Chapter 6
Kirsty and Vin had insisted that the party wasn’t over. Lisanne’s triumph needed some serious celebration, no matter that all she wanted to do was go back to her room and crash for 12 hours.
“You are so not raining on this parade, missy!” shouted Kirsty, grabbing her arm.
“You don’t want to argue with her, Lis,” laughed Vin. “I thought you’d have known that by now.”
“Yes, but…” began Lisanne.
It was no use. They piled into Vin’s car, followed by two taxi loads of other students they’d met at the club, and went back to his fraternity house.
Lisanne had never considered that she’d be the kind of girl who could get invited to a frat party, but Vin’s friends were fun and surprisingly friendly, and they drank and danced until dawn.
They did. But Lisanne found a sofa in a dark corner and lay down with a pile of coats on top of her and slept, hearing music in her dreams, seeing a pair of laughing hazel eyes.
When she’d finally gotten home, it was Sunday and the clouds were tinged pink with the coming dawn.
Kirsty and Lisanne were standing arm in arm outside the dorm rooms, breathing in the pure morning air.
“How does it feel?” said Kirsty, quietly.
Lisanne tried to find words to sum up the chaos of emotions that had coursed through over the last few hours.
“I don’t know,” she said, at last. “I feel different, but the same. Happy, but sort of calm. It’s hard to describe.”
“You were amazing out there, I’m so envious,” said Kirsty.
Lisanne laughed but Kirsty tugged her arm.
“I mean it. You really moved people with your singing. People look at me and think they see straight through me.”
Lisanne stared at her. “But you’re so beautiful!”
Kirsty gave a small smile. “It’s not false modesty, Lis, I know I’m pretty.” She shrugged. “But most of the time that’s all they see.”
Lisanne shook her head. “That’s not true. You’ve been an amazing friend to me—I see how thoughtful you are and how kind. Vin sees it, too. He’s crazy about you.”
Kirsty’s eyes brightened. “You think?”
“I know,” said Lisanne, with certainty. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you—he adores you. But he sees you, too. And I see you.”
Kirsty smiled. “By the way, did you know Daniel was there tonight—last night?”
Lisanne was stunned: her eyes flickered up to Kirsty.
“Daniel? But he said he wasn’t going?”
“Guess he changed his mind,” said Kirsty, with a knowing look. “Shawna tried to speak to him and he totally blew her off.”
“Oh,” said Lisanne, unsure how to answer that.
“He was by himself,” said Kirsty, encouragingly.
Lisanne couldn’t help smiling to herself.
“Come on,” said Kirsty. “We need to get some beauty sleep.”
When Lisanne woke up, it was nearly lunchtime and her stomach growled, reminding her that she’d missed breakfast as well as dinner the night before.
Despite everything, she felt refreshed and relaxed.
She peered at her cell phone. It was 12:00, and Kirsty was still buried under her duvet. Then Lisanne noticed that she had a text message from Daniel.
* D: Roy said you were amazing. U looked great! *
He thought she looked great?
Lisanne’s cheeks heated immediately, and the warm feeling spread throughout her body. She stretched out in her bed, a huge, ridiculous smile on her face. He thought she looked great! Okay, so Kirsty had spent several hours getting her into a presentable condition, but still. Great!
Kirsty finally rolled out of bed an hour later and they spent a quiet afternoon catching up on homework and doing chores. It hadn’t taken long for reality to hit, but Lisanne didn’t mind—it was soothing to do ordinary things.
By Monday, most of the euphoria had worn off. Several people had come up to her to say they’d enjoyed the gig, and one or two had asked about the next one. Roy had vaguely mentioned playing elsewhere in town, but there was nothing definite planned.
Lisanne was just about to visit the campus coffee shop for a quick hit of caffeine before heading back to her dorm room, when she heard raised voices. Across the quad, she saw Daniel in some sort of argument with two students who looked old enough to be seniors. From their body language, she could see that it was a tense stand-off, possibly a precursor to a fight. She didn’t know what to do, but simply acted on pure instinct, hurrying over.
Daniel’s voice was angry.
“I said no, man! Stay the fuck away from me.”
“Oh, come on. Everyone knows your brother is the guy around here. Stop pretending you’re fucking Snow White.”
Daniel turned to walk away, but the bigger guy grabbed his shoulder.
Daniel pulled back his fist but then saw Lisanne running toward him. Instead of swinging, he stepped back and took a deep breath.
“Don’t start what you can’t finish,” sneered the other student. “Nice that your little girlfriend is protecting you.”
Daniel’s face creased with anger and Lisanne had to grab hold of his arm to drag him away.
“Don’t! He’s not worth it!” she said, urgently.
She wasn’t sure if he’d understood her, but Lisanne pulled him back. She kept tugging his arm while he kept his eyes firmly fixed on the two students, who continued to jeer at him.
“What was that about?” Lisanne said breathlessly, once they were a good distance away.
Daniel was still looking over his shoulder, so she tapped him on his hand.
“What?” he snarled.
Lisanne dropped his arm, her face shocked by this angry tone.
“Sorry,” he muttered. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she said, faintly. “What was it all about?”
He shook his head. “They’re assholes.”
Lisanne was pretty certain there was more to it than that, but as she hadn’t heard how the argument had started, she thought it was wiser to let it go.
“Do you want to get a coffee?” she said, quietly.
He shook his head again, ran one hand through his hair and tugged at his eyebrow ring with the other.
“No. I need to get off campus.”
There was an awkward pause.
“Well, okay. I’ll see you Friday then?”
He looked down at her quickly. “Do you want to come with me? Just take off for a couple of hours? I don’t know—go somewhere?”
“Um, okay,” Lisanne said hesitantly, thinking of the pile of homework she still had to tackle. “Where do you want to go?”
Daniel closed his eyes. “Anywhere.”
When they reached his motorcycle, he passed her the spare helmet and soon they were leaving the city behind them, heading east.
Houses and shops flew past, and Lisanne couldn’t help wondering how much over the limit they were going. She was dreading that at any moment, she’d hear the shrill sirens of a police cruiser behind them. What were the penalties for speeding? Could a passenger get into trouble? She had visions of phoning her mom and dad to bail her out of jail. It was too horrible to contemplate. She knew exactly what they’d think of that … and what they’d think of Daniel.
God, how fast was he going? They were going to get into an accident, never mind getting pulled over.
She squeezed his waist more tightly and, ironically, that only seemed to spur him on to go faster.
When Lisanne felt brave enough to open her eyes again, she could see the ocean rising up in the distance, gray and massive.
By now, Daniel had slowed down considerably and Lisanne realized they were traveling parallel to the boardwalk. She and Kirsty had talked about coming down to the shoreline and checking out the coffee shops, but Lisanne was very happy to be doing it with Daniel instead.
Eventually, he drove into a parking lot and pulled off his helmet
He breathed in deeply and seemed to relax several degrees.
Giving Lisanne a small smile, he climbed off and held out his hand to her.
She scrambled awkwardly, then stood still, taking in her surroundings.
“It’s beautiful here,” she said, a feeling of peace spreading through her.
“Yeah. I like coming out to the ocean when I’m…” He stopped suddenly, unable or unwilling to continue what he’d been going to say. “You want a coffee?”
“Sure, my treat,” she said, smiling away the uncomfortable moment.
“No way!” he said, pretending to be appalled. “We have to celebrate for last Saturday. I’m buying.”
“But it was your gas that got us here!”
“Do you always argue this much?” he grinned, raising his eyebrow so that the small silver ring he wore glinted in the sunshine.
Lisanne put her head to one side, and smiled back. “Yep. Pretty much.”
He rolled his eyes. “Like I couldn’t have guessed. I’m still buying.”
They wandered down the boardwalk until they found a small café that was selling coffee and donuts. It also had an outdoor patio area, stretching onto the boardwalk, and it was plenty warm enough to sit outside.
Daniel sighed happily as he sank his teeth into the jam filled pastry. It was gone in about three bites and Lisanne caught him eyeing hers.
“Don’t you touch my donut!” she threatened. “I’m dangerous when you try to keep me from my sugar rush.”
“Yeah, and you’ve got a thing for chips, too. Don’t think I didn’t notice,” he shot back at her.
“If you’re that hungry, get yourself another donut, but just take your eyes off of mine, mister.”
He laughed, but took her advice and waved to the waitress, ordering two more donuts for himself.
Lisanne’s eyes grew wide.
“You’re going to be hyper from all that sugar,” she warned him. “Either that or your teeth will fall out.”
“Jeez, chill!” he said. “You’re sounding like my kindergarten teacher.”
She scowled and he leaned back in his chair, laughing at her.
“I can’t help it,” she said, petulantly. “I’m sensible. Mom says I was born middle-aged.”
“Yeah?” he said, leaning forward and planting his elbows on the table. “Well, you didn’t look middle-aged on Saturday night—you looked hot. Every guy in that place had a boner for you.”
Lisanne stared and blushed, her eyes dropping to the table, too embarrassed to speak.
“Just sayin’,” he smirked, stuffing another piece of donut into his mouth.
“Thanks, I think,” she mumbled. “Kirsty did it—hair, makeup, that dress.” Then she looked up. “I’m glad you came: I didn’t think you would.”
He grimaced then flicked his eyes away.
“I wasn’t going to.”
“I know. But thank you anyway.”
He nodded slowly.
As they finished their coffee, Daniel wiped the last grain of sugar from his lips. Lisanne couldn’t help sighing, watching his long, strong fingers brushing across his face.
He caught her staring.
“What?”
“You missed a bit.”
She started to reach out, but hesitated at the last moment. Daniel blinked, then scrubbed both hands over his face.
“Okay?”
She nodded. “Yes, you’re good.”
He smirked again. “Oh, no, baby. You’ve got that wrong.”
Lisanne rolled her eyes.
“You’re such a boy.”
He leaned down with a smile on his face, and whispered into her ear.
“Man, not boy.”
She felt his warm breath tickle her skin, but it was several seconds before his words sank in. She shivered, whether with cold or pleasure or something else, she didn’t know.
They strolled along the boardwalk, close but not touching, in companionable silence. Every now and then, they’d stop to look in a shop window or admire the way the colors of the sea swirled and changed with every passing moment.
But too soon, gray clouds started to roll in and heavy drops of rain began to patter down around them.
“Ah, hell,” said Daniel, frowning at the threatening sky. “We’re gonna get seriously wet.”
He was right.
They ran for his bike, but there was no way they could outrun the storm.
The rain was lashing down and they were both soaked to the skin, as Daniel raced back along the highway.
He was slightly better off, his leather jacket giving him a little more protection, but his jeans were plastered to his legs and he could feel water seeping into his boots.
Hunched behind, sheltering her body with his, Lisanne huddled into him, her violent shivers sending tremors through his own body.
It was crazy to continue getting soaked, trying to make it to the dorms, when his own place was closer. They were both half drowned and frozen, and the rain on his visor was making it dangerous. They’d be better off going to his place than carrying on driving to the dorms. Plus, he knew for a certain fact that it would be easier to dry clothes at his place. No one would be using the washing machine or dryer there—no one ever did.
He pulled off the highway one exit early. Lisanne was so numb that she didn’t even notice, until they were rumbling down a residential street in a part of town she didn’t know.
Daniel cut the engine and clambered stiffly from the bike, pulling Lisanne with him.
“Where are we?” she stuttered between shivers, as he tugged her up the steps to the porch.
“My place. I thought it was just dumb to carry on getting soaked. You can dry your clothes here and get warmed up.
She nodded shakily, but when she followed him inside, her eyes bulged—and she stared at the couple in the lounge who were smoking from a bong.
“Is that…?”
“Friends of Zef’s,” he muttered, not wanting to get into it.
They passed another couple who were gazing vacantly into space with glazed eyes, and Daniel wondered if bringing her there was a mistake.
He had no idea where Zef was.
He motioned for Lisanne to follow him up the stairs, and she clung to him as if he were the last life raft on the Titanic.
He pulled out his room key and pushed the door open for her, then locked it behind them.
“Why have you locked the door?” she whispered, her expression suddenly wary.
His eyes narrowed in confusion, then he realized how it looked from her point of view.
“What? No! God, no, Lis! How could you think … it’s this place … people wander in if the door isn’t locked. That’s all. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
She shook her head and tried to smile, while her face was still frozen and her teeth chattering.
“No, sorry. It’s just…” she paused, swallowing whatever she’d been going to say, and looked around her. “You have a nice room.”
“Thanks,” he said, sounding too casual as he watched her nervously wrap her arms around herself.
Then Lisanne’s eyes fell on an acoustic guitar. She looked back to him, blinking rapidly.
“You play?”
He pulled a face, picking up the guitar by the neck and tossing it unceremoniously into his closet.
“Not anymore.”
“Sorry,” she whispered again, internally berating herself for being such an idiot. Of course he didn’t play anymore.
To cover the awkward silence, Daniel rummaged through his chest of drawers and tossed her one of his t-shirts.
“Put this on and I’ll go put your clothes in the dryer. It won’t take long.” He shot her his sexy smile. “I’ll turn my back.”
Flushing slightly, Lisanne peeled off her soaking clothes until she was standing in just her underwear. Hastily, she pulled on his t-shirt, which hung to the middle of her thighs. She couldn’t help lifting it to her face and breathing in deeply. It smelled like him, his cologne clinging to the material, along with a faint trace of cigarette smoke. She looked over her shoulder, but he was as good as his word and had kept his back turned. She’d expected nothing less. Lisanne tapped him lightly on the shoulder.
“I’m done.”
He smiled as his eyes flashed appreciatively up and down her legs.
“Sorry,” he said, catching her look. “I’m a guy.” He shrugged and winked at her, then scooped up her wet clothes, which had left a damp patch on the bare floorboards.
“I’ll just be a minute. Lock the door behind me. I’ll knock when I get back.”
While he was gone, Lisanne took a moment to examine his room. It was much tidier than she’d imagined, and the sheets on his bed were clean and fresh. He had a small bookshelf that was crammed with textbooks from school, and paperbacks by writers she’d never heard of. A lot of them had foreign names, Russian maybe. Stacked up next to them was a pile of toilet paper. Odd.
In the corner, there was now a space where his guitar had been, and Lisanne felt horribly guilty for having mentioned it. Sometimes she only opened her mouth to change feet, she thought acidly.
Then she saw there were half a dozen photographs tacked to a notice board. There was a picture of a younger looking Daniel and a slightly older guy she assumed was Zef. They looked alike, with the same black hair and hazel eyes. There was a photo of his parents, and a family picture of the four of them together—they were laughing.
Then her heart skipped a beat when she peered closer. Daniel had included a picture of her among the family photographs. It was from the gig. In it, you could see clearly that she was singing her heart out. She didn’t even know he’d taken it. She wouldn’t even have known he’d been there if Kirsty hadn’t mentioned it, although he had texted her later.
A mix of emotions rushed through her. He’d never heard her sing—and never would—but he’d wanted to keep that particular image of her. She didn’t understand. Surely that would be the most painful thing for him to see every day?
A light tap on the door brought her back to herself.
“Yes?” she said, hesitantly, and then felt like an idiot. He couldn’t hear her, of course.
She opened the door cautiously, and Daniel walked in carrying two mugs of coffee.
“Thought you might need this.”
“Oh, lifesaver!” she gasped, wrapping her hand around the hot cup.
“Sorry,” he said. “There’s no milk in the house. Someone must have drunk it.”
He shrugged.
“How can you stand to live like this?” Lisanne blurted out.
He frowned at her. “It’s my home.”
“God, I’m so stupid!” she croaked. “Sorry, Daniel.”
He twitched a shoulder but he still looked hurt.
“I mean it,” she said, touching his arm lightly. “I am sorry.” Then recoiled slightly. “Ugh! You’re all wet and clammy!”
He smirked at her.
“Yeah, rain will do that to you.”
“I thought you were going to put your clothes in the dryer?”
“Well, I’ve put yours in. I thought you’d want to get out of here as quickly as possible.” He gave her an apologetic smile. “I’ll do mine later.”
“Well, you should take them off, or you could get sick.”
“Are you trying to get me out of my clothes, Lis. Should I take the hint?”
She slapped his arm and huffed as he continued to grin at her.
“Just messing with you, kiddo. Turn your back while I change. No peeking!”
Muttering to herself, Lisanne turned her back, listening to the rustle of material as Daniel pulled off his wet t-shirt and jeans. She couldn’t deny it was a turn-on, hearing him remove his clothes while she was standing in the same room. Her body heated at the idea. And then a thought struck her: this might be her best chance to show him that he meant more to her—more than just a friend. She was desperate to know if he felt the same. Sometimes she thought so, despite the other women she’d seen him with. There was the photograph, too, but still…
She took a deep breath and turned around.
He was standing with his back to her, wearing a pair of dark gray boxer briefs. She studied the muscles of his broad back as they rippled and flexed under his skin. She followed the outline of the tattoos across his shoulders and let her eyes drift down his narrow hips, firm ass, and his long, strong legs. He was beautiful, but to Lisanne it was the beauty on the inside that she loved the most. It made her bold.
Maybe he felt her eyes on him because suddenly he turned around, looking at her in surprise.
“Sorry! Sorry! I … I just … I just wanted to see,” she mumbled, her flaming cheeks highlighting her extreme embarrassment.
He cocked his head to one side, staring at her, but didn’t speak.
She couldn’t meet his questioning gaze, so she allowed her eyes to wander over his chest. She gasped softly when she noticed the tiny, silver rings he wore in each nipple. It was so unexpected and erotic. It was so Daniel. Wishing she was brave enough to step forward and touch him, Lisanne cursed herself for being such a coward. Kirsty would have. Kirsty would have taken that step, not shuffled from foot to foot like a stupid little girl.
Her eyes dropped further down and she was hypnotized by the bulge in his briefs.
When he spoke, she nearly jumped.
“Have you ever seen a man’s cock?”
Her mouth dropped open, then she gave a small nod. “On TV.”
He smiled. “Baby doll watches porn?”
“No! God, no! Well, maybe once—at a friend’s house.”
“Did you like it?”
“Not really. It was a stupid film—the plot was awful. There was no storyline at all.”
He laughed gently. “Yeah, well, I don’t think that’s the point of it.”
She flushed. “I guess not.”
She was suddenly reminded that she was still staring at him—at one particular part of him. She was shocked when she realized the bulge had grown considerably larger. Her eyes flickered up to his, and he gave a small shrug.
“Have you ever touched a man’s cock?”
She shook her head wordlessly as he continued to gaze at her. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him—and she didn’t want to.
“Do you want to touch mine?”
Lisanne’s heart began to sprint. What was he asking her?
“I … I don’t know.”
He stood for a moment, looking at her, then dipped down to pick up the sweatpants that he’d dropped.
“Daniel, I…” she waited until he was looking at her again. “Daniel, I…” but she wasn’t sure what she wanted to say.
He gave a small smile.
“It’s okay, Lis. It’s cool.”
“No! I mean, I want to…”
“Want to what?”
She didn’t answer. Instead she took a step toward him and tentatively laid her hand on his chest, above his heart.
His eyes fluttered closed and he breathed deeply, the movement gently lifting Lisanne’s hand as his lungs expanded.
When he opened his eyes again, they were nearly black, and burning with desire. No man had ever looked at Lisanne like that and it took her breath away. A slow heat began to pulse between her legs and she knew that she wanted him. She wanted Daniel to be her first.
Slowly, he raised his right hand, resting it gently against her cheek.
“What do you want, Lisanne?”
“You,” she whispered.
He swallowed, and she was fascinated watching his Adam’s apple bob up and down in his throat.
“Are you sure? You don’t get to have your first time again, baby doll. This isn’t how I’d imagined it.”
A small smile pulled at the corner of her lips.
“You’ve imagined it … with me?”
He grinned at her.
“Are you fucking kidding me? You are hot. I’ve wanted you since I met you, but I figured you just wanted to be friends. That’s cool. I like having a friend who’s a girl.”
Lisanne’s smile faded. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. But he said she was hot. That meant he liked her, didn’t it?
“Can I just … can I touch you?”
He nodded slowly, his eyes following her hand as it moved shakily to his waistband.
Softly, she laid her hand over his crotch and felt his heat and hardness. He inhaled deeply.
“You are so fucking sexy,” he said in a low, deep voice.
She stared at him, amazed, but he didn’t repeat his extraordinary words.
Feeling bolder, she rubbed her hand over him again and he groaned.
“Oh, sorry!” she cried out, stepping backward.
He grinned at her.
“Nothing to be sorry about, baby doll—only that you’re fucking killing me here.”
“Sorry!” she muttered again.
He shrugged. “I’ll live.”
He reached for his sweatpants again, but she laid her hand on his arm. He looked up at her, puzzled.
“Can we just lie down together?”
He raised his eyebrows.
“Okay, but this isn’t why I brought you here, Lis. You know that, right?”
She nodded.
“I know.”
She lay down on the bed and, after a moment’s hesitation he climbed up next to her. He slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. Her right arm automatically rested on his stomach and he hummed happily.
He nearly leapt off of the bed when she stroked his semi again.
“Fuck!” he yelled. “Lis! You’ve got to give me some warning, baby. You’ll give me a fucking heart attack!”
She giggled nervously but kept stroking him.
He leaned up to look at her.
“Do you mind?” she whispered.
“Fuck, no!” he said, gazing at her with amazement.
“I want to see it,” she said.
This time he didn’t hesitate. He lifted his hips and pushed his briefs past his knees, then thrashed with his legs as he kicked them off.
His hard cock leapt up to his stomach, where it bobbed contentedly.
Nervously, Lisanne ran one finger up the large vein and jumped when it twitched at her. She felt rather than heard Daniel’s chuckle.
She ran her hand over him again, and heard his deep breaths as he sucked in air through his nose. His skin felt soft and smooth, but also hot and hard beneath her fingers. She squeezed and Daniel shifted his hips upwards into her palm.
“Is that okay?” she asked nervously.
He didn’t answer and she realized his eyes were closed, his breaths becoming shallow.
Tentatively, she moved her hand up and down, pulling a moan from deep within his chest.
“Fuck, Lis!” he whispered. “Can you go a bit faster?”
She moved her hand up and down more quickly, enjoying the way his erection thickened and heated beneath her fingers.
“Nnhhmm,” he groaned, encouraging her to move still faster.
A bead of pre-cum glistened on his tip and, entranced, she ran her thumb over it.
Daniel swore loudly and started pumping his hips into her hand, his head pressed backward into the pillow, his mouth open.
She moved her hand more quickly, watching his face with fascination as his orgasm began to build.
“I’m gonna cum. I’m gonna cum,” he chanted.
Lisanne kept going and suddenly, three jets of pearly liquid shot from his tip, startling her. Daniel called out loudly, then lay still.
His chest heaved, and his eyelids were screwed shut. Lisanne let her eyes drink in his masculine beauty. She felt proud of herself. She’d done that. She’d made him feel like that. Not some other girl. Not one of the skanks who hung around him all the time.
She lay back on the bed and Daniel pulled her into a careful hug, nuzzling his nose into her hair.
“That was awesome, baby doll,” he whispered.
After another minute he sat up and grinned down at her.
“You made a real mess of me—want to clean me up?”
Lisanne wrinkled her nose and shook her head. Daniel chuckled and reached over his bedside table for some of the toilet paper he’d had piled up.
He saw the expression on her face and shrugged.
“I keep it locked in here or it disappears.”
He wiped himself clean and tossed the tissues into a waste basket.
“Come here.”
Lisanne willingly snuggled into the warmth of his firm chest as he pulled the sheets over them.
“This is nice,” he said, quietly.
Lisanne smiled as his free hand stroked her hair. She thought she’d die of happiness when he placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
She felt bereft when he sat up.
“Lis, can I ask you something?”
“Um, yeah?”
“Have you ever made yourself come?”
Her cheeks flushed pink. “No!”
Daniel shrugged. “Just sayin’. Lots of girls do.”
Lisanne blinked. “Yeah, I guess. But … I…”
He brushed his nose against hers. “Do you want me to?
“Do I want you to what?”
“Make you come.”
“Um, won’t it hurt?”
He raised his eyebrows. “No. Why would you say that?”
Lisanne wasn’t sure if she could blush any redder. It made it so much harder to have this conversation, knowing that Daniel had to see her face as she spoke.
“Because … because I haven’t had sex before.”
A look of understanding passed over his face and his lips twitched in a smile.
“No, baby. You don’t have to have my dick inside you to have an orgasm. Although I’d really fucking like to try that one day. I can make you come with my fingers if you like. Or my tongue.”
“Your t-t-tongue!” she stuttered, unable to stop herself. Then she hid her head in her hands. “Oh God, I’m such a loser!”
He pulled her hands away from her face. “Can’t lip read you like that, baby,” he said, with a frown.
“Sorry. Sorry. I’m just … I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes. I’ll make it good for you, I promise. Just my fingers, no tongue.”
He waved his jazz hands at her and she had to smile.
“Okay, I guess.”
He smiled back. “Could you wound my ego any more, baby doll?” Then his expression became serious. “Can I take your t-shirt off?”
“N-no. I’d rather you didn’t.”
“Okay,” he smiled. “No problem. But you’ll let me touch your tits, won’t you?”
“Um, all right.”
He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “I won’t hurt you, baby doll. I just want to make you feel good.”
Lisanne lay back on the bed, her body filled with tension.
Daniel stroked her hair and kissed her lips again, gently tugging her lower lip with his teeth, until she opened her mouth a fraction.
His warm, wet tongue stroked her lips and traced the outline of her mouth. She opened a little more, and his tongue caressed hers, pulling sparks of pleasure from her. She moaned softly and he hummed quietly into her mouth.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down, letting him deepen the kiss.
His hands rested lightly on her waist, then he pulled his lips from hers and planted a path of soft kisses down her throat and over the t-shirt, nuzzling her breasts softly.
She gasped slightly and he looked up when he felt her move.
“Okay?” he whispered.
She nodded quickly and he continued kissing down her chest, pushing the t-shirt up from her waist so he could kiss and lick her exposed stomach.
Her fingers gripped his shoulders as his head moved lower.
“I … um…”
He lifted his head to look at her. “What did you say, baby? Did you say something?”
“I … I don’t want you to kiss me there,” she said, nervously.
“I won’t if you don’t want me to, but I’d like to kiss your sweet little pussy one day.”
Lisanne was so embarrassed she didn’t know where to look. All she could do was close her eyes.
“Lis, look at me,” Daniel ordered.
Reluctantly, her eyes fluttered open.
“Don’t be embarrassed with me, Lis. I just want to make you feel good. Just my fingers, I promise. Will you let me?”
“Okaaay,” she said, softly.
He kissed her again and she moaned into his mouth, as his tongue tangled with hers. This time she kissed him back, and the growl he released made her triumphant. His hands drifted back to her chest, and his long fingers gently teased her nipples through the soft fabric of the t-shirt.
By her thigh, she felt his cock twitch into life again.
Gradually, her nerves fell away as his tongue worked its magic on her mouth and neck, sucking and nipping, turning her on in ways that amazed her. His hand continued to play with her nipples, occasionally cupping her breasts and massaging them gently.
She reached down and gripped his thickening length, but he pushed her hand away.
“No, baby doll, this is about you.”
Lisanne felt her panties grow damp as Daniel continued his sensual assault on her body. It was behaving and moving in ways that were unfamiliar to her, her hips lifting automatically to his touch, as if his own body was summoning hers.
His fingers began to toy with the edge of her panties and Lisanne moaned, barely recognizing the feral sound that fell from her.
Daniel felt the vibration of her moan and took this as encouragement. He slipped his hand inside her panties, causing Lisanne’s shallow breaths to catch in her throat.
“You’re so wet, baby doll,” he said softly into her shoulder. “You’re wet for me and one day I want to push my hard cock inside you and feel that sweet tightness all around me, but right now you’re going to ride my fingers.”
His thumb circled her clit, making Lisanne’s body arch off the bed. Quickly, he slipped his index finger inside, sliding it in and out. To Lisanne, it felt like a jolt of electricity passing through her body as the level of arousal took her by surprise.
She groaned and he caught the sound with his lips, pushing his tongue inside her mouth as his finger moved inside her body. Then he added a second finger, and started pumping them slowly as his thumb continued to massage her.
The sensation began deep in her belly, fizzing out to her thighs and toes, causing her muscles to twitch and convulse.
Her body arched again and she cried out.
“That’s it, baby doll,” whispered Daniel, spurring her on. “Let it go. Let it all go, baby. I’m here. I’m here.”
She tried to bat his hands away, sure that she couldn’t take anymore, but he pressed his body over hers, forcing his chest against her breasts.
“Ride it, baby,” he said, his voice strained. “Fuck my fingers, baby doll.”
Lisanne’s orgasm ripped across her, spirals of pleasure shooting through her body like quicksilver.
“Oh, God!” she cried out. “Oh, God!”
As her body floated back to earth, Daniel slowly removed his fingers, straightened her panties and tugged her borrowed t-shirt into place.
When Lisanne finally opened her eyes, Daniel was watching her, a calm, focused look on his face.
She blushed even redder when she realized he was sucking his fingers.
He saw her expression.
“You taste real good.” He held his hand out to her and wiggled his fingers. “Want to try?”
“No!” she said, shocked.
He grinned at her. “Your loss. So, how was that for you?”
“I … I…” she stammered. “Um, good?”
Daniel laughed. “Don’t go over fucking board or anything!”
Lisanne gave a nervous chuckle. “Sorry, I’m still … I mean … that was … I don’t know what that was, but it was … amazing. I can see what all the fuss is about now. I mean, I didn’t know that … I mean, wow!”
He smiled. “It gets better: trust me.”
Lisanne couldn’t imagine how anything could be better than that. But then she thought back to his dirty mouth, and all the things he’d said he wanted to do to her. Yeah, she’d definitely like to try that.
Daniel leaned back, pleased with his afternoon’s work. In truth, he’d been more than a little surprised when Lisanne had come on to him. Obviously he knew she was a virgin, and he’d thought that she was the type who planned on staying that way until she met Mr. Right. He hadn’t wanted to abuse her trust.
But her body was lush, even if she hadn’t let him see her naked. And that damn dress she’d worn on Saturday—seriously hot. The fact that she’d wanted to whack him off had surprised the shit out of him. But damn, if it hadn’t been good to have her hands on him, playing him like her instrument. And the way she’d responded to his touch had been a real fucking turn-on.
He wasn’t sure what she wanted to happen next, but he really hoped she’d let him sleep with her. Not today, perhaps, but soon. Wrapping his arms around her and feeling her head on his chest, knowing he had nothing to hide from her—that made his body feel light in a way he’d never known before.
And seeing her come—that had been pretty fucking amazing. She had no idea how sexy she looked, splayed out beneath him. Yeah, he really wanted some more of that. Did that mean she would be his girlfriend? Did he want a girlfriend? He definitely had no idea what she wanted either. Then he frowned: maybe she just wanted him for a fuck buddy—someone to get the pesky business of her virginity out of the way. She wouldn’t be the first woman who wanted his cum but not his conversation.
Distracting him from the dark direction of his thoughts, Lisanne stretched like a cat and leaned up on one arm so he could see her face.
“I feel all sort of disjointed … I don’t know … disconnected … sort of like I’m floating. It’s weird.”
“Good weird?”
She smiled. “Definitely good weird.” She kissed him quickly on the cheek. “I can see why you’ve got your reputation—it’s very well deserved.”
Daniel felt like she’d punched him.
Lisanne saw the softness disappear from his face, and he scowled at her. “What?”
She swallowed nervously as she saw the sudden anger on his face.
“Well, you’ve always got girls falling all over themselves to sleep with you. You don’t even have to try to get a girl. I’m just saying … I understand.”
Daniel rolled off of the bed and started pulling on his jeans. He couldn’t explain his anger even to himself. It wasn’t like she said anything that was untrue. But she had to understand that this had been more than a casual fuck to him. They were friends, for Chrissake.
“Where are you going?” said Lisanne nervously, then cursed herself for talking to his back again. It was unforgiveable that she kept forgetting.
She tapped him on the shoulder, but he wouldn’t turn around and look at her.
“I’ll get your clothes from the dryer,” he mumbled, and before she could think of what to say, he was gone.
She leaned against the headboard, wondering why he was so upset. What had she said to make him behave like that? She hadn’t made any demands of him. Even though she was desperate for him to say that they were exclusive, she didn’t want to sound needy or be unrealistic. He hadn’t asked her to throw herself at him.
She chewed on a fingernail nervously, feeling relieved when the door opened.
But it wasn’t Daniel. It was a man in his mid-twenties with sleeve tattoos covering both arms, multiple piercings, and a furious look on his face.
Lisanne pulled the sheet tightly around her, acutely aware that calling out for Daniel wouldn’t do any good.
“What did you do to him?” snarled the man.
Lisanne stared at him, her heart beating frantically.
“Answer me!” he shouted. “Why is my little brother looking like you just shot his fucking puppy?”
“I … I…”
“I am so sick of you bitches treating him like a fucking toy. He’s got feelings, for fuck’s sake! But maybe you don’t care about that.”
Lisanne was shocked into silence. She had no idea what had caused this outburst, and why Daniel’s older brother was looking at her murderously.
His eyes narrowed. “You’re her, aren’t you? The singer. I told him to stay away from you. I told him you’d rip his fucking heart out. You’re dangerous. Why can’t you just leave him alone?”
Lisanne felt tears prick her eyes, and she fisted the sheet in her hands, looking anxiously at the door, waiting for Daniel to come and tell his brother that he’d got it all wrong.
“I’m fucking warning you,” snarled Zef, “I’ll…”
But whatever he was going to threaten her with, his words ground to a halt when Daniel reappeared.
“What’s going on?” he said, seeing his brother’s anger and Lisanne’s fear.
Nobody answered.
“I said, what the fuck’s going on?” he repeated angrily, the volume rising.
Zef turned to face him.
“Just having a quiet chat to your little woman, bro. No biggie.”
Daniel looked at the scared girl on the bed. “Lisanne?”
“We were just talking,” she murmured, dropping her eyes to the sheets.
Daniel pulled a hand through his hair in frustration.
“Don’t do that!” he spat out. “Don’t treat me like a fucking moron!”
Zef laid a soothing hand on his shoulder but Daniel shrugged it off. Then he threw Lisanne’s dry clothes at her.
“Get dressed,” he commanded. “I’ll take you home.”
He walked out, leaving Zef and Lisanne staring at each other.
When Zef closed the door, Lisanne dressed quickly, wiping the tears from her eyes. The afternoon had been the best of her life until Daniel had suddenly gone all weird on her. And now his brother hated her, too. It was so confusing.
She tiptoed down the stairs, stepping over a man who appeared to be curled up asleep on the last step.
Daniel was zipping up his damp leather jacket. He didn’t even look at Lisanne, simply opening the front door and pulling his bike keys out of his pocket.
Ignoring the light drizzle that continued to darken the sky, Daniel swung his leg over the motorcycle. He still hadn’t looked at Lisanne, and simply waited until she climbed on behind him. She tentatively wrapped her arms around his waist, but he didn’t respond. This time, the roar of the engine wasn’t comforting; instead it was a punctuation mark to her distress.
Daniel drove with reckless speed toward the college, then stopped abruptly outside her dorm room and waited for her to dismount. She handed him her helmet and he dropped it into his saddlebag. She leaned in to kiss him goodbye, needing some sort of closeness, but he pulled away and drove off before she could speak.
“I wondered how long it would be before he realized you were an uptight bitch,” said a voice.
Lisanne turned around to see Shawna leaning against the wall, a smug expression on her face.
“Colton finally came to his senses, huh? Saw he could do better, right? Or maybe you’re just a lousy lay.”
Lisanne couldn’t reply, her brain and body overloaded with emotion. She ran back to her room with Shawna’s words echoing in her ears.
The room was dark, and when Lisanne turned on the light switch, the brightness dazzled her. Feeling dazed, she sat on her bed, her shoulders slumped. Then she saw that Kirsty had left a note saying that she’d be back at 8 pm if Lisanne wanted to share pizza.
Pizza? As if she could even think about eating. She had to know what the matter was with Daniel. She had to know.
Feeling desperate, Lisanne pulled out her phone and sent him a text.
* What’s wrong? I don’t understand. Text me, please. LA xx *
She waited and waited, but he didn’t reply.