh, don't worry about that. By the time I'm done with you, you're
going to be a fucking expert."