Sex, Not Love(23)

I chuckled. Okay, you asked for it.

Hunter: I sucked a girl’s toes once. I should add that she’d just gotten out of the shower, so they were clean.

Summer: Is that something you’re into?

Hunter: Not at all.

Summer: You just wanted to try it?

Hunter: No. She asked me to.

Summer: Hmmm…

What did that mean? Hmmm...

Hunter: Did I gross you out?

Summer: Not at all. Just the opposite. I think it’s sexy that you’ll do something you aren’t into just to please your partner.

I wanted to demonstrate my dedication to pleasing her in the worst way.

Hunter: Your turn. Truth or Dare?

She typed back immediately.

Summer: Dare.

I knew what I wanted. Hell, I had a stiff one growing in my pants from just the thought of what I wanted to dare her to do. But I didn’t want to be a dick and type send me a skin shot. So I went light, tossing the ball in her corner.

Hunter: Send me a sexy pic.

My phone went quiet after that for a good ten minutes. I’d started to get concerned that I might’ve upset her when it buzzed again.

Summer: Use your hands to shield your phone so no creepers on the bus see over your shoulder.

Fuck yeah.

A few seconds later, a picture flashed on my screen. Summer was completely naked, even if I didn’t get a full look at everything. She was kneeling to the side with her legs closed and had one arm positioned across her chest so it covered almost both her breasts, except she’d left her pointer and middle finger spread wide so her left nipple was on full display. As if that wasn’t the sexiest thing I’d ever seen, the face she made was the frosting on the cake. Her head was tilted down in a shy way, but her lips were parted in a pout as she looked up at the camera from under her thick lashes.

Fuck. She was every guy’s wet dream. Open, free spirited, face like an angel, and body like the devil. I stared at the picture so long, I hadn’t realized how much time went by until Summer texted again.

Summer: Say something. Was that too much? What are you sitting there thinking?

Hunter: You want the truth?

Summer: Of course.

Hunter: You’re fucking gorgeous. I’m wondering if I should slip into the piss-smelling bus bathroom to jerk off now or try to hang on until I get to my brother’s place.

Summer: LOL. Happy birthday, Hunter. Can’t wait to say it in person.

She probably thought I was kidding. I took a deep whiff in. God, this bus reeked. Jayce’s room, it is. Sorry, big bro. Which reminded me…Summer and I had talked about spending time together this weekend, but we hadn’t made any specific plans, and my brother wanted me to go to some party to meet a girl he was head over heels for.

Hunter: What are you doing tonight? My brother wants to take me to a party at one of his frat brother’s houses. Want to come along?

Summer: Hmmm. I promised a friend I’d stop by a party, too. It’s off campus. How about we each go make our appearances and meet up afterward back at the dorms?

Getting two parties over with at the same time so we could be alone sounded like a damn good plan to me.

Hunter: I’ll text you when I can escape.

Summer: Can’t wait to see you.

I spent the last hour of my bus ride memorizing every detail of Summer’s body as I stared at the picture she’d sent. There was something special about this girl—and it wasn’t just that she was better than a pinup. I even wanted Jayce to meet her, something I’d never given a shit about before. Neither one of us had ever brought a girl home to meet Mom. That thought made my heart heavy, knowing it would never happen now. But for some reason, Summer was different. We’d only spent four hours together in person, though we’d been talking for over a month. Yet I wanted her to meet the only real family I had left. Jayce would like her—hell, we had similar taste in girls.





Chapter 11


Natalia




Since I’d returned from California, I’d missed three Sunday night dinners at my mother’s house, and now I was late for a fourth because our train hadn’t budged in fifteen minutes.

“Why don’t we just take your car, or better yet, an Uber, out to Howard Beach like we always did when Dad came?”

Isabella was a smart girl. She knew the answer.

“Because driving from the City to Howard Beach takes forever in traffic, and an Uber is a hundred and fifty dollars round trip. The A train is faster and three bucks each way.”

She raised her perky little nose in the air. “When I grow up, I’m not going to be poor.”

“We’re not poor.”

“So why are we in this stalled sweat box right now instead of an air-conditioned Uber?”

“Because we don’t waste money. We make wise decisions on how to use it.” I pointed my chin at her feet. “You know, like on those hundred-and-forty-dollar Nikes I just bought you. There’s your Uber.”

She rolled her eyes, but stopped bitching. A few minutes later, the train finally started to move again. It was just in the nick of time, too. I’m not claustrophobic or anything, but the oppressive heat had me feeling like I was trapped inside a sealed baggie with no air.

Mom’s house was a fifteen-minute walk from the train. She lived in the same two-family brick house we’d lived in growing up—only instead of a tenant to help pay the rent upstairs, now my oldest sister and her family occupied the space. They’d moved in two years ago when she had her second baby so Mom could help with the kids.