Chapter 18
EIGHTEEN
I don’t stop until we’re in the corner of the deck outside, far away from my brother. “We can’t tell him.”
Heath’s rubbing at his lips. “Why not?”
“Because he’ll freak out and make a big deal out of it. And any chance of low-key and fun will go right out the window with it.”
“I don’t know. He was pretty cool about Liam asking to date you.”
“Liam asked to date me?” Ugh. I hate that they all feel like they need to ask permission. He’s not the boss of me.
Heath puts his hands in his pockets and nods.
“Just trust me on this. He might have said he was cool with it, but he’ll interfere somehow. We don’t need his okay.”
“I don’t relish the idea of going behind his back. We may not see eye to eye on everything, but we’re teammates.”
“I know and it isn’t forever, only until we decide if there’s anything even worth telling him.”
Heath raises a dark brow.
“You know what I mean.”
“All right. If that’s what you want.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
“What the hell did you do to my lips?” He rubs at them again and I bite back a laugh and run a thumb over the tender skin. It’s red and irritated, but his lips look nice and full, so I guess the stuff works.
I press my lips to his. A chaste kiss, but I linger, enjoying the feel of him being so close and his mouth against mine. Thirty seconds into this, and I’m already having a hard time keeping my hands off him around other people. He makes a little humming noise when I pull back.
“You expect me to keep this a secret?” He shakes his head. At least I’m not alone in wanting to jump him.
I take a step back as Maverick approaches.
“Hey, you two.” He looks from Heath to me with a big smile and then sniffs the air. “Is that… romance I smell?”
Heath smirks at me. Busted.
“Well, so much for keeping it from everyone.” I huff a laugh.
We do a slightly better job of staying apart after we make Mav swear to secrecy. With a butt squeeze and a whispered promise to find me later, Heath goes with Maverick to play Xbox and I find Reagan.
She’s sitting in a folding chair in a circle of people, but she’s quiet, playing with the label on the beer bottle in her hand. I grab a chair and pull it up beside her.
“Hey, are you okay? You look a little bummed.”
“Sam, the guy I went out with last week, was supposed to meet up with me tonight, but he flaked.”
“Oh, babe, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. He was kind of boring, but it still hurts to be blown off.” Her shoulders rise and fall with a big sigh. “And the worst part is I’m still not over…” She pauses and fidgets with her beer again.
“Are you ever going to tell me who it is?”
“No, probably not.”
“Well, at least tell me what it is about him that has you so spun up?”
“He’s smart and caring.” She bites her lip.
“And so hot. Have you ever been totally into a guy and no matter how hard you try to move on, you can’t stop hoping he notices you?
” She groans. “I just realized how pathetic I am. God, I hate being the girl who can’t even enjoy the party because of a boy. ”
“No, I totally get it. Been there.”
“I think you’re there now.” She smiles, dimples popping out. “At least with you and Heath, it’s mutual. You kissed again, right? He had gloss all over his face.”
“Listen, can we keep that between us for now? I don’t want my brother all up in my business with this.”
“I won’t tell him, but good luck hiding it—you’ve got a ridiculous grin on your face just talking about him.”
“I do?”
She nods.
“You know what? You helped me earlier by introducing me to guys, let’s do the same for you now.”
“I already know all of these guys.”
“Humor me? Maybe you were too caught up in this other guy to notice how great some of these other boys are.”
“You think?” She looks so hopeful.
I stand and hold my hand out. She takes it and gets out of her chair. “Okay, but you’re sleeping over tonight. I need a safety net, so I don’t do something crazy and end up having sad, forget-you sex.”
“You never know,” I say as we head inside. I make eye contact with Heath and my stomach flips.
Later after everyone else leaves and it’s just a handful of us left, Adam convinces us to play sardines.
Heath and I walk just ahead of the group toward campus. I’m holding his arm in a friendly way that we’ve done a hundred times before, but this time is completely about touching him any way I can.
“Which pair was the first to find Maverick and Dakota last time?” Adam asks when we arrive.
“Me and Heath,” I speak up, briefly catching my brother’s eye. I hold my breath to see if there’s any indication from his expression that he knows. Maybe it really is written all over my face.
“All right, one of you gets to make the rule.”
Heath looks to me. “You pick.”
I think for a minute. “Partners have to swap shirts.”
Heath eyes my white tank top and nods his approval.
“That’s kind of easy, Ginny,” Adam says, but then Rhett groans loudly and we all look to him and Reagan, who’s wearing a dress.
Heath and I start our search for the perfect hiding spot, but only make it as far as the first corner away from the group before he backs me up against the building.
His lips take mine, and his body presses into me. I’m stuck in between a rock and a hard place quite literally. The brick building bites into my back and the rigid swell in Heath’s jeans presses into my hipbone.
My body hums with excitement. I drop my hands to his waist and slip my fingers under the hem of his shirt. He keeps kissing me as I glide my palms over his abs and chest. His muscles tighten under my touch, and he grinds into me harder.
Who knew secret relationships were so hot?
Removing my hands from his body, which is exceedingly difficult, I take off my shirt, letting the breeze and his gaze pebble my skin.
“Fuck, Ginny,” he rasps.
“We’re supposed to swap shirts,” I say, voice a little too breathy.
“Oh, right.” Without taking his eyes off me, he pulls his shirt off and we trade. He tucks my shirt into the front pocket of his jeans and runs his fingers up the curve of my waist, stopping when his thumbs brush against the sides of my bra.
I don’t make any move to put on his shirt because he’s looking at me with so much admiration and hunger, I don’t want it to end.
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I lift up on my toes to kiss him. The skin to skin contact feels better than anything I’ve ever experienced. Kissing down his jaw, which flexes under my lips, I move to his neck and chest.
He holds my hair back with one hand as I learn the contours of his body with my hands and mouth. I’m circling his nipple with my tongue, which he seems to like very much, when he curses and flattens me against the wall.
Footsteps approach and Adam and Taryn come into view holding hands. Adam’s wearing Taryn’s strapless top around his neck and she’s in his oversized T-shirt.
Our only saving grace seems to be that we’re so close they aren’t looking for us yet. My chest rises and falls, and I fight to slow down my breathing as the others go off in search of us.
“Shit, that was close,” Heath says when they’re out of sight. He steps back and looks me over again, hunger flashing in his gaze and a smile on his lips. “We should hide.” He takes his shirt from me and slowly pulls it down over me. His scent covers me, warmth still clinging to the material.
“Now? They’re already looking for us.”
He glances around and clicks his tongue. “I got it. Come with me.”
“Is this in bounds?” I ask after he leads me back around the corner to the spot the seekers usually wait.
He shrugs and takes a seat on the top stair so we’re as far out of sight as we can be while still pretty much being in plain view of anyone who walks by. He pulls me down into the space between his legs. “Technically it is, but no one has ever hidden here as far as I know.”
“Probably because it isn’t a very good hiding spot.”
“I disagree. It’ll take them at least ten minutes to double back, and in the meantime, I have you all alone.” His mouth brushes against my neck. His shirt is baggy on me, giving him more access and his lips trail along my collarbone.
I start to turn around so I can touch him, but he stops me. “If you get any closer, they’re going to find us naked.”
Naked sounds great, but not in front of my brother, so I don’t move.
There’s something about holding still and just receiving his affection that is hotter than anything I could have imagined. Fingertips tease my waist and occasionally dip down to the top of my jeans, but he doesn’t slide his hand lower to rub the ache between my legs like I desperately want.
This time, I’m the one who hears our friends approaching and I squeeze his calf hard enough it gets his attention. He hunkers down like he’s hiding behind me, and we sit still until Rhett wearing Reagan’s dress, a sight I’ll never be able to unsee, spots us.
“What the hell, man?” he asks as he and Reagan take a seat on the stairs beside us. “You had to have switched hiding spots after we started. Is that legal?”
He’s heated about it, talking loudly, and it isn’t long before the others find us.
It turns out that it isn’t legal, but I don’t even feel a little bit bad about it when Heath and I get chastised for ruining the game. Totally worth it.
Taryn’s chatting with Dakota on the walk back, so I take advantage of her not being attached to my brother’s side and fall into step beside him.
“Sorry I ruined your game.”
Hands in his pockets, his long stride is slow. “Eh, it’s fine. Rauthruss takes games of any kind real serious. For me, it’s just fun getting out and doing it.”
“Taryn seems nice. Should I get to know this one?”
He shoots me an annoyed glare.
“What? Come on, your track record isn’t stellar. It can’t surprise you to know I’m hesitant to get attached to one of your girlfriends.”
“Taryn’s great.” He shrugs. “Get to know her if you want or not, whatever.”
“So it isn’t serious?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You’re not saying anything.” Good god, sometimes I want to shake him.
He huffs a quiet laugh. “Look, I like her. She’s nice and a lot of fun, but I have no idea where it’ll go. Dating in college isn’t like it was in high school. People don’t go into it thinking they’ve found their forever person or at least I don’t.”
I wonder if that’s a universal thing or just my brother. Heath basically summed it up the same way. Seems a little depressing if I follow their logic too deep, but fun—fun I’m in for.
When the apartment building comes into view, I fall back beside Heath.
“I promised Reagan I’d stay over tonight to talk boys.”
He smirks and his eyes darken. “You could come over later when you’re done talking.”
“I’d like to, really, but sneaking into your place with Adam there… I don’t know.”
He nods and I can’t tell if he’s disappointed or not. I’m glad he doesn’t push any harder to get me to change my mind though. I’d probably cave, and some part of me knows I’m not ready to get naked with him yet.
I’m not a virgin, but my experience is pretty limited. And if what Adam says is true, that this isn’t a big deal, I need to capture the butterflies in my stomach and give them a good pep talk about slowing their flutter every time Heath is near.
“Breakfast tomorrow?” I offer.
“Yeah. Text me and we can go over to campus together in the morning.”
“Are you coming, Ginny?” Dakota asks when we reach the top of the stairs. She and Reagan are headed into their apartment, and the rest of the group has already gone into the boys’ place.
“Yeah, I’ll be there in just a minute.”
As the doors close, Heath’s mouth finds mine. He kisses me like he’s begging me to reconsider going inside with him. His large hands frame my face, and he walks me backward until I’m trapped between him and the wall.
Heath likes to be in charge, and my body doesn’t mind one bit. His lips find the sensitive flesh at the curve of my neck and I sigh. “How many hours until the dining hall opens?”
“Five or six.” The words are spoken against my skin between nips.
“That’s a long time to wait.”
“Hungry, baby?” His deep baritone rumbles.
I don’t answer, not even sure I’m capable of stringing words together as his face nuzzles in between my boobs.
We didn’t bother switching shirts back, so I’m still in his.
Even through the cotton material, the scrape of his scruff provides a delectable friction.
His hands fall to my ass, and he pulls me against him.
He’s hard again, or maybe still, and I rub myself on him desperate for more.
He growls and pushes his hips forward, slamming me back to the wall.
“Yo, Heath—woah, sorry, man.” Maverick covers his eyes but doesn’t leave as I duck my head, embarrassed.
“What the fuck?” Heath asks, not moving. Even in my embarrassment, I can’t resist moving just slightly so I can recapture the delicious friction. At my movement, he moves his hand lower on my ass and his fingers dig into me through my jeans. Deep circles giving me just the right amount of pressure.
Maverick can’t see what’s going on, but I nearly cry out as the orgasm hits. I stop myself by biting down on Heath’s bare shoulder.
I miss whatever exchanges between them and I’m coming down, body still shuddering, when the door closes. My head falls forward into his chest as I catch my breath.
Heath pulls me into a hug and kisses the top of my head.
“Did that really just happen?” I squeak, apparently out loud though not intentionally.
He chuckles, deep and throaty. “God, I hope so, but we can try again if you need to be certain.”
I lift my face and wrap my arms around his neck. “I should go before Dakota comes looking for me.”
He steps back and adjusts himself.
“Are you going to be okay?” I bite my lip. Maybe there’s time. Hand jobs for him and her.
“Go. I’m fine. I’ll see you in the morning. I’ll still be hard then — don’t worry. Seems to be a constant thing around you.”