Nicole

"Have you eaten anything?" His voice was soft as he gently closed the door behind us with a click.

Moving to the neatly made bed, I dropped the backpack containing the clothes I wasn't ready to return and sat at the edge.

My gaze wandered to the window, staring as rain poured from the skies and splashed on the ground.

"Yeah," I replied, nodding.

"What did you eat?"

"Ice cream."

He let out a sigh and disappeared from the room.

Ten minutes later, he returned with a pasta dish with grilled chicken and plopped down on the bed next to me.

He brought a forkful of pasta to my lips. "Eat."

My brows lifted. "I can perfectly feed myself."

He smiled. "I know, but I want to do it anyway."

So I opened my mouth and accepted it. And I let him feed me until almost everything was finished and my stomach was full.

When he went back to the kitchen with the plate, my eyes filled as I replayed the way he looked at me with so much tenderness. In as much as I wanted to squirm underneath all that undivided attention, it tugged at my heartstrings.

It felt good to be taken care of, especially by him.

I sat straighter when he returned. When he took his previous spot next to me and took my hand, I looked at him. The genuine worry in his eyes made my heart stagger.

"Tell me what happened, baby."

Baby.

I bit my lip as a little pleasurable quiver coursed through me at the endearment. I really liked it, and the way he said it.

His thumb was tracing circles at the back of my hand, and it was so distracting in a good way I nearly forgot he was waiting for me to speak up.

Memories of what had transpired during the day pooled in my mind as I tried gathering my thoughts. I saw Raine's face. Coach Margaret's face. My aunt's face. My mom's face.

They haunted me, and I had no idea how to be free.

My gaze strayed to the floor as I whispered, "I'm so tired."

And as soon as the words left my mouth, I realized how true they were. There was a bone-deep exhaustion I suddenly felt, and trying to stay alive felt like too much work.

I hoped I wasn't spiraling into depression so soon.

"I know." His thumb, as it stroked the back of my hand gently, was the only thing keeping me rooted in his presence as I relived everything to him.

"I never got to dance," I choked out. "I got there too late. I received this message, and I just..."

It wasn't coherent, and I couldn't help sobbing and hiccuping from time to time, but I managed to tell him everything. From the moment I received the message to the exchange I had with my mom and aunt.

I was shaking terribly by the time I was done, and his grip on my hand had tightened. My heart raced as Travis pulled me onto his lap, bridal style. My arms went to wrap around his shoulders, and I hid my face in his chest, seeking comfort and safety.

He ran his hand through my hair, stroking soothingly. "I'm so sorry all this happened," his voice was soft, "but I promise we'll figure it out, okay?"

We.

He'd said we.

I burrowed deeper into his arms, afraid I'd burst into embarrassing sobs if I saw his eyes.

"Okay," I squeaked.

He held me tighter as he spoke. "It really hurts me to think it was difficult for you to open up to me about this." His fingers grazed my cheek. "I know that's how you are, but I don't want you to go through things alone. I don't like it, seriously."

Guilt crept up my neck, and I mumbled into his chest, "I'm really sorry I made you worried. I wasn't alone, by the way. I was with my friends. We went to buy... stuff for the party."

"Did you get a dress?"

I nodded and smiled. "Yeah. It's a formal event, so I needed something nice. I also got these crazy heels that might kill my feet, but they were just so pretty I couldn't resist buying them."

Even though my voice was muffled from hiding my face against his chest, he kept on talking to me. "Can I see?"

"No." I shook my head.

"Just the dress?"

"No."

"Come on. I need a matching tie."

"I'll show you the color then."

My pulse was heavy as he trailed his hand up my back to the back of my neck.

"Is it blue?"

I nodded against his chest again. "Yeah, how did you know?"

He laughed like I'd said something very funny. "Wow, that's an insult, Blue."

I smiled.

"How much did everything cost?"

I pulled back to look at him, and the look in his eyes confirmed my suspicions. "I'm not telling you."

A soft grin worked its way onto his face as he shook me lightly. "Tell me."

"I'm not letting you pay for anything," I said as firmly. "And if it makes you feel better, well, Cy paid for all of us, so don't worry."

He groaned. "Why does Cy get to pay and I don't?"

I shrugged, blinking innocently.

"I'll get to the bottom of this, though."

My eyes narrowed. "Travis, don't. I mean it."

"Hush now. Don't be grumpy."

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Hush." Amusement danced in his eyes even though I was glaring at him full-force. "Now, let's get you to bed."

I blinked. Bed. I was about to sleep in the same bed as him. Sleepover.

With Travis.

I was afraid he could feel how fast my heart was beating.

He stood, still carrying me like I weighed nothing, and gently laid me against the soft sheets. His eyes turned serious as they flickered over my face.

"I'm going to sleep on that couch." He pointed at his back. "You can wake me up if you need anything. Don't hesitate, okay?"

My eyes filled with surprise and a little disappointment. But then, what was I expecting? He wasn't going to sleep with me in his bed.

My blood heated at the intensity burning behind his eyes as his hand came to my cheek, cradling it. "Don't look at me like that," he said softly.

My breath hitched, and it was difficult to form words. "Look at you like what?" I whispered.

He inhaled deeply. Exhaled. "As if I'm pushing you away. I'm not."

"Okay."

"I can't sleep in the same bed as you and not lose my mind from not touching you. I can't. You're so goddamn pretty, and I—" His voice cracked slightly.

I wondered if he noticed how I warmed and melted the more he spoke like that, letting me know how much he desired me. I wondered if he had noticed the flush that had crept across my cheeks.

He pushed hair away from my face and traced his thumb over my bottom lip. Heat pooled between my legs.

"You know I want you," he went on, voice low. "You drive me insane. I crave you. When I touch you, there'll be no going back. And if I touch you and you finally decide you don't want to be with me, I don't think my heart can take it. So please. Please don't torture me with those eyes."

I lowered my eyes, chest tight. "Alright."

He still seemed unsatisfied by whatever he saw on my face, so I pulled myself up into a sitting position, needing an escape. "Can I use the bathroom?"

He nodded. "Of course."

The sound of rain still pattered hard over the roof as I trekked to the bathroom. I had no idea what to do here, so when I saw stacks of new toothbrushes, I brushed my teeth with one before heading back into the huge king bed and snuggling under the covers.

Travis was now on the sofa, a pillow under his head and an arm over his eyes. I reached for the bedside lamp and switched it off, plunging the room into darkness.

My body shifted around restlessly underneath the covers. Even though his comforting scent engulfed me, I wasn't a fan of thunder rumbles. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block away the sounds.

I nearly dozed off when a loud crack of thunder jolted me out of bed. I slapped a hand over my chest, my breaths coming out in little pants.

I barely recovered my sanity before another terrifying rumble followed and had me running out of the bed with a muffled squeak. The rain poured harder. I saw movements in the dark as Travis pulled himself up to a sitting position.

"Rebecca?"

I shifted from foot to foot.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Okay...?"

"Goodnight."

"Rebecca."

There was a pause, then, "I'm scared of thunder," I blurted.

"You're scared?"

"Yeah." I nodded timidly, though he couldn't see me in the dark. "I know you said—"

"It's alright." He shot to his feet and reached for me in the darkness. His hand wrapped around my wrist, and he led us back to the bed.

"We could put pillows between us if it'll help," I suggested, still thinking about what he'd said earlier.

"All right."

I pulled back the sheets and slipped into bed again, watching as he walked around the bed to the other side to slip underneath the covers, too.

My head felt hazy. Travis and I were in the same bed. His bed. My mind flashed back to the kitchen, to the words he'd said at the beach, to the words he'd said earlier.

And goodness, I was so aware of him right now. My body ached to touch him, to feel him against me. My chest constricted, and I moved to clench my thighs together, hoping he wouldn't see.

"You're... breathing really fast." His own voice sounded strained and breathy.

I swallowed. "I'm fine. I just, um, got too scared about the whole thunder thing. And the pillows..."

He sighed. "Yeah. I think we should do that."

I grabbed two pillows and placed them between us, building a barrier. "I promise I'll stay on my side. You should also stay on yours."

"I'll try."

***

I had the most vivid, most erotic dream ever.

In the dream, my lover's warm breath trickled down my neck. His nose and lips brushed the length of my neck. My toes curled as I strained. Then he buried his face in the crook.

My heart tethered on the brink of explosion. My palm slid underneath his shirt, tracing his abs, moving lower and lower until my fingers wrapped around something incredibly hard.

With a desperate moan, I pressed my body tighter against him, writhing, wanting to feel all that hardness in between my legs where an aching pulse throbbed relentlessly.

There was a weak, helpless groan in my ear. I panted as I rocked my hips harder against him, dragging my chest across his chest, fingers creeping across his back and into his hair where I pulled.

There was another groan, this time louder, before his hips tilted and slammed against mine with an intensity that had my whole body rocking and my eyes flying open. And...

Oh. My...

My jaw slackened with helpless mortification.

The pillows I'd erected as barriers were strewn haphazardly on the floor, and I was on Travis's side of the bed. My legs were tangled with his, fingers gripping his thick, silky hair.

My eyes squeezed shut as he flexed his hips, making me feel all that hardness between my legs. And oh God, he felt huge. And I needed him to keep doing that.

My voice hitched as I blurted out, "I'm so sorry."

"Even in sleep, you're trying to fucking kill me," he rasped, eyes half-lidded. "Christ, Rebecca, what am I going to do with you?"

"I'm sorry." My hands slid from his hair.

His hips rolled again, pressing me so deep into the mattress my breath caught and held. I whimpered softly, "Please."

"Fuck."

With a string of curses, he rolled off me and sat up. His head dropped into his hands as he caught his breath.

When his intense eyes lifted to my face, I waited for him to say something, anything, but he just said my name, like a plea. "Rebecca."

"Travis, I'm so sorry. I didn't know—I thought—" I whimpered helplessly. "I was having this dream and then I just wanted to... I needed...  I..."

When Travis said nothing, I stumbled out of the bed. There was nothing I could say to defend myself, so
I hurried to the bathroom.

I pressed my back against the bathroom door once I was inside, trying to get some air into my lungs. I was fucking drenched. Drenched. I could feel the wetness dripping and sliding down my thighs. And it was still dawn.

Oh God.

This was a disaster. I had no idea what to do next. I was still leaning against the door with a palpitating heart when I heard a soft knock.

"Leave me alone."

"Come back to bed."

I squeezed my eyes shut, clenching my thighs together. Even the sound of his husky, bedroom voice was turning me on. "I can't."

"Please?"

Letting out a huge breath, I opened the bathroom door a crack and peeked at him. He smiled, and I scowled.

"None of this is funny, Travis."

He shrugged. "Yeah, but you look really cute trying to hide and all."

I nearly slammed the door closed, but he was quicker and pushed it open, grabbed my hand, and pulled me out amidst my protests.

I planted my feet hard on the floor so he had to drag me. And when that proved to be a difficult task, he simply carried me and placed me in bed.

"It's okay, Blue, I won't hold it against you." He sounded serious, but his eyes were laughing. I squirmed in embarrassment, wishing I could disappear forever. "I also had a dream, so it's not only on you."

I turned my head into a nearby pillow and screamed into it as he walked away.

***

I couldn't stop replaying everything even when I was in the safety of my bed in the morning.

I couldn't push away the feel of his lips against my skin from my mind. The feel of his hardness as I wrapped my fingers around him.

And I was such a mess. I had barely been able to look at him as he drove me home, even though he'd acted all cool. 

But how could I? How could I look at him and not think of that limb-melting groan he'd made before rocking his-

Oh shit.

I was obsessed.

By noon, I was wrapping Cy's birthday gift after painting my nails to match my dress. I'd made sure to send Travis the color first thing when I got home so he could get his matching tie.

In the evening, I sat in front of my vanity and carefully applied makeup. Though I didn't wear makeup frequently, nor was I a pro like Merlinda, I knew what worked for me.

I curled my hair into big waves and tied it half up, half down. Then I slipped into my cocktail dress.

Like Travis had predicted, it was blue. Baby blue. It was sleeveless, pleated, and had a single shoulder neck with a flower decoration attached. It fell to my feet, but it had a front slit that ended mid-thigh.

My baby blue-painted toenails peeked out from my open-toed silver heels that matched my dangling earrings and pretty silver necklace.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror and felt... surprisingly happy with what I saw. The dress hugged me perfectly, almost exquisitely, as it clung and flowed in all the right places. My lips were the perfect shade of pink, and my lashes curled heavier.

The familiar ding of my phone snapped me away from the mirror. I had a text from Travis saying he was downstairs.

My heartbeat accelerated with excitement and nervousness at the thought of seeing him all dressed up and him seeing me all dolled up like this.

I added my phone and a tube of lip gloss to the rest of the other essentials in my little silver purse, picked up Cy's gift, and walked out.

He was chatting casually with my parents downstairs, looking as handsome as ever in his crisp white shirt, well-fitted tuxedo jacket, and matching trousers.

Why did he have to be so... hot?

His eyes slid to my direction when I started descending, and the look of awe in them had butterflies erupting in the pit of my stomach.

I immediately remembered how Jahdiel had described the way he'd looked at me at the beach house, and if I hadn't believed her then, I totally did now.

Oh, to be looked at like that.

I couldn't help but grin widely.

He excused himself from my parents and cut his way to me, meeting me halfway down the staircase.

His throat worked as he tried to find words. "M'lady."

I cocked my head, still smiling.

"Just say yes already," he whispered. "Please. Will you be my girlfriend?"

I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to keep my laughter from bubbling out at his look of pure torture. "I'm still thinking about it."

"You're going to make me cry." He pouted adorably. "Do you want to kill me?"

I laughed in his face.

His eyes narrowed as he scowled. "You think it's funny? Well, we'll see if you'll be laughing when I finally lay my hands on you and fu-" He drew in a sharp breath.

I pretended to be unaffected by raising a challenging brow.

"I swear to God, you're going to be the death of me. Fuck."

He ran his hand through his hair, and I watched it fall back onto his forehead sexily, remembering how I'd sunk my fingers in it this morning.

"How do I look?" I placed a hand on my waist and posed proudly.

He looked like he was in physical pain. "You look... I don't have any words, seriously." He shook his head. "You look too good to be real."

More butterflies. More smiles. A blush. "Thank you. So do you."

Travis took the wrapped gift, held my hand, and led me down the stairs. My heels clicked against the tiled floor as we crossed the room to where my parents stood, watching with smiles that were eerily similar.

"We'll take our leave now," Travis said politely.

My mom nodded. "Have a nice evening."

His eyes found mine, and he smiled a knowing smile. "We will."

I said nothing to them and let Travis lead me outside.

When his arm wrapped possessively around my waist as we walked to his car, I knew this night would be magical. When he held the door of the car open for me, I knew this was the night.

I couldn't deny the heat anymore. And tonight, I was going to shove every single worry to the back of my head and let loose.

Tonight, I was going to give myself to him completely.

***

Thirtieth chapter! We must be halfway through the story, or less. I'm really happy :))

I wanted to post this yesterday as a Christmas double update as per the request of a lovely reader, but I got too busy, and I also had to rewrite this about three times.

Anyways, here it is. I think the slow burn has burned enough, right? Hehe.

Thanks for reading, and vote and comment if you liked it :)

Keep enjoying your holidays. <3