Then, I hand him the tied up cherry stem I’ve been playing with from between my lips.
He grabs both of our cups and tosses them in the trash. Turning on his heel, he startsskippingto the van. An unrestrained laugh flows out of me in silky ribbons. I’m soft—pliable like putty in his hands.
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 thenushers 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 pictureof 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.
