The Perfect Emotion (27 page)

“No, I do, I want this. I want this because it’s with you. And because I feel good like this in your hands,” I say as confident as I feel.

“Good baby, just promise you’ll tell me if it’s too much.”  He’s already pulling back and his hands have moved into my folds positioning me just right.  He enters me from behind and I instantly feel the difference in this position.  I bite down on my bottom lip and suppress a groan.  It feels tighter and I feel even closer to him.  He moves himself into me further and I push my hands against the wall to keep myself from hitting my head.  “Yes, Katherine just like that, brace yourself.”

He rears back and then thrusts into me hard and fast. It’s deep and pulsating, which causes me to moan out “Oh God”. This increases Reed’s speed and the rising feeling of warmth and tingling nerves spreads over me. His hands hold onto my hips and breasts pinching my nipples every so often. I can feel my urge to find release and know it’s coming soon.

“You ready, baby?” He asks as his fingers find their way back down and over my most sensitive area. Lightly he moves them in time with his thrusting and soon I’m right on the cusp of ecstasy.

“Y-yes… please … Reed, Reed, Reed,” I beg out and then my vision blurs and my body’s pent up desire spreads through me as Reed falls in suit releasing himself into me.  He murmurs how good I feel and look from behind me.  Then he lies gently against my back holding me up by my waist, but I start to slowly lose my control to hold myself up.  My legs and arms are weak.  Reed moves us around and down onto the bottom of the shower floor so that I am sitting with my back against him in between his legs.  The shower beats down on our legs keeping the warmth on us and when Reed’s hands wrap around me I snuggle myself into his chest listening to the rapid beat of his heart.  

We lie in this position until the water starts to run cool, neither of us wanting to let go of the other.  We keep our hands roaming over each other even as they prune.  Finally, we stand and Reed takes time to wash my body again and then my hair.  I do the same for him and then we get out of the shower.  He pulls out two towels from the linen closet and drapes one around me.  It feels like the softest richest cotton I’ve ever felt, maybe it’s pashmina. He kisses my nose before he wraps a towel around his waist. The way his longer strands hang around his face dripping with water remind me of when we play tennis. He looks deliciously sexy, like always.

Before we exit the bathroom he checks to make sure no one else is in the house.  Once in his bedroom we both dress.  I put on my yoga pants, tank and a hoodie.  Reed throws on jeans and a long sleeved T-shirt.  It’s funny how he can go from a sleek suit to jeans and look just as good.  I continue with my routine while he lays on his bed with a book, but I catch him eying me.  Brushing my hair out I regret that I forgot a hair dryer and decide to wrap it up in the towel to help it dry faster.  Reed laughs at my new display and tells me he could go look around for a dryer, but I tell him not to bother.  I finish up by putting on my face cream and a little make-up.

“You don’t need that,” Reed says with his book in his lap.

“Huh?  Make-up?”  I question him.

“Yeah, you don’t need any. I like you all natural. You are beautiful either way.” I laugh at him.

“Please, yes I do.  Really I don’t use that much except when Quinn get her hands on me.” I make my way over to him and straddle his lap while laughing.

“Well, don’t do it for me because I like to see this beautiful face without it just fine,” he says with his hands cupping my cheeks.  We kiss and let our tongues explore all the dips, grooves and ridges of our mouths.  When Reed pulls back from me his eyes sear into mine not allowing me to look anywhere but into the depths of his ocean blues. 

“You okay with what happened in the shower?” I close my eyes wanting to hide into the pillows, but his hands are still cupping my cheeks forcing me to stay in front of him. My neck heats and then my cheeks flush. “Don’t be embarrassed, Kate. I just want to make sure it wasn’t too much.”

“I’m okay with it… I actually liked it,” I whisper and then open my eyes again. “Did you like it?”

“You’re kidding, right? Yes, God, more than liked, baby, but I’ll be honest I prefer to have you when I can look into your eyes and see your beautiful face.” My breath hitches and my pulse races at these words. The embarrassment starts to fade and I push myself through his hands to bury my face into his neck hugging him tightly. His arms curve around and hug me just as tightly.

After snuggling we head out to grab breakfast at a bagel shop on campus.  I order a coffee with a flavored creamer and a plain bagel with cream cheese.  Reed gets the same, but he takes his coffee with only a little cream.  We talk about our schedules for the week and what we want to do today.  When I tell him my schedule I leave out my weekly therapy session with my mom.  We’ve talked and dealt with many things during our relationship, but I’m just not sure how to approach this one yet.  I look at my phone and see a few text messages from my friends that are already back on campus.  I smile when I see Derek’s goofy text and when I look up I meet Reed’s stern and questioning eyes.

“Is it Kyle?”

“No, just my friends, Derek, Maggie and Quinn are back at the dorms.”

“Ok, you’ll tell me if it’s Kyle though, right?” I bite down on my bottom corner of my lip for a mere second and then stop. “I’m just worried that’s all. Promise you’ll tell me.”

“I promise,” I tell him and then smile at him and lean over to put my hand on top of his.  Soon his fingers hold onto my pinky.  Lightness takes over my chest and I breathe easily. 

“Derek’s with Kelly, right?” He asks with a squint in his eyes and his face pursed. I giggle because I know where he is going with this.

“Yes, stop Reed, we are just friends, I promise.”  He chuckles and then pulls me from my chair to sit on his lap.  We kiss a little more passionately than we should in public, but there really isn’t anyone in here yet. 

“I just want to make sure that he knows you are mine and that he knows he doesn’t have a chance,” he says in between our kisses.

“Yours, hmmmmm,” I tease him.

“Yes, baby all mine now.”

“Okay, I guess if you insist.” I pull back from our kiss and bat my eyelashes innocently.

“You bet I do,” he says with a grin and pinches my ass causing me to jump up and squeal. 

We walk back to his house, but I tell him I want to head over to the dorms because I want to catch up with everyone, especially Maggie. I don’t like the thought of separating from him and neither does he, but we agree to play tennis later tonight. I pack up my stuff and glance back at the neatly picked up room loving the memory of last night that flashes before my eyes. Reed walks me back holding my hand and carrying my bag. On the way to my room my heart starts to feel heavy, but then when I open my door and see Maggie, comfort spreads through me. Maggie is unpacking her things, but throws her folded shirt once she sees me.

“Mags!” I screech and run to her.  We hug and spin around.  She has a little color to her normally fair pale skin.

“Kate! Yeah!  I’ve missed you!”  She says and then stops as she takes in Reed’s presence in the doorway.  “Reed, hey there!”  She practically runs over to him and hugs him and then kisses his cheek.  He chuckles as he hugs her back. 

“How was your spring break? Did you two get to see each other? Dude, Reed, what happened to your lip?” Maggie fires off like a firecracker full of curiosity. Reed raises his eyebrows while looking at me. He strides across the dorm room to reach me and latches onto my hands pulling me to him. He kisses my forehead and the imprint of his lips lingers across my skin.

“I’ll let you handle this,” he says with a chuckle.  “I’ll come get you for tennis later.”  We kiss on the lips and I lean into him to deepen it.  Running his hands up my back and then down he gives me a teasing little pinch on my ass.  Then he turns to head out the door.  He says goodbye to Maggie and winks at me on his way out.  I stare out at him with a grin plastered across my face. 

“Okay, spill it girlfriend, I need to know every little detail!”  Maggie encourages.  She’s ruthless with me sometimes, but I love her for it.  I always feel comfortable opening up to her.  Plus I know she has had a big part in bringing Reed and I back together.  She’s been Reed’s biggest fan. 

While Maggie unpacks all her stuff I tell her everything about spring break.  I start out by telling her about my time with my mom and how I think that things are really starting to turn around for us.  She’s happy to hear about my mom, but pushes me along to get to Reed.  I tell her all about the texts, roses and the surprise first visit down to see me.  I pause when I get to the part about running into Kyle, but I push on and tell her about my dinner out with the girls from tennis.  The sound of Maggie cracking her knuckles spikes a shiver across my arms just like nails on a chalkboard as I tell her about Kyle following me to my car and what he said.  I don’t miss the word “Bastard” that she mumbles under her breathe.  Just like always Kyle’s name makes her swear like a truck driver.  I explain how I called Reed right away, but didn’t get to talk to him until the next day.  The smile she beams at me when I tell her this makes me realize that even Maggie knows that is huge progress for me.  When I give her all the gory details of the fight her face settles in awe and it’s obvious she’s shocked, but extremely pleased with Reed’s meeting with Kyle.  Of course she even agrees with my dad and Reed that I should file a restraining order, but she doesn’t press the issue. 

“Sooooo, did you two get it on at your parents or wait until last night?” Maggie says while wiggling her eyebrows at me. I laugh, but look away. “Oh, no you don’t! Don’t play shy with me, Kate!” I throw my pillow off my bed at her head before I fall back and hide my face.

“Reed insisted we wait until last night,” I say into my comforter. 

“Now, who would have thought my sweet roomie didn’t want to wait.  Atta girl!”  Lifting my head up I watch Maggie move to the closet to hang up another shirt and realize that something is a little off in her demeanor.  She’s still sassy and full of spunk, but she’s a little fidgety.

“So, your vacation was good? Did you miss B?”

“Mmm hmm, yeah, it was good.  I wish it was longer than just four days though.”  I can tell she is avoiding talking about Brandon.  Throughout their relationship they’ve done a lot of on again off again, but I know when they left for break they were on again.  “I don’t know it was different.”

“What about Brandon?  You didn’t answer me.”  When her eyes glance over at me they look glassy and she quickly turns around to cover herself.  “I-I don’t’ know-,” before she can continue our door flies open and Derek walks in. 

“Hey ladies, how was break?” Derek catches us off guard, but we both hop over to him to hug him. He squeezes us both tightly and I catch Maggie’s eyes and notice a small amount of moisture across her eyelashes. She pulls herself together though. It’s evident that this is something more complicated and I know she won’t want Derek in on this. Derek and Brandon are really close.

“Good, really good, how was your break?”  I step back from him and when we smile at each other a warmth spreads over me.  The ease of our friendship has become something I cherish.  His eyes roam my face searching for more clarification.  “Reed came down to see me,” I say timidly. 

“Oh wow, that’s serious!”  He says and gives me a slight push on my shoulder teasing me. 

Maggie jumps in saying, “I know, can you believe it?”  She’s smiling, but I can see it’s not the normal light up the room smile she has plastered on her face.  I need to get Derek out to finish our conversation.

“Shut up, it is serious!” I dish it back to Derek, but then his face softens and his lips quirk up. “What?” I question him.

“Nah, nothing… he’s good, right?”

“Derek, do you think I’d let him be anything but good?” Maggie throws out over her shoulder as she moves to go into the bathroom.

“Nope, I sure don’t Mags,” he laughs through his answer.  “Hey, when does Brandon get back?”  He says through the closed door of the bathroom.  It’s quiet for a moment and I know that something is not right.  This is more than some silly spat between Maggie and Brandon. 

“Later, I’m not really sure,” Maggie’s saddened voice drifts through the wooden door. I look at Derek and can see that he’s as baffled as I am. I move over to the bathroom door and knock lightly.

“Mags, do you want to talk?”  She doesn’t answer.  Luckily, I don’t have to tell Derek that I’ll talk to him later.

“I’ll catch up with you later.  Good to see you, Kate.  I missed you.  Pizza this week?”

“Yea, of course.  I’ll come down in a bit.”  I close the door after Derek makes his way out and lock it for good measure.  Pressing my ear to the bathroom door I listen for Maggie and don’t hear anything.  I’m relieved that she isn’t crying.

“Maggie, you can open up?  It’s just me now.  Please talk to me.” 

“I don’t think I can look at you,” my mouth starts to dry as I wait for her to continue. “I don’t want you to be mad at me or disappointed. I screwed up. Bad.”