The Love Series Complete Box Set (14 page)

Sticking her fingers in between her lips, Lia lets out a sharp whistle. “Maddy, you clean up something fierce. How have you kept that jacket hidden from me all this time? I so want to borrow that.” She’s practically ripping it off my body as she speaks.

“I kept it hidden because I knew I would never get it back from you. You know, like my pink top and my black heels and my silver hoops and my Guess sunglasses. Do you see the pattern here, little miss Lia?” I stick my tongue out as I finish my teasing. I love her to death, but she loses shit.

“Reid’s going to go crazy over you.” This is from Mel.

“I freaking hope so. This not knowing what we’re doing is torturing me.” I eye Mel suspiciously because she does know where we’re going, but all she does is make a zipping motion across her lips. I tell her, “Payback’s a bitch, Mel. Just remember that.”

Cammie is up in the kitchen, popping some popcorn for their movie. “Whatever you’re doing to him, keep it up,” she chimes in. “I’ve known him for a while now, and he’s a completely different person with you, Maddy. I actually like him now!” Even she sounds surprised by her new opinion of him.

Lia bounces into the kitchen to pour everyone some sodas. “Yeah, he’s totally different. I actually don’t hate him.”

I can’t help but glare over at Lia. I know he’s acted like a real ass in the past, but it still hurts to hear them talking about him so flippantly.

“Thanks, guys. It means a lot that you see him changing. It’s hard to believe that he’s the same guy I met when I first got here.” I shrug. “I believe him, though, and he makes me happy, so I guess I’ll have to take it one day at a time.”

The girls nod back at me in agreement. If they see the change in him, they most definitely see the change in me.

Cammie walks over to the door when she hears a knock. “I’ll get it,” she says cheerfully. Seriously, is she ever
not
happy?

She opens the door to what I can only describe as the most beautiful man ever. Reid is at the threshold, looking downright edible. He’s wearing an outfit similar to mine, casual and laidback, but there’s something very “bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks” about it that makes my insides quiver. His dark jeans are ripped at the knee, but not because they’re from some expensive designer. I’m pretty sure Reid wouldn’t be caught dead in a pair of jeans that cost more than twenty bucks. The navy blue henley accentuates every sinew on his chest and arms. He is so yummy, and I can’t believe he’s mine.

His face is chiseled and hard—the definition of male beauty. But his lips, oh, my God, his lips are heavenly. I can personally attest to their heavenliness. To call his eyes blue is a gross understatement. Up close, they’re like waves of the ocean, powerful and stormy, but calming and just breathtaking. There are little flecks of gold in the outer rim of their dark blue depths. I could gaze into them for hours.

I take so long drinking him in that I almost completely miss the gigantic bunch of flowers in his hand. My mouth is dry, both from his scorching hotness and the simple sweetness of the flowers, that I can barely get any words out. When my feet finally start to function, I walk over to him and reach up on my toes to plant a sweet kiss on his cheek.

“You got me flowers?” My voice is a breathy whisper at best.

Who else would they be for?

He just nods his head as he drinks in the sight of me. It’s nice to know that I affect him the same way he does me.

“No one has ever gotten me flowers before. Ever. They’re beautiful, Reid. And calla lilies are my absolute favorite. How did you know?” My voice is starting to regain some volume, but I’m still in awe of his gesture.

“I had a little help.” And with that he shoots Mel a wink across the room. She walks over to us and takes the flowers from me.

“I’ll put these in some water for you. Go out and have fun. I’ll see you guys later.” Mel gives me a light squeeze of a hug and ushers me to the door. She holds Reid back and mumbles something into his ear. I roll my eyes at their thick-as-thieves routine.

When she’s done giving him what I can only imagine is the “be on your best behavior and don’t fuck this up” speech, Reid leans down and kisses me, and asks me if I’m ready. I grab my bag quickly, and we’re gone.

Reid reaches his hand down and laces our fingers together. Whenever we walk anywhere together, he has to be holding my hand. I love it. I have to say that I really thought Reid was going to be weird about being public with our relationship. But the more time we spend walking around campus, the more I realize that my original assumption about him being less than serious about us is more about my insecurities than anything that he’s ever said or done. And tonight, with the flowers and his sweet texts from earlier, I know that he really is something special. In the midst of all these mushy-gushy thoughts, something dawns on me.

“Hey, I thought I was supposed to meet you at your place? Did I miss something?” I ask. He really did distract me before with his utter delectableness.

Before he can answer, we reach his car, and he walks me to the passenger side. He presses me against the door so that every inch of our bodies are touching. He puts his fingers under my chin to tip my head back so that I can gaze into his stunning sapphire eyes. With his other hand, he runs his knuckles gently across my cheek before saying, “Now, what fun would it have been if I did what you expected? It’s your first date and I want to do it right, so that means I get to chauffeur you around and buy you pretty flowers and tell you how damn sexy you look.”

He leans his face into mine and lightly brushes his lips against mine. His tongue flicks out and licks my lips, begging for entrance. He bites my lower lip and sucks on it almost to the point of being painful, and I open to him immediately. I reach my arms around his neck and twist my fingers into his silky, chocolate brown hair. He moves his hands so that one is around my waist and the other is fisted at the nape of my neck.

We kiss wildly and passionately for what seems like forever. Our hands are roaming and exploring. His hand at my waist spans my entire rib cage and grazes dangerously close to the underside of my breast. My nipples harden at the thought of him touching them, playing with them, nibbling on them. I feel his hardened arousal at my hip, and I press into it. I want him more than I have ever wanted anyone, and it’s fairly clear that he wants me. I bite his lip at that thought, and he nearly growls at me in response.

When we hear the group of rowdy, drunken partygoers yell, “Dude, get a room,” we break the kiss. Reid stares at me from under his lustfully lowered lids. “Beautiful, Maddy. You are so damn beautiful, and one fucking outrageously good kisser.” He winks and then opens my door for me. I see him try to readjust himself as he walks in front of the car.

Probably wishes he could take another cold shower right about now.

When he takes his seat, he reaches across the center console and gearshift to hold my hand. Once our fingers are intertwined, he raises my hand up to his lips and sweetly kisses it.

“So, Maddy, are you ready for the best date ever?” he asks, smiling a ridiculously goofy grin.

It’s a grin that I can’t help but send back his way. “Yes, Reid, I’m ready. I’m ready for whatever you’ve got up those sexy sleeves of yours.”

“I can’t believe you kicked my ass like that. Seriously, who would have known you were such a gamer. Smoking hot, sweet as fuck and a gamer? I hit the girlfriend lottery with you!”

I love that he calls me his girlfriend. I mean, I know we said that’s what we are, but it’s still sinking in.

“Well, now, what fun would it be if I did what you expected?” He laughs as I mirror his words from earlier, and I plant a kiss on his cheek. “So what’s the plan now? Or was me kicking your ass at every video game imaginable your master plan?” I smirk at him, and he rolls his eyes in return.

“Would you just get in the car already and stop rubbing it in my face?” He quickly swats my ass and he pretends to be wounded, but I know he’s being playful.

I get in, and he turns the radio on as we start driving toward our next location. The Foo Fighters’ acoustic version of “Everlong” starts up, and I tell him how much I love this song. I turn it up and start singing along loudly—very loudly, and off key, I might add. He just laughs at my antics. When Dave Grohl sings about breathing each other in Reid leans in close and whispers the lyrics into my ear, sending shivers down my spine and heating my blood. I’ve always wanted someone to say things like that to me, to want me beyond reason, to make me feel loved and in one sweet whispered sentence, he has done just that. In that moment, I realize I am falling hard and fast for this gorgeous man beside me.

We pull up to a large open park area. There are couples walking their dogs and groups of kids playing Frisbee. I have to admit, I’m a bit confused by his plans. Nothing about hanging out at a park screams “date.” Hesitant to rain on his parade, I opt to keep my mouth shut.

We keep walking, hand in hand, of course, and it’s a comfortable silence. But there’s so much that I want to know about him that I can’t hold back my questions.

“So tell me about your family. You already know about mine. Not that there’s much to know.”

His reaction to my seemingly simple question is palpable. He is no longer calm and laid-back. I can feel his palm sweat in mine; his shoulders stiffen and I see him clench his jaw. I immediately regret my question.

His words are curt and cold. “There’s not much to say. No family to speak of.”

He’s not going to share; that much is clear. I don’t want to push and ruin our night, so I drop it, but not before saying, “It’s okay, Reid. You don’t have to talk about them. I was just trying to get to know you better, that’s all.” I reach my hand up to cup his cheek and kiss him to reinforce my words. He relaxes instantly and I try for a less sensitive topic.

“So . . .” I drag out the word to try and lighten the mood, “are you excited to be graduating this semester? I can’t believe you’ve finished early and you’re starting an internship. That’s so cool, Reid. Tell me about it.”

He smiles.

Okay, school is a safe topic. Good to know.

“I’m really excited about it, and anxious, too. It took me a little while to settle on a major, but once I finished my first counseling class, I knew I’d really found something I loved. Kids don’t always have someone to turn to when they’re dealing with shit—and they’ve got more shit to deal with than people think, so I just always wanted to help. The internship is at a local school working with the psychologists, social workers, and guidance counselors. I’m going to have to go to grad school no matter which career I choose, so it’s a great opportunity to try each of them out and see which I like best.”

I’m in awe of how enthusiastic he is about helping kids. My first impressions of him were definitely that he couldn’t care less about other people—him being a dick and all—but I obviously judged the book by its cover. Reid is kind and caring, and obviously wants to help out kids who need it. I wonder if there’s some kind of personal motivation for him. But, based on his earlier reaction about his family, I won’t push that right now, either.

“Reid, that’s amazing. I’m so excited for you. You’re going to be awesome at whatever you choose.”

He smiles down at me, and I melt. He is gorgeous and sweet. I have definitely caught myself a winner; I have no clue how, but I have.

“Here we are.” He stops in front of, well, in front of nothing. It’s just an open patch of grass up on a hill. He sees that I’m just not getting it, and he chuckles at me. He tells me to stay where I am and that he’ll be right back. He disappears into some trees that are behind us, and when he comes out, I can’t help the smile that splits my face. He’s got a small cooler, a blanket, and some pillows to sit on.

“You are so sweet. This is awesome, Reid. Thank you.”

We hold the blanket out by the corners and set everything up. He opens the cooler and pulls out a few bottles of water, and plates and utensils, but there’s no food.

I offer a look of sympathy. I don’t want him to be embarrassed that he forgot the main course. It’s the thought that counts, right?

And just as I am about to tell him as much, he looks beyond me and smiles. He stands up and walks past me without saying a word. I turn to look over my shoulder in time to see him paying the delivery man.

When he sits back down, he smirks at me and says, “You didn’t think I was going to cook, did you? I’d like to keep you around for a while, and cooking for you would be a surefire way to make you leave.” He starts pulling the containers out of the bag.

“Did you order Chinese food? Oh, my goodness!! Mel and I have tried every Chinese place in town since we got here, and they all suck. I’ve been dying for some shrimp lo mein. Please tell me there is some in there.” I am astonished by his thoughtfulness.

“I had to call a place two towns over and pay double for delivery, but seeing you get all excited about it is worth every penny. So you see, me being friends with Mel is worth it, right? I might even have to make a weekly date with her to dish about you.” He passes me my plate.