Unless he loved me. That was something I was sure he hadn’t had with any other girl. I hoped, anyway.

I wanted to be bold, even though my nerves wanted me to run for the hills. I wanted to experience everything with Jared. No hiding, no fear. I was going to ask for everything I wanted, and be brave about it. Forever or never.

His shirt dropped the floor, followed by his pants.

Be bold.

I put my hand on the swollen proof that he wanted me. He jerked and sucked in a breath while I wrapped my hand around him and stroked. I expected him to close his eyes. Wasn’t he supposed to do that? To concentrate on the feeling more? But instead, he just watched me touching him. He got harder in my hand, and I clenched my thighs, turned on by the smooth length that had been inside of me and would be inside of me again.

He watched me with dark, heated eyes. He watched me touch him, and I thought I would come just from what I was doing to him. The way his hands clenched into fists and his erection jerked when I rubbed a certain way, and the way his breathing got heavier all got me throbbing to the point where I couldn’t take anymore.

He tore open the wrapper of the condom he’d put on the nightstand when he took his pants off and slipped it on.

Thank God!

Melting my body into his, my br**sts rubbing against the smooth skin of his chest, I kissed him long and deep, running my hands all over his back.

Be brave.

“My turn,” I whispered in his ear.

Jared’s eyes widened when he realized what I meant.

I lightly pushed him back on the bed and slid on top of him. Perfect. A shot of adrenaline coursed through me when I felt his hands on my h*ps and his sex pressed against me.

“You’re perfect. Perfect for me.” He ran his hands up and down my thighs.

I moved, gliding his tip along my slit, teasing him. When I came down on him, putting him inside me, my toes curled with the unbelievable feeling. It was so much deeper like this, and I leaned backward a little to be able to absorb every inch. I was filled and stretched, and I wanted him to feel as complete as I did.

Jared put a hand on my breast and used his other hand to guide my h*ps as worked him slowly. “Tell me you like it, Tate.”

“I…” I clenched my thighs tighter at his sides and moved in a front-back motion against him rather than the up-down I’d been doing.

Oh. My. God.

He hit the spot deep inside of me, and my head flipped back as I moaned. Damn! There was nothing better than having him inside of me.

I loved that I could still feel where he was the next day. And I want to feel him tomorrow, too.

He pushed his h*ps up hard against me, sending shudders through my body. “Say it.”

“I love it.” My body had lost control. The ripple inside of me turned into a wave, and I grinded against him faster and harder. “I love it with you.”

Afterwards, we lay collapsed on the bed, too tired to move, and I just wanted to crawl under the covers with him. I couldn’t believe I’d just done that in a strange house. We needed to get out of here before everyone figured out what we were up to. I had to start being more careful. My dad trusted me, but that wouldn’t last if I kept making irresponsible decisions.

Of course, he liked Jared. I was eighteen. My dad knew me having a sex life was bound to happen sooner or later. However, this school year had been full of behavioral mishaps on my part, and ha**ng s*x in a strange house at a party wasn’t on my list of great ideas. It was fun once, but I reminded myself to not try this again.

I kissed Jared, and we both smiled and laughed as we helped each other get dressed.

“I have a question.” I finally broke the blissful silence as I smoothed over his hair. It was the same question I’d tried to ask him before. There was only one more piece of the Jared-puzzle that I needed.

“Shoot.”

“You didn’t want to tell me about your dad or your brother. But Piper knew where you went on the weekends. Why could she know and not me?” The idea of Jared close enough to that girl to confide in her pissed me off.

“Tate, I didn’t tell Piper anything. Her dad is a cop. The cop that arrested me last year for attacking Jax’s foster dad. She found out through him.” He circled his arms around my waist and held me close.

“So you just happened to be dating the daughter of the cop that arrested you?” I knew it was more than a coincidence without him saying anything. He’d sought out Piper for some silly revenge. Bagging the cop’s daughter was a “screw you” to her father.

He shrugged. “Yeah, I’m not proud of that, but would it make you feel better if I actually liked her?”

I looked away. No. No, it wouldn’t.

Chapter 35

You know that expression—walking on cloud nine? Well, that was me as I strolled down the halls on Monday. Everything was going so great—K.C. and Liam, Jared and me, and school—that I felt like I was on a happy drug and never wanted to come down.

Jared had kissed me good-bye Sunday morning after Homecoming, having to leave for a daytrip to Weston to visit his brother. I hinted that I’d love to join him some weekend and meet Jax, but I didn’t want to push it either. I got the impression that Jared really enjoyed his alone time with his brother, so I’d wait until the time was right.

He hadn’t called or texted all day yesterday, so I started to worry when I hadn’t heard from him. But, at about ten o’clock last night, he’d finally crawled through my window and slid into bed next to me. As he spooned me, we both fell into a deliciously deep sleep.