But that doesn’t stop the excitement from attempting to break loose inside me. “Are you sure?”
She slips her fingers into mine. “Positive.”
I blow out a steady breath before halting on the path and taking her into my arms. A few people grumble as I block the flow of student traffic. My hands settle on her cheeks until I can tip her chin upward so that her attention is focused solely on me. I don’t give a shit if we’re in the way. This is too damn important.
“There’s no rush,” I whisper. “We don’t have to do this.”
Some of the nerves dancing in her eyes fade. “I know.”
“You need to be one hundred percent certain before we move forward.”
“I am. I want you.” Her breath hitches. “And I want this.”
When she puts it like that, how can I say no?
“Okay.” I jerk my head into a nod as we continue walking.
It takes five minutes before we reach the residence hall and take the staircase to the sixth floor, where Dani’s room is located. I live off-campus with four other guys from the football team. Privacy has become a precious commodity. Danielle’s roommate is a girl she graduated with from high school and has turned out to be a real homebody. Carving out time to be alone hasn’t been easy. Sometimes we’re only able to snatch fifteen minutes here and there—and that’s not nearly enough.
With a quick glance tossed over her shoulder, she shoves her key in the lock and pushes the door open. It’s a standard-issue dorm room with a narrow twin bed shoved against one wall, a desk near the window, and a dresser built inside the closet. The same layout is echoed on the other side of the rectangular-shaped space. Just like Dani claimed, her roommate, Allison, is conspicuously absent.
As soon as the door slams shut, she clicks the lock in place. An anxious smile flits across her lips as she steps toward me, twining her arms around my neck and pulling my face down for a kiss.
It’s not like I want her to change her mind, but that doesn’t stop me from asking one last time, “Are you absolutely certain about this? We have all the time in the world. We’ll take this as slow as you need.”
It’s gently that she presses her mouth to mine before whispering, “I appreciate how patient you’ve been, but I want to do this. I want you to make love to me.”
Her words reverberate inside my head, and I’m struck with a realization. That’s exactly what this will be.
Love.
And I want it to be special. Dani deserves that and so much more. “Okay. How much time do we have?”
“Allie won’t be home until after six, so a couple of hours.”
I nod as my mouth settles over hers. That’s all it takes for her to open under the firm pressure. We’ve spent so much time exploring each other’s bodies. Dani’s father would kill me if he knew that we spent hours this summer necking at The Point in the front seat of my Firebird. As quickly as that thought pops into my brain, I shove it away. If I think too much about Richard Wentworth, there’s no way I’ll be able to go through with this.
It'll be over before it even begins; then again, I’m so turned on, that might happen regardless. Sometimes it feels like I’ve been waiting for this girl forever. She was too young when we were in high school.
But now?
Now is the perfect time.
Now is our time.
I’ve never been so crazy about someone and that has everything to do with Dani. She might have started out as Brett’s little sister, but she’s grown into so much more.
With our bodies pressed together, I walk her back toward the twin bed before gently pulling her down to the mattress. Her fingers slide through my hair as our mouths stay fused together. My hands slip beneath her top, slowly inching it up her body. I allow enough distance between us to pull the soft fabric over her head and toss it to the floor. Her fingers grasp the hem of my T-shirt before doing the same. As soon as the cottony material has been removed, she flicks open the button of my jeans.
My brow hitches. “Impatient, much?”
She slants a coy look at me. “You have no idea.”
I snort, capturing her fingers and placing them over my hard length. I want her to understand exactly what she does to me. “Actually, I do.”
Heat flares to life in her eyes as she squeezes my erection. A bolt of pleasure sizzles through me. Sure, I’ve jerked off dozens of times to thoughts of her, but nothing compares to her delicate hands stroking over me.
At this rate, I won’t last long. There’s too much pent-up need careening around inside me. I rise to my feet and pull her up. In a matter of moments, I’ve stripped off my jeans and removed hers until she’s standing before me in nothing more than her bra and panties.