“A shirt,” I said.
“I don’t like it,” he said.
I smacked at his hand so he’d let go. “I didn’t ask for your opinion.”
“Your tits are falling out.”
I glared at him. His sitting on top of me was what was forcing my breasts to be pushed almost out of my top. I didn’t understand his meaning, anyway. I thought guys liked girls to wear shirts like that. I punched him in the chest. “Get off of me.”
He smirked down at me. “You sure?”
“Yes!” What was his problem? “You can’t sit on top of me all day. We’ve got to go.”
He lifted his torso, but, still pinning me down with his legs, backed up slowly to present his bare chest.
And everything else.
My mouth popped open, and the moment I saw pubes and thighs, I covered my face with my arm. “Why didn’t you tell me you were naked?”
“What? You’d stare at Axel and don’t want to look at me?”
I took his challenge, wanting to prove I wasn’t afraid or affected by this, whatever he was trying to goad me into. I lowered my arm but kept my eyes deliberately on his face. “Put some pants on.”
“What? Never seen one so big before?” He locked his butt down on my hips, holding me. He reached down, his hand angling out of my peripheral vision, I continued trying to focus on his face, but I could tell he was grabbing himself. “Never thought I’d see Kayli afraid of anything.”
I snorted and took the bait, looking down.
His hand encircled his length, close to the base so it stood out more.
What captured my attention was that it was uncut, and I’d never seen one like that before. I’d meant only to take a glimpse, but my curiosity got the better of me. He pulled back some of the skin for the pink tip to emerge.
Then I noticed that the tattoos continued down his body, right to the base.
Then there were the piercings. I spotted the one through the tip of his cock first, crosswise, a little off center since he was uncut, and then another piercing through the balls. For some reason, it was the piercings that drew my attention the most. Did he have sex with those in? Wouldn’t it hurt?
“Ah,” I said, unable to form any words.
“Nice?” he asked.
What was it with men and needing a girl’s opinion about their bodies? “It’ll do,” I said. I was lying through my teeth. His length was thick, like him. He was making me worried about any girl who might have tried to take him on. “But we need to get going.”
He smirked. Suddenly, he dropped down, doing something like a close push up hovering over me, with one hand on either side of my shoulders. His nose touched mine briefly.
Before I could yell at him, he kissed me.
It was a short kiss, closed mouth, but every part of it was crushing, dominating. He wasn’t kissing me, he was staking a claim.
He backed his head up. “Want me to show you how Russians say good morning to their wives?”
“We...have to go.” I couldn’t take this. This turned out to be way more than I was ready for. My head was telling me I needed to get out of here before I ended up naked with him, but my body was telling my head to shut up and find out what those piercings felt like.
As it was, his length was pressing up against my abdomen, and I could feel the cool tip of one of those piercings digging a little into me. It made my core melt at the thought of it, right there, so close. And after such a crazy week, a little stress relief was tempting.
Reality settled in. I didn’t want it like this. There was Brandon’s kiss the night before, and Marc. Did I want to mix up Raven up in this? Was he even looking for a commitment, or just a fling?
I nudged at him again. “Seriously, we need to go.”
He kept his head lowered close to mine, looking at me. “I can make time,” he said. It was deliberate, an offering.
I tried to hide a gulp. “Corey’s waiting.”
“So?”
“I want to get back before Wil’s out of school.”
“I’ll drive faster.”
Don’t make me say it. I stared up at him, challenging. Telling him quietly I wasn’t ready for this. I liked him a lot, but this was too far, too quick. I needed more from him if he wanted to take it that far.
He stared back at me, challenging me back, like he was waiting me out. He wasn’t getting it.
I tilted my head up, trying to get his attention, and at the same time, trying to shove him off. “Raven, I just met you two days ago.”
“So?”
“So... American girls don’t go that fast.”
“Yes, they do.”
I snorted. What was I telling him? “Well, not all of them do,” I said, shoving at his shoulder. “You have to do it right. Like kissing and then make out sessions, and then a little second base and stuff before you head home.”
“Second base?” he asked.
Would a Russian get the baseball analogy? I sighed and then in a desperate move before I ended up pinned to the floor by a pierced cock, I lifted my arms and wrapped them around his shoulders. I held to him and then nuzzled at his neck. “Please?” I asked.
His hand reached for my shoulder, massaging and then went toward my neck, warming the skin. “Please what?”
“If you like me, slow down a little. Just a little,” I said. “You have to take a girl out on a few dates before you show her your ... thing.”
The unshaven coarse hair of his jaw scratched against my cheek. “It’s a cock,” he said. “I know the word.”
Not exactly what I meant. “Raven...”
He grunted, groaned, cursed in English, cursed in Russian, cursed again in English, and then pulled away. He grumbled while he went to his closet, pulled down clothes, and draped them over his shoulder. He marched out, and pointed right at me. “When we get back,” he said, his dark eyes capturing my full attention, “you and I are going on a date. We’ll do it your American way.” He straightened, jutting his hips out, his length pointing right at me, full and determined. “And when we’re done with that, we’ll do it the Russian way.” He went to his bedroom door, opened it, took a few steps forward, turned, nodded to I imagine Corey and then walked into the bathroom and slammed the door.
I remained on the floor for a moment, stunned, my heart pounding. Russian and American cultures were conflicting here. I’d have to figure out what this Russian way was.
Corey came to the door, his eyes wide. “You okay?”
I nodded, and fell back against the floor. What a mess. I needed to figure out this Academy secret before the boys
ended up killing each other when they discover they were all trying to claim one girl. I was getting in way over my head. Why didn’t I say anything?
LOST IN FRUIT SALAD
After Raven dressed and packed a small bag, we took the elevator down.
Out in the parking lot, I followed the guys to a black SUV. Raven took out keys, and hit a button, unlocking the door. Corey held open the passenger side door for me.
“You don’t want to sit up front?” I asked.
He shrugged and smiled. “I can stretch out in the back.”
It sounded like he was just being polite. It forced me to smile back. He really was a sweetheart.
Raven drove, rolling the car out of the lot. Through light Sunday traffic, and with Corey giving directions, he wound the SUV onto the Savannah highway, heading south.
I’d never been out of the state, or even too far from Charleston proper. I curled up, gazing out the window, watching the scenery change from city enough until I was sure I hadn’t been this far south before. My eyes widened, and I was staring hard at every tree, every sign, feeling like an alien off to a new world.
It was strange because last night, or even this morning, I wouldn’t have dreamed of going off to Florida, or anywhere else. How long would I have to be in this car?
Raven didn’t avoid me, but he kept a distance and I could feel it. He didn’t talk to me, only Corey.
Did he take it as a rejection? It could have been a good thing, but I didn’t feel that way. Maybe I was being paranoid because I’d turned him down and now wanted to feel him out to see if he’d just had a heated moment or if he was at all serious. He was so difficult to read. Was he trying to hide how he felt in front of Corey?
Raven dug out some sunglasses from the console and put them on. He leaned forward, checking road signs. “Do we want Denny’s for breakfast?” he asked.
“I think we should hit Starbucks,” Corey said. “I feel like coffee. I don’t want to sit around.”