My mother was standing in the living room, looking like a straight ray of sunshine in the most outrageously wonderful hippie clothes. “Hello, and welcome!” she said. “You must be Penn. I’m Natasha, and I see you’ve already met my husband, James. We’re thrilled that you’re here.”
My dad grunted behind Penn.
Penn put on the charm and hugged my mother, who beamed at the approach. “It’s so good to meet you. I have heard so much about you. I’d love to see your shop.”
“Oh dear, I knew that you’d be as slick as a snake. I cannot believe that you’re a summer solstice baby. You have all the makings of a Sagittarius.” She waved her hand. “No matter. We’ll read tarot later and figure it all out.”
Penn smiled at her in a bemused way. “Looking forward to that.”
“Excellent. Have you ever had tarot read?”
“Mom,” I groaned.
“I haven’t. First time for everything,” Penn said amicably.
“Natasha, don’t bother him with that stuff,” my dad said.
“I’ll have you know, philosophy has the same roots as the mystic arts,” my mom said with a sly smile. She winked at me. “He has a good aura.”
I shook my head and just let it happen. I’d prepared Penn as best I could. My mother, the dreamer songbird, who ran an apothecary shop and read tea leaves and tarot and the stars and anything that predicted the future. My father, the strict religious military man, who must have married her out of love because how else could it have worked?
“It’s late,” Melanie said. “I’m going to go back to the dorm. I just wanted to be here to say hi. You’ll meet Michael tomorrow.”
“Looking forward to it,” Penn said.
“Are you?” I grumbled.
He shot me a look that said, Behave.
“Nat, please, please, please don’t bring the stuff up from last year. Michael gets really uncomfortable about it all. I want this to all go smoothly.”
“I won’t bring it up. I’m here for you.”
Melanie exhaled in relief. “Awesome. I’m going to head out then. Still have class in the a.m.” She grinned at Penn. “Sorry to say that you’ll get my room. It’s a bit pink.”
“I appreciate the hospitality,” he said carefully.
I tried to hold in my laugh.
“We’re tired, too. I think we should all get some sleep, so we can wake up bright and early,” Natasha said. “So wonderful meeting you, Penn.”
“You, too, Mrs. Bishop.”
“Please, it’s Natasha.”
I took his hand and pulled him toward the stairs. “Come on. I’ll show you where you’re sleeping.”
“Separate rooms,” my father said from the bottom of the stairs.
“Night, Daddy,” I said, rolling my eyes when I turned my back. “You’d think I was still in school.”
“He has rules. I can appreciate someone with principles.”
“You’re too good,” I said, opening the door to Melanie’s room.
Penn’s eyes widened in horror.
“It’s more than a little pink.”
“You think? Pink fucking exploded in here,” Penn said.
He eyed the twin bed as if he’d never seen one before. I realized he might not have ever slept on one.
“This okay?”
“Of course,” he said at once. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Because I know you, and this isn’t what you’re used to.”
“It’s a glimpse into you. I’ll be fine in here. Where will you be?” He glanced down the hallway as if he could guess which bedroom had been mine.
“Are you having inappropriate thoughts?” I asked slyly.
He pressed a chaste kiss to my lips. “Never.”
“Oh, I’m sure. My room is the second door on the right. The bathroom is the first if you want to brush your teeth or shower or whatever.”
“Thank you.”
I reached up onto my toes and kissed him again. “I’ll miss you in my bed tonight.”
He groaned. “Are you trying to kill me? A man can only take so much.”
“Just imagine me tonight. All alone. Thinking about you,” I whispered against his ear. “Touching myself while I think about you.”
His fingers dug into my skin. “Fuck, Natalie.”
“Yes, please.”
“I should not think about those things while in your sister’s pink bedroom.”
I laughed and kissed his earlobe. “Touché. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Good night.”
I’d been dreaming about Penn. We were on a beach, snuggled up under the night sky with nothing but each other for comfort. It was peaceful and wonderful, and I hadn’t wanted to wake up.
But my door had creaked. There was this creak that never went away, no matter how much WD-40 we sprayed on it. My eyes flew open, and I jerked my head to the side…only to find Penn shutting the creaky door behind him.
My eyebrows rose in surprise as he tiptoed across the room and then put his hand against my shoulder.
“Natalie,” he whispered.
“I’m awake,” I whispered.
I scooted over in bed and held the covers up. Mine was only a twin, but it would be better than not having him here at all. I rolled onto my side to give him more room, and he slipped under the sheets next to me.
“That was terrifying,” he admitted.
I giggled softly. “Have you ever snuck into someone’s bedroom?”
“Sure. But not when their parents were down the hall. Usually, it was more sneaking out because the person was dating someone else…or married.”
“You were terrible.”
“True,” he agreed. His fingers splayed on my hip and drew lazy circles into my skin. “This sneaking is way more fun.”
“Way more fun,” I agreed, pressing a kiss to his lips.
“Did you think about me?” he begged.
I slid his hand down the front of my small sleep shorts and let him feel the wetness there.
He leaned into my shoulder. “Fuck.”
Then he began to massage me. Easy circles around my sensitive clit. Slicking a finger through my folds and then drawing the wetness up to use against my clit. His leg shifted over mine, holding it down on the bed, and then he pressed my other leg further away, securing me open for him.
I whimpered at the sweet agony of him touching me and not getting inside me. “Penn,” I groaned.
“Shh,” he said, swallowing my word with his mouth. “Show me how you came for yourself.”
His erection pressed hard into my stomach, and I reached out with trembling fingers and wrapped my hand around him. I stroked. He stroked. Soft, urgent noises erupted from us. As quiet as we could be. And it only made it hotter. Trying not to be heard so desperately that the heat just built and built and built. Until he flicked against me one more time, and I shuddered into orgasm.
He lengthened even further in my hand as I gasped and came undone from his ministrations. He was close, too. Just from this.
I let the waves of pleasure release, and then I slid down on the bed and replaced my hand with my mouth. Penn groaned deep in the back of his throat at the heat of me on his cock. The feel of me stroking him up and down, up and down, while my tongue ran up his shaft.