23. Vaughn
CHAPTER 23
VAUGHN
“ J esus, man,” my friend exclaimed. “Where did your balls go, man? Did you just hand them over to her?”
He laughed from deep within his chest, and I resisted the urge to hit him.
“Why don’t you get the turquoise birthday cake because, like you said, it’s her favorite color.”
I smacked him on the chest. “It is, and it’s her eighteenth birthday. I want it to be special.”
“So you’ve said.”
Shaking my head, I paid for my stuff and then dropped him off at the beach. I was surprising Tru with balloons, gifts, and a cake. Knowing it was the first time she’d experience anything like this.
By the time I made it to her house, it was after three, and I knocked on her door.
My heart fluttered, my stomach dropped, and my mouth parted the moment she greeted, “Hey, there.”
“I can’t stop thinking about you,” I expressed out of nowhere, obviously warming her heart. With that, I grabbed her hand and tugged her toward me to kiss her lips. Then I showed her why I was really there.
She instantly saw all the balloons and cake I’d been hiding on the bed of my truck. I decked it out for her.
“I thought we could go for a ride.”
She beamed. “I’d love that.”
I drove us over to a private part of the beach for elite residents only. I wasn’t even supposed to be there, but I wanted to make the day special for her. If I noticed one thing about Tru, it was how much she truly loved the ocean.
Tru
“Did you dress up for me?” He grabbed my hand to help me up onto the bed of his truck.
“What? This old thing?”
He laughed, pretty much catapulting me in front of him as if I weighed nothing. “You look beautiful.”
Before I could thank him, he effortlessly gripped the back of my neck and brought my lips to meet his without any hesitation whatsoever, like we’d been kissing our entire lives. Van could kiss.
His lips were passionate.
Tender.
I was under his spell, and there, under the sun, I didn’t want to leave this little bubble in which we’d suddenly found ourselves.
Pecking my lips one last time, he rested his forehead on mine. Looking deep into my eyes, he murmured out of nowhere, “I missed you.”
Those three little words caught us both by surprise.
My head couldn’t catch up to my feelings fast enough, and I blurted, “I missed you too.” Quickly, I swallowed the lump in my throat, pulling away from him. I needed a second to catch my breath and reel in my emotions that were getting the best of me.
When I turned back around, he was still sitting where I’d left him, completely consumed with me. It was one of those stares you’d see in a romantic movie and swoon over the rest of the night. There was no denying I was having a crazy effect on him too. I wanted to ask him what he felt. It was on the tip of my tongue, bursting to fly out.
I didn’t.
I held back.
Even though I didn’t want to.
Even though it felt wrong.
I simply changed the subject. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”
“What? This old thing?” he teased in a flirty tone.
I smiled, sitting on the tailgate of the truck. “You got a drink in there for me?” I nodded toward the cooler.
“Of course.”
For the next thirty minutes, we just talked and hung out. It wasn’t weird or awkward. Again, it felt like we were old friends doing what we’d done for years. When he opened the picnic basket, he had a whole spread of foods.
“What are you thinking about over there?”
“Nothing.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You know when you lie, your lip twitches a little.”
“Are you always this perceptive?” I taunted, bringing the attention back to him.
“I know what you’re doing. Just in case you don’t realize it, I’m aware that you’re trying to change the subject.” He flashed me one of the full-on smiles I had become familiar with. “Fully aware.”
I rolled my eyes, giving him my undivided attention. “Okay, buddy, new rule. This.” I pointed from him to me. “If it’s going to work, this perfect thing you got going on has got to be taken down a few notches.”
“Perfect thing?”
“Don’t act all coy. You know what you’re doing.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but thanks for boosting my ego.”
“Yeah, Van, because you need a boost to that.”
“I love it when you say my name.”
I slapped his arm. “Stop that.”
“Stop what, telling the truth? You want me to lie? Tell you I’m not thinking of all the dirty stuff I want to do to you?” He glanced over with a mischievous stare. “You caught me, Cinderella. Can’t get anything past you, huh? I’m trying to impress you; is it working?”
I giggled. “I’m here, aren’t I? No one’s ever celebrated my birthday like this before.”
“I’m almost certain no one’s ever done a lot of things to you or for you before,” he hesitated, speaking with conviction.
“And I’ll tell you what, I really love that I’m showing it to you first.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just eat, Casanova.” I sat forward.
The entire time we ate, we spoke about nothing in particular, getting to know one another. I truly enjoyed being the center of his attention.
“I’ve never been here.”
“That’s a shame.”
“Yeah,” I replied, taking in the fresh air. The breeze was a nice change of pace from the hot, humid summer. I forgot how much I loved it outside during this time of year.
“Aren’t you going to ask me what my favorite thing about tonight is?” He moved a little closer to me, causing his cologne to instantly assault my senses. It was difficult not to turn into him just to breathe in his scent. He was impossible to resist, even on his worst day.
“I don’t know. Are you going to say something dirty or flirty? Or are you going to be honest?”
“I’m always honest. You, Tru, you’re my favorite thing about tonight.”
Our eyes connected, and for the first time, I didn’t have to question him.
The truth was written all over his face.
Vaughan
I leaned in and kissed her.
At first, it started innocently enough, but after a couple of seconds, she parted her mouth and moved her lips. Her mouth became more demanding, wanting me to respond, and I gently started to, which earned me a moan from her lips.
She tasted like peppermint, and I couldn’t get enough. Her tongue was smooth and felt like silk. I’d only just kissed her, but it already felt so fucking long.
I began to lean forward, wanting to feel her body beneath mine. The second I was above her, my hand started roaming. It started at her hair and then traveled down to her face. She writhed and moaned under me, enticing me to go further. My hand moved to the top of her breast, and I could feel her nipple hardening through her cotton dress. She pushed her breast further into my hand, and I immediately gripped it harder, earning me another moan.
It was the first time I’d ever felt her in this way, rubbing my hard cock against her core. She followed my lead pretty quickly and started doing the same against me. I kissed her with all the passion and hunger of a famished man. She met each push and pull I delivered. My hand moved under her bra, and I knew I needed to stop, but I couldn’t fucking help myself.
I wanted this for I don’t know how long, and I allowed the desire and yearning for her to completely take over me. She felt fucking incredible against my fingers and in the palm of my hand. Everything with Tru was indescribable. It didn’t matter how many girls I had been with. Nothing came close to this.
It excited me in ways I never thought were possible. The emotions and lust I felt for her made everything more real and complete.
Our movements became headier and more urgent since we were both searching for something.
Through a hooded stare, I looked up at her. Tru’s mouth was parted, her face flushed, and her chest rose and fell at a rapid speed as she fisted the blanket beneath her. This embrace was much different from the last. My lips were rough but smooth against hers, my touch firm yet gentle. Her heart drummed so unbelievably fast that I felt it against my chest.
Her body molded perfectly with mine. It was the most overwhelming and consuming feeling I’d ever felt in my entire life. There would be no coming back from this.
From her.
Us.
This deep connection was evident from the first time we’d laid eyes on one another.
Her lips were meant to be on mine. My body was meant to be on top of hers.
She was my girl.
“Fuck … you feel good,” I painfully groaned.
My thoughts.
My words.
They all seemed to be scrambled together.
“Van,” she erratically breathed, panting breaths on my lips.
“What, baby?”
“I want you.”
“I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone,” I confessed, holding on by a thread.
“Please…”
I wanted to ask her a hundred and one questions, but I didn’t.
Instead, I just kept kissing her.
Because it was enough…