Chapter 38
The campsite is aglow.
Reid shifts the van into park and immediately jumps out of the driver’s seat. He’s already out of the door as he yells back at me, “I call dibs on first shower.”
“I’m the one who rode Rampage today!”
“Too late!”
He’s already taking the bikes out, and soon the pitter-patter of the shower hits my ears. I sit picking at my nails. I’m not sure how to act right now. We kissed, but will it go any further? Was it just one fleeting moment that’s gone now?
Reid has been in the shower for what seems like an hour. I can’t sit here anymore, so I hop out of the van and start knocking on the back..
His voice threads between the steady stream of water. “Patience, Blondie.”
After a few moments, the water turns off, then Reid opens up the double doors and shakes out his wet hair at me.
I do my best to keep my eyes trained on his face, but it’s hard when his abs are staring at me like that. He hops down and then ushers me into the shower, lightly slapping my ass before he closes me in.
That definitely felt sexual. At least I think it did. Fuck, this is hard.
Maybe I should have hooked up with Callum, so I’d have some sort of practice. I’m sure Reid is more experienced than me. In fact, I know he is.
The water is hot, shockingly so. Reid must have only used cold water—how chivalrous. As the water falls over me, so does the day. Today I got the two things I’ve wanted most, and I don’t know how to feel about it. Despite all of the journaling and therapy, I’m still scared to make the leap.
It’s sweltering outside, even though the sun has set.
The humidity from the storm is sticking around, holding the heat of the day in with it.
I pull on a loose pair of sweat shorts and a thin tank top.
For no less than five minutes, I stand in front of the mirror, debating whether I should add a flannel or not.
No flannel says ‘yes, fuck me please,’ but wearing one, especially if it’s the one he gave to me in Wyoming, has a certain appeal too. The flannel wins—at least I’m comfortable.
Maybe I’ll come off as effortless, even though I’m anything but.
I peek out of the window and see Reid tending to a small fire. There’s light music coming from his tent, and there’s a soft glow emitting from above. When I walk outside, I see Reid has created a new faux patio for us.
There’s strings of patio lights and two blankets draped on chairs. The soft music mixes with the crackling fire, and my heart splits open. I was in there wondering if he would unceremoniously fuck me, and he’s been out here setting up a date.
When did he have the time to go get all of this? My mouth is hanging open as he finally looks up at me. He’s wearing a loose pair of sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt. He looks like the picture of comfort, and I want to cozy up with him underneath these stars.
With his fire poker in hand, he raises his arms to show off the space. “Welcome to Casa de Willa.”
He ushers me to sit down and hands me a pillow. This guy really considered everything. I didn’t expect this from him at all. There’s a small metal table with two tall mason jars filled with red wine sitting beside a cheese plate.
Thankfully, we ate before this. I was truly ravenous after the competition, and this cheese platter would not have cut it, but it’s the perfect ambiance now. “Reid, this is wonderful. When did you plan this?”
He shrugs like it’s no big deal before saying, “A while ago.”
We sit there for an hour just talking. He brushes his leg against mine every so often, and I find myself leaning in.
As the wine hits my bloodstream, my chest gets red—it’s worth it though.
I feel myself loosening up, but I’m still holding on to every muscle, refusing to surrender them to the chair beneath me.
He nudges me. “What’s got you so nervous? It’s just me. We hang out all the time.” I thought I had every timbre of his voice memorized, but this is a new one.
I’m blushing, I can feel it. “Yeah, but not like this.”
“Like what?”
Leaning over as he says it, he brushes his lips ever-so-gently against my ear. It sends a shiver down my spine. It’s a delightful shiver that I most definitely want to feel again.
“Like this. With your lips so close to mine like that.”
He pushes the flannel off of my shoulders and moves his lips slowly against my sunburnt skin. I arch into his touch as he asks, “Should I kiss you everywhere else first to get you more comfortable?”
All I can do is nod. His voice is thick—melodic—it mixes in with the quiet music effortlessly.
I’m transfixed.
Reid is hovering over me now, and I let my hands trail up and over the hard muscles of his back. That must inspire him, because he moves to look at me. “I love it when you blush like that. So pretty and pink for me.”
If I wasn’t already, I’m definitely wet now. I squirm a little, and the flimsy metal chair creaks under my weight. It pulls me back into my head, which is exactly where I don’t want to be right now. I reach for the waistband of his pants, hoping if I rush into this I won’t get scared and run.
He pushes my hand away and back up to his back. “What did I say about patience, Blondie?”
I would have never guessed he talked like this. My daydreams don’t compare to the real thing. His lips move lower and lower, until he’s slipping the straps of my tank top down my shoulders.
Reid’s moving so slow it’s tortuous. He stops entirely once he gets my tank top down to my belly button and stands up to admire me from afar. His voice is stern. “Addie.”
I start to cover up, but he firmly places my hands at my sides. “No, don’t hide the view.” My blush is back, but he keeps going, staring at me with an intensity I’ve never seen from him. “Where have you been hiding these?”
A giggle escapes my lips, and I pull myself out of the chair, fighting the urge to cover up as I saunter over to him.
The fire is casting a soft glow on us, and it makes the moment that much more special.
He spins me in a circle to the beat of the song we forgot about, and I scramble to pull my flannel around myself.
He twirls me and pulls me tight against his chest so my ass is grinding into his cock. “Addie, you don’t have to be self conscious. Do you feel what you do to me?”
I should probably talk, but I genuinely can’t form words right now.
Instead, I turn to face him and crash my lips to his.
It’s searing—seeping into parts of me I didn’t know existed.
He pulls away, and I wince a little as his tongue moves expertly up the column of my neck—it sends shock waves through me.
Reid punctuates every word with a kiss. “I’ve been thinking about doing this to you all summer.”
This time, I cup his chin and force him to look at me. “You have?”
His signature smirk is back. He declares, “Addie, I’ve been thinking about fucking you since high school. Longer, if I’m honest.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
He shrugs. “I wasn’t good enough for you. I’m still not. Plus, I didn’t realize you liked me until Whistler.”
I’m baffled, and my face must show it because he kisses me gently before saying, “You are so beautiful, Addie. You’re smart and funny. There’s no one quite like you. You don’t have any idea how perfect you are.” He punctuates the declaration with another kiss.
I’m staring up at him, dumbfounded.
He’s rubbing his temples. “You really don’t see it, do you?
” Reid pauses before continuing, “You’re always so selfless, but not in a way that makes anyone feel bad.
You make sure people are comfortable, happy, even if it means you’re not.
You do things even when you’re terrified of them.
You keep trying even when it seems like there’s no hop—”
Cutting him off, I kiss him this time. I miss his mouth at first, and I almost give up, but the soft pressure of his hand at the nape of my neck encourages me. I gently slide my tongue across his bottom lip. It tastes just like I imagined—a little earthy with some sweetness underneath.
He pulls back and stares at me intensely. “I can keep going all night, you know. I love lots of things about you.” He’s licking those delicious lips as he stares down at my chest.
I feel so awkward with him doing all the talking. The men I’ve been with only kissed me once or twice and called it foreplay. I’m out of my depth. I want to finally spill all the things I love about him, but I’m too overwhelmed to form a sentence.
He walks us over towards the hood of Willa and presses me against the cool metal. “I couldn’t kiss you like I wanted to out there.”
Slowly, so slowly it’s almost painful, he trails kisses up the side of my neck again. This time they’re nipping, his teeth scraping ever-so-lightly against my hot skin. I’m writhing under him, grinding my hips towards his, but he won’t give in.
I’m breathless. “Reid. Please.”
He whispers in my ear after lightly biting my earlobe. “Not yet, Addie.”
Finally, his lips connect with mine. It’s slow at first, but quickly becomes feverish. I scoot myself up so the hood of the van supports me, and I wrap my legs around his hips. He pauses to raise an eyebrow. “Feisty, aren’t we?”
“I’m sick of not taking what I want.”
“And this is what you want?”
I’ve never seen him look so unsure of himself.
Biting my bottom lip, I nod as my eyes roam up and down his body. Slowly, my hips find a rocking rhythm against him. His control snaps, and his hips match mine. He moans into my mouth before saying, “I’ve always wanted to fuck you against this hood.”
Even in my wildest dreams, I never pictured sex with Reid outside, exposed in the night air like this. No one is around for miles. There’s almost no chance of anyone seeing us, but even the possibility of it sets my pulse sky high. This is fucking exhilarating.
I start yanking his sweats down, but he stops me yet again. I groan in frustration. “Reid, please.”