Vannah had scoffed at that last statement, though it was so awkwardly ingenuine, she’d caught her friend smirking. As bold and in-your-face as Xochitl had been during her forthright pep talk about how Vannah should handle Byron, she was quick to run to her room when the knock at the door came that evening.
“I just can’t face him this soon, Vannah. I’m still so embarrassed.”
With a nervous chuckle Vannah promised her roomie she’d check in the moment she got a chance. Inhaling deeply as she peeped through the peep hole in her front door, she wondered how in the world the man got bigger each time she saw him.
“Hey,” she said smiling as she opened the door.
Byron took her in with an equally broad smile. “Hey.” To her surprise he immediately reached for her hand and tugged her to him. “You look good.”
In the next second, she was pressed against his big hard body and his lips were on hers. Just like it’d happened earlier that day, she fell into a heavenly trance as his mouth devoured hers for what felt like forever and yet it was over too soon. He leaned his forehead against hers, his big arm wrapped around her waist, as she felt him take in as deep a breath. “You ready?”
“Yeah.” The breathless word was a near whisper as her eyes gravitated to his tongue licking his bottom lip.
Inhaling deeply, Vannah’s eyes traveled slowly upward until they met with his intense gaze. With her legs once again feeling like they might give out on her, she struggled to gather her wits. But she cleared her throat and managed to sound a little more in control. “Just let me grab my phone.”
Having thought ahead, Vannah had moved the things she needed to her phone wallet so she wouldn’t have to lug a purse around the beach. She grabbed it with her free hand because Byron walked into her dorm with her, never once letting go of her other hand.
“You alone tonight?” Byron glanced around her quiet dorm room.
“Uh, yeah. For now,” she said fairly certain her still mortified roomie would not be poking her head out of her room while he was there. “Xochitl will be home later.”
She left it at that, not wanting to elaborate further knowing full well how bad she was at keeping lies straight. It’s why she avoided lying at all costs but in this case it felt harmless.
“I packed a few snacks to bring with us.”
She grabbed the bag with the food, but he took it from her. “I got it.”
They walked out hand in hand as Byron glanced around taking in the dorms. “These are really dorms? They’re bigger than any I’ve ever been in.”
Pressing her lips together because she knew for a fact, he already had a certain impression of her. She had a feeling what he was thinking now as well. The truth. That the little princess was staying in the biggest dorms near the campus—on daddy’s dime.
“Yeah, my parents are what you would say . . . a little on the overprotective side.”
Before he could comment, she decided she’d just be honest. It’s not like just because her family was well off, she’d ever felt entitled. In fact, it was just the opposite. There’d been countless times over the years that she had to insist her parents didn’t overdo the fawning.
“If they’d had it their way, I’d be in a gated community living in a ridiculously expensive apartment or condo even.”
He chuckled nodding his head as they continued to walk. “I get it though. I have nieces and I can totally see my brother—”
“Vannah Banana . . .”
They slowed as Michael, Vannah’s upstairs neighbor walked up the stairs of the walkway toward them into the dorms. His smile waned, as his eyes noticeably glanced down at her and Byron’s hand holding. It was subtle, but another thing Vannah didn’t miss was the slight squeeze of her hand from Byron.
“Hey, Michael.”
“I was gonna come by later tonight, but I guess you won’t be home.” He glanced at Byron but quickly looked back at Vannah. “Night out on the town?”
“Grunion run. Haven’t been in years.”
“That’s better than me. I’ve never been at all. You’ll have to tell me all about it. Enjoy.”
Since he didn’t stop, they kept moving as well. For a moment there was an awkward silence until Vannah remembered what Byron had been saying before they ran into Michael.
“You were saying about your nieces and your brother?”
He glanced back in Michael’s direction then turned back to Vannah looking very serious suddenly.
Eleven
Playing it Safe
Byron
Don’t do it. Just let it go. It’s none of your business. So, you’ve exchanged a few earth-shattering kisses. She doesn’t owe you shit. You’re not going there tonight. It’d been the internal discourse Byron had been preaching to himself ever since he gave into kissing Vannah and had felt the instant overwhelming entitlement. It’s why he’d called her back and made plans to see her so soon. Despite his head reminding him that she’d been more than upfront and honest with him about not doing the boyfriend thing, there was no way he was buying it now. Maybe she hadn’t before today. But her feelings still couldn’t be the same. Not after what he felt and knew she must be feeling each time he’d kissed her.
There was no understanding it and Byron certainly wouldn’t be able to explain it if anyone were to ask him to. But there was something about their connection. In hindsight there’d been something about it from the moment their eyes first met. Hell, there’d been something about what he felt from the moment he first heard her laughter—even before he’d laid eyes on her. Yes, the innocence behind those big brown eyes and that sweet laugh reminded him of Lizzette. But he’d since decided there was more too it. Especially after he’d gotten a taste of that mouth, he’d known even beforehand that he’d never get enough of.
Still, he’d made a pledge when he decided to ask her out tonight that no matter what, he wouldn’t push for anything or say anything stupid like he had that first night.
“All three of my brother’s kids . . .” He squeezed her hand shaking off his thoughts, determined not to be an idiot and blow this. “Mean the world to me but my nieces own my heart. They’re our little princesses and there’s nothing my brother or I wouldn’t do for them.” She smiled, her eyes going all bright—and beautiful. “So, I totally get where your parents are coming from. If either of our girls decide to go away for college someday, we’ll for sure be all over trying to make sure they’re as safe as possible.”
“Yeah, it was tough for them,” she said as they reached his car, and he opened the door for her.
He walked around the car once he’d closed the door for her, glad he’d been able to steer the conversation onto something completely unrelated to her friend Michael, who’d openly admitted to having planned on coming over and hanging out with her tonight.
When Byron got into the driver side she went on about her family. She told him about how out of her three other siblings she was the first to leave the nest. Byron was just making a mental note about her family’s dynamics as they drove onto the street—a sister and two brothers. Since she was the first to leave the nest, he immediately assumed that meant she was the oldest. He was about to ask her about it, just to confirm when her phone rang.