When You're Ready (25 page)

“Scout…” she breathed, shuddering at the new sensation between her thighs. “I’m going to…” she stopped and moaned louder when I added another finger, “I’m…I’m going to fall,” she stammered.

“Don’t worry, baby, I won’t let that happen. I got you.”

I hooked one of Nola’s legs over my shoulders, and then the other, holding her against the wall. I lifted her higher so her thighs were in line with my mouth, then I plunged my tongue into her delicious middle, lapping up her juices. Nola’s legs tightened around my back as I licked, nibbled, and slurped her up, using my tongue to massage her g-spot with each flick. Nola pressed her hips further into my mouth and I drank her up willingly until her whole body began to tremble in pleasure.

“Scout…you have to stop,” she panted, “please, baby. You have to stop. I’m gonna...”

Nola’s body jerked violently, causing her to double over and grip my neck. I helped her to her feet, ready to carry her to the bed to get some rest, but she stopped me.

“Inside,” she whispered in my ear. “I want to feel you inside of me.”

“Baby it’s late and you’ve been working on your paper all day.”

“Scout, please,” she begged, almost causing my dick to burst right then. “Please…” She wrapped one of her legs around mine and leaned back against the wall. “Scout—“

Before she could say another word I plunged into her warmth, inhaling deeply and stroking her slowly so I wouldn’t come too quickly. Nola’s pussy was tight and moist, hugging my dick so perfectly it felt like she was made just for me.

She hoisted her other leg up, wrapping herself around my waist as I dove deeper into her. Nola nipped my neck, then kissed the flesh just behind my ear before biting it hard, driving me fucking insane.

We crashed against the wall, hips rocking and voices growing louder with each thrust. I felt close to the edge, but I didn’t want our dance to end; it felt too fucking good.

“Turn around,” I growled into her neck.

Nola’s feet slid to the ground and I flipped her over before slipping into her from behind. I palmed her breasts as I stroked her pussy, using my thumb to strum her g-spot. She screamed then, getting louder and louder each time I pounded into her and I could feel her body quake again. I picked up the pace, hammering into her delicious middle, sensing we were both close to our peak.

Nola curved backward, allowing me to dive even deeper into her sweet spot.  She grabbed my head, bringing my face to her neck and my mouth to her ear.

“I love you,” she moaned, her whole body convulsing around my dick. “Scout…I love you,” she said over and over, and that was all I needed to explode.

We collapsed against the wall, sliding to the floor of the shower, which felt more like a sauna. Nola’s hair was big and wild, like Chaka Khan in the ‘70s, and she looked like a goddess—or what I imagined a goddess looked like—her golden skin glistening under the dim lights.

I cradled Nola in my lap as the hot water rained down on us, pruning our skin. But in that moment, we were too spent to move and too happy to care about anything other than each other.

27
Nola

“What’s all this?” Scout asked, just as I was finishing up a skillet of fluffy scrambled eggs.

“Breakfast!” I called; slightly miffed he’d ruined my surprise. Scout had been so wonderful to me—letting me stay in his place, tending to my every need, and setting by whole body alight
again and again
—and I wanted to return the favor.

“But how? I used up all the eggs and milk trying to make pancakes the other day.”

I pulled out a couple of plates and took the eggs off the stove. “You live in a
really
nice neighborhood, Scout. The stores around here deliver.”

“And you bought all this?” he said, popping a piece of mango in his mouth.

“Yup!” I piled pancakes, bacon, eggs, potatoes, and fruit on a plate and set it in front of Scout. “And I’m making you dinner too.”

He gazed at the food, surprised, then came around the countertop and lowered his lips to mine. “Wow. How the hell did I get so lucky?”

“Karma?” I said, enjoying the way I felt in his arms.

“Nah, I’m pretty sure that isn’t it. I don’t have enough
good
karma built up to deserve all of this.” Scout kissed me again, looked around at the spread, and turned back toward me, “Or you.”

I wondered the same thing. I didn’t understand how I was blessed enough to find a guy like Scout, especially when I wasn’t even looking. The first guy I’d ever allowed to get close to my heart had swept me off my feet and showed me that love—the thing I’d been so terrified of for years—was not only possible, but totally
AH-MAY-ZING
. I knew nobody was perfect, but Scout was dammed close, and I scarcely thought I deserved
him
. He was everything I wanted in a man, and everything I thought only existed in sappy movies. But Scout was real, and it almost felt like he was made just for me.

I wrapped my arms around his sturdy waist and inhaled. Scout smelled manly and fresh, like a brand new bar of Zest soap. “Better eat up,” I said, unable to stop myself from placing a kiss on his neck. “You still have a few more conference calls, right?”

Scout rested his chin on the top of my head. “Just two, then I can take you to campus to drop off your paper.”

“And to the Verizon store so I can get up a new phone since mine is broken.”

Scout saddled up to his breakfast and grinned, rubbing his hands together before he dug in.

“What happened to it?”

“Umm, you broke it.”

His head snapped up. “I did?”

“You don’t remember? You threw it across the room right before you kissed me for the first time. It shattered and everything.”

“Oh shit,” he chuckled, looking way too cute in his tank top and shorts. “I’m sorry, baby.”

“It’s okay. It was super old anyway, but I was hoping it would last a little longer. Phones are so expensive these days, you know?”

“Well, I’ll buy you a new one,” he said, shoveling a forkful of potatoes into his mouth.

“Scout—“ I sighed. I still wasn’t sure I was comfortable letting him buy me things, especially expensive stuff like hi-tech phones or college tuition.

“Relax, Nola. I broke your phone, it’s only right I replace it. I’m not forcing it on you, okay? But it’s sort of how things work.”

He had a point. If I would’ve broken something of his I would have felt obligated to replace it as well, so I guess accepting a phone from Scout wasn’t such a big deal.

“Fine. I’ll let you buy me another one. But nothing fancy, okay?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Baby unless you can travel back in time, all the phones are pretty fancy these days.”

“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes playfully, but I knew he was right. Truth be told, I was itching to trade in my beat-up Blackberry for a sleek smartphone, but letting Scout buy it for me felt…weird. I knew I was being silly—it was just a phone, not a million dollars—but the idea of letting someone else foot the bill for me still made me uneasy.

I pushed my ambivalence aside and reminded myself that Scout was my boyfriend, not some random guy off the street. If I couldn’t let him buy me something as small as a phone without freaking out, maybe I wasn’t ready for this type of commitment. Letting him go wasn’t an option, so I needed to learn to deal, and fast, before I messed things up.

“Speaking of phones,” I said, changing the subject. “Can I use yours? I need to check in with my job to see when I’m on the schedule.”

Scout’s eyes darkened and I saw his jaw tighten, but he didn’t say a word. Instead he reached into his pocket and slid his iPhone across the counter.

I pushed a button and tried to get it to work, but I couldn’t; it was locked. “I think you have to put in your password,” I said, starting to hand it back.

“You do it, I’m eating.”

I tilted my head to the side. “You’re gonna give me your password?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, why not?”

Now, I might have been inexperienced when it came to relationships, but I knew letting your girlfriend have your phone password was a big effing deal. I’d heard stories of girls on campus trying to hack into their boyfriend’s phone to see what he was
really
up to, but a guy volunteering the code himself? Completely unheard of.

“Most guys are pretty protective of things like that. What if I scroll through your pictures?” I joked. “I mean, I don’t want to see any evidence of sexting.” I giggled, and then shuddered for dramatic effect.

Scout was gorgeous—
and rich
—so there was bound to be a few naked pictures of overeager, busty women on his phone, right? I wanted to give him a chance to delete any incriminating evidence before I saw it, but Scout wouldn’t take the hint.

“There’s nothing to see,” he said, chowing down on his pancakes.

I cocked an eyebrow. “Already sanitized it, eh?”

Scout chuckled. “I got that phone right after we met. I knew you were special, and I knew I didn’t want any ghosts of Christmas Past showing up to ruin my chance with you. Nobody has that number but you and my boys.”

“Nobody?” I was shocked; how was this even possible?

“Nobody.”

“Wow,” I said, just above a whisper.

I certainly wasn’t ready for
that
. Every time I thought Scout couldn’t get any more perfect, he’d do something so-over-the-top romantic it felt surreal. This time he’d gone and changed his phone number,
for me,
before we’d even gone out. How the hell was I supposed to top that?

I walked around to Scout’s side of the counter and wrapped my arms around his neck. “You’re amazing, you know that?” I planted a kiss on his syrupy sweet lips and gazed into his eyes. “You sure you’re not an actor? Because you’re behaving like one of those awesomely perfect guys from a rom-com.”

“Nope,” he said, meeting my lips again, “I just don’t want to mess this up. You’re the best thing to ever happen to me, Nola.”

“See what I mean? That’s the
perfect
thing to say. Are you reading from a script?”

He pulled me into his lap and I straddled his legs. “Yup, the one in here,” he said, placing my hand over his heart. “Want to hear the next line?”

I nodded, but I couldn’t even breathe, let alone speak.

“Move in with me,” he said, staring in my eyes like his whole life depended on it. “This week has been great, Nola. I’ve never even had a woman in this house before, but having you here made me realize that I never want you to leave.
Ever
. Move in with me, baby, please?”

I gazed into Scout’s big brown eyes and a million thoughts raced through my head: Was it
way too soon? Did we even know each other well enough? Was I ready to trade in my freedom and live with a man? Would I turn into my mother?

Amid the chatter in my brain there was one question that continued to edge out all of the doubt, fear, and excitement.

Why not?

28
Scout

I’m not sure what came over me. I had just reminded myself that I needed to slow the hell down and give Nola some space so I wouldn’t freak her out, but then I’d gone and asked her to move in with me. I was hoping she would agree, but the look on her face told me I completely fucked up.

I wish I could blame my impulsiveness on the food coma I’d eaten myself into as a result of the feast Nola made for me. After all, it had been so long since I had a home-cooked meal that I could have written the entire episode off as temporary insanity brought on by too many pancakes, but I knew that wasn’t it. I wanted Nola to move in with me the moment I told the doctor I’d look after her, and having her in my home was just confirmation.

My house was spacious and modern, but a bit too cold. While it was a designer’s dream and looked like it was ripped from the pages of a magazine, Nola made it feel like a real home. The way she fluttered about my space leaving clothes and books and coffee cups in her wake made the whole place feel comfortable and lived-in, and I didn’t want to give that up.

Growing up, home was a chaotic place filled with arguments, drug-fueled parties, drinking, and abuse that never seemed to end. Peace and quiet didn’t exist at my parents’ place, so I escaped to the streets, spending hours at my friends’ houses or in getting into trouble with other knuckleheads. When I finally moved out of that hell-hole at 17 I promised myself that my home would always be my own personal sanctuary, but I didn’t realize how fucking lonely I was until Nola popped up and showed me what I’d been missing. Now, I hoped I hadn’t screwed it up.

We walked into Rolfe Hall and took the stairs to the second floor on our way to the Communication Studies department. When we got to the office, Nola let go of my hand and began smoothing her curls behind her ears like she wanted to make a good impression. Of course, it wasn’t necessary; she already looked
great
.

“Relax,” I leaned down and whispered in her ear while she fussed with her hair. “You’re just dropping the paper off, right? Not getting ready for a date.”