Chapter 9: Mia

Undiluted sunlight slants across my face, lighting the back of my eyelids and making it impossible to stay submerged in my cocoon. With a groan, I turn away from the brilliance and promptly come in contact with something solid and unyielding.

That's strange.

I'm still drifting in that in-between place where I'm struggling to wake but can't quite break through to the surface. My fingers stroke over something warm as my brain processes what I'm touching. Tentatively, my exploration continues until my fingers graze over a flat male nipple.

What the hell?

My eyes pop open only to find a big body next to me. A muscled arm is thrown over his face, preventing me from discovering the mystery man's identity.

A choked sound escapes from my lips.

Not in a million years did I ever suspect I'd wake up next to a random dude.

I wrack my brain, trying to remember what happened last night, but it's a blur of images. It takes a moment for them to coalesce until, one by one, they flash through my head like a slow-motion picture show.

Hanging with Alyssa at my house.

Beck's party.

Sitting on a lounger and talking with Landon.

Landon.

Is that who I ended up in bed with?

For some reason, I don't think so.

The rest of the night tumbles through my fuzzy brain at an alarming pace. Landon was not only kind enough to keep me company, but also in refills.

Jeez. Exactly how much did I drink?

That must be the reason I feel like I've been hit over the head with a sledgehammer.

And then Beck, of all people, cut me off. Considering the state I'm waking up in, he should have done it sooner. Although I'll refrain from telling him that.

An image of Beck tossing me over his shoulder, carrying me through the party, and up to his room flickers through my head.

Wait a minute...were people actually cheering?

Oh, the horror of it all.

Unwilling to face the reality of the situation, I squeeze my eyes tightly shut and attempt to block out this whole unpleasant episode.

"Morning, sleeping beauty," comes a gruff voice chock-full of amusement.

Damn.

Damn.

Damn.

I recognize that voice all too well. It haunts my nightmares. And a few of my dreams.

He's the one I ended up in bed with?

I groan in embarrassment.

"What's wrong, Stanbury? Didn't sleep well? If anyone should be complaining, it's me. You kept me up all night with your snoring."

My eyes fly open only to find him hovering inches above me. A devilish smile spills across his face. He's loving every moment of my self-inflicted torment. As much as I don't want to notice how ridiculously hot he is, it would be impossible not to. Air rushes from my lungs as those unwelcome thoughts invade my brain.

It takes effort to focus on the conversation now playing out. "I don't snore."

"Sure you do, just like a chainsaw."

Heat slams into my cheeks. "I do not!"

He lowers his face until our mouths are almost touching. "Yeah, you do. But I didn't mind because I enjoyed holding you in my arms."

The breath leaks from my lungs.

That much I remember.

His arms were banded around me all night. And I'd slept...okay. Better than that, if I'm being honest with myself.

Arrrgh.

This is exactly why I don't drink. Bad choices are inevitably made when alcohol consumption is involved. It's much too easy to make a fool out of yourself and sleep with-

Oh, God...did we have sex?

No.

No.

No.

Frantically I search my brain, trying to remember if anything physical happened. Silence rains down on us, and my heart constricts before pounding into overdrive. I moisten my lips before pushing out the words. "Did we..."

"Don't worry, little miss perfect, your virtue is firmly intact."

There's a definite smirk in his voice.

I shift my focus to him, searching his eyes carefully.

Why would he say that?

He has no idea I'm a virgin.

I clear my throat and attempt to remain calm. Beck is the last person I want knowing my personal business. The teasing would be merciless. I'd never hear the end of it. "Why would you say that?"

"Educated guess." His eyes crinkle at the corners. "Am I wrong?"

Every muscle in my body fills with tension.

How do I answer that without giving away the truth?

A slow grin moves across his face, making him more handsome than he already is. An arrow of lust explodes in my core.

His hair is artfully disheveled. I'm tempted to reach out and run my fingers through the strands. Instead, I tighten them and resist the urge. It's so unfair. No one should look this good at the butt crack of dawn. The guy could grace the cover of a men's magazine. While I, on the other hand, probably have that whole-just-stuck-my-finger-in-an-electrical-socket look going for me.

"Your silence is answer enough."

I grit my teeth. The only other choice I have is to lie, and I'm a terrible liar.

"Plus, you let the cat out of the bag last night."

I bolt up. My eyes widen until they feel like they might roll right out of my head. "What?"

I wrack my brain again, carefully combing over our conversations. But things are still muddled.

"Liar," I accuse. There is no way I would share something so intimate with Beck. Even if I'd been completely shitfaced, I wouldn't have confessed that to him. But still, doubt lurks in the back of my brain.

"Whether I'm lying is a moot point." He chuckles, leaning closer until his warm breath can drift over my lips. "You had to think about it, which tells me you are, indeed, pure as the driven snow." He tilts his head as his eyes dance with humor. "See how easy it was to get the truth out of you?"

Grrrrr.

"You are such an asshole!" Even though I press my palms against his chest and push with every ounce of my strength, Beck doesn't budge an inch. "Get. Off. Me!"

"Being a virgin isn't something you should be embarrassed about."

Oh my God! Stop talking about it before I self-combust!

"I'm not embarrassed," I grit out.

"Then why is your face turning bright red?"

"Because I'm embarrassed, all right? There! I said it!" I snap. "Are you happy now?"

"Kind of."

"You're impossible!"

He shrugs. "Not really."

"It's like your mission in life is to make me feel stupid." I knew he would use this information against me, and that's exactly what he's doing. Thank God we're no longer in high school. He would probably shout it from the rooftops, and I would be the butt of everyone's jokes.

His playful manner falls away as seriousness fills his eyes. "That's the last thing I'd ever want to do."

Ha! Liar.

In one swift motion, he wraps his arms around me and rolls me over until I'm stretched out on top of him. My breath catches at the feel of his hard body beneath mine.

Holy moly.

We're so close that I'm able to see the golden flecks that dance in his irises. "I know better than anyone what it's like when people make you feel stupid," he whispers, "and I would never do that to you."

The sincere expression on his face makes this feel like the first honest moment we've ever shared. As if all the bullshit has fallen away, and I'm catching a rare glimpse of the real Beckett Hollingsworth. The notion is as disconcerting as it is dizzying.

His hands cradle my cheeks tenderly. "You're one of the most intelligent people I know, Mia. If I made you feel like you weren't for even a second, I'm sorry. That was never my intention."

A strange intimacy grows between us.

"Your virginity is nothing to be ashamed of." His voice drops lower, becoming deeper. "I like that you're still a virgin."

His words create a warmth that slowly spreads throughout my body.

Even though I'm afraid to voice the question, I'm more afraid of never discovering the answer. "Why?"

His focus drops to my mouth. In response, my tongue darts out to smudge my lips. A groan rumbles up from deep in his chest.

I gasp when his cock twitches against me. Beck remains perfectly still, his hands cupping my face. His eyes darken to a deeper shade.

"I don't know," he admits. "Maybe I want to be the first one to touch you."

My brain explodes, and the world around me ceases to exist.

"Do you want that, Mia?" He rolls his hips, and his thick erection slides against me. Sensation explodes in my core before reverberating throughout my body in the most delicious way.

A moan slips free from my lips, filling the silent room.

"Fuck," he whispers before repeating the movement.

I bite down on my lip to keep the sound trapped inside.

"Don't do that," he mutters thickly, "I want to hear you."

He thrusts against me again, stroking my heat with his length. Only this time, the head of his cock butts up against my entrance. It's gently that he prods the opening. The combined material of his boxers and my thong keep him from sliding in deeper.

My eyes roll back inside my head as waves of pleasure wash over me. He's only stroked me a few times, but already my lower lips are slick with arousal. I'm so greedy for more.

"Does that feel good?"

I whimper in response, unable to form coherent words, as he moves rhythmically against me. The friction we're creating is the most amazing sensation I've ever felt. My thong is soaked. It doesn't escape me that all Beck has to do is stretch the material to the side, and he could slide inside me.

What would it feel like to have Beck buried deep in my body? I've fantasized about it too many times to count. I've touched myself to thoughts of him, but it never felt like this.

My core tightens as he picks up his pace. I arch, needing more contact as another whimper slides from my lips.

"I want you so much," he murmurs.

I gasp as Beck rolls us over, his body stretched out on mine. His gaze burns as he yanks his boxers down so his cock can spring free before pulling my thong to the side. My eyes roll up inside my head when his thick length comes in contact with my slick flesh.

"Do you like that?"

The smooth head of his erection nudges my entrance. He holds himself rigid, only an inch penetrating my heat. But it feels so damn good. I widen my thighs, wanting more.

We've barely done anything and already there is so much pleasure rushing through my system. It's almost too much for the confines of my body. I want to drown in it and never come up for air again. No one has ever touched me like this. There have been a few boyfriends over the years, but nothing that ever progressed to this level.

"We can't keep doing this without a condom," he grits between clenched teeth. "I don't want anything to happen."

His movements still as he hovers above me with the tip of his hard length buried inside my body. The urge to thrust my hips upward and press closer pounds through me.

"Okay."

"Okay?" he repeats as if he doesn't understand.

"Get a condom," I say, arching my back, trying to get him to slide deeper. When he pulls out, I growl with frustration.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" In this moment, I'm certain of what I want. And what I want more than anything is Beck inside me, filling me, making me feel things I never dreamed possible.

In one swift motion, he rolls away from me and toward his nightstand. He yanks open the slender drawer and grabs something from inside.

His gaze settles on mine as he holds a thin packet in his hand. "You're absolutely sure?"

My core pulses uncomfortably with awareness. I don't think I've ever felt this achy in my life. "Positive."

He bites his lower lip as indecision flickers across his face.

"Beck, I want this." I shimmy out of my thong before tossing it to the floor.

A groan escapes from his lips when he stares at my pussy. There are no more questions as he tears the boxers from his body before ripping open the package. My focus drops to his cock.

Holy cow.

His erection is long and thick. I'm no aficionado on dick size, but he seems impressively built.

"Take off your shirt," he says, sheathing himself with latex. "I don't want anything between us."

My belly hollows out as I tug the T-shirt over my head. It joins the thong on the floor.

Unsure what to do, I lie still as his gaze lingers over my naked length. We've known each other our entire lives. It seems strange that we're about to have sex. But there's no one else I could imagine doing this with. It's always been Beck. Whether I've wanted to acknowledge those feelings or not. So, in a way, what we're doing feels right.

"Having second thoughts?"

I shake my head.

"Okay." His body loses some of its rigidity. It's almost as if he's afraid I'll change my mind. "Spread your legs."

When I widen my thighs, he carefully maneuvers himself between them, stroking his hands from my belly to my breasts.

"You're so fucking perfect."

As he palms the soft weight, I arch into his hands and press myself closer. My eyelids feather shut as he squeezes them. And then he's back to stroking over my body again. Touching every part of me. He stops at my inner thighs and attempts to pull them further apart.

When I resist, his gaze settles on mine. "I want to see you."

A protest sits perched on my lips. I've never been on display like this. As I open my mouth to voice my concerns, he lowers himself and swipes the flat of his tongue across my slit. The stroke is long and languid.

A whimper explodes from my lips as he repeats the movement. The velvety softness of his tongue circles my clit, and sensation gathers, building like a storm inside me until it becomes almost too much to bear, and I groan out my release. He strokes me the entire time, wringing every drop from my body.

After my orgasm dissipates, Beck crawls up the length of me. Heat fills his eyes as a smug smile lifts his lips. I'm too dazed to care. As far as I'm concerned, the guy has every right to be arrogant about his skills.

I'm jostled from those thoughts when he places his cock against my entrance and rocks his hips back and forth. With each thrust, he slides inside my body. I groan as pleasure spirals inside me again, but then he continues to move, and a twinge of pain overshadows everything else.

"Are you all right?" He pauses. "Should I stop?"