“My bad. I remember this phase of a new relationship, and I shouldn’t have invited myself,” Crystal said.
“David would much prefer being alone with you,” Alex said.
Everyone agreed, so Alex and Chloe took their leave to ‘celebrate.’
◊◊◊
Chloe was chuckling at her book when Matt walked up. The kid in the story had accidentally released a bunch of criminals and then tricked them back into a cell.
“I haven’t seen a smile on your face all summer,” he said in greeting.
“Just reading for pleasure for a change. What’s up?”
“I thought I would ask if you wanted to go out sometime.”
The smile left her face.
“Matt, we’re over.”
“David shared with me that the two of you aren’t officially a couple.”
“Let me stop you right there. What David and I have is none of your concern. I will say that whatever we have, I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long time. David is drama-free, and that’s what I need right now.”
“Oh,” Matt said and seemed to be trying to think what to say next.
She smiled when David walked up.
“I need to crash at your place tonight,” Crystal said to make a point to Matt.
“I just have to be in the dorm by 10:30.”
“It was nice seeing you, Matt,” she said, then turned back to David. “Let’s order in.”
David took her hand, and they walked away. When they were out of earshot, David asked, “What was he up to?”
“Closure. Now Matt has it.”
◊◊◊
“Cassidy! I’m home!” David called out as they walked into his townhouse.
“Whatever. Order some food,” Cassidy called from upstairs.
“I’d rather cook. How do steaks sound?” David asked Crystal.
“Grilled?”
“That sounds like a plan. What do you want with it?”
“Something healthy.”
David sighed but nodded.
“I’ll make a quick run to the store.”
“Get me some granola and yogurt for breakfast,” Crystal added.
“I’m leaving before Cassidy decides she needs stuff,” David said as he grabbed car keys on the counter.
Cassidy came downstairs as the back door closed.
“He ran out before you could make him buy more stuff,” Crystal shared.
Cassidy winked at her.
“Should I make him buy me tampons?”
“Probably not because God knows what he would bring back. I would tell him if you want something for tonight. He’s planning on grilling steaks.”
“I trust him to get what I like,” Cassidy said.
◊◊◊
“Don’t you think that a man cooking for his women is sexy?” David asked as he pushed back from the table to relax after their meal.
“I’m out,” Cassidy said as she gathered the dishes and went to load the dishwasher.
“Do you feel drawn to me?” Crystal asked.
His smile faded, and he looked straight at Crystal. His naughty-boy look made her feel an electric energy pass between them.
“Like a moth to a flame.”
David stood up and came to her. As he leaned down, he let his warm breath wash over her face as he scooped her from her seat. He’d literally swept her off her feet.
Her instinct was to protect herself. Seeing Matt this afternoon brought back all the hurts that hadn’t fully healed yet. That part of her wanted to resist and beat his chest with her fist and demand to be put down. She was a modern woman who could stand on her own two feet.
But his almost feral look harkened to an older time when men protected and took care of their women. The corners of his mouth twitched upward as he became amused by her inner struggle. His eyes looked as if they were daring her to resist him, as if he could read her mind and could tell all the naughty thoughts flying through it.
Her body had a mind of its own, and it had no intention of denying David his smoldering desires. She craved his touch, and she began to breathe deeply in anticipation of what was to come. The movement of her breathing drew his eyes down, where her full breasts were inching out of her tank top.
His eyes brightened when he saw her nipples signal her arousal. The look on his face was unmistakably one of satisfaction.
“I’m taking you upstairs. We’ve been apart too long, and I missed you terribly.”
She smiled at his words. That was what she’d hoped he would say.
“Take me. Make me forget every man who has come before you. Before the night is out, I want you to force me to chant your name as you make me yours,” Crystal said huskily.
David lowered his mouth and hesitated, teasing her with an expectation of what was to come.
“You’re not going to be chanting my name; you’ll scream it,” David promised and then kissed her deeply.
He carried her up the stairs and pushed his door open. He used his foot to shut it before taking her to the side of the bed. Instead of putting her down, David inched his lips close to hers. He waited, and his tongue wet his lips. She knew that David was delaying until she said the words. Until she begged for him. Until she gave herself to him completely.
He knew that Crystal was used to being in control, and she knew David wasn’t like other men she’d been with. There was no controlling the wild stallion, the rampaging bull, or the alpha wolf.
“Tell me you surrender,” David demanded as he lowered her to the bed.
Crystal shook her head ‘no.’ For the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why she was resisting him. The little voice in her head was screaming, ‘surrender!’
He sat down next to her and brushed her hair out of her eyes.
“Crystal,” David said in a profoundly sexy way that made her body scream, ‘Fool!’
He stood back up and undressed to tease her further with his magnificent body. He then reached down and unbuttoned her shorts. In a flash, he’d removed them and her underwear. He went to the foot of the bed and crawled up between her legs; they fell open on their own.
“Tell me,” David said as he inhaled her scent.
Even she could smell her arousal.
Crystal bit her inner cheek as she tried to stand firm. It was all she could do not to push her hips up to his waiting face. David blew his hot breath over her sex, and Crystal almost lost her battle. Then he began to play unfair. He ran his hands up her sides until he captured her breasts.
“Crystal,” he said again as he scooted closer, causing her legs to rest on his shoulders.
His face was all but touching her inner pleasure. Then her so-needy body decided for her, and she pushed her hips toward him. When she felt his tongue touch her, she moaned, “I surrender.”
His touch was like a sip of the sweetest water to a woman lost in a desert. She allowed him to take charge, and he knew how to lead. Their bodies danced as one when David acted as a conductor to a symphony that was her sexual being. His deft touch never missed a note. And when the crescendo reached its peak, it was glorious.
Afterward, lying in his arms, Crystal knew that she could trust David with her feelings. She was still raw from what had happened over the summer, and she realized she and David might never be more than what they were at that moment. But he was the perfect man for her right now.
◊◊◊
Chapter 58
David
The week had flown by because he’d been doing what he loved, practicing football. Today the team would scrimmage at the stadium and simulate a game day. After breakfast, the team walked over to the John McKay Center to catch buses to the recently renovated Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
When they walked into the locker room, David paused a moment to take it in. The floor was cardinal, with a stylized ‘SC’ in the center. Structural posts had been adorned with various historical data, like listing all of USC’s Rose Bowl wins. Around the outside walls were the lockers, which were modern and open. Above them, there was a large cardinal-colored band with ‘Fight On’ and ‘University of Southern California Trojans’ prominently displayed.