8. Savanna
Savanna
After Niki brings me back into his bedroom, he puts me on his lap again and then proceeds to shock the hell out of me. I watch in stunned silence as he pulls up several different camera feeds, all of them on the exact path I take to and from all my classes.
“That’s how you knew where to drive me this morning,” I mutter. Then I think about the laptop and iPad and turn to look at him. “They’re not old, are they?”
“What?” he asks, but I swear he knows what I’m talking about.
“The laptop and iPad and bag, they’re brand new, aren’t they?”
“The bag is one of my old ones. I wanted you to have something of mine,” he says and then adds. “It looks really cute on you. I love seeing you with it.”
Refusing to be distracted by the gorgeous grin he’s giving me, I ask, “And the other stuff?”
He shrugs one of his broad shoulders. “Well, technically they were mine before I gave them to you.”
“But they’re new?”
“Technically, yes,” he says. “And before you say you can’t accept such expensive gifts, I just want to say that it’ll break my heart if you try to give them back, and that you should just go ahead and get used to it because I plan on buying you lots of things, many of which will cost way more than that.
” He gives my thigh a squeeze. “This will be good practice for you. It’ll ease you into being spoiled, Van. ”
“Easing me in would be buying me a coffee, not thousands of dollars worth of Apple products.”
He grins and kisses my shoulder. “I did buy you a coffee.”
“It’s not fair because I can’t do the same thing in return.”
“I don’t need any new Apple products,” he says, making me laugh even though I try to fight it.
“You know what I mean. I can’t spoil you like that, so it feels unfair,” I tell him.
“You spoil me, Van. You spoil me in the best ways.” He runs his eyes over my body and the desire in them is impossible to deny.
“You sitting on my lap, letting me hold you like this, is a gift. You agreeing to have supper with me, kissing me, touching me, letting me call you a name that no one else uses just so I can have my own small piece of you, something that belongs only to me—all of that is you spoiling me, and I’ll never take it for granted. ”
I stare into Niki’s grey eyes, finding it hard to believe that this is finally happening. The second I saw him at Bean Me Up, I’d felt drawn to him, and then the more we talked, the harder I fell, but I still can’t believe I’m in his lap, and that he’s really mine. I cup his face and kiss him.
“I will never get tired of being able to do that anytime I want,” I say, resting my forehead against his.
I run my fingers through his hair, wondering if I’ll ever get tired of touching this man.
I’m guessing no. There are still so many things I want to do, places I want to kiss and taste, and when I move my hips, feeling the impressively large bulge beneath my ass, the one I’ve been feeling all night, I can’t help but let out a whimper of pure longing.
“God, don’t make that noise, Van,” he groans. “I’m barely hanging on as is.”
“Why are we hanging on again?” I ask, making him give a soft laugh.
“Because I’m trying to be a gentleman, and because I don’t want to rush anything with you.”
“Okay, but please don’t make me wait too long. Don’t forget I’ve been waiting for this longer than you,” I remind him.
“You’re only three months older than me,” he says. “Does that bother you?”
“No. Does it bother you?”
He grins and shakes his head. “No, I think it’s pretty damn hot.”
“I’m turning twenty next month.”
“I already know that,” he says.
“Of course you do.”
“I’ll be right behind you. Don’t worry, you’ll only be dating a teenager for a little bit,” he says with an even bigger grin.
I shrug and say, “You’re legal. That’s all I care about.”
He laughs and gives my bottom a soft pat. “You’ll appreciate my youthful virility when we’re older.”
“I’d like to appreciate it now.”
The smile he gives me is one I’ll never forget.
It’s the perfect mix of hunger and desire, but there’s a sweetness to it that makes it clear he’s feeling everything I’m feeling and that this isn’t just a ploy to try and get in my pants.
This means something to him. I mean something to him, and when I kiss him, he returns it with the same amount of passion and longing and need that I’m giving him.
His fingers tighten on my hips, holding me close but also limiting my movements so I can’t grind against him like I really want to.
It’s a special kind of torture to feel his thick length beneath me but not be able to use it to its full advantage.
I’m not the only one feeling the pain of it.
When I pull back, I see the same frustration I’m feeling mirrored in Niki’s grey eyes.
I drink in the sight of him, wishing I could pull out my phone and snap a photo of this exact moment with his eyes heavy-lidded, his lips swollen from our kisses, and the way the corner of his mouth is lifted up just enough to show a hint of his sexy grin.
“You’re perfect,” I say, making him laugh.
“I think your hormones are talking right now, sweetheart.”
I smile at the endearment and cup his face. “If they are, they’re only telling the truth.”
“I knew you were going to be sweet,” he gives me a wink and adds, “not just tasting, but as a girlfriend.”
My heart lights up at that word, and when I smile, he pulls me closer to kiss the dimple he’s obsessed with. I stay in his lap until we can no longer ignore the clock.
With his arms still wrapped tightly around me, he says, “I hate to say it, but you have an early class, and I don’t want you to have to go to it exhausted.”
“I still can’t believe you’ve been watching me.”
“I liked spending time with you, even if you were completely clueless about it,” he says with a soft laugh.
With great reluctance I stand up, leaving the comfort and warmth of his body, and I hate it. When he stands and I wrap my arms around him again, he returns it and kisses my head. With my face resting on his chest, I say, “I love that you’re a cuddler.”
“I didn’t realize I was one until you wrapped your arms around me.”
The truth is I love a lot of things about this man, and if I keep standing here like this, I’m going to start telling him all of them, and I’m not sure he’s ready for that.
Leaning closer, I lift up just enough so I can kiss his neck and then I force myself to be a responsible college student and take a step back.
I’m not one of those people who can get by on just a few hours of sleep, and I have one of my hardest classes first thing in the morning.
Dr. Ellison is my favorite professor, and even though I didn’t declare my major until after freshman year, he welcomed me in and made me feel like I could do this.
I’m grateful for his support, and it always makes me feel like I need to work extra hard in his class so I don’t let him down.
With both of us hating it, I gather my stuff together and let him lead me back down to the parking garage.
The ride back is far too fast, but it’s nice to be able to touch him without worrying about overstepping things.
He walks me to the door and then kisses me so thoroughly that I end up walking up to my room on very unsteady legs.
I still have a little bit of classwork before I can sleep, but that doesn’t stop me from calling Cindy and telling her what happened.
I hear her excited squeal right before I hear Sasha’s deep voice asking her if she’s okay.
She laughs and tells him the news, but I’m guessing he’s not quite as excited as his wife.
He’ll be happy for Niki, but Sasha isn’t the kind of guy who’s going to squeal over the phone and say how happy he is for me.
Cindy does it enough for the both of them, and by the time I hang up, my cheeks hurt from smiling and I have to fight the urge to call my mom and tell her I finally found a guy who lights me up from the inside.
Instead, I decide I’ll surprise her and bring Niki with me to our family supper this weekend.
I keep expecting this happy feeling to fade away, but when I wake the next morning, the first thing on my mind is that goodbye kiss Niki had given me, the way his large hands had gripped my hips so gently, pulling me closer like he couldn’t bear the thought of even an inch of space between us.
Everything about him screams danger, but he’s so sweet when he’s touching me.
Despite who he is and what he does, I’ve never once felt unsafe around him.
It’s the exact opposite. I’ve never felt as safe as I do when I’m with him.
When I’m ready for class, I head downstairs, and not even seeing Deirdre and her perky nipples is enough to sour my mood. She gives me a smile that’s not even remotely close to being friendly, and when I hear a snort of a laugh from beside me, I look over and grin in relief when I see it’s Madison.
Throwing a bunch of women together under one roof is always a risky thing. It can be great or it can turn catastrophic. Roommates like Deirdre push it much closer to catastrophic, but girls like Madison turn the situation from unbearable to being downright fun.
She nudges my arm and whispers, “Do you think she wakes up like that or do you think she tweaks them before coming downstairs?”
I nearly choke trying to stifle my laugh. She hides her smile behind the coffee she’s drinking when Deirdre shoots an angry look our way.
“Tweaks ‘em,” I whisper. “Definitely. They’re like that even when it’s in the nineties outside. How is that possible without manipulation of some kind?”
We’re both still trying to hold back the laughter when the front door opens and Niki’s gorgeous face appears.
“Wow, who is that?” Madison whispers while I see Deirdre perk up even more than she already is before sauntering over.
I know I’m grinning like an idiot when I say, “That’s my boyfriend.”