BAD REP(74)

He took a few deep breaths in an effort to calm himself down.  “Why didn't you call me and tell me this was going on?  Didn't you think I'd want to know?” he asked after a few minutes.  I dropped my eyes, not wanting to look at him.

“Because it was my problem.  And I thought you and Olivia...well you walked off with her.  And then she said...” I couldn't finish.  I didn't know what else to say.  Jordan let out a deep breath and it fanned across my face, smelling like beer and peppermint.

“You thought I had chosen her.”  His hand, still clutching around the back of my neck, tightened.  “I'm such a f*cking *,” he growled.  I couldn't help but smile.

“Yeah, you kind of are,” I agreed.  Jordan tapped his forehead against mine.

“Watch it,” he warned, his eyes sparkling.

I sobered then and pulled away, forcing him to drop his hands.  “Then why haven't I heard from you, Jordan?” I asked him with all the hurt I had felt the last few weeks.  This time, Jordan didn't tentatively reach for me.  He grabbed my arms and pulled me tightly against him.  He held my face roughly between his hands and forced me to look at him.  His cheeks were splotched red and his eyes snapped with a fire that threatened to engulf me.

“What are you talking about?  After you sent me that text I thought I'd give you the weekend to deal with stuff.  I knew you were upset and I didn't want to make it worse for you.  But I drove my ass over here first thing Monday morning.  But no one was here.  So I waited until I had to leave for class myself.  Then I came back.  And came back.  I've been by here at least three times a week since I last saw you!  Every time, you either weren't here or Riley has empathically told me that you did not want to see me.  I begged her to let me talk to you but she was pretty insistent that I needed to leave you the hell alone.  And what I had to say to you couldn't be said over the phone.”  I closed my eyes.  Damn my well-intentioned but seriously misguided best friend.

“And what did you need to tell me that couldn't be said over the phone?” I asked, my voice weak.  Jordan took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving mine.

“I wanted to tell you that I couldn't stop thinking about your face.  That you had burrowed your way so deep into my veins that I would f*cking bleed you.  That if I died tomorrow, I could go a happy man for having felt your lips on my skin.”

Shit.  Well, what was there to say to that?  The man was a poet.  It was no wonder girls practically dropped their panties in his presence.

“Just so you know, I had no idea you had been coming by,” I told him, putting my hands up to cover his as they held my face.  Something instantly changed in Jordan's expression.  No longer did he look fierce and angry.  Now he looked relieved and almost happy.

“You didn't?” he clarified.  I shook my head.

“Nope.  Had no clue,” I responded, smiling a bit.

“And would you have seen me?” he whispered, inching his mouth towards mine until we were breathing each other's air.  I looked into his eyes.  This was the moment.  The one where everything would change in an instant.  How I handled the next thirty seconds was crucial.  Did I back away and force myself to deny what had always been there between us? Or did I finally allow myself to accept it...and him?

So, I put my lips to his and whispered back, “Yes.” Jordan gripped my face as our lips crushed against one another.  His tongue begged entrance into my mouth and I happily complied.  The moment our tongues collided, Jordan groaned heavily in the back of his throat.  His hands cupped my ass and lifted me up so that I could wrap my legs around his waist.  He started walking me down the hallway.

“Which one is yours?” he asked against my mouth.  I pointed to the door on the left.  Jordan kicked open the door and carried me into the darkened room.  He laid me down on the bed and his mouth moved to my neck, suckling my skin and tracing his tongue along my collar bone.  My hands ran up his back as I pushed his shirt up.  My legs remained wrapped around him and I rubbed myself against the obvious erection he had underneath his jeans.

“I have wanted you from the minute I saw you,” Jordan murmured into my mouth as his hands started to slide up my tank top.  I arched off the bed as his hands cupped my breasts, his thumbs rubbing circles over my hardened nipples.  “I have only wanted you since June 18th at 3:45 p.m.,” he said huskily as he continued to palm my aching breasts.