“Come on in and make yourself at home. Drinks in the kitchen, help yourself, and come back out for the next game,” Wes tells me with a friendly smile, pointing in the direction of the kitchen.
Jason eyes me up and down. “Hi, beautiful. I’ll save you a seat.” A sexy smile spreads across his face, and he winks at me.
The action around the coffee table is intense, with laughter and people shouting, “drink up.” I round the corner to the kitchen and immediately see Caleb leaning against the counter with his arm wrapped over Emily’s shoulders. She is pressed up against him with her head on his chest. My stomach drops, but before I can turn around and walk out, Caleb sees me.
“You made it. I was just about to call and ask when you were coming.” He moves away from Emily and walks over to me, lifting me off the ground with his hug and kissing me sweetly. “I’m glad you’re here.” As he sets me down, I glance at Emily, who is frowning.
“Let me get you a drink. What are you in the mood for—cocktail, beer, shot, margarita? But be warned, if you join the game in the living room, beer will be the safest. They are ruthless.”
“I play to win, meaning I’m not passing out first.” Wes chuckles as he walks into the kitchen.
“I’ll stick with beer. Thanks.”
The night is filled with drinking, games, music, jokes, and the more everyone drinks, lots of off-the-wall conversations. Caleb is being attentive– touching, hugging, and kissing me freely. This is what was missing the last day and a half, the openness and comfort.
After playing circle of death and drinking all evening, I feel the effects of the alcohol hit me as I stand to go to the bathroom. I stumble and catch myself on Wes, who is sitting on the armrest next to me. He gives me a knowing look, then turns back to the game.
Returning from the bathroom I find Emily sitting in my spot, leaving no room on the couch for me. Annoyed, but feeling brazen with the liquid courage I've consumed, I walk between the couch and coffee table to sit on Caleb's lap. He wraps his arms around my waist, pulling my body closer to his.
As I pick yet another crappy card for him, he murmurs in my ear, “You know…you don’t have to get me drunk to take advantage of me. I’m yours whenever you say the word.” He trails kisses along my neck. I turn to face him and am greeted by a sexy, seductive smirk.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I whisper brushing my lips past his teasingly.
The party has dwindled downto just us, his roommates and Emily. Caleb announces, “we are heading to bed. Goodnight.”
He shuts and locks his door, then pulls open a drawer, retrieving a T-shirt.
Handing me the shirt, he says, “You can change in the bathroom.” He points toward the bathroom door. “You call the speed. We will only do whatever you are comfortable with.”
I shut the bathroom door behind me, thankful for this moment of privacy to digest the evening. Caleb has been thoughtful, attentive, caring, and most importantly, very flirtatious. I undress, placing my clothes on the bathroom counter, and pull the T-shirt over my head.
Walking out, I see Caleb lying in bed on his back, illuminated by a bedside lamp. He smiles, points in my direction, and crooks his finger in a come-hither motion. I crawl into bed next to him, placing my head on his chest. My heart is racing thinking about how much I consumed and not wanting to lose my virginity in a drunken stupor.
“Do you realize how beautiful you are?” Caleb asks while rubbing his fingers up and down my back gently. Not knowing how to respond, I kiss him. The feel of his firm, bare chest under my palm is tempting. Our hands begin to explore each other as the kiss deepens with each second that passes.
Suddenly, Caleb pulls away and takes a deep breath. “Slow down, beautiful. You drank a lot, and I need you to be sure you’re ready. No regrets.” He kisses my forehead and pulls me back down to him.
I place my head back on his chest. “Thank you,” I whisper while dragging my fingers over his chest and stomach in random patterns.
* * *
I wakethe next morning tangled in Caleb’s sheets, his arm and leg draped over my back. I have a slight headache but am content remembering last night’s events.
“Morning, beautiful.” Caleb takes his leg off me and pulls me to his chest. “I like that you stayed the night.”
“Me too. I’m glad you asked me to because…honestly…I was debating driving home.”
“I know the past couple of days were off. It was my fault…I was…” He hesitates. “Never mind. We are here now.”
“What? Finish.” I push.
“I wasn’t sure how to act. You are…the first virgin I’ve been with, and I didn’t want to screw it up. I was an ass, and you didn’t deserve that.”
“Last night was perfect,” I pause, “and I won’t be a virgin forever. I just don’t want to rush into it either,” I admit shyly.
Caleb makes me feel things so much more intensely than ever before, and we have only known each other a couple of weeks. I need to be smart because I have seen my friends get hurt, falling, and moving too fast, only to have guys dump them to move on to the next.
“I know. Like I said last night, you call the shots.”