Double Time (20 page)

She tosses the box, or boxes, on my bed. “Omigod!”

“
We didn’t know which kind he liked or needed, so we got a sampler.” Steph shrugs, grinning from ear to ear.

“
You guys are killing me. This is just a friendly date. Nothing like that is going to happen.”

Steph takes the boxes and then shoves them in my desk drawer. “Just in case, Meg. He didn’t invite you out for New Year’s Eve alone to just hang out and play Monopoly. We just want to make sure you’re covered.”

“
And he’s covered,” Keesh quickly adds, snickering.

Twenty Two

When Alex arrives, I’m more anxious than ever to finally figure out what our New Year’s Eve secret date is all about. He’s kept the details so under wraps, I’m starting to think he doesn’t have anything exciting planned at all. I know he called my mom to ask her permission and answer all her questions, but she won’t spill for anything.

He looks very handsome. I don’t know when he got a leather jacket but it works for him, all black leather with a black hoodie underneath. Damn freaking sexy if you ask me. His adorable green eyes smile at me and that smile of his makes my body go on full alert. I still can’t believe I’m spending the turn of the year with him again this year. When we broke up, I was sure that was it for us. And it’s not like we’re back together. We both know it’s not a realistic option right now. But these date make the time apart much more bearable.

When the girls and I decided to do the single thing, I truly meant every word of my pledge. But dating sucks. Especially when the guys I’m dating suck. If I could find just one decent guy to hang out with, maybe moving on from Alex would be easy. Well, I do have Travis. And I did meet Brody. But they aren’t dating material, and our plan was supposed to include multiple dates with a lot of different guys. A dating frenzy. I feel like I’ve been working double time at meeting boys, and it just hasn’t happened. Although I have a feeling that even if some hot male underwear model wanted to go out with me, I’d still think about this sexy guy in front of me.

“
You ready?” he asks, hands in the front pockets of his dark loose fitted jeans. He bends down to kiss my check. “You look amazing.” He reaches out, running his fingertips from my shoulder to my hand.

“
Thank you. It was kinda hard to pick something out when I didn’t know what to plan for, but I managed.” I cup my boobs in both hands. “What do you think? The girls bought me a new bra for the occasion.”

He flicks his head back and forth, looking around like a crack addict. “Are your parents home?” I shake my head and bring my hands down. “Well, in that case, remind me to thank Keesh and Steph.” He winks at me. “Can I see it?”

“
Really?” I can’t believe he asked. He shrugs, a giant grin spread across his mouth. I let my purse drop to the floor and gather the hem of my shirt between my fingers. Slowly, I draw my shirt up until he can get a good view of the black butterfly that spreads its wings across my chest. The advertisement was on the money. My titties look big, perky, and plump. Quickly, I run the material back over my ribs and belly.

“
Wow.” His mouth hangs open. “Remind me to thank them again and again. That image will get me through a lot of long, lonely nights at school.” He takes a step back from me and grabs at the front of his pants, obviously adjusting himself. I’m flattered. He then takes my hand and leads me to the front door. “Let’s go before we never leave the house.”

An hour later, we’re stuck in a slow line waiting to park at Universal City Walk. Doesn’t look like we’re the only ones who had this idea. Well, Alex’s idea.

“
So is this the big secret?” Now that I know where we’re going I can’t help but ask. We’ve been here before so I don’t get all the sneaking around.

“
If it was, I would’ve blindfolded you.” He powers the window down, takes a stub from the parking attendant, and hands him some money. Finally, we’re making progress.

Out of the car and making our way down the walk toward all the restaurants, I’m still a little antsy. I scan the place for billboards or some signage that’ll tell me what this is all about, but nothing. “Are we staying here all night? Till the clock strikes twelve?”

He reaches for my hand and pulls me closer. He leans over and kisses the top of my head. “Yes, we are. Be patient. It will be worth it.” He brings our intertwined hands up to his mouth and kisses the back of mine. “Let’s eat first.”

The lines are outrageously long. They make me want to chew gum and drink my spit all night. But when we see the big hot dog sign, we can’t help joining the massive line at Pinks. Who can pass up a dog with nacho cheese, guacamole, grilled onions, and chili? Not Alex and certainly not me.

“
What’s next?” I ask him. He smiles, shaking his head.

“
Are you going to ask me that all night?” He closes my jacket and zips it up. “As much as I like that pink top and what’s underneath, it’s too cold out here. I don’t want you to catch something.”

“
I’m not chilly at all. Body heat, babe. There must be a million people here.” I scan the crowd. This place is a mess. I hook my arm in his and cuddle close. “See. Totally warm.”

Alex digs in his jacket pocket and pulls out his cell. The screen illuminates to show the time. Just a little after nine. “It’s almost time. Let’s go.” He yanks my arm and we start making our way through the crowd.

“
Time for what?”

He peers down at me, his grin sexy as hell. “You’ll see.”

Oh my gosh. He’s killing me. We part through the crowd. Alex has picked up some speed, we zig zag through open lanes between people, watching out for those walking against the crowd. Most people seem to be making their way toward the stage. Bands have been playing all night. Some known groups, some unknowns. The music can be heard throughout the walk, so it’s not like we needed to be closer to enjoy it. Although Alex has nudged me in front of him and is steering me up front and center. We come to a halt about twenty rows of bodies back. I now know what it would feel like to be in a can of sardines.

“
Can you see?” Alex speaks into my ear. The music is exponentially louder up here. Thankfully, the crowd backs up a bit and I can breathe again. “If I can’t, are you gonna put me on your shoulders, big guy?” We both chuckle. “Yeah, I can see.”

We watch the glam band perform. Some new Pussycat Doll-like group. The beat is good, but you can tell their voices are super synthesized. They wrap up their last song, and a local radio host comes out to announce the next performer.

“
We’ve got two hours till the clock strikes midnight, but the party is about to start right now. Let me hear you screeeeeaammmm!” The crowd goes wild. Alex and I both yell. Something about someone telling you to scream and you just can’t help it. “I know this is the time you’ve all been waiting for. About to take over the stage…take over L.A. … take over the planet … let’s hear it for Mr. Worldwide himself,” oh shit, “Are you ready?” I’m stunned. Speechless. “Let’s drop it to the floor with … Pit … bullllll!”

I steal a quick glance at Alex, who’s staring at me with a smile that lights up his eyes. Is he for real? I grab him by his neck, stand on tiptoes, and smash my lips to his. This boy is gonna get lucky tonight.

There he is. Pitbull in charcoal gray fitted slacks and matching coat, a pink dress shirt, tie, and sunglasses in the dark of night. The man is adorably sexy, dancing on the stage, singing into the mic. I scream and dance within the confines of my little spot as bodies bump around me. We’re all dancing. Alex is behind me, his hands on my hips, matching every thrust beat for beat. Hell yes. This is what I call a New Year celebration.

Pitbull only performs three songs before he jets off to another location to bring in the New Year, but I soak in every second of it in awe. I shake my ass to every heart-thumping beat, pumping my hands in the air and swiveling my hips. This has to be one of the best surprises ever.

When he leaves the stage, people start to move, some leaving. Some getting closer for the next performer. I turn around and slip my hands into Alex’s jacket, wrapping my arms around him until my palms rest on his upper back, feeling his muscles underneath me. “Thank you,” I say into his chest. He holds me close, resting his chin on my head, his hands running up and down my back.

After a minute of enjoying his embrace, I loosen my grip and gaze up at Alex. “Did you like your surprise?” he asks, the right side of his mouth hiked up in a half smile.

“
Can’t you tell? It was the best.”

“
The way your hips move, I swear you were meant to be a Latin woman.” He squeezes my hips, and heat rushes to my girl parts.

“
I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“
It’s meant to be one.”

His eyes are locked to mine, and I steal a glance at his lush lips. He brings his hand up, brushing his fingers through my hair, until his palm rests on the back of my neck. “I wanna kiss you, Meg.”

“
What are you waiting for?”

“
Your permission.”

“
You got it, babe.”

His gaze falls to my lips before he bends down and locks his mouth to mine. His lips are soft against mine at first. And then they part and our tongues slide against each other. Devouring, sucking, nipping, tasting, I can’t get enough of him.

“
Let’s get out of here,” he says, breathless.

“
Sounds good to me.”

We arrive back at Alex’s house just before midnight. It’s a good thing we left L.A. before midnight or we may have been stuck in that parking lot until tomorrow morning. The place was a madhouse, but worth all the craziness. I’m still in shock over my surprise and so thankful to Alex for taking the time to arrange something so special.

“
We still have a couple hours,” he tells me. “Your parents don’t expect us until two. They thought we’d stay for the whole show and gave us extra time to deal with traffic.”

“
Awesome,” I say, taking a step toward him. “And how lucky are we that your parents keep going on romantic getaways?”

“
Don’t kill the evening with those images.” We both chuckle. Yeah, I wouldn’t want to imagine Mom and Dad on anything romantic.

I take a step closer to him. “Wanna make our own romantic getaway?”

He closes the gap between us, his hands behind his back, his body just a hair away from mine. “What do you have in mind?”

I place my palms flat to his chest and work my way up to his neck. “I’m sure we can figure out some way to bring in the new year with a bang.”

“
Nice choice of words, Megan.”

As the new year rings in, Alex and I are in his bedroom. In his bed. In our underwear. He only has his boxer briefs on, his golden smooth skin rubbing against mine. I’m in my new sexy bra and boy shorts, my big ass plumping out of the material. Alex doesn’t seem to mind. His hand keeps finding its way there, teasing it above and under the flimsy material.

“
You know, as much as I want to do this, to make love to you, I just can’t. Not while we’re not together. I have to wait until you’re mine again. I want it to be perfect.” He runs his fingertips up and down my side, his eyes locked to mine so intensely.

“
I get it. You’re so good to me. How many guys would stop at this point?”

“
Not many, but I’m not stopping completely. So don’t go thinking I’m a saint.” He plants a few kisses to my chest, a few to tender skin peeking out of my bra. He squeezes my breast, then drags his fingertips along the edge of the cup. “Can I touch you, babe?”

The words linger in the air as I contemplate how far I want to let this go. “Yes,” I whisper. He turns me toward him so we’re both on our sides and reaches toward my back, unclasping my bra with one hand. My boobs are freed, the straps go lax, and then he peels off my bra completely. I can feel his tongue drag across my chest and his mouth sucking on my neck before he makes contact with his mouth to my bare boobs. Oh my goodness. That’s all I can say.

My hands travel up and down his strong back, his side, his chest, and I can’t help but want to memorize the feel of his entire body. I slide my hand into his boxers and squeeze his ass. Working my way to his side, I make a sudden stop. “Can I touch you too, baby?”

“
You can do whatever you want to me.” The feel of his warm breath against my skin makes me tingle.

I giggle. “I’ll remember that.” I make my way to his front and take hold of him, stroking his silky bare skin just the way he showed me. Only this time, it’s a lot different than feeling him with a thick layer of denim covering his parts. His breaths get louder and quicker, and so do mine. The feel of his warm tongue and hands on my chest, combined with his panting, makes me want to cry out in joy.

He trails his hand down my belly and cups my vajayjay. “Can I touch you here too, Megan?” Holy shit. He could ask for anything and I’d give it to him, this is so good. I start to tug at my panties with my free hand. “No, don’t.” He grabs hold of my wrist and our eyes meet. “The only thing that’s stopping us is that little piece of material right there. If you take that off, there’s no way we won’t do it.”