Christian (The Mitchell/Healy Family #3)(2)
Author: Jennifer Foor

An hour later I sat in front of a vanity mirror staring back at a person I barely recognized. Becca had been nice enough to come in and do my makeup. I felt like she was making me look like a floozy, albeit the final result was something overwhelming. I’d never felt like I was beautiful, even though people had always complimented me. The reflection I was seeing was gorgeous. My hair, flowing with long curls, fell down over the middle of my back. My eyelashes were lengthened, and the dark shadow on the lids caused my green eyes to look so pronounced.

Becca stood back with her arms folded across her chest. “So, you’re totally smokin’. I’d do you. With that body and your southern drawl, girl you’ll be the talk of the night.”

I rolled my eyes, paying little attention to her forward announcement. While I leaped to my feet, spinning around checking out my ass in the mirror, I felt sexy. It was something I’d never been comfortable with. “Impressive.”

“Maybe after tonight you’ll realize that hidin’ behind those books ain’t how college life is supposed to be. You need to experience things, Chris. God gave you that rockin’ body. It’s time you showed it off. I know I’d kill for your tits.”

I looked down at my cleavage, noticing how the bra underneath shown through. “I’m ready when you are.” She couldn’t understand what it was like to never feel like you could fit in. I wanted to be liked, but changing myself to do it didn’t seem like it was real. At any rate, I wanted to try.

Right before we went out my best friend, Ethan called to check on me. My stomach still got butterflies at the mere thought of him. It was probably juvenile to feel so excited about someone I’d known forever.

“Hi.”

“What are you doin’ tonight?”

I kept checking out my ass in the mirror as I spoke. “I’m going out with my roommates actually.”

“Wow. Seriously? I thought you didn’t like them.”

I smirked, knowing he couldn’t see. “I never said that. It was more like they didn’t care for me.”

“That’s their loss. Listen, if you have a bad time you can call me. I’ll pick you up and keep my questions to a minimum.”

“Yeah right. I can already tell you’re bustin’ to hear about it.”

He was quiet for a second. “Chris,” he always called me that. “I wanted to talk to you about somethin’ tonight, but I guess it can wait. Call me tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay, I will.” As much as I’d become curious as to what he’d want to discuss, I was eager to have this night out, so that I could discover all that I’d been missing out on.

When we piled into Becca’s compact car, I sat with my hands clasped together in the backseat thinking about Ethan. We’d been friends since middle school, and I guess I’d always had a crush on him. Like me, he’d been focused on school and not wanted a relationship to be damaging to his education, no matter how close we became.

Since we hung out so often we were comfortable being alone together. One night, years ago, we were alone in his living room watching a movie after quizzing each other for a final exam. His father had started a fire before heading upstairs, and the crackling set a romantic ambience. I think secretly his parents were always trying to get us to hook up, because they liked my family.

Our first kiss came after a long discussion about staying focused. We sat there side by side agreeing that being in a relationship would cause unwanted stress and break our strict study guidelines. Neither of us talked about having feelings for each other, and honestly, at the time, I hadn’t given it much thought, although I know now that I was swooning hard. It was that night, in that very setting where we decided to satisfy our desires together. We made a pact to share all of our firsts. It was a pact that we’d kept since that night. If there was something new to discover we’d do it together.

The awkward kiss that started it all lead to something so much deeper for me. I’d had boyfriends, but never experienced something real. That intense feeling caught me off guard, and as our practicing progressed, I longed for more from him.

We slept together for the first time that following month, and had been sexually active with one another for a couple of years. I’d fallen hopelessly in love with him. We hadn’t only lost our virginity with each other because we had feelings; it was also because we trusted each other. Somehow that trust became more for me.

Ethan must have noticed and gotten freaked out. He said he could only love me as his best friend. As much as the friendship meant to me I accepted it. Slowly he started pulling away, and ended up becoming interested in one of our friends. It took me two months to be able to be near him again, and when we were together I couldn’t stop the longing to be closer to him.

After graduation we were still sleeping together often, and spending huge amounts of time either with each other or on the phone. He knew everything about me, and I him. I guess that’s why it was so difficult to hide my feelings.

College had helped.

While we attended the same university, our schedules kept a good distance between us. Though still study partners, and the closest of friends, we didn’t have much time to hook up, causing me to feel unwanted whenever were alone.

Lately he’d been calling more. It was odd to me how for so long I wanted his attention, and now when I was ready to open up and explore whatever else was out there, he was showing back up.

I looked down at my messages on my cell phone, seeing that besides Ethan, only my family ever called me. This night had to go well, because I was determined to break out of this shell and become something more than a boring nerd.

Chapter 2

Christian

A prude.

That’s what I’d been for twenty years of my life.

The lights had been dimmed as we entered into the Lazy Horse Club. The tantric music played, creating an ambience as we located seats. Right away I knew where they’d brought me, and it was an immediate anxiousness when my eyes sought out the person on the stage.

A blonde female, probably my age, swayed her body, while her hands gradually played with the tiny straps on either side of her hips. I wanted to turn away, feeling ashamed for staring. This wasn’t a place I ever thought I’d be.

While relaxing enough to find a chair, I sat with my back to the stage. My mind went to my mother, and what she’d say if she ever found out I was in this type of establishment. Surely my new roommates had been here before, because I watched two of them, Becca and Mandi, waving to the girl on stage. They whistled, causing my curiosity to make me turn to see what could be so interesting.