One True Thing (5 page)

“No,” Jenna says, glancing at me. “Not at all.”

I feel a jolt roll through my body as she looks up at me with those big brown eyes.

“Good.” I pull my backpack off my shoulder. “Can you hold this for me? That way it’s easier for you to hang on.”

“Sure,” she says, her arm bending as I hand it to her. “What have you got in here?”

“Books.”

“Ah, a scholar athlete,” she jokes, slinging it on her back.

“I have to be if I want to keep my scholarship.” I sit on the bike and flip the kickstand up. “Hang on a second while I start it.” I flip the switch and jump on the starter with my right foot as it roars to life loudly enough that several guys at the front of the bar look over. “Okay,” I say, steadying the bike with both feet. “Can you make it?”

Jenna’s wearing tiny little heeled boots and tight black pants, but she straddles the bike like she’s been doing it all her life. I didn’t anticipate the feelings that would rush through me as she presses her body against my back. It’s been so long since I’ve been this close to someone, it takes me a few seconds to regain my composure enough to set the bike in motion.

As I pull out of the parking spot, Jenna puts her arms around my waist, her hands on either side of my abs. Without thinking, I reach down and touch her hand on my stomach and she turns her head and rests one cheek against my upper back. Her thighs press against mine with every turn. I swallow hard at the feel of her body against mine and try to remind myself that this is only a ride home. I can’t get involved with Jenna—not tonight and not ever.

We turn onto the two-lane road that passes for a highway in this part of Texas and I force myself to keep the speed down, as much to make the ride last longer as to keep us both safe. I’ve given lots of girls rides before, but in San Francisco there are helmets and leather jackets zipped up tight against the cold. Riding over the gently rolling hills of Central Texas through the warm night air with nothing but our shirts between us is something else altogether.

Too soon, we’re at our building and I pull up under the parking shelter, holding the bike so that Jenna can slide off. I park it and kill the ignition, the sudden silence surrounding us in the darkness.

“Thanks,” I say, grabbing my backpack from her.

“Thank you for the ride,” she says.

It’s suddenly a little awkward between us, like her legs weren’t pressed against my thighs two minutes ago. We walk silently toward the glass door of the building and I hold it open for her like I did the other day. This time though, her eyes meet mine as she walks through and there’s a daring look in them I haven’t seen before. Instead of letting her walk ahead of me, we walk slowly up the stairs together, neither of us knowing what to say. Part of me doesn’t want this night to end and the other, smaller, rational part of me knows that to take it further wouldn’t be fair. To either of us.

We pass my apartment and I can hear the gaming system booming from the other side. Jessie’s probably not going to be finished anytime soon. I walk her to her door and we stand there for a few seconds.

“I’m glad it was you at the bar tonight,” she says.

I look down at the worn, grey carpet. “I’m glad it was you too. I’ve wanted to talk to you all year.” What am I doing here? I should tell her goodnight and walk away instead of standing here sounding like a teenager at the prom.

“Really?” She looks like she’s trying decide if that’s just a line. “Why didn’t you?”

I look back down and Jenna bites her bottom lip just slightly in a way that’s both innocent and undeniably sexy.

“I just…” I can’t look at her anymore, so I pull my eyes away and stare down the empty hallway. Why haven’t I spoken to her in almost seven months? Because I’ve spent that time becoming someone new and I can’t wreck all of that hard work. Because I’d have to tell her about all of the things that I’ve kept hidden from everyone if we got involved. Because I’d have to be honest with her—and right now I can’t be honest with anyone. “It’s complicated.”

“Oh,” she says vaguely and I know she doesn’t understand. How could she? Jenna puts the key in her door. “Do you want to come in for a minute? I’ve got a couple of beers in the fridge.”

I glance at my own front door. The one I should be walking through right about now. “I should go…”

There’s no denying the disappointment in her eyes when she looks at me and it’s painful to know what I could have here if I just take that one step forward.

“Okay,” Jenna says. She stands up on tiptoes and bends toward me, her lips grazing my cheek. My head is filled with the soft, powdery scent of her mixed with something deeper and sexier. “Thanks for the ride.” She lifts one finger and draws it down my neck slowly and that’s all it takes for me to lose every ounce of my resolve.

Before I can think about what I’m doing, I bend down and kiss her so hard that I feel the breath leave my body as I press her up against the door and lace her fingers through my own. I’m starting to get lost in the kiss when the reality of what I’m doing hits me.

“I’m sorry,” I say, taking a step back from her. The taste of her is still on my lips and I want more, so much more, but I can’t. It’s not right.

“Don’t be,” she says, grabbing my hand and pulling me closer.

But I resist, glancing away because I know if I look into her eyes I’ll lose every ounce of willpower I’m trying to summon. I can’t believe I’m about to undo everything I’ve put together these past few months. But Jenna is right here in front of me and she deserves to know the truth. “Listen…there are some things you don’t know about me…”

She looks into my eyes and I’m caught. “An STD?” she says boldly.

I wince. “No.”

“A felony? A girlfriend? A baby?”

I can’t help but laugh. In light of her guesses, maybe my secret’s not such a big deal. “No. Nothing like that.”

She grabs both of my hands and pulls me to her and every shred of resolve melts away. “Then I don’t care.”

Chapter Four (Jenna)

Ty’s arousal grows against my thigh as he presses me into the door, his lips soft and insistent as they explore mine. I shift and hear a soft moan as I grind against him. That tiny sound reverberates inside of me and makes me want him more every second. The hunger in his kiss is as palpable as the strength in his arms as he pulls me closer to him, his tongue parting my lips, his movements powerful and intense and it feels like I’m the only girl he’s ever kissed like this. I haven’t been with a guy all year and maybe it’s finally time for the drought to be over. I can trust Ty, something down deep tells me that’s true.

“Wait,” I say breathlessly, turning my key in the lock. I say a prayer and practically shout when I swing the door open and see that they’re answered. Courtney’s out. We’re alone.

Ty hesitates in the doorway, his broad shoulders filling up the entire space. “Are you sure about this?” he asks, glancing around the empty apartment.

I need to find a way back to the place we were just a few seconds ago. “I’ve never been so sure of anything,” I say, pulling him inside and kicking the door closed behind him.

Ty shakes his head with a grin on his face, but he follows me into the room. We haven’t taken more than five steps when I feel his arm around my waist pulling me close to him, his lips on the back of my neck in a way that sends a jolt of electricity up my spine. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs, working his way down my neck until I spin around to face him.

Ty pulls away again, but the hesitation’s gone. He just looks at me silently, appreciatively, his eyes penetrating every nerve ending in my body. Without a word, he slides one finger under my camisole strap and eases it down over my shoulder, bending down to brush his lips over my bare skin, before gently pulling the other one down and running his thumbs over my collarbones.

I step closer to him and tilt my head up until he bends down and his lips find mine again. I feel his hand around my back and in seconds, the zipper is undone and my camisole is in a pool of fabric at my feet. Stepping out of my top, I take his hand and lead him to my room, pull him inside and shut the door. Once inside, Ty doesn’t even glance around, just takes charge, easing me down onto the bed and trailing a finger from the base of my throat, down my stomach to the top of my pants. My breast fills his hand perfectly as he caresses it, bending down to pull the nipple into his mouth. My body is throbbing with his tongue on my skin and I can feel wetness spreading downward as he strokes my stomach with his free hand. Propping himself up on his arms, he kisses the space between my breasts, his tongue tasting my skin as he works his way down my body.

I put my hand under his shirt, feeling the warmth of his skin and the rippling contours of his muscles. I want to see him, all of him, and Ty smiles as I lift his shirt over his head and toss it on the floor. I try not to react, but he really is a perfect specimen. What I felt under there was nothing compared to the sculpted definition that’s the result of countless hours of workouts and batting practice. Aside from some fine, blond hairs on his arms, his skin is totally smooth, marked only by a few tattoos that wind their way around his muscular upper arms and shoulders. He’s not smiling anymore, just watching me watch him with those translucent green eyes. I reach for the button of his jeans, but he grabs my wrist and pulls both arms over my head holding them loosely and I understand. I can look, but not touch.

Instead, Ty’s tongue works its way down my chest again, one hand slipping between my thighs. I can feel him hesitate, but I don’t stop him, the sensation of his fingers on me sending shivers through my entire body. Slowly he dips his hand into the waistband of my pants and then slides it down until his fingers meet the lace of my panties. I’m already wet, and I’m sure he can tell as he starts to stroke me through the fabric, but I’m quickly losing all control. My body arches up to meet his fingers as they find the perfect rhythm and I grind against his hand as the wave starts deep inside of me, building and crashing until I curl against him, still trembling from the force of the orgasm.

Ty’s smiling as I open my eyes to look at him. I should feel embarrassed, exposed from losing control in front of him, but I don’t.

“You’re beautiful,” he says, nuzzling my neck.

“So are you,” I say, the reality of so many months of wanting him far exceeding anything I could have imagined. I run my finger down his thigh again, but he reaches out to stop me.

“Don’t start something that you can’t finish,” he says.

I grin at him. “What if I want to finish it?”

Ty groans. “You’re not making this easy.”

I kiss him again, my tongue parting his lips and my hand caressing the bulge in his jeans. I know we should wait, that Ty’s the one making sense here, but more than anything I’d love to see his jeans on my floor and his body in my bed.

Ty pushes against me for a few seconds before he moves out of reach. “You’re dangerous.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“Not bad at all.” He runs his finger over the curve of my lip. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long.”

I can’t help but smile at that. It feels like he actually means it. “Seriously?”

“Seriously. From the first minute I saw you in the hallway months ago.”

I shake my head. “I don’t believe that.”

He shifts a little on the bed. “You were wearing black leggings and a tiny pink t-shirt and carrying a red chair up the stairs with a blond girl.”

“That was right after we moved in,” I say, knowing that I’ve been wanting him for just as long. I tuck myself into the curve of his body, my ear to his chest, tracing the tattoo on his left arm with my finger. It’s a mask of some kind with a tribal feel. “Does this mean anything?”

He glances down at the design. “Not really. I just liked it.”

“It suits you.”

“You don’t have any tattoos do you?”

“Nope—doesn’t really work with the whole ballet thing. I only have one hole in each ear too.” I look down at my unmarked skin wondering what Madame would do if I got a huge, visible tattoo. “Do you think I should get some?”

Ty runs a hand up the length of my spine, his fingers tracing each bump. “No. You’re absolutely perfect the way you are.” The funny thing is, in his hands, I almost feel perfect.

I don’t say anything, just keep one hand on his chest and listen to his steady breathing. We must have both fallen asleep because the next thing I hear is Courtney coming in the front door. I listen to her move around the apartment as I watch Ty sleep. Even relaxed, the muscles on his chest stand out and his full, perfect lips make me want to kiss him all over again.

Courtney runs the water in the bathroom, then I hear her shuffle down the hall and shut her door. The sound wakes Ty, and he twitches and stretches, trying to figure out where he is.

“Mmm,” he sighs. “What time is it?”

I glance at my phone. “Almost two.”

He kisses me quickly then sits up in bed and reaches for his clothes. “I should go.”

I turn on my side and watch him, tracing his back with my fingernail. “You don’t have to.”