Miles for Love Series Box Set, page 70
Christopher lifts his other hand, as his one hand is still in mine. “Na, I’m good, thanks. I’ve had enough.”
Tyler chimes in. He’s so hammered his eyes can barely stay open. “You sick? Did that shot really fuck you up?”
“You need to go home and pass out, man.” Daniel says. “Let’s cut the cake before this loser pukes all over it.”
“I’ve only had like five drinks, dude.” Tyler says.
“Yeah, five of those test tube/arsenic things.” Grant argues. “I asked the bartender what’s in them. He said, ‘everything’. You’re more hammered than Christopher, man.”
“Well, he would be more hammered if he wasn’t such a fucking pussy.” Tyler says.
“There is no wonder why you have a fat lip, man. You’ve got such a big mouth.” Christopher says.
“Okay, children. Let’s cut the cake.” Kayla says, taking the cake knife from the side of the tray. She begins cutting it up and distributing it to those interested. Christopher and I both take a slice. The cake disappears in less than five minutes, as everyone seems to devour it.
Grant pipes up. “Hey, Christopher, where’d your little friend go?”
“She went home, man. She left with some jock she met at the bar.” Tyler says.
“Thank…God.” Christopher says, relieved.
“I thought you liked her.” Tyler says. “You were dying to bang her not that long ago. I thought I was doing you a favor.”
“No thanks.” Christopher says. “Besides, you setting me up is creepy in so many ways, I don’t know where to start.”
“You tried to set me up enough times before I met Kayla.” Daniel states.
“Yeah, but it was because of me that you met her, remember?” Christopher argues, sliding his finger across the line of icing on the cake platter, and eating it. “If you hadn’t come out with me and my buddies to that bar that night, you two would have never met.”
Kayla looks at Daniel. “Well, that is true, Daniel.”
He kisses her lips. “It is true.”
Grant is scanning the room. “There are a lot of hot chicks here tonight. I’m going to go mingle.”
“Don’t be too long.” Daniel says. “Tyler’s gonna pass out soon.”
“It won’t take him longer than a minute.” Tyler winks. “We share a wall. He doesn’t last.”
“Okay, too much information.” Kayla says. “Tyler, I’m going to go get you some coffee. You are vile when you’re drunk.”
“I’ll take another one of them viles.” He says.
“You’ve had enough.” Daniel says. “Keep your mouth shut and stay out of trouble until Grant takes you home.”
“Put your helmet back on.” Christopher says.
Tyler looks at him. “Yeah. It’s your fucking fault I can’t get laid tonight. I was going for the tough look with this fat lip, but it’s clearly not having the desired effect.”
“There goes that mouth again.” Daniel warns. “Don’t do it, man. Maybe I should take you home now and forget about the coffee.”
Tyler looks at Christopher. “Don’t you have to take this jackass home?”
“Ashley’s taking him home.” Daniel says.
Tyler gives me an evaluating once over that gives me the creeps. “Ashley. Yeah, I bet Ashley’s taking him home.”
Christopher’s fist starts to ball up. Daniel sees it just as I do. “Don’t do it, man. That’s your last warning.”
I place my hand on Christopher’s back. “It’s okay. Just…calm down.”
He looks at me, and for the first time, I see something different in his eyes. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s there.
“You’ve fucked my little brother up, you know.” Tyler says to me, matter-of-factly. “He told me himself.”
Christopher takes a step towards Tyler, but Daniel rises, putting distance between them. Kayla is right on time with the coffee. “Is that in a to-go cup, babe, because we have to get this bigmouth out of here before Christopher gives him another lump.”
“It’s a to-go cup.” She says, showing him that it’s made of paper, not ceramic. “Party’s over, Ty.” Kayla says.
“Yeah…” Christopher says to Tyler. “Party’s over.”
Chapter 18
Christopher
I’m so irritated by my brother’s comments that I barely say a word to Ashley on the way home. “Did you enjoy your birthday, minus the last five minutes?” she asks, trying for comical.
Looking at her, I grin warmly. “Yeah, I had fun. Ty’s just got a big mouth and he doesn’t know when to shut it.”
“Being an only child, I’ve never had the pleasure.”
“It’s not so bad. But it seems like he brings out the worst in me.”
“That he does.”
As we pull into the driveway, the sensor lights are on, and the front of the house is illuminated. We walk to the front of the house and I fish my keys out. I unlock the door and we enter, removing our shoes.
“Are you feeling okay? After the drinks, I mean?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I say honestly. “I just…had more than what I should have had for driving home. Thanks for getting me here in one piece.”
“No problem.” She smiles. “I need to go drink a gallon of water after that, so I’ll be in the kitchen.”
“I need water, too.” I say, following her. After we both drink two glasses of water each, we stand around the counter.
“Your eyes are still pretty glassy.” She says, smirking. “You’re still a little hammered.”
“Maybe.” I admit. “But the water will take care of that.”
She chuckles. “I’m going to bed.”
“Me too.”
Following her up the stairs, I playfully pat her rear end. “Hey!” she giggles, and I almost trip. “Be careful!” she laughs. “You’re going to kill yourself!”
“Na, I’m just a little drunk.”
She takes my hand and directs me upstairs. When she’s about to direct me to my room and release my hand, I maintain my grasp on hers. “Hey, I’m a little drunk. A little help would be nice.” I tease. “A little help…you know…getting undressed.”
She cranes her neck backward until she has a perfect view of the skylight. “You must be drunk if you think I’m stupid enough to fall for that!” she’s guffawing, but smiling.
“Alright, but, do I at least get a happy birthday kiss? I mean, I didn’t get any action tonight, but is it too much for a guy to ask for a little kiss on his birthday?” I’m feeling so brave, and I know that she’s going to tell me to go jump out of a plane.
“Fine. One little kiss. On the cheek.”
“On the lips. Just a little one.” I raise my finger in the air for emphasis. “Or I’ll sing and keep you up all night.”
She sighs. “Fine.” As she steps towards me, I place my hand on her waist, and as she pulls in closer, I tilt my head and envelop her lips with mine, giving her my best kiss without tongue. Her lips meet mine and they are so soft I get a little hard the second she makes contact. Pulling back, the suction is enough that it makes a smacking noise. Her eyes are still closed when I pull back.
“Thank you.” I say, and her eyes open. My hand lifts, grazing her cheek. Searching her now hooded eyes, I say softly. “I love you, Ashley.”
Smiling, and then smirking, she says, equally softly. “You love the tree in your front yard right now.”
Really? Does she really think I’m that drunk?
I don’t say anything, I just stand there, dividing my glance between both her eyes.
“Goodnight, Christopher.” She says, giving me a chaste little kiss on the lips. I kiss her back softly, and watch her walk into her bedroom. Her eyes don’t leave mine until her door closes.
Walking to my bedroom, I turn the lamp on and undo the buttons on my shirt. As I peel it off, I toss it into the hamper. Standing in my bathroom in my pants, I brush my teeth. Feeling my second wind, I turn the television on, and start watching it, hoping the buzz will wear off, and I’ll be able to go to sleep. An hour later, I’m still awake, and my bladder is full, from all the water we drank earlier. After emptying my bladder, I walk over to turn the television off, and I kick my little toe on the side of my bed.
“Fuck…me!” I shout, growling in pain.
I hear Ashley come barreling down the hallway. “What? What happened?” she cries out, as I’m doubled over by the bed, still in my dress pants.
“I stubbed my toe on the goddamn bed!” I growl, rubbing my toe. “Fuck! Does that hurt!”
“Did you break it?” she asks, by my side. She’s in a short pink nightie with spaghetti straps. I can tell right away that she isn’t wearing a bra. As she bends over to examine my foot, I can see right down her pyjamas.
“You might want to…not lean over like that.” I grunt, trying like hell to be a gentleman, despite my throbbing toe.
Her hand goes to the top of her cleavage. “Shit…sorry.”
“No, don’t apologize.” I gasp, trying to be funny. I sit on the bed, and I start to feel relief. “Jesus Christ does that hurt.”
Her hair is all curly, pooling around her shoulders and down her breasts. The pink pyjamas only go to the tops of her thighs. “Sorry I woke you.”
Her eyes go to my chest, and I realize I have no shirt on. “Sorry.” I put my hand on my chest, as if to cover up. “I was just going to sleep.”
“Do you always sleep with your pants on?” she says, also going for funny.
Smiling, I look down. “If you had come in here ten seconds later, I might have been naked.”
She smiles. “Are you okay?”
“I think so. I don’t think it’s broken. It felt like it was a minute ago.”
The lamp illuminates her eyes like they’re a pair of gemstones. I can’t help but look at them. They travel down to my lips for a second, and I get a thrill below the belt.
“Did you really mean what you said earlier?” she asks. “You know, right before I said you love the tree in your front yard?”
Sliding my hand over her ear, I drape her hair out of her face. “You mean the part where I said I love you?”
“Yeah.” She nods once.
“I meant every word.” The conviction in my voice is so palpable, I don’t even recognize it. I mirror the same action on the other side of her face, not taking my eyes off hers. “I love you so much, it hurts.” I continue. “When that guy came a step too close to you tonight, I wanted to throttle him.”
“And what about your brother? He said that I’ve messed with your head?” she asks, and I can hear the emotion in her voice.
“Ash, you haven’t messed with my head. It’s my heart that’s messed up.” I look at her lips, and she looks at mine. Leaning forward slowly, I tilt my head, and plant a soft kiss on her lips.
“Christopher, there’s something that you should know.”
I try to hide the fear in my eyes, but they widen. “What?”
“I’ve never…” she hesitates. “I’ve never had sex before.” She says it so fast, that I have to rewind her words in my head, to make sure that I heard them right.
I let out the puff of air that I was holding. “That’s okay. I don’t have any expectations here, Ash. This is new territory for me, too.”
Her face scrunches. “But you’ve had sex before…many times.”
“I’ve never been in love before.”
“Neither have I.”
Is she telling me she loves me, too? Because, goddamn it, do I need to hear it right now.
Her eyes scan my lips again. My eyes hood as I stare at her lips. I keep it chaste, but I give her another soft kiss on the mouth. Her arms wrap around my neck as she pulls me close to her. As she buries her face in my neck, her voice is muffled, but I hear it loud and clear. “I love you, too, Christopher.”
Kissing her playfully on the neck, I pull her closer to me, as her body melts into mine. I’m very aware that we’re both practically naked, and on my bed. I’m sitting on the edge of it, and she’s sitting astride, with her feet still on the floor. “Is that why you hit your brother?”
“I told you why I hit him. I have nothing to hide.” I say as she releases my neck.
She leans back further, so we’re sitting side-by-side. I take her hand in mine. Her eyes go to my stomach, and then my chest, and then she meets my eyes. I allow myself a peek at her chest for a second. Her breasts are so perfect, it hurts. They’re natural, pert, and her nipples are beaded as she sits next to me. I try not to think about my throbbing cock as my eyes meet hers. Her hand reaches up, towards my shoulder, and she rests her fingers on my collarbone. Patiently, I let her skate her fingers over my pecks, and down my abs. My skin practically sizzles under her touch. “You have a beautiful body.” She whispers.
How badly I want to touch her, to mirror what she just did to me, I can’t even describe. But I don’t know how she’ll react. If she’s never had sex before, I’m not sure what she’s done, and I don’t want to scare her. So, I place my hand on her knee and stroke it with my thumb. “You…you’re an angel. More beautiful than an angel.” I murmur, staring at her lips. Her eyes are on mine as she leans towards me. Tilting my head, I kiss her softly, leaving my tongue in my own mouth. Even though I’m dying to taste her, it’s not worth the risk if she pulls back. Some girls don’t like the tongue early on, and I’m not even sure how far she wants to go.
Testing her, I slide my hand an inch higher up her leg. She doesn’t flinch. Turning towards her, I place my other hand on her opposite thigh, skating my thumbs slightly under her nightshirt. Her knees are together as I slide my thumbs across her skin softly. Eying my chest, she draws in a deep breath. Does she want to kiss me there? “You can touch me, Ash. It’s okay. The ball is in your court, baby.”
Her eyes dart to mine, and they look darker. “Sorry. Should I not have called you that?” I ask, my voice is soft, but slightly trite.
“No, I like it.” She says, and I’ve read her all wrong. My guess is that underneath that quiet, shy girl, lies a tiger, waiting to be tamed. If she’s twenty-two and has never had sex, she may be a ball of flames inside. Testing her again, I slide my hand further up her thigh. Surprising me, she closes her eyes.
Bending towards her, I tip my head and slide my lips up to her neck, kissing her flesh tenderly. First just one kiss, and then I pull back a little, giving her a chance to flinch. When she doesn’t, I kiss her again, trailing kisses up her neck, until I reach her ear. Giving her lobe a gentle nip, and then a tiny suck, I then trail kisses down her jawline, until I reach her mouth. Lips parted, it seems like my girl is waiting for more. Kissing her lips softly, I open my mouth slightly, giving more suction to the kiss. As our lips pull apart, she pulls back. “God, I can’t do this.”
“It’s okay.” I say, taking my hands off her legs. “If you’re not ready, you’re not ready.”
“No, it’s…not that.” Her hands go to her lips, as if they feel swollen.
“Then…what is it?”
“Darlene.” She explains.
I nod once, pursing my lips. “Ah,”
“With her being pregnant and having an abortion. This just seems…wrong, you know?” she pauses. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Another nod. I clear my throat. “But…just so you understand. I do have Fort Knox grade condoms with spermicidal lubricant. I’m pretty big on protection.” I lift a hand. “Sorry, that was stupid.”
“No, no. I mean, that’s how she got pregnant. They didn’t even use a condom and she missed at least two pills.”
“Ouch.” I wince, leaning back, so my back hits the mattress. My hard-on is right up to the waistband of my dress pants, and I’m sure it’s sticking out a mile, but hopefully under the semi-darkness, she won’t see it. There isn’t a thing I can do about it now, anyway, aside from wait. “Missing one is one thing, but missing two…”
She lies next to me, sideways, leaning her head on her hand with her elbow bent. “And they were like animals. I don’t even know why she bothered to get a dorm room. They did it like every night and sometimes during the day.” She pauses. Her breasts are close together, accentuating her cleavage. It’s so sexy I can’t look at her without wanting to kiss them. “What…oh,” she stops herself.
I lift my head to look at her again. “What’s the matter?”
“No…nothing.”
“Seriously.”
“I just...” I look at her, and her eyes are trained on my crotch, and then she looks at the bed, as if embarrassed.
“What?” I guffaw, chuckling a little. “Is that what’s wrong?”
Her face turns beet red and it’s adorable. “Ash, I’m sorry, but…yes, you turn me on. A lot. I’m sure you have something going on over there, too. It’s nature. It’s part of life. There is nothing to be ashamed of.”
I turn to face her. “Is that maybe what this is really about? I mean, how come you’re twenty-two, and you haven’t had sex yet?” My voice is calm and reasonable, and I measure my words carefully.
She’s quiet, and she can’t make eye contact with me. I’ve hit a nerve. “Just because Darlene got pregnant, doesn’t mean you will, too.”
“I know.”
“Are you saving yourself for marriage?” I venture.
“Well, what if I am?” she looks at me.
“Then you are, and I have to respect that.” I say honestly. “There are many things that we can do without having sex.”
“They all lead to sex.” She chuckles without a trace of mirth, as though what I’ve just said is utterly ridiculous, and she’s not getting shafted on that one.
“Not if we have self-control, Ash. I mean, I’m sure you’ve done…stuff? Haven’t you?”
No eye contact. “Some stuff. Not much, though.”
I sigh, stroking her arm. My voice is laced with pity. “God, you must be a ball of flames in there.” Taking her arm, I pull her hand to my lips and kiss it. “Have you ever…masturbated? Have you had some sort of release?”
She swallows a tiny gasp, and I notice her breathing has turned ragged. Fuck! “Jesus Christ…I’m so sorry.” I lift and hold her in my arms, feeling so awful for making her cry. A gasp and a sob comes from her as I wrap my arms around her. My hard-on is completely shriveled, and I feel like a real shit for prying and being so fucking insensitive. “I had no right to ask you that. It’s none of my business.”
