Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
K ate
My hand’s so sweaty I can barely hold onto Ronan’s as we walk down the hallway to our hotel room. Still dressed in our clothes from the prom, I have to hold my dress up so I don’t trip over it, but he looks so handsome in his black tux.
“What room number is it?” I ask as we turn a corner and begin walking down another long hallway.
He turns his head to look at me and smiles. “Six twenty-four. Almost there, I think.”
My parents looked so proud when we stood in the living room at the house for pictures before the prom. We never told them about coming here to hang out after, but I had a feeling they suspected we would since it’s practically a tradition at the school we attend.
We finally reach the hotel room, and it’s even nicer than I imagined when Ronan suggested we get a room for tonight. I look around at the coffee maker on the counter above the mini fridge and then at the air conditioner on the far wall under the windows. The bedspreads on each full size bed are navy blue with splashes of grey like someone took a barely wet paintbrush and randomly flicked it over the material.
“This is really nice.”
Ronan tosses his tux jacket on the bed closest to where I stand and undoes his tie so both ends hang loose around his neck. “My brother said it was a nice place when he came here after prom. That was a while back, though, so I’m glad it’s still okay.”
I can only imagine which brother of his he’s talking about. Probably Kellen. Maybe Marius. I bet he’s seen the inside of a lot of hotels.
A little nervous, I sit down on the bed and run my fingertips over his black jacket. “Did you hear if anyone else was coming here?” I ask, suddenly unsure what to say.
It’s not like I don’t know why he suggested we come here tonight after the prom ended. Ever since we started dating, we’ve had a hard time finding ways to be alone. His house is so busy with his brothers and his father always around, and while my parents are often out of our house, we never know when they’re going to return.
To say we’ve struggled to find a way to be together would be an understatement. Most of the time, we’ve had to settle for his car, but that’s nothing less than truly uncomfortable.
Ronan shrugs as he thinks about my question. “I heard Amanda Isaacson was having a party at her house. I didn’t mention it since I didn’t think you’d be interested. You didn’t want to go to that, did you?”
The last place I want to be with Ronan looking as good as he does in that tux is anywhere near her. She made it perfectly clear when he and I started dating that she’d had her eye on him for a long time, and a drunken Amanda hitting on my boyfriend isn’t how I wanted to end prom night.
I shake my head and hope my expression doesn’t make it too obvious I don’t like her. I’ve never told him what she said to me about wanting him, so he probably wouldn’t understand my feeling about her.
“Are you hungry?” he asks as he opens the mini fridge. “Not that there’s anything in here, but I can run for something if you are.”
Again, I shake my head. “No, not really.”
God, I wish I had something else to say. We’ve been dating for a year, but suddenly, I have nothing clever in my head.
I used to get like this a lot when we first started going out. Ronan was so cute and so popular, and back then, I often felt like I didn’t belong with him. I’m not hideous, but I’m not like the other girls at school. They all seem to know exactly how to do their makeup and hair the best way to make them as beautiful as they can be. My hair rarely does much of anything but hang straight down from my scalp. And when it comes to makeup, I’m almost completely ignorant on how I should use it. On most days, I slap a little mascara and blush on before breaking out my favorite lip gloss, and I’m ready for school.
Thankfully, my sister Kelly knows all about makeup so she did mine tonight. If not, I would have looked like my usual self in this pink prom dress.
Ronan stands in front of me, so I look up at him. He really is the most gorgeous guy I’ve ever seen. If he knows that, he doesn’t seem to care, though.
“Is something wrong, Kate? I didn’t want to go to that party either. If you want to go somewhere else, we can. Just tell me, and I’ll get us there.”
God, is there another girl who has a better boyfriend in the world?
“No, I’m okay here. Unless you aren’t. Do you want to go somewhere else?” I ask, suddenly unsure he even wants to be here alone with me.
He smiles, and it’s like the sun coming out from behind the clouds. “No. I’m right where I want to be.”
When he’s like this—sweet and so caring about everything I want—I want to tell him I think I’m the luckiest girl in the world. All my friends tell me never to do that because then he’ll get complacent and not be so great once he knows how crazy I am about him, but it’s not like I haven’t told Ronan how much I love him before. Anyway, he’s not like other guys at school. How many of them would sit next to me at my dining room table watching me study and helping me get ready for finals?
Ronan, my Ronan, is one of a kind.
When he leans down to kiss me, the ends of his silk bow tie brush against the sides of my face. I push them out of the way, but I can’t help but giggle at how cool they feel on my skin.
He realizes what’s happening and slides the black tie from around his neck, tossing it on top of his jacket. I reach up and unbutton his top shirt button, and for a long moment, I can’t help but stare at how good he looks.
In truth, he could wear a ratty t-shirt and a pair of his oldest basketball shorts, and he’d still look incredible. I don’t know how, but for him, it seems almost effortless.
Ronan returns to kissing me, but now he cradles my face in his strong hands. I feel like I’m in heaven when he touches me like this. Like I’m something so important he wants to cherish me.
When he slowly pulls away, I miss the feel of his lips on mine. He’s probably wondering why I’m not doing anything to reciprocate. I want to, but it’s like I get lost in how he makes me feel when we’re alone like this and I forget he’d probably like to know I care too.
“I’m sorry. I got a little into my head there for a few seconds,” I say, avoiding his gaze.
He crouches down in front of me and smiles, making my insides do a flip. “It’s okay, Kate. I like how you’re someone who spends time thinking. It keeps me on my toes and makes me have to figure out what to do.”
Hearing that makes me sad. Ronan doesn’t deserve to wonder if I care about him as much as he cares about me.
I reach out and cradle his face like he did with me a minute ago. “Don’t ever think I’m not absolutely, positively crazy in love with you, Ronan King. Because I am. I just don’t show it all the time because I’m too busy thinking stupid stuff.”
“Nothing you could think would be stupid, Kate.”
Tonight was supposed to be about us having a place to have sex without worrying someone would walk in on us, but it’s quickly turning into my ruining our time together because I’m insecure. I don’t want to be. It’s just that I sometimes worry one day Ronan will figure out he wants to be with someone who knows how to do her hair and makeup expertly.
Maybe someone who’s a cheerleader since he’s a star athlete.
I shouldn’t say anything about that, but it’s like I can’t stop myself.
“Sometimes I wonder why you want to be with me at all. I’m not like the girls all your friends hang out with. They probably ask you why you’d want to date a girl like me whose head is always in her books.”
Oddly enough, after I say those words, I don’t feel better. I should have just kept my worries to myself.
Ronan shakes his head and sighs. “You have no idea how perfect you are, do you? I look at you sometimes and think there’s no way you want to be with me. I’m just a guy who hopes to someday be a professional baseball player. You’re smart, and when you go to college, it’s going to be because you belong there. I love you because you’re not like other girls, Kate. When are you going to understand that?”
Other guys might try to make me feel better, but they’d never be as sweet and understanding as Ronan. That’s the biggest reason why I love him.
“I guess tonight?” I say with a smile, trying not to giggle but I’m so happy after hearing him say all of that.
“Good. Stop doubting yourself. If anyone should doubt themselves, it should be me. I’m just some jock who probably makes you question why we’re going out at all.”
I hate when he talks like that. Ronan has so many good things going for him, but all he ever focuses on is his playing sports.
“You’re not just a dumb jock. You never give yourself enough credit. I think you’re smart, and since you’ve already said I’m intelligent, you should believe me.”
That gets me a big smile I could stare at for the rest of time. “Well, I guess I better believe it since the smartest person I know said it.”
I lean forward and kiss him softly on the lips. “I love you, Ronan. Just the way you are.”
“And I love you just the way you are.”
He stands up and eases me back onto the bed, his dark brown eyes looking down at me in that intense way that never fails to excite me. I’ve never been with anyone else but him. All my friends have had two or three guys they’ve slept with, but I’ve only been with Ronan. I know he’s been with other girls, but as unsure of myself as I am, that fact doesn’t bother me. Those girls were before he and I found one another. Plus, I sort of like that he has a past since I don’t. One of us has to have some experience.
“You were the most beautiful girl there tonight,” he whispers before brushing his soft lips against my neck.
My eyes flutter closed as the most exquisite sensations fill every inch of me. “And you were the most handsome guy at the prom,” I say as I slide my hand over the back of his head.
His dark hair is soft against my fingers, and when he nuzzles my ear, I can’t stop myself from tugging on his hair. It’s like whenever he’s this close, I can’t control how I feel.
I slide my other hand under his shirt collar and feel his soft skin. He’s hot, like he’s burning up. His muscles tense as I slowly run my fingers over his shoulder.
He moves his right hand down my body to burrow under my prom dress, and a second later, he stands up, leaving me alone and wanting so much more. I stare up at him in confusion, wondering if he finally figured out he’d rather be at that party tonight than here alone with me.
“As nice as these clothes are, they have to go.”
I smile at his complete lack of subtlety as I watch him unbutton his white dress shirt and shrug out of it. His body is perfect beneath it. Tanned and muscular, he looks like my own personal Adonis meant only for me.
At least I like to fantasize that’s the truth.
I’ve never been able to see Ronan without a shirt and not stare like some horny schoolgirl. He’s simply the most perfect thing I’ve ever seen. All that working out for baseball has benefits long after he leaves the field.
And I get to enjoy every bit of them.
He doesn’t get to his pants before he turns his attention to my dress. In no time at all, he pulls me up off the bed and pushes my spaghetti straps off my shoulders. Then it’s just a matter of unzipping the back of my gown. Seconds later, I’m sitting in front of him in just my underwear since I couldn’t wear a bra with the straps.
“It’s no fair that I’m practically naked and you still have pants on,” I say with a giggle before reaching out to remedy that.
He lifts his hands away from his pants so I can do what I want, and after unbuttoning and unzipping them, I push them down his legs, leaving only black boxer briefs covering him.
Not that they’re concealing much. He’s rock hard, and the thin fabric barely hides that fact.
I palm his cock and watch as his eyes roll back. I love seeing him like this. He’s so raw and open with how my touch makes him feel.
Ronan leans over me and stares into my eyes like he’s looking into my soul. “I’ve been waiting all week to be with you. Tonight’s been perfect. Hasn’t it?”
Nodding, I wriggle my hips to help him when he slides my panties down my legs and tosses them on the other bed with his jacket and bow tie. “It has.”
I don’t say what else I’m thinking. That it’s because of him that this night has been so wonderful. From the blush rose wrist corsage he bought me to how he danced every dance with me to how he fed me my dessert of those adorable cupcakes in our school colors of royal blue and gold, he’s made my senior prom one I’ll never forget.
Naked on the bed, I try not to feel self-conscious as he stands watching me while he pushes his underwear down his legs. So often, I wish I had bigger breasts or longer legs like the popular girls at school all seem to have. I don’t want to feel that way because if I let them, my insecurities will ruin my time with Ronan, and that’s the last thing I want to do.
He leans over me again and sets his hands on either side of my head before slowly lowering his body to cover mine. He’s so much bigger than I am, but I’m not worried. He always makes sure not to crush me.
“You got quiet there. Everything okay?” he asks in a low voice tinged with need.
I know he’s afraid something’s wrong because I seem to be somewhere else at the moment, so I quickly work to make sure he knows there’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather be right now. “Everything is perfect, especially you.”
He smiles and then lowers his mouth to mine in a kiss that takes my breath away. I run my hands down his back and feel the corded muscles as he holds himself back from laying all his weight on me. He’s strength and power all in one, but I know he’ll protect me.
With his knee, he gently nudges my thighs open, and there’s a sudden chill that rushes over me. I shiver involuntarily, and he lifts his head to look down at me.
“Are you okay?” he asks with such sweet concern in his voice.
I nod, feeling silly even though I couldn’t help myself from being cold. “I’m fine. Just got a little chilly for a second.”
“Then I better warm you up,” he says with a smile.
The combination of how wonderful he is and how sexy he looks on top of me makes my belly feel like it’s molten lava. He slowly tilts his hips forward, and I feel him press his cock between my legs.
I set my hands on his waist and open my legs as wide as they can go. Ronan gently pushes into me, filling me so completely it takes my breath away. I’ve heard some of the girls in school talk about how fast or hard their boyfriends are during sex, but he’s too big to go fast or hard with me.
Fully inside me, he falls still, except for kissing me. His hands once more cradle my face, and it’s like he’s everywhere all at once. The sensation is overwhelming, but I love it like I love him.
Our lovemaking is slow and probably wouldn’t be something any of those girls in school would like, but I adore how gentle he is with me. I sometimes think about surprising him with something seductive, which would be completely out of my nature and would probably thrill him, but the best I’ve been able to do so far is get on top. He’s just too big for anything else.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks, probably sensing I’m a million miles away.
Well, not that far, but I’m definitely not focusing on us like I should at the moment.
“I’m fine. Actually, I was just thinking of how I know you like me on top sometimes.”
His eyes get a twinkle to them now, and he grins in that way that’s so sexy to me. “If you want to change places, I’m all in.”
Giggling, I say, “I think you’re all in anyway.”
Ronan’s eyes grow wide with surprise. “My Kate, making a sex joke. This is why you’re the perfect girlfriend.”
Before I can respond, he flips us over so he’s on his back and I’m on top. Still inside me, he inches his hips up off the bed, sending waves of need rushing through me.
My legs are spread so wide as I sit on top of him that the muscles in my thighs ache, but what’s a little pain when the man of my dreams is looking up at me and waiting for me to begin riding him? I may not be as experienced as other girls, but I’ve read enough to know what I should do.
I ease myself up just a little and then slowly sit back down on him. He smiles and sets his hands on my hips, his thing to control the pace. I don’t fight him, and when he wants to go a little faster, I take a deep breath in and go with the flow.
Ronan knows my body as well as I do, so he slides his right hand down in front of me to stroke my clit. That’s all it takes for me to find my groove, and a moment later, I’m riding him with all I have.
Like always, it doesn’t take me very long before every inch of my body is practically screaming in ecstasy. I come hard and nearly collapse, but he’s not there yet.
I lean forward and kiss him, and that’s all it takes for him to kick things into overdrive. He’s careful not to go too fast, but he picks up the pace just as my orgasm begins to taper off, making me come a second time.
“Oh… God…” I practically sob into his mouth as my thighs quiver from my release.
A few moments later, I feel him come. He holds me tightly to him, his face buried in my neck as his release rolls over him.
“God, you feel so good, Kate. Don’t stop moving.”
I do as he commands, happy to give him what he wants. He always makes me happy, so it’s the least I can do for him.
When we finally fall still, I lift my upper body and look down to see him staring up at me. His dark eyes look glassy now, but I know that’s how he always looks after we have sex.
“I love you, Ronan. Thank you.”
He narrows his eyes and asks, “For what?”
“For everything. For tonight. For who you always are with me. For giving me the perfect senior prom.”
Ronan pulls me down to him and kisses me long and deep. “You make me so happy, Kate. I’m the luckiest guy in the world, so why wouldn’t I try to make this night perfect? You deserve it.”
We lay there in each other’s arms until I break the silence. “I didn’t want to go to Amanda Isaacson’s party because when we first started going out, she said she’d wanted you for her own for a while.”
I don’t like to hide anything from Ronan, but I’ve kept that to myself for nearly a year. Now that it’s out in the open, I feel better. But I don’t know if it was a mistake to tell him that.
He leans back away from me and stares at me for a long moment. “I didn’t want to go to her party because I only wanted to be with you. I’ve never been interested in her, even though I know she’s been into me for a while. I only want you, Kate.”
I smile and let out a heavy sigh of relief. Ronan really is the most incredible guy in the world.
As I turn off the road onto the long driveway to the King estate, I smile as I think about how utterly happy I was that night. It really was the perfect prom, and that was all because I was with the only person I’ve ever truly loved.
Is there any chance at all we can ever get back to who we were then?