Christian (The Mitchell/Healy Family #3)(7)
Author: Jennifer Foor

Seth started out on top of me, entering me with ease. I was already so wet between my legs that we didn’t need any more foreplay. My muscles were contracting in all of the right places each time he coursed in and out of me. He leaned forward to kiss me several times, and I found it reassuring to know that he cared enough to make sure that I didn’t think he was selfish.

When we went to flip positions he slid back inside of me, but stopped to stare at my face. “You’re so beautiful.”

I looked away as the heat rushed to my cheeks. “Thank you.”

“I’m serious. You’re gorgeous. I knew when I saw you in class that I wanted to see you naked.” He laughed and brushed a strand of hair away from my face.

“That’s a drunk statement.”

“No,” he argued. “It’s not. I noticed you the first day of the semester. You wore this red shirt that said something across the chest. You had shorts with rips on the thighs and I couldn’t help but notice the skin it revealed. I wanted you to notice me, but you were too busy reading your syllabus to even notice me standing next to you.”

I felt flattered, and a bit saddened. Perhaps we could have been friends before having to meet officially in a strip club. “Sorry. School is important to me. I guess you could call me a nerd.”

“Na. I’ll stick with beautiful.” He leaned forward and kissed my lips slowly, seeming like he was savoring them. “Now, where were we?”

As goose bumps covered the outside of my skin, new sensations filled my insides. His strides became faster as he pumped inside of me. Seth reached between us, rubbing hard against my clit. My own body began to twitch and shake as uncontrolled bouts of pleasure overwhelmed me. I knew he was enjoying seeing me lose control, because the next thing I knew he was holding me still and clenching up his face. When he finally relaxed he rolled us over to be lying side by side. “You okay?” He asked.

I shrugged. “I’ve never had a one-night stand before. Honestly, I don’t know how I feel about it.”

Seth rolled over on his back and looked up at the ceiling fan as he spoke. “I feel so good right now.” The bed was moving a bit, and I understood it was because he was removing the condom. I grabbed a napkin off of my nightstand that I’d been using for a coaster and handed it to him. After confiscating the used rubber, he turned to face me. Even with feeling uneasy over my actions, I managed to smile.

“You know, it’s not a one-night-stand if it happens again.”

“Are you asking me to sleep with you tomorrow?” It was a simple question.

“That depends on your answer,” he teased.

“I’ll probably say yes,” I taunted back.

Shortly after that we both passed out. I didn’t know about Seth, but I for one couldn’t hold my liquor very well. After the buzz wore off I was left exhausted. Falling asleep was easy, so much so that I didn’t even care that a stranger was asleep in bed with me, locked in my room.

My parents would have been so disappointed in me, but somehow I couldn’t stop smiling. All of the years they’d spent educating me on how to be the proper kind of lady had just gone to shit. It didn’t matter to me, because this was my chance to reinvent myself, and I was damn sure going to do it.

Chapter 5

Christian

The early morning light illuminated the room even though I had the blinds closed. The reminder of what had happened last night was a muscular forearm draped over my chest. Considering that I was about to pee myself, I knew I had to free his limb without waking him.

As slow as I could move I slid off the bed, almost tumbling to the hardwood floor. I crept out of the bedroom before I noticed any movement. Once inside the confines of the bathroom, I stared in the mirror at the person I wasn’t sure I knew anymore.

It was true that I’d known exactly what I was doing with Seth. Even though I wanted it to happen, a part of me hated that I’d allowed myself to change in an effort to fit in. My red eyes were probably from the amount of alcohol I’d consumed, but I saw them as regret; a reminder of the lengths I was willing to go to seek acceptance. After brushing my teeth, and cleaning up a bit, I marched into my room prepared to face whatever came my way. I just didn’t expect it to be empty.

Seth was gone, and even though I was clothed, I felt naked.

The utter humiliation of knowing I’d slept with someone that didn’t even have the decency to say goodbye was devastating. I’d stooped to a whole new low, and been left to suffer the consequences. Just as my butt made contact with the mattress my bedroom door flew open. Becca rushed in, placing her hands on her hips even before she came to a halt in front of me. “What’s Seth Radcliff doing coming out of your room at the crack of dawn?”

I shrugged and looked over at my furrowed sheets. Dismay was written all over my face. “Do I have to spell it out?” I said in an undertone.

“Did you sleep with him?”

Was she really that naive? “What do you think?” I may have been quiet, but I wasn’t blind. He was sexy, kissed with passion, and made me weak in the knees. From the moment we first touched I knew that I secretly wanted him.

“Girl, don’t be surprised if you get a visit from Mila.”

“Who’s that?”

“His girlfriend, well, on again off again. They break up all of the time. As soon as Seth hooks up with someone new they have a huge blowout and then make up for a couple of weeks. When she finds out he slept with you she’s going to shit her drawers. There’s no way she can compete.”

It was another nice compliment she’d paid me. I appreciated how it wasn’t about me looking like someone else to fit in. She was saying I was beautiful, and it meant so much to me that I forgot about the seriousness of the conversation for a few short moments.

“I didn’t know he had a girlfriend.”

“He doesn’t, technically. It’s so complicated. I should have mentioned it last night, but you were the last person I saw hooking up with a guy you just met. Clearly I have a lot to learn about you,” she teased.

“I’m an open book, I can assure you. Last night was a mistake. I drank a lot, and so did Seth. Maybe he won’t tell anyone. I mean, he left without sayin’ goodbye, so I can only assume that I wasn’t anything to write home about.”

“Seth’s not like that. He won’t stay quiet. I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but you need to be prepared, just in case. Hopefully it will all blow over in a couple of days.”