Young Love (Bloomfield #4) (4 page)

What other facets of her personality were there? Did she have a passionate side? What did Honor Jacobs look like all soft and needy?

Fuck. I needed to get out of here.

Honor was still talking to my niece as if she were the most interesting person in the room. I left them to find my sister.

“What’s wrong?” Jillian said, turning to me. Her eyes kept moving over my face.

“Nothing. Why?”

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something.”

“I’m fine,” I said, shrugging off her comment. “I just have to head out. Let Jeanie know I say bye.”

“Okay.” She stepped forward and gave me a quick hug. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, Jilly. I’ll talk to you later this week.”

She nodded. “Thanks for coming. This means a lot to her. To me too.”

“Any time,” I said, meaning it.

I left, not looking over my shoulder as I did. I was afraid if I looked at her again, I wouldn’t want to leave. And I really had to.

I needed to get Honor out of my mind and get my head on straight. What I really needed was a night out, and something - or someone - to distract me.

I made some calls and headed home to get some sketching done before the guys and I were meeting up.

***

We fumbled our way into my apartment, our mouths clumsily moving together. Kelly pulled at my shirt, so I leaned back, letting her slip it over my head. I made quick work of the tiny dress she wore.

“I’ve missed you, Grey,” she breathed into my ear as I kissed my way up her throat.

Gripping her hips, I maneuvered us into my bedroom, easing her onto the mattress. Kelly wiggled out of her underwear while I rid myself of my jeans and rolled a condom over my hard cock.

She waited for me, licking her lips as she eyed me. Kelly and I had hooked up a couple of times, so I knew what she liked. There was an understanding between us whenever we got together. Except all night she’d been saying things that were unusual for her. Such as her recent comment about missing me.

I’d ignored them all, but now as I held myself above her, I could see the familiar gleam in her eyes that told me maybe this was starting to mean more to her than it did to me.

It made me pause. The last thing I wanted was to lead someone on. Especially someone like Kelly who was a friend.

Her hands pulled at me though, and I gave in, pushing any concerns to the back of my mind. Sinking into her slowly, I lowered my upper body over her as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

“I need you, baby,” she said. “Only you make me feel this good.”

Shit. What was I getting myself into?

Shaking my head, I started to move, fast and hard, just how she liked. It didn’t take long until I felt her spasm around me. I came shortly after, rolling to the side.

Kelly snuggled up against me as I stared at the ceiling. That was...unfulfilling. Fuck. Usually a good romp with someone was enough to get some pent up energy out, but now I just felt emptier than before.

Kelly propped herself up, looking down at me. “Grey? I want to talk to you about something.”

Her fingers were stroking up and down my chest and it was starting to annoy me.

I shifted, hooking my arm under my head. “Yeah? What about?”

“I was wondering if maybe you’d like to be exclusive? With each other?” She said with a nervous smile.

My eyebrows shot up. “What, like boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“Well, I don’t know. Maybe down the road, yeah.” She sat up now, straightening her hair. “I know you’re not one for relationships, but I just thought, we have fun together so why not? We can start with just seeing each other and go from there.”

I looked away from her, searching for an answer. This was awkward, and not at all where I pictured the night going.

“Just think about it,” she said. “We could be really good together. We get along great and the sex is amazing.”

“I don’t know, Kelly,” I said, rubbing a hand down my face.

“Can’t you just think about it?” She pleaded.

“I’m not into drama,” I said.

She instantly held up both hands. “There won’t be. I’ll prove it to you, we’ll be great together.”

I supposed out of all the girls I saw regularly, Kelly was the coolest. It’s why I went back to her so often. But considering how empty I felt after sleeping with her tonight, I wasn’t sure getting into a relationship with her was the best idea.

Then again, maybe it was time I found someone to settle down with. Coming home to an empty apartment every night was getting old. And a lot of my friends were starting to settle down.

The idea of doing that with Kelly though didn’t necessarily feel
right
. Maybe I was just being stubborn and stuck in my ways. Shit, I didn’t know what I was doing when it came to this stuff. I told her I’d think about, which got me a squeal and a second climax that was just as unfulfilling as the first one. I ushered her out soon after. It’s not like I was going to change overnight.

Chapter 5

Honor

This was it.

My very first apartment away from home. No Mom, no Auntie Grace, no Perrie.

Just me.

I took a deep breath in and frowned. The place smelled old and musty. It was time to set to work. Setting up my iPod dock and speakers first was imperative. As soon as that was done, I cranked the music and started cleaning.

Having my own space was more amazing than I imagined. Yes, the place was small and needed a little love. But it was my place. I was stuck inside on a weekend cleaning and organizing like a mad woman. But I was cleaning
my
space.

There was something about that fact that made it actually enjoyable. I danced around and sang at the top of my lungs, and no one was there to tell me to shut up. What could be better than that?

By the time dinner time came around, I was starving and almost done. I needed to start in with my bedroom, but at least the sitting area and kitchen were done. I stood back with my hands on my hips and smiled.

Not too shabby, Honor Jacobs.

Mom and I had bought me a small sectional from Ikea, along with a coffee and side table. My TV was small, but it worked, and I didn’t watch much television anyway.

The kitchen didn’t have room for a table, but we’d gotten some nice stools to sit up against the counter. It looked great, in my opinion. I threw a blanket over the back of the couch, and straightened the rug beneath the table.

Flicking on the table lamp, I took another look around and gave myself a proud nod. Perfect.

There wasn’t much room for me to practice my routine, but it would be easy enough to push back the furniture. I’d washed the windows and vacuumed off the curtains. The place was as clean as it was going to get.

The apartments on campus probably would have been newer, but I liked this one. It was still close to school, and close to the studio, but cheaper. Cheaper was good. I didn’t make a ton working at the studio, and I wouldn’t have time to pick up a second job.

A knock on the door had me jumping in surprise. Turning down the music, I went to open it, checking through the peephole first.

“Hey, girl,” I said, opening the door.

Cat smiled widely, waltzing in. “Hey, Billy Elliot.”

I shut the door behind her, groaning. “Don’t you start. I just got away from that nickname.”

She laughed. “You’ll never get away from it. Not with Perrie around.” She walked into the sitting area and looked around before turning to me. “It looks great in here!”

I smiled. “Thanks.”

“Have you been cleaning all day?”

I nodded. “I like to be organized.”

She glanced around again. “Apparently,” she muttered. Facing me, she said, “We were going to order some pizza, so I thought maybe you’d like to come over and partake?”

My stomach growled loudly just then.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” she said with a laugh.

“It’s a yes,” I said. “Let me just grab a quick shower and I’ll be right over.”

“Okay. Do you have any preferences for your pizza?”

“Nope. Whatever you get will be fine by me.” I hurried into the kitchen and grabbed my wallet, pulling out a ten. “Here.”

She waved me off. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. Heading to the door, she opened it and threw me a quick wink. “I’m not the one paying, so I’m definitely sure.”

I laughed as she shut the door behind her. Typical Cat. It was probably her brother paying. Shaking my head, I went into the bedroom and grabbed some clothes before going to take a quick shower.

***

The water pressure sucked. I was going to have to get someone over to take a look at it. There was no way I could take a shower under a trickle of water for the rest of the year

Wiping at the foggy mirror, I applied a bit of mascara and lipstick before drying my hair. The light over the vanity flickered every time I turned the hairdryer on. Something else I would have to get someone to look at. Figures the place would have some minor issues, considering the building was from the mid nineteen hundreds.

By the time I was done throwing on some sweatpants and tank top, twenty minutes had passed.

Walking out into the main room, my steps froze as my eyes landed on a figure standing in my apartment. My stomach dropped as panic washed over me, my body instantly breaking out into a cold sweat, until the person turned in my direction and I was met with familiar blue eyes.

Grey stood there, seeming even larger in my small living area. He looked out of place amongst all my feminine decor.

We stared at each other in silence for a split second while I got my breath back. It had been a week since I last saw him. He’d disappeared at the recital - not that I had looked for him. Okay, I totally had. It was as if my eyes had a mind of their own when it came to him, always eager for one more view of his perfect face and physique.

“What are you doing here?” I finally managed. I tried to ignore the way the initial panic I felt was slowly turning to one of attraction as his eyes took me in from head to toes and back.

“You should really lock your door if you’re living alone,” was his reply.

I raised both brows. That wasn’t the answer I had been looking for.

When I just stood there, he finally shifted from one foot to another, shoving his hands in his pockets as he said, “Cat asked me to come get you. The pizza should be here any minute.”

Oh. Crap. He was eating too? I hadn’t expected that.

“You’re...eating with us?”

He nodded, his lips twitching. “Is that okay?”

I tried for a casual shrug, but he must have seen the panic in my eyes because that twitch turned into a smirk.

Don’t look at his lips. Don’t look at his lips.

Shit.

I was totally looking at his lips.

Don’t think about the kiss. Don’t think about the kiss.

Damn it!

Oh my god...did I just lick my own lips?

His smile tipped higher for a second before disappearing.

“So, are you coming, or what?” He said, snapping me back to my senses.

“Yes, right,” I muttered, hurrying past him to the kitchen where I’d left my zip-up hoodie.

When I turned I caught him watching me from the doorway, his eyes blazing the way they had right before we had kissed.

Damn it!
Stop thinking about it, Honor
.

“Shall we?” I said, motioning to the door.

He gave a sharp nod, before turning and heading out into the hall. I paused for a second, taking a deep breath. I could handle being around Grey. It was no big deal. I would go over there, eat pizza, then come back and get my clothes organized before going to bed.

Game plan in check. Let’s do this.

***

Why did I think I could do this?

When this was over, my nerves were going to be shot.

We’d walked in to Cat, Chloe, and Kyle, sitting around a small, glass coffee table, an open box of pizza in the middle. Thinking I was being smart, I had sat on the floor, where I could be by myself.

I didn’t want to stay close to Grey. When we’d walked the short distance over, his presence had caused my back to prickle, as though our nearness was causing some kind of electric current in the air. We hadn’t spoken, and that had almost made it worse.

The silence only helped to magnify the feeling, and created a densely muted bubble around us.

There was no way I would sit next to him on a sofa.

Unfortunately, my bright idea had backfired. Cat had moved over on the sofa. Grey took the open seat, his legs now right beside me.

I could see his large thigh from the corner of my eye. He was so
big
. Why did he have to be so much bigger than me? He wasn’t just tall, he was thick and hard.

My cheeks flamed. I needed to stop paying so much attention to him. Hard to do when I could feel his eyes on me every so often.

Chloe and I discussed our classes, most of which we shared. I was happy to know I’d have someone I already knew in class. And Chloe had a car, which meant less public transportation for me. I’d still have to take the bus to the studio, but I could handle that.

“Are you girls all moved in then?” I asked, looking around. There were tons of boxes sitting around. It looked like a lot of work. Thank God I’d done most of my unpacking already.

“We’ll get there,” Cat said with a carefree shrug.

“Cat has way too much stuff,” Chloe said.

“I do not! It’s not my fault these two complain about lifting a few boxes,” she said.

“A few boxes?” Kyle said with a short laugh. “Yeah, full of books. Do you know how heavy those are?”

Cat reached over and patted Grey’s arm. “That’s why we called in the muscle.”

Kyle was just as strong looking as Grey, so I knew she was just teasing her brother. He seemed to know it too, simply rolling his eyes at her.

“Is that why you guys are here?” I asked. “Just to help them?”

“Well Grey was here anyway,” Cat answered with a broad smile.

Were they...together? Shoot, I hadn’t picked up on that at all. She must have seen my confused look because her next words explained her answer further, while at the same time shocking me into a momentary silence.