Author's Note: I am so, so very sorry for my gross neglect of this story over the last few weeks! I was stricken with what can only be deemed the modern day equivalent to the bubonic plague (really bad flu) over the holidays and it took me quite a while to recover. I wanted to try to get a few chapters ahead, but I realized that was selfishly wishful thinking, and you all deserve a new chapter for patiently riding this little hiatus out with me. Thank you all! Happy New Year and happy reading!
I'm dreading going home today. This week with Dean has flown by, especially since we didn't manage to make it out of the cottage at all yesterday. Which is a real shame, I'm sure there were some great Black Friday sales at the shops in town. Dean did wake me this morning at the crack of dawn to get some photos after a brutal storm last night, and to catch some early waves before we came back to pack up our stuff. Now, as he loads up the car, I just feel like getting back to reality is such a let down after this little vacation from life.
I take one last sweeping glance around the bedroom, this place where so many things have changed for me. Yesterday it was like our private world. No phones, no outside contact, just the two of us. Together. We won't have a place like this when we get back to school. I wonder if things will change. If, now that the mystery has faded, Dean and I won't have that constant, indescribable pull toward each other that I've felt ever since we first met—even when I thought there was no chance of us being together. The idea of losing that feeling makes me a little sad, but Dean's arms coming around me and his lips against my hair push those invasive thoughts from my mind.
"Ready to go?" He turns me around to face him and I can't keep the smile off of my face.
"Nope. I've decided we can't leave. We need to stay here. You can get a job with the local paper, I can give surfing lessons since I'm so amazing now. We'll stay in this little cottage and only leave this room to eat and occasionally work so we can pay for the food. We're totally staying."
"Sounds good to me. Let's christen the new place then." He lifts me off my feet and tosses me on the bed, covering my body with his.
I laugh and look into his brilliant blue eyes. "You'd do it wouldn't you?"
"Hey, a beautiful woman, a place blocks from one of the best beaches in the country, what am I missing out on?"
The familiar ringtone that I now know belongs to Danny sounds from Dean's pocket, as if to answer his question. I sigh, pushing him off of me, and climb to my feet. "Your family, for one. I guess we really do have to go. Go ahead, grab that. I'll meet you in the car." I lean over and sweep my lips over his then pick up my purse and make my way to the car.
A few minutes later Dean walks out of the cottage, locking the door behind him and placing the key in the drop box. When he slides into the drivers seat next to me I notice his face is tense, his posture rigid.
"What is it?" I ask, turning to face him.
"It's nothing. Nothing you need to worry about. You should put your seatbelt on."
I hastily buckle the seatbelt. "I know it's not nothing. Something pissed you off. Come on, we're past this. You can tell me anything. You know that."
He takes his hand off of the key he just slid into the ignition and sits back, leaning his head to the side to look at me. "You're right. I'm sorry. I just didn't want to ruin our ride back to L.A. Danny got a call from our stepdad, apparently our father showed up at their house completely wasted begging mom for money because he lost a ton on a bad investment. He made a scene, mom told him to walk away and he took a swing at Nick. They had to call the cops to take him away, but they're not pressing charges. I told you it's nothing you have to worry about. Just stupid bullshit."
I can see the stress physically invading his body. His eyes are strained with the headache he must be fighting off and the muscle of his jaw keeps twitching like he's grinding his teeth. He tries to be so stoic, but it wears on him. "I'm so sorry. Is your stepdad okay?"
"Yeah. Nothing happened. The idiot was too drunk to land a punch. I told Danny we were on our way back and I had to go, but I'm sure he'll fill in all the missing details tomorrow night." He rubs his fingers against his temples and squeezes his eyes shut.
"You still worry about him. Danny," I clarify when he looks at me quizzically. "You're worried this is going to mess with his head."
"Am I that transparent?"
"No, I just know you. You love your brother, and you tend to make yourself responsible for the people you love. But Danny isn't a kid anymore. It's been years, and you said yourself after the therapy and treatment he was so much better. He realizes that your dad isn't a good guy. I'm sure that hasn't changed. If anything, this little incident just emphasizes the point."
"I know. I do," he pushes when I give him a cynical look. "That doesn't mean I don't still worry. Aside from that, I'm pissed that I wasn't there for my mom when this happened."
"Dean you can't do this to yourself. You don't need to fight everyone's battles. You can't fix everything for everyone. When we get back, you'll call your mom and see for yourself that she's okay. That's all you can do. Torturing yourself with guilt and what-ifs isn't going to serve a purpose." I reach over and brush the hair from his forehead. He half-smiles at me and brings my hand to his lips.
"Thanks. For letting me talk it out, and not letting me wallow in my thoughts for the next five hours."
"No way would I let you get away with that. We didn't get to any of my cheesy road trip games on the way up here. You owe me!" I grin at him and I can see him begin to relax already. He starts the car and pulls away from the curb. Looking back, I say a silent goodbye to our little cottage by the beach.
"So, it's really over now." I stare up at the side of my apartment building as we sit in the parked car.
"Yep. Home sweet home." Dean pops the trunk and gets out of the car to retrieve my bags. With a sigh, I follow.
"You don't have to walk me up. I know you're probably exhausted from driving all that way. Go ahead, get back to the frat house. I'll see you Monday in class. I know you'll want to spend some extra time with Danny tomorrow."
"Are you sure?" He hands me my tote but keeps a firm grip on the duffle. "I can stay, help you unpack, if you want."
"I think I can manage. I'm probably just going to dump all of my clothes in the hamper and head to bed early." I hold my hand out for the strap of the duffle bag.
"Okay. Well, I'll see you Monday then." He hooks the strap over my shoulder and leans in to kiss my cheek, then slides over to my lips. He lingers over the kiss and my heart pounds. As he pulls away, I blink through the haze of lust and take a deep breath.
"I love you," he whispers.
"I love you, too. Thank you so much for this week. I'll never forget it."
With that, I turn and leave him looking after me as I head in through the security door to the elevator. Once the doors close I lean back against the wall and close my eyes as I ride to my floor. I should've let him come in. I should've dragged him into the elevator, slammed the emergency stop button and torn his clothes off right here. What the hell has he done to me that I'm thinking about things like this on a thirty second elevator ride? I need a shower. An icy cold shower.
The elevator drops me off on my floor and I lug my bags to the apartment door. Digging through my purse for the keys, I don't register the thundering of footsteps running up the stairs at the end of the hall until the door swings open and Dean emerges into the hallway.
He strides forward and in five quick steps I'm in his arms with his mouth crushed against mine and my back against the door. His hands rake through my hair and he tugs so that my mouth is temporarily torn from his, allowing him to mutter against my ear, "Where are your keys?"
"Floor," I manage to choke out the word. I dropped the keys and my purse when my senses were assaulted by all things Dean.
He bends to pick them up and fumbles a bit before shoving the key into the lock and twisting roughly, shoving the door open with his shoulder and fixing his mouth to mine at the same time. We stumble over my bags and I kick them haphazardly inside the doorway. I vaguely register the sound of the TV and have enough of my senses available that I pull away and look around the room.
Kelsey is sitting crossed legged in the middle of the couch with a bowl of popcorn, her raven black hair piled high on her head.
"Um, hi?" she says, taking in the sight of the both of us.
Dean's fingers dig into my hips at that moment and I sputter out a greeting as we quickly make our way to my room. "Hey so, raincheck on the girls night, okay? We'll catch up later. Missed you!"
I don't even have time to register the incredulous look of shock on Kelsey's face before we nearly fall through my bedroom doorway. I shut the door and lean back against it, locking the doorknob without taking my eyes off of Dean. We stare at each other from three feet apart for about half a minute before he charges through the space between us. He lifts me by the hips and I lock my legs around him, clasping my arms around his neck and fixing my lips to his.
I can't think of anything but getting him naked and into my bed. He's like a drug pumping through my system, flooding my senses, stamping out all rational thought. He grips my backside and carries me to the bed, but I'm so eager, I shift my weight too far forward sending him crashing to his back on the mattress. I rip my lips from his long enough to yank the sweater over my head and toss it to the floor. Leaning down, I do the same with his shirt. We fumble with our clothes, kicking off shoes and shrugging out of denim until there are no barriers left. From above him I begin to shift downward when his hands on my waist stop me.
"Condom. My wallet. Shit, I think I left it in the car."
"It's fine, I'm on the pill." I say, struggling out of his grasp so I can continue to my destination.
"Wait, since when—"
I cut him off, "Do you really want to talk about this right now?" I lower my lips to his neck and bite the spot where neck and shoulder meet.
"Good point." Lifting my hips he lowers me onto him and I gasp loudly before his hand comes up to cover my mouth.
"Shh, I don't know if your brother is here and I really don't want to find out when he comes pounding on the door because he hears us." He laughs and slides his hand away from my mouth, down my throat and over my breasts.
"Good point," I echo his words as I begin moving with him. I plaster myself against him and fuse my lips with his to drown out any sounds that try to escape.
We swallow each other's breaths as they become shorter, turning to gasps and pants. His hands are everywhere, touching, squeezing, rubbing and driving me absolutely wild. I lean back so that I'm straddling him and the tension that has been building claws it's way to the peak. I lose all control and begin moving like I'm possessed by some unseen force. Dean's fingers are digging into my hips with bruising strength and the deep, gravelly sound that emanates from his throat sends me careening off the ledge that every nerve ending in my body has been clinging to. I tumble down onto his chest and grip the blanket above his head, twisting the fabric in my fingers and burying my face in his neck to stop the cry threatening to escape through my lips. His arms tighten like a vise around me and I feel him lose himself. Our racing hearts are matched beat for beat, and then the earth slowly begins to level out again.
His arms wrap around my back like I'm his lifeline at sea in the middle of a blindingly brutal nor'easter. If we were any closer together, we'd be one person. Our breathing becomes in sync and our hearts start to settle into a steady rhythm. The moisture on my skin catches the chill in the air and my body erupts in goosebumps. Feeling my shiver, Dean shifts, lifts us both, and yanks the blanket from under him, wrapping it around me as he moves me to his side.
With my head resting in the crook of his arm and my leg tossed lazily over his, I feel absolutely satisfied.
"Since I was eighteen."
Dean looks down at me in confusion. "Were we in the middle of a conversation I wasn't aware of?"
"Yes. Before. You were asking when I got on the pill. I was eighteen. I wanted to be on it…just in case."
"Oh. Well, that's definitely good to know." He places a kiss on my forehead.
"Have you, I mean, after the others did you ever…" I stumble over my words as I try to think of the appropriate way to phrase this awkward question.
"We were always safe, and I decided to get tested when I had my physical for this past soccer season. Just in case."
"What, are you a mind reader now?" I ask as I lift my chin to rest on my hand against his chest.
"No. It's just a logical question to ask, given the circumstances." He brushes my hair out of my eyes and keeps his hand tangled in it as his thumb grazes back and forth across my cheek.
"Yeah. About that…I have no idea what all that was. You?" I raise my eyebrows at him, questioning.
"Well, we could chalk it up to separation anxiety. We've been together for five days. The thought of being apart was just too unbearable for either of us, so we jumped each other."
I yank the pillow from beneath his head and whack him with it then move to lay on my side next to him. "Very funny. Not totally far off though, I suppose."
He shifts onto his side, mirroring my position, and reaches out to toy with a strand of hair curling over my shoulder. "Jessie, if I had the option I'd never leave. So no, it's not far off at all." Leaning forward, he captures my mouth with his and turns me to a puddle of Jessie, yet again. Too soon, he pulls away. "But at some point, you're going to want your space to do girl things, I'll go do my guy things, and you know if we stay holed up for too long Kelsey is going to burrow under the door to pry some details out of you."
I sigh heavily. "Yeah, that's pretty accurate. So I guess this was our way of stealing one last little blip of time before life has to creep back in, huh?"
"Hey. That was much more than a blip. Don't cheapen it." Dean leans over me for another kiss and before I can get too lost in it I roll out from under him and grab the blanket to wrap around myself.
Walking over to his side of the bed I sit on the side and bend so that our faces are only a few inches apart. "You know I've loved every minute of the time I've spent with you," I place a kiss on his nose. "Especially the last hour or so," another kiss on his cheek. "But you're right about Kelsey and unless you want her to bust in here and see you in all your glory," one last kiss on his other cheek, "you need to get your butt up and get dressed."
"Oh trust me I will, because in all honesty, Kelsey scares me a little. But I've got one condition before I agree to leave."
"And that would be?" I ask curiously.
In answer to my question, he grabs me around the waist and swings me over him so that I'm flat on the bed on the other side of him. He plants the most heart-stopping, soul-shaking, hormone revving kiss on me, and all too soon he's up and off the bed.
"Yep, now I'm good." Grabbing his boxers he tugs them on, followed by jeans and his shirt. All the while I'm staring, slack jawed, as he merrily goes about his way, seemingly oblivious to the melted puddle of girlfriend he's left in the middle of the bed.
He leans down to kiss me briefly on the lips and I finally snap out of my daze. "See you Monday morning?"
"Mmhmm," is all I can manage.
"I'll text you tomorrow."
"Kay," I nod.
"Jessie?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
The smile creeps in slowly before taking over my entire face, "I love you, too."
He shuts my bedroom door behind him and as he's leaving the apartment I hear a muffled, "Bye Kelsey!"
Like clockwork, the minute the door closes I hear the thump, thump, thump, thump, thump of feet hitting the floor, and my bedroom door swings open as Kelsey leaps through it and lands, bouncing, on the foot of my bed. "Tell. Me. EVERYTHING!"
Tugging the blanket up under my chin I bite my lip and lay back against the pillows. As I revisit all the wonderful details of my week, I silently weed through them to find a few snippets to share with my nosey friend.