The Hazards of Skinny Dipping Read online

He smiled. “We’ll have to do it again sometime.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  To: [email protected]

  From: [email protected]

  Subject: Hey back

  Dear Just Juliet,

  I knew it would.

  Almost Amy.

  I looked up from my history book again. It was six o’clock on a Thursday night, and Al’s was still empty. Reed looked so damn good in the red Lacoste shirt. It clung to his chest, showing off every muscle. He’d come straight from volunteering at the high school and hadn’t bothered to change.

  He caught me looking. “Is there a particular reason you’re staring at me?”

  “No. I’m just looking.”

  “Just looking? Be careful, or I’m going to have to start charging for that privilege.”

  I laughed. “It might be worth it.”

  “Wait…are you actually flirting with me?”

  “Who me?” I pointed at my chest.

  “Yes you.” He set aside his book.

  “I have a favor to ask.”

  “Oh, now the truth comes out.” He stretched, leaving his hands behind his head for a moment.

  “Is there any chance you might want to come to my semi-formal with me?” I was asking for two reasons. First, I needed a date. Second, I wanted Reed to be my date. I was done denying the second part. “Airplane gazing” had made that impossible.

  He grinned. “Wow, flirting and asking me out.”

  “Come on. It doesn’t have to be a big deal.”

  “I don’t know.”

  My heart sank. Seriously? He didn’t want to go with me? Had I completely misread the signs?

  “You can wipe that devastated look off your face. I didn’t say I wouldn’t come. I just have a condition.”

  “Oh?” I asked hopefully.

  “I’ll go to yours if you’ll go to mine.”

  “Isn’t yours in Savannah?”

  “Uh huh. This coming weekend.”

  “Isn’t it too late? I thought you had to book rooms over a month ago.” I knew all about it from Cara.

  “Nope. We can get double beds and share a room.”

  “Oh.” The thought of a weekend in a room with Reed made my body temperature rise a few degrees—even if we’d be in separate beds.

  “Do we have a deal?” He held out his hand.

  I made a split second decision. “Yes.” I accepted his hand, and we shook on it.

  “Nice. It’ll be great to have the company.” He winked.

  “Is there anything in particular I need to bring?”

  He wore an amused expression. “Other than a dress and yourself?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Oh. It’s only one night, so you don’t need much.”

  “Gotcha.”

  “So I’ll pick you up on Saturday morning then?” He stood up, probably to start some prep in the kitchen.

  “Yeah, that sounds great. Wait, I’m meeting with a study group at ten. Should I cancel or—”

  “We can leave later. It doesn’t really matter.”

  “Cool.”

  “I was waiting for that word.”

  ***

  I checked my bag one more time before zipping it up and grabbing my purse. I was a mixture of nerves and excitement as I waited for the elevator. Cara had left with Aaron earlier in the day. He was in charge of organizing everything, so he had to be early.

  Reed was leaning against his truck when I got down. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” Maybe I was imagining it, but he looked a little nervous too. Considering the sexual tension that had been building between us the last few weeks, spending a night in a hotel room together could bring up some interesting possibilities.

  He put my suitcase next to his in the back. “You packed light.”

  “It’s just one night.”

  “Yeah, but some girls would have packed double.”

  “I guess I’m not ‘some girls.’”

  “We can safely say you’re not.” He opened my door for me, waiting for me to get settled before closing it.

  He went around to his side and climbed in. “How was your study session?”

  “Thrilling.” If I hadn’t been one hundred percent certain before, I officially knew I wasn’t meant to be a science major of any sort.

  “I bet. There’s nothing like Intro Biology.” He pulled out onto the road. Our weekend officially began.

  “I can only hope this weekend can compare.”

  “I don’t know. It’s going to be hard to compete with that.” He turned on the radio, settling on a rock song I didn’t recognize.

  “Well, if anyone can compete, it’s you.”

  He turned toward me. “I appreciate the vote of confidence.”

  “Anytime.”

  “Is that a new sweatshirt?” He gestured to my hoodie. Was it really so awkward that we were discussing clothes?

  “Yeah, I decided it was time to replace the one with holes in the sleeves.”

  “Makes sense, but I liked that one.”

  “Me too.” It was a simple gray one with my high school’s name on it that I’d bought years ago.

  “Just so you know, tonight’s the party, but we don’t have anything planned for tomorrow.”

  “Coo—Great. I’d love to explore a little.” I caught myself using cool again. I’d never noticed how often I said it before Reed pointed it out.

  “Savannah is a fun city. I’d be up for some sightseeing.” His hand moved toward me, but then he put it back on the wheel. I had to do something. We’d never make it through the night at this rate. I grabbed his hand.

  He smiled, and squeezed my hand.

  I noticed how small my hand looked in his. “You have nice hands.”

  “Do I?”

  “Uh huh. They’re big.”

  “Good to know. You have nice hands, too. They’re soft.”

  I laughed. “I don’t want this to be awkward. Things are always natural with us.”

  “This is natural.” He squeezed my hand again.

  “It is.” I pulled his hand over to rest on my leg. That felt natural too.

  “What color dress are you wearing tonight?”

  “Why?”

  “Just wondering.”

  “Light blue.”

  “You look good in blue.”

  I shifted in my seat to look at him. “I’m glad you approve.”

  “I’m excited to see you in it. You’ve never dressed up around me.”

  “I guess I haven’t.”

  We spent most of the trip talking about the annoying things about work, and how much we were ready for vacation. Before I knew it, we pulled up to the valet line at the hotel.

  Reed got our bags and led the way inside. He went right up to the desk. “We’re checking in. Last name is Bryce.”

  The desk clerk typed something into the computer. “Reed?”

  “Yes.”

  “Would you like two keys?” the clerk asked.

  “Yes.” Reed accepted the cards.

  “Oh, I see here you requested we change your room to one with double beds. Unfortunately, we were unable to honor that request. Is a queen bed acceptable?”

  Reed turned to me, and I nodded. “That’s fine.” My chest clenched. Did I really just agree to spend the night in the same bed as Reed?

  I followed Reed to the elevator. I decided to calm our nerves with humor. “I don’t know if a queen is going to be big enough. You’ll have to stay on your side.”

  “We’ll see if you’re still saying that later.” He winked. Maybe he wasn’t as nervous as I’d thought.

  The elevator let us off on our floor, and we walked down the hall to our room. Reed inserted the key card, and he held open the door for me.

  I looked around at the cream and light green décor of the room. The bed looked comfortable, and we had a view of a courtyard garden. “Nice room.”

  “Yeah, it is.” Reed set down our bags.

  I went ove
r and unzipped mine. I picked up my dress and hung it up in the closet.

  Reed hung his suit next to it. There was something comfortable about it—like we’d been staying in hotels together forever.

  I took a seat on the edge of the bed, stretching my legs.

  Reed looked at his watch. “We have some time. Want to go down to the bar and get something to drink?”

  “Sure, that sounds great.” The room was nice, but other than turning on the TV, there was nothing for us to do. “I need to change first.”

  “You mean you weren’t going to wear that sweatshirt?”

  “As comfortable as it is, I should probably dress up a little more. Although jeans are okay, right?”

  “I’m wearing this.” He gestured to his jeans and long sleeved shirt.

  “Okay.”

  I dug out the black sweater I’d packed. It was simple, but it fit perfectly.

  I had a tank under my sweatshirt, so I decided it was safe to change in front of Reed. He watched with an amused expression. “This reminds me of when you changed into your Al’s Pizza shirt that first night.”

  “You mean when I changed out of it?” I remembered how I’d given him an eyeful of my bra.

  “Yeah, that was fun, too.”

  I tossed my sweatshirt at him. He caught it. “You know, if you needed a new sweatshirt, you could have had one of mine.”

  “It would be a sweatshirt dress.”

  “You’re not that short.”

  “But you’re that big.”

  He laughed. “Yes, I am.”

  “Why do I get the sense you aren’t talking about height?” I pulled on my sweater.

  “Because I’m not.” He got up and headed to the door.

  “Wait. I’m still not ready.”

  “Oh. Is this going to be a while?”

  “Haven’t you ever waited for a girl to get ready before?”

  “But you pack light…”

  “What does packing light have to do with getting ready quickly?” I went back to my suitcase.

  “I’m going to watch some TV.” He lounged on the bed.

  “Good idea.” I dug out my makeup bag and brush. I wasn’t going to do much, but it’s amazing the difference a little mascara and lip gloss can make.

  Reed sat up when I walked out. He whistled. “All right. Now you’re ready, right?”

  “Yes.”

  He put a hand on the small of my back as we entered the elevator. We ran into a few of his brothers and their dates in the lobby, but Reed led me over to our own table.

  I settled into my seat with a glass of wine. “Being anti-social?”

  “We’ll have plenty of time to socialize. Now, I just want to spend time with you.”

  I loved how he simply said it like it was. “I like that idea.”

  “Good.” He took a sip of wine, never taking his eyes off me.

  We were in new territory. Our time together before Savannah had been flirty, but it was still on the friends side of things. Maybe it was the fact that we were far from campus or about to spend a night in a hotel room together, but it felt different. Whether either of us admitted it or not, we were on a date.

  ***

  Dressed in my blue Betsy Johnson halter dress with black kitten heels, I took a deep breath before pushing open the bathroom door. Reed’s reaction didn’t disappoint. “Wow. You look amazing.”

  “Thanks. You look pretty good yourself.” That was an understatement. He looked incredible. I never would have thought it, but Reed was the kind of guy meant to wear a suit. Some guys looked like they were playing dress up—not Reed.

  “You ready?” he asked.

  “I think so.”

  The hotel ballroom was gorgeous—one of those rooms that looked like it came from another time. The wood floors had to have been original, and they matched the details on the walls. In the center of the room hung a huge, crystal chandelier.

  “What do you think?” Reed had an arm around my shoulder. His arm felt warm against my bare skin.

  “It’s really pretty. Do you guys always do your semi-formal here?”

  “No, but one of our alums manages this hotel now.”

  “Oh, cool.” I glanced around the large room looking for Cara.

  Reed spotted her first. “She’s over there.”

  I followed his gaze. Cara looked incredible in her pink strapless dress. Aaron had his arm wrapped around her waist. We walked over to join them.

  “Hey!” Cara pulled me into a hug. “This is awesome, isn’t it?”

  “Definitely.”

  We talked for a while before everyone moved to the tables for dinner.

  Dinner was exactly what you’d expect a fraternity dinner to be like. Lots of shouting and drinking, with some laughter mixed in for good measure. I enjoyed the meal, glad I’d managed to sit next to Cara.

  Cara and I chatted while we waited for the waiter to clear our plates. “I’m glad you came. I know he is, too.” Cara nodded to Reed.

  “I hope so.”

  She leaned over. “So, are you guys officially together now? I know you said you were going as friends, but it doesn’t seem that way.”

  “I don’t know what we are.”

  “But you’re sharing a room, right?”

  “Yes, it’s crazy. Tonight’s going to be a test.”

  “A test?”

  “Of what happens when we’re in a bed together…”

  Cara squealed, attracting both of our dates’ attention.

  Aaron laughed. “Dare I ask what that was about?”

  Reed ran a finger down my blushing cheek. He came to my rescue before Aaron could press for more details. “Do you want to dance?”

  “I’d like that.”

  He took my hand and guided me onto the dance floor as a slow song started. He held me close and led perfectly. Someone had taught him well. I leaned my head on his chest. I loved how strong it was. I’d never thought I’d want to be with a guy that built, but there was something so comforting about him.

  The next song was fast, but Reed still kept me close. We danced for hours, only stopping to have a couple of drinks. We didn’t drink much, though. I don’t think either of us wanted to get drunk.

  Reed put a hand on my shoulder as a song ended. “Are you ready to head back?”

  The night had flown by. I couldn’t believe it was after midnight. “Yeah, I think so.”

  Reed smiled. “Me too.”

  We said goodnight to everyone. Cara leaned over to whisper, “Have fun.”

  Aaron added his own comment. “Don’t get too crazy, you two.”

  Reed took my hand, and we walked to the elevator. I wrapped my free arm around myself. Even though it was nearly winter, cold air blew out from the vent. I was grateful when Reed put an arm around me. “Does that help?”

  “Lots.”

  “Good.”

  We went straight up to our room, and Reed closed and locked the door behind us. “What did you think of the party?”

  “It was fun,” I said honestly. I tried to swallow my nerves. It was one thing to spend time in our room when I knew we’d have to leave. This time, we wouldn’t be leaving until morning.

  “I thought so, too.”

  I sat down on the edge of the bed and kicked off my shoes.

  He did the same. “You look gorgeous tonight.”

  “Yeah?”

  “That dress could kill a man, but you already know that. Normally, it would have driven me mad.”

  “It didn’t work?” I tried to dial down my disappointment.

  “Oh, it worked, but at least I knew there was a chance I’d get to take it off you.” I tried to hide my shock. Had Reed just said what I thought he did?

  “Only a chance?” I turned toward him.

  “Is it more than a chance?”

  “I’d say so.”

  “Good.” He leaned over and brushed his lips against mine. I thought that was it, until he started moving his lips gently at firs
t and then faster. I sighed, and he groaned. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long.”

  “Me too.”

  That was all he needed to hear. He returned his lips to mine, quickly deepening the kiss. His tongue pushed into my mouth, and I gladly welcomed it. My hand tangled in his hair as one of his hands slid down my shoulder toward my chest.

  He broke the kiss. “Your lips are so soft. Just like I imagined.”

  “Your hands feel as good as I’d imagined.”

  “Good.” He unzipped my dress, untying the halter straps at the same time. The top fell onto my lap. “Mission accomplished.”

  “There’re still more hurdles.” I rose to step out of my dress. Normally, I’d have been trying to cover myself up, but I liked the way his eyes devoured me.

  “Yeah, I guess there are.” He stood and unclasped my strapless bra, letting it fall on the floor. “I don’t know what I did to get this lucky, but I swear I’ll keep doing it.” He reached for me, but I stopped him. I slowly unbuttoned his shirt, pushing it aside before pulling his white t-shirt over his head.

  As soon as he was shirtless, Reed gently pushed me down on the bed. He put his mouth on one of my breasts. I moaned. He moved his lips to my neck, gently stroking my stomach with his hand. He moved off me long enough to get out of his pants and boxers.

  “You weren’t kidding about the big part.”

  “No, I wasn’t. We make a good pair, don’t we?”

  “What do you mean?” I reached for him. I missed him touching me. I ran my hands over his arms, unable to believe I used to think he was too muscular.

  “I’m hung, and you’re stacked.” He pulled off my panties and tossed them. “If college doesn’t work out for us, we can make movies.”

  I laughed, pulling him down on top of me. He moved a hand between my legs, his lips leaving tiny kisses from my neck on down. “On second thought, if we make movies, we can just keep them for ourselves.”

  “No movies.”

  “Okay, no movies.” He kissed my lips before moving to reach into his bag. He pulled out a package of condoms.

  “Someone thought he was getting lucky.”

  “Don’t you mean knew?”

  “Is this really the time to get cocky?”

  “It’s the perfect time.”