“Stay with me tonight,” he shouted in my ear, over the sound of fans screaming for an encore.
When I’d bought the tickets, the plan had been I’d crash at Lilith’s place after the concert was over. I hadn’t told my mom that had changed, so she wasn’t expecting me until tomorrow morning. And although I hadn’t gotten the invite from Greg until now, I’d prepared for it. I’d packed an overnight bag, tossed it in my passenger seat, and parked my car outside Lilith’s house.
Just in case, she’d lectured me earlier today, the opportunity presents itself.
He peered at me with a hopeful expression, waiting on my answer, and when I nodded quickly, a thrill shot through me. I’d never really spent the night with a man. Sure, I’d slept over in Preston’s room a few times in college, but it was on a futon, and his roommate was there. It wasn’t the same. This was how adults did it, and I was eager for Greg to see me as an equal.
Our Uber driver was a nice guy, but so talkative, Greg and I could barely get two words in edge-wise once we crawled into the back seat. My phone vibrated in my purse, and I dug it out.
Greg: Want to go for a midnight swim?
I grinned and thumbed out a response. Meanwhile, the driver continued to tell us his thoughts about the Titans’ chances in the upcoming football season.
Cassidy: What if I didn’t pack a swimsuit?
I stared at Greg across the darkened back seat, and his expression left me breathless. He looked wickedly sexy, even as his gaze dropped down to the glowing phone in his hands.
Greg: Did you?
Cassidy: Yeah.
Greg: Good. It’ll be fun to take it off.
The anticipation was so hot, my face burned a thousand degrees.
I changed into my black string bikini in Greg’s bathroom and twisted my hair up into a bun high on my head. He’d put on his trunks in his bedroom and then had gone to get us drinks, telling me through the door to meet him poolside when I was ready.
It was almost midnight, but still hot outside. The humidity was domineering, and the bugs in the woods beyond the fence were noisy, buzzing in cycles that ebbed and flowed. The exterior lights on the side of the house weren’t on, but soft, yellowy light streamed down on the pool from the enormous windows overhead. And the deep end of the kidney-shaped pool glowed from the underwater lamp.
Two folded towels were stacked on the edge of one of the lounge chairs, and my gaze drifted across the stone patio until I found Greg, hunched over one of the skimmers, replacing the lid. As he straightened, I traced every sexy muscle on his strong back. They corded and flexed when he strolled to the table and retrieved two bottles of beer, each sleeved in a koozie with the hospital logo printed on the side.
He turned.
Jesus, it was unbearably hot the way he looked at me. His gaze started at my eyes and then poured down my body, lingering over my breasts, my waist, my thighs. When he reached my ankles, his gaze started back up, moving even slower. His Adam’s apple bobbed with a hard swallow, and his expression oozed lust and sin.
It took every last bit of my strength to stop myself from yanking the beer bottles from his hands, tossing them to ground, and leaping on him. I’d wanted a lot of things in my life. Getting into a good school. Someday becoming a veterinarian. Maybe even a father who gave a fuck about me. But I’d never wanted anything as badly as I wanted Greg right now.
“I figured beer instead of wine.” His smug smile was reflected in his voice. He held out one of the bottles, and I padded over, taking it from him. “Cheers,” he said, clinking the necks of our bottles together. “Thanks for asking me to go with you. I’m sorry I was late.”
I nodded. “I get it.” He’d told me between acts at the concert that one of his patients had developed a nasty post-op infection, and the call had been a lengthy deliberation between doctors on how to handle it. It really put my annoyance at waiting for him in perspective. I took a long drink of my beer. “I mean, it was literal life and death, right?”
“Yeah, but—”
“Then I can wait. I’m not that important.”
Greg froze mid-sip, and then lowered his bottle. “Don’t say that. Of course, you’re important.”
I squirmed on the inside. “Yeah, I know. I just meant in your list of priorities at that moment.”
“It couldn’t be helped, but, Cassidy, you should know I was looking forward to tonight all week.”
He looked so damn sincere, I momentarily worried my knees would give out. I sucked in a deep breath, but my voice went shallow, regardless. “Me too.”