I stare at him. “You think?”
“I know.”
22
Maize
It’s late when I turn off my lamp and check my phone one last time before I crawl into bed. No calls or texts. Disappointment hits harder than that wayward football. Maybe I should just text him first. It’s the twenty-first century, for God’s sake. A girl can make the first move. I giggle at that thought, because I’ve been sleeping with Christian for months, living with him, and I’m debating on whether to send him a text or not.
I flop onto my pillow, deciding to do just that, when his message pops up.
Hey.
My heart races, and my fingers are a bit shaky as I text him back.
Hey yourself.
Busy?
Just getting ready for bed.
What are you wearing?
I laugh out loud and cover my mouth. Mom is still up and I don’t want her coming in here to check on me.
Oh, just a little something called lingerie.
It’s a lie, I’m in my pajama shorts and T-shirt.
You have any of those little white panties with you?
I chuckle. I have no idea why he’s so obsessed with my white cotton panties, but he is.
Maybe.
Go to your window.
My pulse jumps. Is Christian outside? I turn my lamp on, jump from my bed, and pull open my curtain, and a giddy sound catches in my throat when I find him standing beneath the streetlamp. I quietly open my window and in hushed words I say, “What are you doing here?” He waves and starts walking toward me, and I do love the way the man walks with such a sexy swagger.
“Hurry,” I say and glance over my shoulder to make sure Mom isn’t standing in my doorway, an admonishing look on her face. Up until this second, I’ve never had a hookup in this bedroom, never worried about my mother walking in on us. My freaking door doesn’t even have a lock on it. This is a bad idea. Such a bad idea.
Then why aren’t you stopping it, Maize?
He casually steps up to my window, and leans against the frame, looking so damn hot my ovaries clench. “I’m not catching you at a bad time, am I?”
I look past his shoulders, and down the street. “No, now get in here before someone sees you.”
“Embarrassed to be caught with me, Maize?”
I just don’t want the neighbors talking, or for my mother to get the wrong idea. He grabs the ledge and effortlessly hoists himself up. Two seconds later, he’s in my small, childhood bedroom, his presence overwhelming the space and me. He grins as he pushes his hair back and glances around.
He walks over to my dresser and drops something on it. I’m about to ask what he’s doing, but he turns and says, “So this is your room, huh?”
“This is it.”
“Looks like a high school girl still lives here.”
I laugh. “Mom hasn’t changed a thing.”
“Neither has mine. I still have a shelf above my bed displaying all my trophies.”
“I’d love to see that.”
He nods. “I’ll send you pictures tonight, after I get home.”
My heart sinks a little and it shouldn’t. I didn’t want him to meet my family, either.
“That would be fun to see, and it sounds like they are proud of you, Christian. If they keep all your trophies displayed.”
“There displayed in my room where no one goes. But my successes make them look good, Maize. That’s all. It’s all about image with them, associating with the right people, and putting a proper appearance out to the world. Honestly, I’ve always walked the straight and narrow, always followed the rules.”
My heart sinks. “Until me...until…”
Before I can say anything more, he steps up to me, wraps his arm around my waist and drags me to him. The smell of beer, mingling with perfume, hits me hard. I put my hand on his chest.
“Where were you?” Unease worms its way through my body. Was he out with the right people?
“Met the guys for a drink.”
“That’s why you smell like beer, but why do you smell like perfume?”
“If you’re wondering if I was with another girl, the answer is no. You’re the only girl I can think about. That’s why I’m here, Maize…” My insides flutter, and there is nothing on his face to suggest he’s been in someone else’s bed. “Tell me I can stay. I really need to put my cock in you.”
My legs quiver. “God, when you put it like that.”
He glances the length of me, takes in my shorts and T-shirt. “New pajamas?”
“No, I just didn’t take them to Kingston with me.”
“I’d ask you to put on your little white panties, but I’m going to have you out of these in a second anyway.” My body heats as he turns, and his face falls slightly as he glances at my unmade bed. “Did you sleep with Ryan in that bed?”
“No, we were in his…” He focuses back in on me. “I’ve…never slept with any guy in that bed.”
Catching me by surprise, he picks me up, and sets me on my bed. “How about we rectify that.”
“My door, it doesn’t lock,” I whisper.
“Then you’d better not scream too much, Maize.” He shrugs out of his coat, and reaches over his back to take off his T-shirt, and my gaze goes to his body. Even though I want to look at him, admire him, I reach over and turn out the light.
“You want me to feel my way around, do you?” he asks in the dark.
I chuckle. “Just in case Mom walks in.”
The bed creaks as he climbs in beside me, and I tug the blankets up to cover us up. A weird little giggle crawls out of my throat. “My God, this feels so…”
“Good.”
“Yeah, but risky…my mom.”
“Worried about getting caught can be half the fun.” I want to protest, but goddammit, I can’t, and when he presses his lips to mine, and spreads my legs as he positions himself in between them, my brain stops working.
“Yes,” I murmur, and run my hands through his hair
