I just hoped we wouldn’t be a total disaster.
21
JORDAN
Iwoke up plastered to a warm, thick chest. My face stuck to bare skin, and it took all of two seconds for last night to come back to me in flashes.
The event.
Preston.
Preston.
Heat flooded my face, dancing along my veins toward my limbs as I snuggled deeper into him. He was insatiable last night, meeting me every step of the way and then some. It was unbelievably hot, and I wanted more. I’d never slept with someone I had such a connection and trust with, where I wasn’t worried about actually getting hurt. We could do so much more when there was trust.
Unreal. I snorted, smiling to myself at how amazing it had been. I shouldn’t have been surprised after our insane chemistry at the hotel, but I expected to freak out. That, I prepared for. But nothing. No inner voice telling me to run.
“If you’re trying to plan your escape, it won’t happen.” Preston’s sleep-filled, deep voice sounded right against my ear. His lips grazed the shell, causing goose bumps to burst. His gripon me tightened, and he adjusted the blankets to cover both of us. “But feel free to try.”
“I wasn’t planning it,” I admitted, those words feeling huge for me. “I was actually thinking about how much I’m not freaking out.”
“Mm.” He kissed my temple and snuggled me more. Every part of our naked bodies touched right now, and it was like I was in a Preston-hug-blanket. He might be right. I didn’t think I could slide out of his grip with how he held me. “That’s good, baby.”
Fuck. My stomach did that swoopy thing it did when he kissed me in the rink. I liked him calling me that. It made me want to giggle and twirl my hair like a lovestruck fool. This wasn’tlovelike that, but it had the signs.
“I can hear you thinking though, so can you share what’s going on?” he asked, thoughtful, patient. No worry or edge to his voice.
“Replaying last night over and over.”
“Well fuck, if we’re doing that, I’m gonna be hard in half a second.”
I laughed but made no moves to push him off. “I mean, yeah, that was…amazing between us. I meant the whole night, the event. I wonder if my professor appreciated the work, if she told my mom…if Coach Reiner speaks to my teacher, and if I get an A. I texted my mom about how I killed it, yet she read it and didn’t respond.”
“Hey.” Preston adjusted us so he could look down at me. His hazel eyes were filled with warmth and kindness, like he’d catch me no matter how many times I fell. “You were incredible, and I hate that you want your mom to know it. You have nothing to prove to her, and some day, I hope you get there.”
“Yeah, I wish.” I swallowed the slight ball of emotion in my voice. “Maybe it’ll happen.”
“It will. One day, you’re gonna wake up and realize you’re the fucking shit, and you don’t owe anyone a damn thing. You’re gonna see yourself and see a beautiful badass who works harder than anyone I know.” Preston ran a hand over my hair, a soft smile on his face. “Hey, what are you doing for dinner tonight?”
“That was off topic,” I said, unable to stop myself from smiling. “Uh, nothing?”
“I’m taking you on a date.”
“Didn’t sound like an ask in there. That was a little bossy, Charming,” I teased. My stomach filled with butterflies at the insistence and commanding tone though. I loved seeing him this way.
“That’s cause I’m not asking. I’m not giving you a chance to change your mind. You agreed we’re doing this, so baby, I’m taking you out.”
“Alright. So, where are we going?”
“Leave that to me. You planned last night, and I’ll do tonight. You are going to wear that see-through black dress thing though.”
“Oh, am I? That seems mighty demanding of you.”
Preston flipped us over, so his forearms rested on either side of my face as he stared down at me. His eyes lit up. “You wore it out once, two months ago. I couldn’t take my fucking eyes off you and how it fit your body. You danced, and it took everything in me to not haul you into a room and rip it from your body. So yeah, wear that dress for me, okay?”
God, with a response like that, how could I not?
“Okay, yeah. I guess I can do that.”
