skin looked against her much clearer canvas. I also got a little kick out of the fact that when I flattened my palm against her belly that my name went from one side to the other, claiming what I was quickly starting to consider my very own. I let my thumb hook under the top of her jeans and rubbed a pattern that made her wiggle enticingly against me.
“Rule.” There was a hitch in her voice. “What are you waiting for?”
“Nothing.” I kissed her again and took my time about it. I wanted her to know that she affected me just as much as I seemed to be affecting her. Normally, when I was with a girl, I was all about instant gratification. There was no buildup, no anticipation. I mean, I liked to think that I had developed some pretty good moves over the years, but I was also a big fan of getting to the finish line in as little time as possible. I wasn’t there to create memories; I was there for a mind-numbing orgasm and a minute of peace. But Shaw was different. With her I was different, and this thing happening between us was most definitely different.
I got under her supertight jeans and was surprised to find that she hadn’t bothered with anything underneath. I pulled my head up and grinned down at her. “Commando?”
She shrugged and shifted a little when my fingers brushed over all her soft and warm parts. “What? These jeans are practically painted on and no matter how tiny the panties are, they show, so no underwear was the only option.”
“I would never have pegged you for the type.” She gasped my name out as I made my way into her damp heat. Her whole body bowed up against mine and I caught her across her back to keep her there under my ministrations. The friction between what I was doing and her tight jeans was making her quake in my arms and I knew it was only a matter of time before she came apart in my hands. “You’re always so proper and put together, who knew underneath was such a naughty girl?” She was slick and fluttery, all the things I wanted a girl to be right before she made a sweet noise of surprise and flared her eyes open at me. Her hands clamped down on my neck and she tugged me down for another mind-bending kiss right before I felt her melt. I smiled against her mouth and shifted so that I could help her pull her jeans off, even though she was moving a lot slower than me. Once she was as naked as I was I took a minute to appreciate the view because a naked Shaw was something to appreciate, but a naked, luminously satisfied Shaw was something master artists would kill to capture on canvas.
She leaned over me to dig a condom out of the drawer. I settled on my back and let her crawl over the top of me. I stacked my hands behind my head and just watched as she tore the packet open with her teeth and set about suiting me up. She was gentle about it and I think afraid she might hurt me, but it was a good thing she took her time with it because the jewelry down there sometimes made getting protection on tricky.
Once everything was set and I was hard enough to pound nails she looked at me a little apprehensively and settled over my lap. “I don’t think I know how to do it this way.”
And wasn’t that just amazing? I got to teach this beautiful, amazing, kick-ass girl all about sex and all about the great shit in between. I moved so that she was where she needed to be and helped her figure out how to slide down and glide back up. I gritted my teeth and let out some swear words because nothing had prepared me for her trying to find her rhythm. As she moved up and down, rocked back and forth, and pretty much turned my mind to mush I tried to keep some modicum of control but it was to no avail. When I felt her start to come apart again, I flipped her over on her back and drove into her like I was trying to bury myself inside her to live forever. She didn’t seem to mind the manhandling too much; her nails scraped across the shaved part of my head and her tiny little teeth nipped into my shoulder. It only took another breath before I followed her over the edge, then lay in an annihilated heap on top of her. I felt her hands flow over my shoulders and her husky voice ask in my ear, “Have you always been this awesome?”
CHAPTER 8
Shaw
I was having a hard time concentrating in my study group, which wasn’t a good thing because we were all expected to carry our own weight. I was pretty good with anatomy so I wasn’t too worried about falling behind, but I didn’t want anyone else to fall behind because I couldn’t keep my head in the game. Trying to find time to work in Rule with my already busy schedule was proving to be a daunting and frustrating task. In the last two weeks I had only managed to squeeze in two lunch dates when he had time between clients, a Friday night when he came to the bar with his friends and hung out with me until I got off, and a subsequent Saturday night that, of course, led to Sunday morning. I had to work, so Sunday was just a brief kiss good-bye and then I was on my way out the door. We talked on the phone and texted back and forth, but it wasn’t enough for me. Now that I was sleeping with him on a regular basis it wasn’t enough for the me who wanted nothing more than to roll around in bed with him every chance she got.
I was blushing at a particularly hot memory when one of the girls had to tap me on the shoulder to get my attention. I’m sure my face was bright red so I cleared my throat and fanned myself down with the notebook I was using to take notes. “Sorry, what did you ask?”
She repeated the question and I stumbled through an answer, telling myself I had to stay focused for the remaining hour of the session. My phone went off a couple times in my pocket but like a good college student I ignored it and gritted my teeth through the rest of the question-and-answer portion of the meeting. As soon as time was up, I gathered my things and bolted out of the room we were using for the meeting. It was rude but I didn’t even bother to say good-bye to my classmates. I wanted to see what was on my phone. Rule liked to send me dirty text messages when I least expected it. They made me get all breathless and silly and I couldn’t wait to see what these might read. Only the name on my phone wasn’t his, but Gabe’s, and that made me want to toss the little device onto the ground. My mom was still insisting on a family get-together; luckily her schedule was so busy that I had managed to avoid it and Gabe for the last few weeks, but from the sounds of the messages he had left me that was no longer the case.
Shaw, I spoke to your mother today. She would like me to bring you to Brookside on Saturday night for dinner at the club. She would like you to stay the night there and then we are doing a big gathering at her house on Sunday for brunch. My parents will be there along with several other influential people.
I groaned out loud and scrolled down to the next message.
I know you are hesitant to spend time alone with me after my erratic behavior, but I assure you, my intentions are good. All I’m offering is a ride.
I most definitely didn’t want to be stuck in a car with Gabe for an hour and I most certainly didn’t want to deal with my mother for an entire weekend. Plus, Saturday night had proven the one night a week I actually got to spend with Rule and I absolutely didn’t want to give that up, but I didn’t see where I had a choice. I bit my lip and replied that I would be there but that I would be driving myself. There was no way in hell I was going to Brookside without a way to escape. He texted back that that would be fine and asked if I would mind giving him a ride. I wanted to say no but figured it wouldn’t hurt anything to just take him and drop him off. We arranged to meet at a bakery that was between our two places on Saturday morning and I was just about to put the phone away when Black Rebel Motorcycle Club trilled from my hand. Rule’s sneering face looked up at me from the display and I couldn’t hold in a smile.
Ayden warned me every single day that I had to be careful. I was in love with Rule; Rule wasn’t in love with me. We were having sex, really amazing, make-the-world-stop sex, but he never, ever mentioned anything about a relationship or how he felt. My roommate was sure I was standing on the cliff of an epic heartbreak, just waiting to fall over. For now I was okay taking what he was willing to give—I mean, it was more than he had ever given to anybody else—but in the back of my mind I knew it wouldn’t be enough forever, and eventually something between us was going to have to change, or at the very least, be defined into clearer terms that I could live with.
“Hey, you, I thought you were working late tonight,” I said.