Free Text Me by K. J. Reed Page A

way.

Chapter Seven
     
    She couldn’t fall in love with him. That would just be
stupid. She wouldn’t fall in love with him. He’d be gone before she had the
chance.
    But at this rate, she might be well on her way to a broken
heart before he went back to California. And it was a risk she was willing to
take.
    Donovan followed her through the main
hallway of her building, up the flight of stairs to her front door without a
word. He was thinking of something. He’d been gearing up for a big speech.
Probably the You know this isn’t going anywhere, right? speech. He was
the kind of guy who would want her to know. And she appreciated that. But she
didn’t want to hear it. Not yet. One more night first.
    Reality could wait until tomorrow.
    “Are you sure?” he asked as she unlocked her door. “I know
how women are about their space and male invasions. We could head back to the
hotel.”
    The offer was nice and she knew what he meant. But the hotel
was impersonal. Cold. She wanted the warmth of coming home with someone she
really liked. At least once.
    “Nope. This is what I want.” She flipped on lights as she
walked through the living room and small dining area. “Nothing special to see,
just your average apartment that caters to college students.” She didn’t look
behind to see how he was taking it all in, just assumed he was following as she
walked past the room she used as an office and straight to her master bedroom.
    She stopped by the foot of her bed and turned.
    Donovan ambled through her bedroom door a moment behind her,
hands in his pockets as if he were afraid to touch anything. “It’s nice.”
    “It’s efficient,” she corrected. Clean and safe, those were
her two necessities. Past that, she hadn’t wasted time or money on beautifying
the place. “I’m only here about four days a week and I have a cabin at the camp
that I stay at if I’m there too late.” She ran a hand over her simple cream and
blue comforter. “It works for now. I’m hoping to buy a place halfway between
camp and the city in a few years, when I’ve saved up enough.”
    “It’s a nice goal.” Donovan shrugged out of his jacket,
folded it and placed it on top of her dresser. His eyes roamed the relatively
unadorned room. White walls, no artwork or pictures other than a frame holding
a family photo. Plain curtains.
    His brows scrunched, two parallel lines were etched between
them. He was looking around her room, but for some reason she felt as if his
eyes weren’t truly seeing anything.
    What was going on in that head of his?
    Ariel walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his
waist, pressed her forehead to his chest. After a moment, the solid comfort of
his arms held her tightly to him. His chin rested on her head.
    “You okay?” she asked, her voice muffled by his shirt.
    “Yup. Just got distracted for a second.” He used one hand to
tip her chin until she could see his face. “Won’t happen again.” And he kissed
her.
    The kiss was slow, steady and intoxicating. He kissed her as
though he were in no hurry to move on. As if they had a lifetime to spend
exploring each other rather than a few days. Warmth pooled in her belly and
spread out through her limbs, her nerves buzzed and she squeezed her thighs
together when she felt the first tingle of anticipation.
    He took his time stripping her down. With every inch of
exposed skin he took his time to explore with his lips, his tongue, his teeth.
Gentle nips made her jolt, whispered brushes of his lips forced a shiver.
    When she was in her bra and panties—feeling grateful she’d
taken the time to pick out a cute pair instead of her five-for-five-bucks
cotton set—he picked her up as if she weighed nothing. She waited for him to
toss her on the bed. Instead he laid her down as though she were fragile and
precious. Her heart took another traitorous tumble and she pressed her eyes
shut to keep frustrated tears from falling. Frustration from