His eyes going wide and jaw dropping was enough to have her giggling again, but then he added. “You mean me getting in your sister’s face, your brother and I nearly going to blows, and that being your parents’ first impression of me is what you call smooth?”
Of course, this had Vannah cracking up again and she was glad for the relief in the tension, but she gathered herself to explain. “Alright, that first part could’ve been totally avoided, and I take complete responsibility for it. But I meant dinner with my family went smooth. Don’t you agree?”
“Yeah, it did actually,” Byron said tightening his embrace on her a little roughly, but she smiled beyond relieved for his lighter mood. “For a minute there until after when the big, sweet teddy bear threatened my ass.” She laughed even as he let her go and got back to working on getting clean sheets on his bed again. “Can we just forget about all that and catch up on what we missed out on all week?”
Swallowing hard, Vannah wondered how and why things seemed to change and move so rapidly between them. Like their connection had progressed leaps and bounds in a matter of just one week, her head was already completely rethinking something she’d been so sure of less than an hour ago. When she jumped into Byron’s arms earlier, and he carried her up the stairs like her knight in shining armor, she’d been so ready to move this along even further. She’d been so impressed by his honesty and willingness to wear his heart on his sleeve. No matter how out there his frantic explanations of both Irma and the earring in his bed had made him appear.
But despite all that, or maybe it was because of it, everything she’d felt today and yesterday had been an eyeopener. Vannah wondered if the smarter thing to do wasn’t for her to take a step back. At the very least slow things down until she knew for sure she was ready to take such a chance with him. Already she knew just how weak and easily she’d be ready to believe and forgive Byron for any misunderstandings and she hadn’t even slept with him yet. Even more important, she’d also gotten a feel of what she’d be in for if he ever did hurt her.
“Hey.”
Vannah glanced up at Byron, surprised she’d zoned out long enough that he was done replacing his sheets and pillowcases.
“Lost you there for a moment,” he said smiling softly then motioned to the bed. “This doesn’t mean I’m expecting things to go anywhere past what we’ve done so far. Kissing and holding you is more than enough until you’re ready for anything more, Savannah. No matter how long that is.”
Smiling, Vannah lifted her knee onto the bed refraining from doing what his sweet and genuine words did to her. Pushing the visuals of leaping across the bed and wrapping her arms around his neck she nodded, climbing onto the bed and took a deep breath. So far, he’d been completely honest with her and heeding her mother’s warning, she decided to take the chance of being this honest with him this early on.
“You have no idea how much I looked forward to your kisses all week.”
With a groan he was on the bed next to her in the next second. “Trust me,” he said kissing her softly as he pulled her up against his hard body. “It was absolute torture to have to wait,” he whispered against her lips. “And I won’t be doing that again. Even if it means me driving down to your dorm every night just to kiss you goodnight.”
Smiling, Vannah was beyond grateful that he made it so easy to say things like that to him. As scary as it was to admit these things so soon, his responses were never a disappointment. It’s why she decided to share something else with him when he finally came up for air to gaze into her eyes in that same dazed way she was feeling.
“I hardly got any sleep this whole week.” She smiled running her fingers through his hair. “My mind’s been so preoccupied with thoughts of you.” Feeling her dreamy smile wane a bit she added the next part, only because she now knew why he’d sent that text. “Last night was the worst though. I don’t think I slept at all.”
His smile flattened at that. “Only reason I got any sleep last night was because after seeing your sister with that dude, I went out and got wasted.”
Surprised by this, Vannah felt her brows pinch. “You did?”
Closing his eyes for a moment, he shook his head. “Yeah, but I don’t want to think about that anymore. I’d rather be doing this.”
In the next instant, he devoured her mouth. And for what felt like forever and yet not long enough, she was indulged with the sweetest nonstop of what she was now sure no one would ever come close to replicating, Byron’s glorious kisses.
A phone ringing in the distance pulled a reluctant Vannah out of the amazing dream she’d been having. It took her a few seconds to grasp that she wasn’t in her own bed, and then a few more to realize it wasn’t all a dream. Glancing around as her heart rate spiked suddenly, Byron walking into the room smiling broadly calmed her a bit. The fact that she was still fully dressed also helped, except she couldn’t help but wonder. “What time is it?”
He brought a finger to his lips as he held out her cell phone to her. “It’s just after eight in the morning.” Vannah’s jaw dropped as Byron smirked before handing her the phone. “Phone call from mom.”
Not sure she wanted to answer, but relieved he walked right back out of the bedroom, giving her some privacy, she did. “Morning, Mommy.”
“Morning, Sunshine.”
Vannah smiled. One of the polar opposite traits, as Byron had put it, between her and her twin was that Nena was not a morning person. As opposed to Vannah who was always cheery regardless of the time of day.
“I take it you were too busy last night with your friend to call and see if your parents made it home okay?”
Wincing, Vannah brought her hand over her face feeling bad. “Sort of. I’m sorry. I had a long week, with little sleep and last night I just knocked out.”
“With him?”
“Hmm?” Vannah squeezed the phone a little tighter.
“Did you knock out with your friend, Byron?”
“I can’t really talk about that right now,” she said in a lowered voice then refrained from giggling when she heard her mother gasp.
“Savannah,” she hissed and Vannah knew her mother had likely been in bed still.
“Mom, don’t say anything if daddy’s nearby!”
There were some door closing sounds and footsteps, then more doors closing before her mother spoke again. “Did you spend the night with him?”
Sitting up, Vannah glanced around certain Byron had done nothing more than kiss her whipped ass to sleep, but still knew her mom would have a million questions. “Yes, I’m still at his place actually but he’s in the other room. Only nothing happened,” she whispered. “I just woke up and I’m fully dressed. He promised me he’d wait until I was ready for more than just making out. I just had the longest week of losing sleep. We hung out here at his place last night after dinner. There wasn’t even any booze involved and I still can’t remember falling asleep.”
“You lost sleep all week, why?”
Out of everything she’d just admitted to her mother, this was her main concern? Chuckling softly as it suddenly dawned on her, Vannah shook her head knowing full well her mom already knew. “Because I met this amazing guy who after one date, he’s the last thing I think of when I fall asleep, and the first when I wake.” Suddenly overwhelmed with emotion, she felt her face scrunch and she wiped tears away before Byron could walk in and see her but admitted to more even as her voice broke a bit. “I’m scared, mom.”