Eliza Jane - Tempted

She laughs, and throws her arms around my shoulders. “That was sweet of you. Thanks.”

She laughs it off, but we both know what it means: No more random calls for girls from my past.

Taylor

Colt’s new phone is far more significant than just a new piece of technology. It means he’s giving up his past. He’s walking away from all of that. For me. I’ve thought a lot about our first time together over the last few weeks, and as we’ve continued to grow closer each day, I know I’m ready. I want to share everything with him. With him going away, our relationship will be tested sooner than I thought, but I know we’ll be fine. I want to take this step with him before he leaves, to show him that I trust him, and like he’s shown me with the new phone that I’m in this relationship completely.

After opening my gift, I lay across his bed, playing with my new phone. He seems distracted, probably at the thought of going away for several weeks. His suitcases are packed and placed near the door, reminding me of our limited time together.

He lays down next to me on the bed, and I tuck my head under his chin. His arms wrap around me, and our legs automatically intertwine as we both seek to get closer.

“How long will you be gone?”

He presses a kiss to my forehead. “Not sure yet. A few weeks.”

“I have something I wanted to tell you tonight.”

He leans back so he can see my face. “Okay. I have something I wanted to tell you too.”

I smile. “Me first.”

He nods.

“I’m ready,” I whisper near his ear.

His muscles tense at my touch. “No.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “I’m fine, baby.”

“Well you might be fine waiting, but I’m not. I want to, Colt. Don’t make me beg.”

He studies my eyes, checking for any signs of wavering. I stare back at him, sure of my decision. “I want this. Trust me, okay?” I kiss him quickly, pulling back to see his reaction.

“Are you sure?”

I nod, meeting his eyes.

His breathing goes shallow and he nuzzles into my neck, planting soft kisses all along my jaw. “You are amazing. I am the luckiest guy in the world.”

My stomach tightens in anticipation, waiting and wondering what’s going to happen next. Being with Colt is nothing like being with Wes. Where Wes was clumsy and nervous with sweat coated palms, Colt is confident and relaxed. “I guess there’s a benefit to your history with other girls. You know what you’re doing,” I murmur at his touches.

“There’s never been any other girls but you.”

I pull back for a second, and smirk at him.

“I’m serious,” he says. “None of that mattered to me anyways. But this…this is important to me. I’ve never had sex with it meaning something more. So this will sort of be a first for me.”

I smile at his words, and lean down to kiss him again.

We kiss passionately for several minutes, until I’m panting at the anticipation of going farther. When Colt’s hands find my hips and pull me closer, I groan against his mouth.

He pulls back sharply. “It doesn’t have to be tonight.” At my frown, he continues. “We don’t have to stop yet, but we also don’t have to go any further. Okay?”

“Stop backing out. If you don’t want to sleep with me…”

He chuckles, low and deep in his throat. “Yeah, that’s it.” He shakes his head, kissing me again.

Sensing that Colt may still need more convincing, I take matters into my own hands. I want to show him that I am ready. I pull my shirt over my head and drop it on the floor. I’ve been shirtless in front of him before, but never without a bra. I reach back to undo it, fumbling with the clasp. Colt’s fingers find mine and the clasp springs free. I chuckle. Yes, he is good at this. He pulls his shirt off over his head, tossing it onto the floor, along with my bra. It doesn’t even occur to me to be self-conscious. I want this with him. He pulls me to him and the contact of our chests rising and falling together is amazing.

“Do you have protection?” I breathe.

“Shh. We don’t have to do this.”

I force his chin up to meet my eyes, glaring at him. “Don’t make me beg.”

He reaches into the nightstand beside the bed and removes a square package, setting in on the bed beside us.

My stomach is a ball of nerves. Seeing that package makes this all more real.

His hands roam up my back, starting at the base of my spine and massaging as he moves up. We continue kissing while I plot my next move, and push down the tingle of nerves in my stomach.

His cell phone buzzes loudly, vibrating on the night stand. At first annoyance flares inside me, then I remember, hardly anyone has his new phone number. “That’s your new phone. Should we see who it is?” I murmur against his mouth.

Instead of answering, his tongue caresses mine, coaxing my mouth open as he deepens the kiss.

The second time the phone buzzes, I reach for it with my free hand, wondering who has his new number. “Bria?” I read the screen.

He stops kissing me abruptly and reaches for the phone. I hold it tight and read the text.

Hey hotstuff. What should I pack for London?

What the hell? Colt reads the text over my shoulder and winces. He didn’t want me to see this. He didn’t want me to know she was going to London with him.

“Bria’s going?”

I wait for him to deny it, to explain it’s just a coincidence. But he says nothing.

“And you hid it from me?”

His face falls, knowing he’s fucked up big time.

My stomach drops.

I reach for my bra and shirt, grabbing them from the floor and struggle with getting my bra on correctly. I’m so angry my hands are shaking. And to think, I was going to sleep with him tonight. Once I finally have my bra clasped, I thrust my head through my shirt, it’s inside-out, but I don’t care.

“Taylor, wait,” he pleads.

I spin around and face him, challenging him to try and explain this.

“It’s not like that, baby.” He reaches for my hand.

I pull it back. “Don’t. Call. Me. That.”

He balls his hand into a fist. “I needed to bring another agent with me, and I needed her negotiation skills to I can secure this deal, Taylor. It’s critical for the school that I land this.”

“I know that, Colt. We’re not disputing that you need to go to London. Or even the fact that Bria is going with you. I know she works here. What I’m angry about is that you kept it from me.”

He drops his head, running his hands through his hair so it sticks up at a crazy angle in the back. “I was going to tell you tonight,” he whispers. “But you kind of distracted me.”

“That’s even worse, Colt. You were going to go through with my plan for tonight – with this hanging over us? This is a big deal for me. How can I trust you now?”

“I’m sorry, baby.”

His phone buzzes again with a new text from Bria. I realize I’m still gripping it in my hand.

You there? It says.

“Here. Your new phone.” I toss the phone at him, and leave the room.

Colt

Bria is sitting on the bottom stair in the foyer, waiting for me with her head in her hands. I share her sentiment. It’s entirely too early to be up. But we have a six o’clock flight, and need to be to the airport extra early for the international flight.

“I want to say goodbye to Taylor. Wait here for me?”

She nods, barely looking up.

I jog up the stairs to the third floor dorms and peek inside. It’s dark and silent. I stride over to Taylor’s bed and watch her sleep for a few seconds. I don’t know what she’s dreaming about, but a little line creases her forehead, like she’s worried about something, even in her sleep. I smooth it out with my thumb. She blinks her eyes open at the contact. “Hey,” I whisper down at her.

“Hi,” she murmurs. For just a second she forgets she’s mad at me, and that I’m leaving today and she grins up at me, sleepily, happy. I can see the exact moment it dawns on her. Her happy little smile falls and that line etches in between her brows.

“I just wanted to say goodbye.” I bend down and touch my lips to her forehead, right over the crease. “I hate leaving when you’re mad at me.”

Someone in bed next to her turns over, rousing at my voice. Taylor gestures to the hall. I wait there while she gets up and puts on her robe. Then she joins me in the hall. “You didn’t have to get up.”

She yawns. “I just didn’t want you to wake everyone up with your groveling apology.”

“If that’s what you want, you got it, baby. I am sorry, you know that, honey.”

She stays quiet. I know I won’t get out of this one easy. “You want to walk me out?”

She nods. “Sure.”

We reach the bottom of the stairs and Bria is there, slinging a bag over her shoulder. She’s in bright pink sweatpants with the word sexy printed across her behind and her thong peeks from the waistband. I flick my eyes to Taylor. She noticed it too and her eyebrows pull together in frustration. Shit.

“Bria, wait in the car for me.”

She nods and leaves us alone in the foyer.

I take Taylor in my arms, giving her a squeeze. “Please don’t be mad at me. I know I constantly fuck up, and that my past sucks, and I’m not at all good at being a boyfriend, but I want to be. Give me another chance, baby.”

She steps back from my arms, looking up and studying my face. The words hang heavily between us, charged with the early morning hour and the fact that I’m leaving with Bria. She’s quiet. I don’t know if I expected her to forgive me so easily, but the fact that she doesn’t say anything stings more than I thought it would.