“Oh,” I gasped, and I reached up to sink my nails into his back. It hurt a little at first. But then, it felt incredible. All my fears washed away in the feel of him.
We made love on the beach slowly, until the light dimmed opposite us and we were cast in shadow. I wasn’t sure how long we were with each other or how long it went on, but I came again and again, waves of pleasure shattering me, taking me to a place I’d never been. With all the moaning and groaning, Elliott pushed himself all the way inside of me and came, his face contorting with pleasure as he held himself deep inside me.
He kissed me again as he withdrew, disposing of the condom quickly and lying next to me, the sand still warm from the day beneath the blanket. I looked up at the distantly glimmering stars, a smile on my face. I couldn’t believe it had actually happened. I wasn’t a virgin anymore.
And it was so damn good.
“Are you okay?” he asked, running his hand over my stomach and pulling me close.
I nodded. “I’m amazing.”
“I know you have to go back to the beach house tonight or I’d ask you to stay,” he said, brushing his nose across my shoulder. “But breakfast tomorrow?”
“I don’t know if I can get away with that.” I pulled a sad face. “Claude will notice.”
“I’ll visit you,” he promised. “In LA.”
“Was I that good?” I teased, and he grinned, planting another kiss on my collarbone.
“Everything about you is that good,” he said.
As the night drifted on, nothing mattered in the world but the feel of being in his arms.
Chapter Thirteen
Elliott
“You’re serious?” Tucker asked.
Tucker eyed me with suspicion. I couldn’t blame him. I’d spent most of the time we’d known each other carefully cultivating this above-it-all attitude, and now, I’d just told him I actually had feelings for somebody.
“Yeah, I’m serious.” I held my hands up, knowing he’d caught me. Ever since the date Aria and I shared over the weekend, I couldn’t get her out of my head. I pulled away from clubbing and flirting with any woman and it showed.
The night sweet virgin Aria and I spent together had been one of the best nights I’d ever shared with anyone. The sex was incredible, even if it was her first time.
Our chemistry was beyond amazing. I hadn’t expected her to want me so quickly, considering how long she’d held onto her virginity, but I was more than happy to take her up on her offer. It felt so natural, and I wanted nothing more than to take her home and wake up with her the next morning. But she had to get back to her beach house before they noticed she was gone, and I hadn’t seen her since.
“Aria Triton?” Tuck repeated the name to me again. “And you had no idea who she was? One of the most popular actresses on TV?”
“No idea.” I shook my head. “I know, it’s ridiculous, but I don’t watch TV, you know me. I’m into politics and news.”
“I know, I know. So what’s she like?” He leaned in curiously, and I knew precisely what he was actually asking me. But for once, I didn’t want to give him the juicy details. I wanted to keep them to myself.
“Yeah, she’s pretty amazing.” I grinned, unable to keep the smile off my face.
“Elliott Marshall, falling for a girl?” He shook his head. “I never thought I’d see the day.”
“Yeah, you and me both,” I agreed. “I’m happy to wingman for you, but I’m going to take a break from indulging myself.”
“If you think she’s worth it.” He gave me his famous Tucker grin that had all the girls wetting their panties, landing a playful punch on my shoulder. “More for me, right?”
“Right.” I rolled my eyes at him. “You can have them all.”
“You really like her, huh?” he asked. I could tell he was as taken aback by the news as I was when I realized how deep my feelings for Aria ran.
“Yeah, I really do,” I admitted. I pulled out my phone, checking to see if she’d texted me yet. We’d been exchanging messages since Saturday night, and she usually got in contact with me early.
“When are you seeing her again?”
“We haven’t set a date yet.”
“Then get on with it!” he ordered. “It’s obvious you’re crazy about this girl.”
“You’re right.” I nodded. “I should.”
“I’m always right,” Tucker teased, heading for the door. “I’m going out. Do you want anything?”
“Coffee would be great,” I said.
I waited for him to head out and then pulled up Aria’s number and stared at it. I hadn’t heard her voice since the other night, and I wanted to hear her. It was early, but I had to know when I’d see her again. Being away from her and not knowing was taking up way too much of my brain space. I pressed call and lifted the phone to my ear.
“Hey,” she answered, her voice bubbling over with excitement.
“Hey,” I said. “I’ve been thinking about you.”
“Oh, really?” Her voice took on a playful tinge. “And what have you been thinking about me?”
“About when I can see you again.”
“I’ve been thinking a bunch about this.” Her voice clicked into serious mode, as though we were arranging some kind of complex heist that would need weeks of planning to pull off. Which, in some ways, it felt like we were.
“I have this doctor’s appointment on Wednesday,” she explained. “It’s routine. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just a check-up.”
“And you want me to pretend to be the doctor?” I teased. “I suppose I can give you a full exam. I promise to be extra thorough.”
“Oh, shut up,” she shot back playfully. “No, I think I can get in there without my dad or Claude getting too suspicious. And then I can just sneak out the back when it’s done and meet you. By the time they’ve realized I’m gone, it’ll be too late, and we can at least have some time together.”
“We shouldn’t have to be sneaking around like a couple of teenagers,” I said, sighing. “This feels so ridiculous.”
“Yeah, but you think my father was fucking around when he said I couldn’t see you anymore?” she asked. “You don’t know him like I do. He meant it, and I know he’s going to be crazy-pissed if he finds out about us.”
“So, we just keep going like this?”
“For now,” she said. “Just for now. We’ll find a way around it.”
“We better,” I shot back. “I want to see more of you.”
“I want to see more of you, too,” she said, sighing, the static crackling through the phone like a gust of wind. “I miss you.”
“I miss you, too,” I said, and I felt a jolt in my heart when I realized how true that was. I’d said it to girls before, mostly because they’d said it first, but I never felt it as deeply as I did with Aria. I wanted to be near her so badly, my chest ached. Like a part of me was missing.
“But we’ll see each other again soon,” she said, snapping straight back into a businesslike mode, wiping any trace of sentiment from her voice.