Unwrapped (2 page)

Chapter Three

Jared left Chase as soon as the rally was finished. He was likely making his move—or, attack, rather—on one or more of the several Cherry Savers he had singled out as potential hookups.

Chase stayed back from the stage and kept his eyes on Kira as the scene moved into cleanup mode. She had a small crowd surrounding her and to get the information he needed, he had to get her alone. At least, that’s the reason he told himself that he wanted her alone. Not because he had any desire to nip along her jawline or wrap his fingers in her hair. It was all for the story. Yeah, that’s what it was.

His mind replayed the things she’d said during her event speech, how she’d been so sincere in her delivery. “Sex should not define our relationships with the people we want to spend our entire lives with,” she had said. “How can we separate lust from love when we allow hormones to be in control?

“And when we finally find the person—that special person that we want to dedicate ourselves to—what better gift is there to give him or her than our body, untouched and undefiled? What a way to say, ‘You’re the most important person in my world. I waited
for you
.’”

That last sentiment had gotten Kira a cheer from her audience.

Chase, on the other hand, didn’t know how to react. Obviously Kira didn’t really believe the things she was saying. But what parts of it were true, which were just rhetoric? Was their affair simply a case of hormones out of control? Or did it make him special—someone worthy of her “gift”?

Of course it was the former. They’d had sex in a stockroom, for crying out loud. It was completely hormone incited. For some reason, admitting that to himself made him feel bitter.

It also strengthened his resolve to get his story, to “out” the girl who was messing with his head.

Soon, the microphone and speakers were down and the crowd lightened. Kira shouted after the group she’d been chatting with. “I’ll meet you over there.”

Then she was finally alone. Chase watched her gather her belongings into her shoulder bag. This was his chance. He walked up to the stage, catching her as she stepped off the bottom step. “Kira?”

“Yeah?” She turned toward him, her eyes so bright and her smile so pure, Chase’s knees nearly buckled.

Then she recognized him. He saw the moment it happened too—her expression fell, her face lost its color. “Oh. It’s you.”

She looked so horrified at the sight of him that he almost felt bad.
Almost.
“Yep. It’s me. Chase. Chase Matthews.”

Kira scanned the area around them. Apparently satisfied they were alone, she visibly relaxed. She lowered her eyes, a blush touching her cheeks. “I remember your name.” Her voice was soft, flirty, even.

“You do?” He hadn’t really thought she wouldn’t recall who he was. Just, all of a sudden, he wasn’t sure what to say.

“Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?” She pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear and for half a second he wished it were him touching her hair, touching her ear, kissing her ear.

Stop it, man. Focus on your task—get the story.

He forced his gaze away and shrugged. “I don’t know. No reason.”

God, he had to get a hold of himself. This was not going to get him the article he wanted, the article he
needed
. He took a step toward her and leaned his arm against the proscenium of the shell. Not that he required the support. He simply thought he looked cooler like that. More in control.

He took a silent breath to steady his nerves. “I guess I’m just surprised to see you again. Especially under these circumstances.”

“You’re surprised to find I’m a Cherry Saver, you mean.”

“Well, yes.” He hadn’t been prepared for her bluntness. So much for being the one in control.

He could do this. If she could be straight forward, so could he. “Because I’m pretty sure you didn’t actually save your cherry.”

“I suppose you would be pretty sure of that, wouldn’t you?”

Her cheeks grew pinker and he felt a stab to his groin. God, she looked gorgeous like that—all flushed and innocent. Even wearing that stupid-ass t-shirt. “Yes. Very sure.” For a moment he was taken back to that night, to her legs wrapped around his waist, to those sweet, sweet sounds that still vibrated in his ears.

Dammit, how did she screw with his focus so easily?

He ran a hand over his face. “Which is why I’m confused. I’m sure you can understand.”

“I can.”

But that was all she offered. No explanation, just those two words. This was going to be tougher than he thought. “So why, then? Why did you get up there and play Princess Cherry Saver when you don’t believe any of that crap?”

She moved around him to the back of the band shell, gesturing for him to follow.

Good. Now they were in a more private location.

Wait—
was
that good? Because now the flashbacks of the last time they were alone were even more prominent in his mind.

Kira obviously did not have the same thoughts on her mind. Her brow furrowed in irritation. “Who says I don’t believe that crap?”

“You’re kidding me, right?” Was this all a set-up by Jared? Maybe he was on some sort of
Pranked
show. Only there weren’t any cameras that he could see.

Kira adjusted her bag on her shoulder. “There are some really good principles in the Cherry Saver Manual.”

“There’s a manual?” What other principles could there be besides
keep your legs shut
?

Never mind. He didn’t want to know. “Don’t answer that. Whatever their principles, you obviously don’t follow them.”

“Who says?”

“I had sex with you the first time I met you!” That
had
happened, hadn’t it? Because it was starting to feel like maybe it had all been a dream. A very good dream, but unreal nonetheless.

Kira looked down at her shoe as she kicked at a patch of grass. “Yeah, well, anyone can make a mistake.”

That zing hit like a knife to his chest. “You’re calling me a mistake?” Hopefully she hadn’t noticed the slight quiver as he said that. He already felt like a total wuss where she was concerned.

“Not you, exactly. I’m calling sex a mistake.” She sighed. “I should have waited.”

“Like, until we’d been on a date or something?” It
was
kinda slutty how they’d jumped each other in a bar. Also really fucking hot.

Or did she mean something else. “Until we were married?”

She shook her head, not meeting his eyes. “Just in general. I should have waited in general.”

Chase took in her words, finally understanding her meaning.
No, no, no.
That was impossible. “Are you trying to tell me you were a virgin?”

“Shh, keep it down, will you.” She grabbed his arm pulling him further behind the band shell. “Of course I was a virgin.”

“No way.” He ignored the tingling of his skin where she had touched him and concentrated on the facts of their tryst. “You had a condom.”

Her cheeks grew rosy again. “What can I say? I was raised to be prepared.”

“There is no way you hadn’t had sex before.”

“Are you calling me a liar?”

He raised a brow. “Um, considering the speech you just gave to that crowd, yeah, I am.”

“Well, I’m not lying about this.”

Chase thought back to the way Kira had stared at his dick. She had seemed a little bewildered at the sight. Was it because she’d never seen one live and in person?

Nah, that couldn’t be it. There were other things, other signs he couldn’t ignore. “But you knew what you were doing.” Like how she’d squeezed around him, the way she’d bucked her hips to feed him deeper into her.

She thrust out her jaw defiantly. “So did Brook Shields when she did it with that guy on the island.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“
Blue Lagoon.
Ever see it? Total classic B-movie.”

“Afraid I missed that one.”

“Forget it then.” She blew out a breath of frustrated air. “Point is—some things are natural. You know?”

“No, I don’t know.” His first time had been awkward and over in a rush. Nothing like what he’d experienced with Kira. “First time sex is not like that.”

“How so?”

“It’s usually bad.”

She peered up at him, her brown eyes sparkling. “Really? So I wasn’t bad?”

“No. There was nothing bad about you and me at all.” He held her gaze for several seconds, drowning in the depth of her chocolate pools. Something stirred inside him. From the burn of it, he’d say he was horny, but this was higher, in his chest. Nearer to his heart.

Whoa. This was so not happening.

He ran a hand through his hair. She couldn’t have been a virgin. Could. Not. Not because it wasn’t a possibility, but because he didn’t want it to be true. Because that would make him an ass—taking her virginity in the back of a bar? Totally not the rep he wanted. So it couldn’t be true. “Isn’t there supposed to be blood or something? You know, your first time?”

“Sometimes.”

“And other times?”

She rolled her eyes. “Let’s just say that if thirteen years of horseback riding didn’t break my hymen then I’m pretty sure that the excessive masturbation did.”

“Okay, wait.” He put a hand up to pause her. “Excessive masturbation?” And now he had a semi.

Kira threw her hands up. “I was a virgin, okay? No man had ever entered the Garden of Eden.”

He adjusted his notebook over his groin. “All right, all right.” And maybe that explained all her “wow”-ing the night of the deed—it was totally a new sensation. Fuck, yeah, that would be surprising. “Sorry for assuming.”

“Thank you.” She leaned against the band shell, dropping her bag to the ground.

She could still be lying, Chase realized. She had valid reasons for keeping up the pretense.

But something about the look in her eyes told him she was sincere. As much as he didn’t want to believe it, he did.

And there was something hot about that too.

He took a step toward her, threw his notebook to the ground, and leaned one shoulder against the wall. “So, really? I was your first?”

She glanced at him, then nodded her head, a slight smile on her lips.

Great.
Now he sounded like a total guy, getting his kicks off of being the one who popped her. That made him as bad as Jared, and that wasn’t what he’d meant anyway. “I just wish I would have known,” he added softly.

“Why, so you could snag my panties as a memento?”

“Come on, I’m not an asshole.” He was so close to her. Thoughts of his article were no longer his priority. Sure, he’d still write it, but now, at this very moment, all he wanted to do was complete this connection that felt so close to happening. Wanted to be honest with this girl who had—to use her words—given him her “gift”.

“I would have done things differently.” He reached out to finger a loose strand of her hair, his fingers brushing her cheek as he did. “Gone slower. Made it special somehow.”

She turned her head, locking eyes with his. “I thought it was special just the way it was.”

“You did?” That burning in his chest intensified.

“Yeah, I did.”

Then all he could do was kiss her, kiss her the way he should have kissed her the first time—slowly, sweetly. She responded perfectly, molding her mouth to his, sighing softly.

He put a hand on her cheek and turned into her, taking his time before he slid his tongue between her lips, taking his time again before he plunged further into the recesses of her mouth. It was like reciting poetry, the way she tasted. Like honey-dripped words that danced on his lips before sinking deeper into his soul.

This was how she deserved to be kissed. Sure, his dick was hard and pressing tightly against his jeans, but he could ignore that. For her. Without knowing her that well, the way he suddenly wanted to, he knew this one thing—Kira Larson was the real deal.

It surprised him, this revelation of his. But it wasn’t unwelcomed.

When he finally broke away, they were both breathless. She offered an adorable smile, her lips shining and swollen.

He took a step back from her—both physically and mentally—and looked her over. He had a story to write and he couldn’t let a simple kiss get in the way of a spot on the paper.

He also couldn’t let her walk away. Not again. He had to spend more time with her. “Look, are you doing anything later? Or now?” He couldn’t say for sure if his motivation for asking was for the article or because he couldn’t stand to be away from her. He told himself he didn’t have to decide yet. He could wait and see how the day played out.

Kira twisted a piece of her hair around her finger. “Not really. I’m supposed to meet my friends at The Kitchen, but I can blow them off. Are you inviting me back to your apartment?”

He nearly choked on his own saliva. “Wow, I wasn’t. But now I want to.”
Really
wanted to. But hadn’t he decided she was better than that? That she deserved more? “I was going to ask if you’d like to grab some coffee.”

Her eyes lit up though she tried to hide it. “Coffee could be good. Yeah, let’s do coffee.”

“And my apartment?” Okay, he was still a guy. And his dick was throbbing.

She bit her lip as if considering. “Why don’t we play it by ear?”

“I think I can live with that.”

Chapter Four

“The Blue Mug okay?” Chase asked after retrieving his notebook from the ground.

“Duh. Where else would we go?”

Chase had been told The Blue Mug at Margie’s was the best in town, but frankly, it was the only coffee shop he’d discovered so far. Plus it was close by, only a block away from where they were.

Together they headed across the grass, passing a group of guys playing Frisbee Golf outside Frasier Hall. Chase stepped closer to Kira. He wasn’t sure if he wanted people to know she was with him so he’d seem cooler or so they wouldn’t think she was available. Admittedly, either reason was immature.

But was it his imagination, or did Kira also step closer to him when one of the Frisbee guys smiled at her? Maybe they were both being immature. It was a nice thought, anyway.

They were so close now that he could reach out and grab her hand if he wanted to. And he did want to. Electric currents streamed from his fingers to hers, like a magnet pulling him toward her. So close…

But he couldn’t get the nerve up. Stupid since he’d already had his dick inside her.

God, he was a chicken-shit. And he’d been so in his head about her, they were already halfway to their destination and they hadn’t said a word to each other.

Now, conversation he could manage. He cleared his throat. “So tell me something about yourself.”

She glanced at him. “Like what?”

“Anything.”

“Why?”

Chase shrugged. “To get to know each other. That’s what people do on dates. ”

Her brows shot up. “This is a date?”

Foot in mouth. Maybe he
couldn’t
manage conversation. “Oh—I don’t—I guess it doesn’t have to be.” His cheeks were warming. How embarrassing that this chick could make him blush.

Kira broke into a smile. “Geez, I’m just kidding. Chill out.” She lowered her eyes. “Actually, I didn’t know. If it was a date or not.” She peeked up at him from under her fantastically long lashes.

It was awesome to realize she was as tentative about him as he was about her. It gave him the confidence he needed. “Well, if I say it’s a date, would you still be here?”

“I would.”

Hallelujah!
“Then it’s totally a date. No question asked.”

She laughed. Did girl’s laughs always sound so light and pleasant? Suddenly it felt like he’d never really listened to one before. Hearing Kira’s was like hearing laughter for the first time.

His hand brushed hers, and he couldn’t stand it anymore. “Since it’s a date, I could hold your hand, right? People do that on dates, don’t they?”

“While they get to know each other? Yeah, they do.”

“Awesome.” Chase slipped his hand into hers. Sometimes holding a girl’s hand for the first time was awkward and sweaty. But not this time. His and Kira’s seemed to fit perfectly together. Perhaps it had something to do with how intimate they’d already been. Yeah, that was it. It had nothing to do with being “made for each other” or “fated”. That sort of thinking was just ridiculous.

Especially when he had an article to write. He had to keep his eye on the prize. “So then. Something about yourself.”

“Oh, yes.” She twisted her lip while she pondered and damn, he couldn’t take his eyes off the sexy gesture. “Are we going deep or staying superficial?”

It seemed to him they’d already gone deep.

God, had he really just thought that? He was getting as crude as his new roommates.

“Maybe we could start light and then delve…further in.” He cringed. He’d specifically avoided the word
deep
, but anything he said made him feel the need to adjust.
Eye on the prize, eye on the prize.
He had to keep reminding himself of that.

“Sounds good. Nothing’s ever really superficial anyway. Okay, easy one—I’m a sophomore and I just declared my major.”

“Which is?”

“Speech pathology.”

“Nice.” Really, he knew nothing about speech pathology. He racked his mind to come up with a suitable comment without sounding like a moron. “UNC has a good program for that, don’t they?”

“Yep. Nationally renowned.” She seemed impressed that he’d known that. “Your turn.”

“I just transferred in as a junior. I got my Associate’s Degree last spring in English at SDCC.”

“SDCC?”

He kept forgetting he was in a place where the acronym wasn’t familiar. “San Diego City College. Now I’m going for an education degree.”

She nodded, her hair catching the light as it bounced on her shoulder. “UNC’s also known for their education program.”

“That’s why I’m here.” And, at that moment, he couldn’t be happier about it.

Chase reluctantly let go of Kira’s hand to hold the door open at The Blue Mug. Inside was less crowded than it had been on the weeknight that he’d come. Then, study groups had dominated the scene and it was hard to find an empty table. Now, there were still a few books cracked open, but there were several places to sit.

After they’d ordered their drinks and a couple items from the bakery, they settled in at a table on the patio.

This time it was easy to pick the conversation back up. “Do you like it here?” Chase asked.

“At The Blue Mug or UNC?”

He shrugged. “Either.”

“I love The Blue Mug. Best place ever. Especially on Open Mic Night.”

His mind wandered momentarily as he imagined going to an Open Mic Night with Kira. They’d hold hands across the table, sharing a plate of scones like they were now. Maybe he’d even get up and recite some poetry for her.

He caught himself mid-fantasy. What the fuck was that about? He barely knew the woman. Why was he creating some make-believe future for them? He had to cut it out.

Didn’t he?

If he was serious about this article, then yeah, he did. He slid his finger absentmindedly down the spiral of his notebook.

“What’s with the notebook?”

He froze, feeling like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. It was silly, too, since he hadn’t even written anything about Kira yet. But he
planned
to.

Who the hell was he kidding? He wasn’t writing an exposé about Kira Larson. He was too into her. He’d write a recap of the Cherry Savers rally like he’d originally intended. And if it wasn’t enough to get him on the paper, then fuck it. He’d rather miss out on being a reporter than miss out on her.

“It’s nothing,” he said, tossing the notebook to the chair next to him. “I had this silly idea that I was going to get an assignment done today.”

Her brows creased. “Do you need to work on it?”

“Nah.” He didn’t want to say much about it, but at the same time he wanted to tell her about himself. Especially when she looked up at him with such interest in her expression. “I was thinking about trying out for the school paper and the editor needs an audition article. So I was fiddling around with some ideas. I didn’t get anywhere though.”

“Do you want me to help you brainstorm?”

She was adorable the way she seemed all concerned. It made him feel guilty for ever thinking he would “out” her. It also strengthened his decision to abandon the piece. “No way. Homework on a Saturday in a new town? I’d much rather see the sights.”

“That’s a laugh.” Kira nibbled on a corner of a scone. “Besides this place, there is not a single sight in this town worth seeing.”

He met her eyes as she licked honey off her thumb. She was so beautiful to look at—sensual and intriguing and just plain cute. He could stare at her for hours, he was sure of it. “I don’t know. I’m looking at one right now.”

“What?” Then she flushed and he knew she understood what he was saying.

But he played it cool and changed the subject. “I was just wondering—”

She cut him off. “Why am I part of Cherry Savers?”

That was actually the question he wanted to ask most. But even more than that, he wanted to get to know more about Kira Larson. And if he moved too quickly to the Cherry Savers subject, he was afraid she’d think that’s all he cared about. “Actually, I was wondering how you ended up here. You don’t seem to be particularly fond of the town. Is it because of the speech program?”

“Not really. It was sort of a given I’d go to UNC. I’m from here.”

“From Greeley?” That surprised him. He hadn’t met anyone from the city yet and had just assumed most of the students came from elsewhere. Apparently not.

“Born and raised.”

He leaned into the table and lowered his voice. “Do you ever get used to the smell?” Besides being a college town, Greeley was a ranching community and the smell of slaughter always lay in the wind. On gusty nights, the breeze heightened the stench. It was nothing like the salty air Chase was used to.

Kira laughed. “I suppose you do get used to it. I rarely notice it until someone points it out.”

“Then there’s hope I might survive this place yet.”

“I didn’t say that.”

Damn, he wanted to kiss that cute little smile of hers away. But he was trying to move slow. Which was a contradiction since they’d already banged.

Whatever. He was trying to focus on getting to know her. “Then why did you stay? You could go elsewhere. Or are you a Momma’s girl?”

“Shut up.” She punched his shoulder. And, despite the fact that she had a fairly good right hook, he’d tease her again just to feel more of her touch. “I couldn’t pass up the tuition. My father’s on the staff. It gives me a pretty hefty discount.”

“Daddy’s girl, then.”

“Please. No.”

He was disappointed when she didn’t slug him again.

She took a swallow of her latte. “Trust me. I’d rather be somewhere where I wasn’t under his eye all the time. I could be more myself. You know?”

“Are you taking classes in his department or something? Because, if so, transfer.”

She sighed. “Kinda hard when the entire school is his department.” Kira scrunched up her face as if hesitant to go on. “He’s the school president.”

“Oh, fuck!”
Dammit, that was crass.
“I mean, shit.”
Was that any better?
“I mean…” He took a deep breath before he said anything else stupid. “President Satchell is your father?” That couldn’t have been what she meant. “You don’t have the same last name.”

“He’s my step-dad. But he married my mom when I was a baby so he’s the only dad I’ve ever known.”

“Damn.” He scratched the back of his neck, taking in that information. “Yeah, I guess that puts you under a lot of pressure then.” President Satchell had been touted as the most conservative president the liberal school had had in years. Chase cringed at what Satchell would think if he’d known his daughter had gotten it on with him in a storage room.

Kira shared the cringe. “Tell me about it. He’s everywhere. And you think he has a conservative rep as a president you should see him as a dad.”

Everything was slipping into place. “You mean, he’s the type of father who encourages his daughter to get involved with dad approved on-campus groups. Like basket weaving and Cherry Savers.”

“There’s no basket weaving at UNC,” she giggled. “Wait, maybe there is. Anyway, it wasn’t entirely his decision that I join Cherry Savers. It seemed like a good idea as a freshman. I’m just not a freshman anymore.”

Chase shifted in his seat. Talking about her virginity seemed a little out of place considering, and, strangely, he felt guilty about it. But he was also curious. “Why did it seem like a good idea before?”

“My sister.”

That wasn’t what he was expecting. “A virginity freak?”

“Quite the opposite.” Kira sat back in her chair. “She was a bit of a slut in high school. Slept with everyone. Now she’s twenty-one with no degree, no husband, and two kids under three.”

“Ah, I see.” He frowned. “That can definitely make celibacy seem attractive.”

“It did. Now, not so much.” She smiled shyly—and did she just scan her eyes down his torso?

Maybe it was wishful thinking. So he raised a questioning brow.

“I realized that Asia’s problem was with responsibility. I mean, all my friends were having sex and none of them were getting pregnant. Asia—that’s my sister—”

“I figured.”

“She really disappointed a lot of people.” Kira’s voice was suddenly heavy. “My parents, for example. I guess I overcompensated by being the good girl.”

“Hmm.” Now that he understood her reasons for keeping her virginity for so long, Chase was confused why she’d decided to lose it.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Of course that wasn’t a question he really wanted to be asking out loud. What if she told him again that it had all been a mistake? “Nothing.”

She nudged his leg with hers under the table. “Come on. Tell me.”

“Really, it’s nothing.” But that plea in her eyes…how could he not answer her? “Okay, okay, I was just wondering what made you decide to finally give it up.”

“Then you believe me now? That I was a virgin.”

She nudged him again with her foot and he couldn’t help nudging her back. “I told you I did. Why would you lie?”

“Right?”

Now their feet were tangled together and Chase thought that was pretty dang awesome.

“So what’s the answer?” He moved his foot up and down her calf, noticing her eyes glint as he did.

“I don’t know.” She scooted forward in her chair so that now it wasn’t just their lower legs touching, but their knees. “I felt ready, I guess. Wanted to see what all the excitement was about. I was tired of feeling like I was left out of this secret club.”

“I get that.” He didn’t really. He’d lost his virginity at fifteen, the first of his friends. There was no feeling left out for Chase. He’d been the president of the secret club.

Besides, that wasn’t really what he’d been asking Kira. And now that their legs were tangled up together so intimately, he had the courage to spell his question out. “But I meant, why did you decide to give it up
to me
?”

Kira met his eyes with such an intense look that Chase felt dizzy. Jesus, that girl did a number on him. He felt so churned up inside about her that he couldn’t decide if it was a good feeling or a terrible one.

No, it was a good feeling. A really good feeling.