No Attachments (15 page)

"
Her name was Jessica Swanson, and she came into my life like a freaking hurricane. She was no-nonsense and bossy as hell. In the beginning, I was flattered that she picked me the night I met her at a school play. She put me together, you know? Made me grow up and taught me to take my future seriously. I guess you could say she groomed me. After we'd been dating for several months, I found out her family was swimming in the bucks. It was a world I didn't belong in, but I didn't care. I fooled myself into thinking I loved her. The first time I met her family was hell. Her father drilled me for hours about my future plans. That's when I realized why Jessica had been pushing me so hard. In her family, it was all about who you knew, how to make it to the top and who you were willing to step on to get there," he said in a pained voice. He remained silent for a moment, and I was beginning to think he was done when he started talking again. "It took me almost a year to realize just how far Jessica was willing to go to insure my future. I mean crazy shit you couldn't even imagine. I caught her in bed with a congressman twice her age. A fucking congressman. Can you imagine that shit? She had some crazy-ass high hopes that I would have a career in politics or something, and this is how she would help get me there. That's how she justified it as fucked up as that sounds."

"
That is seriously fucked up," I said, understanding his hang-ups on love.

His eyes were expressionless in the flickering light of the candles
, making it hard for me to tell what he was thinking. After a few long silence-filled minutes, he surprised me by changing the subject completely.

"
What college did you go to?" he asked, sounding normal again.

"
The University of Central Florida. What about you?" I asked, glad the weirdness between us was dissipating.

"
FSU," he answered. "Of course, several years before you were in college," he added.

"
Right. I was like in middle school when you were in college," I said, laughing as he grimaced.

"That just sounds wrong. Maybe
we'll leave that fact out from now on," he said as the rest of the tension evaporated.

"I thought all guys wanted to hook up with a younger girl
," I quipped, nibbling on another chocolate strawberry.

"True. We just don't like to talk about the ages, at least our ages. As for the girl, we'd put it on a billboard if it made us look better,"
he said, looking at me appraisingly. "Are you trying to drive me mad?" he added, watching me lick the corner of my mouth where a small piece of chocolate threatened to escape.

"
By eating a strawberry?" I inquired as a thrill of excitement raced through me at the way he was eyeing me.

"Eating is one thing. I mean
the way your mouth seems to cherish every bite. That's driving me insane. I've never been jealous of a fruit before."

"
I can't help it. They're so good, mmm," I moaned, opening my mouth wide to take in the entire piece of fruit. He sat watching me for a moment as I laughed. Finally, he leaned over and pulled me against him, capturing my lips with his. I gasped with approval when his tongue swept into my mouth. My desire flared up instantly, making me grasp at his shirt like a drowning victim. I submersed myself in the kiss as if it was my only source for life. His passion seemed to match mine as he tangled his hands in my hair, pulling me as close as we could get. The remnants of our dinner were forgotten as he lowered himself on the quilt with me sprawled on top of him without breaking the kiss. Every inch of me wanted him now. I strained against him, unsure how to tell him what I wanted as my need for something more became unbearable.

"
You were right, it did taste so good," he finally said, breathing heavily as he broke the kiss and sat back up, cradling me in his arms. I bit back my disappointment that he'd broken the kiss. Maybe he didn't enjoy it as much as I did. Of course, when he shifted me in his arms and my bottom sank more intimately in his lap, I could feel every hard inch of him pressed against me, letting me know just how much the kiss had affected him.

"
Would you like another taste?" I asked brazenly, popping a smaller strawberry in my mouth. I was going for seductive, but the strawberry turned out to be juicier than I expected. Red juice squirted out off my mouth in the least seductive way imaginable, squirting him square in the face. "Oops," I said, reaching out to wipe the juice off his face, fighting the urge to giggle.

"D
elicious," he said, licking a droplet off his lips, gaining my full attention again. Maybe I was biased since I'd already witnessed firsthand how they felt, but his lips were possibly the most erotic lips I'd ever seen. They were full and plush and every bit as soft as they looked, but had the potential to turn hard when you most wanted them too. Leaning toward him, I placed my lips on his and used the tip of my tongue to remove the last of the strawberry juice. I wanted to explore his mouth with my tongue. He groaned and in with one fluid movement maneuvered me so I was straddling him. His hands found my hips and pulled me snugly against the hardness in his pants. I felt powerful from the way his body reacted to my touch. He gave me free reign over him as I thrust my tongue into his mouth. The ache between my legs hit an all-time high. He swallowed my moan of pleasure, using his hands to guide my hips where he wanted me. My breaths came out in shallow pants as his hand crept under my layers of clothing and reached bare skin. Slowly, he caressed his way up my back, feeling the heat of my passion. I moaned again as he moved from around my back to the swells of my breasts, waiting with bated breath as he lightly played with the lace of my bra before withdrawing.

"
It's time for part two of our date," he said, pulling back.

"You asshole.
I thought this was part two," I said, rubbing up against him to emphasize my point.

His ey
es closed briefly. "I'm beginning to think you'll be the death of me."

"It's your own fault,"
I breathed into his ear.

"
I'm trying to show you a proper date, and all I can think about is burying myself in you."

"
Proper is boring," I commented, shifting again.

"Damn,
woman," he groaned, pulling my hips hard against him one last time before abruptly lifting me off his lap. Hopping to his feet, he pulled me up with him. "Phase two of the date," he stated, dragging me toward the canoe on the shore.

"
Where's the fire?" I complained, trying to clear the fog out of my head his kisses had caused.

"
Burning out of control inside me. If I didn't get you away from the blanket, it was go time," he stated.

"I thought that's what we were here for
," I piped in, looking back at the blanket longingly.

"
I'm aware of that," he said, shooting me a wry look as he pushed the canoe to the water's edge. "Hop in," he told me, holding the canoe in place.

"
I'd rather go back to the blanket," I pouted, looking over my shoulder at the blanket one last time.

"
Get in," he mocked growled, making me laugh.

Stepping into the canoe
, I braced my legs, trying to gain my balance from the swaying beneath me. When it finally stopped rocking from my weight, I sat on one of the narrow metal benches.

"
Here," Nathan said, handing the two oars to me before climbing into the canoe. The canoe rocked dangerously from his weight before settling back down. Sitting on the bench opposite from me, Nathan reached out for one of the oars. He used it for leverage, pushing against the bank of the lake until the aluminum canoe moved off the sand that was holding us in place. Once we were adrift, he reached for the other oar. He made short work of rowing us away from the shore.

I leaned my head back
, wishing the thick heavy clouds weren't obstructing the moon and stars. I had to admit though, the clouds gave off a different allure that was beautiful in its own way. It was as if we were floating off into some mysterious void, shrouded in darkness and haze. When I had added this moment to my list, I always imagined something breathtaking, but the weather today made this something more. I could have stared at the big puffy clouds all night if not for the fact that the breeze blowing off the water was chilling me to the bone. A violent shiver trembled through me as one of the gusts sliced through my clothing.

"
Come over here," Nathan said, indicating the floor of the canoe between his legs where he'd stacked a couple of lifejackets for me to perch on.

I moved cautiously so I wouldn't tip the canoe
. With his help, I sank down on the lifejackets between his legs and felt warmer almost instantly. I leaned back against him, resting my head on his chest so I could look at the sky again.

"The clouds look amazing
," I murmured.

"
Very," he answered, trailing a hand across my cheek. I tilted my head and saw that he wasn't talking about the sky like I was. He cupped my face gently in his hands, holding it in place. My breath hitched in my lungs as he leaned in to drop a soft kiss on my lips. Where the other kisses we had shared ignited the lust we felt for each other, this kiss was something entirely different. The softness of his lips caressed mine as his tongue slowly slid into my mouth. He explored my mouth leisurely, never increasing the intensity. It was as if he was trying to memorize every detail and was meticulous with his mission. The tenderness of his mouth made my heart ache and I wished it would never end. That is, until a large drop of water landed on my cheek, quickly followed by another, and then another.

"
Oh hell," he said, pulling back as the sky opened up above us.

"Holy crap!"
I said as the freezing rain found its way down the back of my jacket and into my shirt.

Nathan grabbed the oars and dug them into the water to propel us back to shore, but the distance seemed insanely far. We were going to be soaked no matter what. I scooted back to my seat, taking care not to capsize the boat and add to our dilemma.

Nathan

There
's a time in everyone's life when I'm sure they wonder if fate is actually some dude watching from beyond, just waiting for the right moment to fuck with us. Feeling the first raindrops land on my head as I was bent over enjoying Ashton's lips made me believe this was one of those times. Having the sky dump on us out of nowhere convinced me he was one sick bastard.

Watching
Ashton huddled on the small metal seat, trying to stay warm as the rain continued to pelt us, made me feel like the biggest asshole ever. I was zero for two now in the dating game.

A giant shiver rippled through Ashton's delicate frame. I dug into the oars with all my strength, but these damn metal canoes only move so fast through the water. The rain made the oars slippery and my hands quickly became blocks of ice, but I ignored the physical discomfort and drove us forward. I had one goal: Get to the shore so we could get out of the icy rain as soon as possible.

By the time the canoe hit the sandy embankment, the rain was falling in sheets around us, making it hard to see. Our clothes were plastered to our skin, freezing us to the bone. I grabbed Ashton's freezing hand to haul her ashore. We were both shaking uncontrollably from the cold.

Still holding her hand, we raced toward my Range Rover, not taking into consideration the muddy ground that was slick as oil under our feet. One moment I was standing upright with my destination only steps away, and the next I was flat on my back as the rain continued to pelt my face. Ashton, who had been clutching my hand, stood above me shaking with cold and laughter.

"You think this is funny?" I asked, tugging her hand and setting her flat on her ass next to me.

Her eyes were filled with mirth despite the fact that we were both freezing our asses off and covered in mud. "Is this phase three of the date, to make mud pies?" she asked. Before I could answer, she plastered a handful of mud across my face.

"Oh, it's on now, baby," I said, grabbing her ankles as she attempted to scramble away. "Welcome to the spa, madam, your mud bath is ready."

"
Gah, no," she laughed and squirmed as I made quick work of covering her. We wrestled around on the wet ground, looking like two pigs covered in slop by the time we were done.

Despite the driving rain and the fact I was freezing my nuts off, I couldn’t help joining in her laughter. We were both soaking wet and covered from head to toe in mud. She looked enticing as hell despite the circumstances. Perhaps it was
the fact that she could laugh through it all, but at that moment, I wanted to haul her in my arms and never let go. I was finally forced to act like a sane adult though when her laughter and shivers made it impossible for her to stand up. Without giving her a chance to protest, I swept her up in my arms and hoisted her over my shoulder as I cautiously carried her to the Range Rover. She was still giggling as I deposited her shaking body in the passenger seat before hurrying around to the driver's side. My feet threatened to come out from under me again as I was rounding the back of the vehicle, but I was able to keep myself upright by holding on. I was swearing by the time I climbed behind the steering wheel, which made Ashton laugh harder.