She opened the door a minute later with her face freshly washed. Leaning against the doorframe, she asked quietly, "What?"
"Why were you crying?" My tone was harsher than intended, but I didn’t like what I was feeling. Everything that happened tonight was crap, wrong and unnecessary.
She stared down the floor. "I wasn't crying."
"I heard you," I managed to say in a softer voice. I wanted to reach out and hold her, but something about her posture told me she'd prefer I didn't.
"I'm tired. I'm going to go to sleep." She circled around me, bending over her bag to pull out something to sleep in. Past girlfriend experience would’ve probably helped me in this situation. Unfortunately, I was flying blind here.
Coming up behind her, I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her back onto my lap as I sat on the bed. Burying my face in her neck, I took in all that was her, needing to make things right between us again. "Please tell me what's wrong, princess. You're killing me."
"It's no use.” She shrugged her shoulders in a jerky movement.
"What’s no use?"
She turned sideways on my lap to look me in the eyes. "Let's just have sex, Caleb."
Her words were jarring. The way she said them making it seem crude. I ignored her obvious ploy to distract me. "No."
Her face was pure disbelief as her dark blonde eyebrows rose. "No?"
Raising my thumb, I stroked her silky cheek. Her flinch was far from reassuring. Tightening my arm around her, I had the urge to somehow chain her to me so nothing could ever tear her away from me. "Baby, please talk to me."
Her eyes welled up with tears. It hurt to watch.
She sniffled and said in a hoarse voice. "You had a hard on."
I had to choke back my laughter. She must have felt my chest shake because her eyes narrowed. "Gianna, if you don't want me to get a hard on for other girls, then don't throw naked strippers onto my lap."
Her bottom lip pouted adorably. "Did you want her?"
"No," I returned without hesitation.
"But you had a hard on for her!" she protested.
I shook my head, wishing we weren’t having this conversation. "Gianna, guys can't help things like that. Did I have a hard on? Yes. Did I want to use it on her? Not one bit."
"Oh," she said in confusion, obviously not in complete understanding. She met my eyes again and asked with hope in her voice, "So, what you're saying is that it was involuntary?"
"Exactly."
She stared at me for so long I began wondering what she was thinking. Her expression brightened somewhat and she almost smiled. "Okay, Caleb, I forgive you for that."
Was there something else I needed to be forgiven for?
"I need a drink," I muttered to myself and set her on the bed so I could walk over to the mini fridge where I’d stored the alcohol we didn't drink last night. Pulling out a cold beer, I contemplated a wine cooler for her, but left it, deciding Gianna was more than drunk enough already.
When I turned back around, she sat on the bed with a playful look on her face. "I like you, Caleb."
Uncontrollably, I scowled at her. Something about that sounded wrong.
Her smile grew. "I liked Levi, too. He was cool."
Oh, hell no.
Pointing at her I said, "Don't think you're out of trouble when it comes to him."
Wearing a slightly astonished expression on her beautiful face, she said, "What are you talking about? I thought he was fun."
Giving her an unhappy look, I chugged the last of my beer and slammed it down on the dresser. Pulling off my shirt, I told her, "Take off your clothes."
Smiling, she slowly began to undress. I was naked by the time she had her skirt and top off. Hooking two fingers into the waistband of her panties, I pulled her towards me. She squealed in surprise, but when I checked between her legs, she was wet for me.
I practically ripped off her panties and bra in my attempt to get at the good stuff. I jammed two fingers in her and took one nipple into my mouth. Biting down lightly, I savored her whimper and her arousal.
Fingering her, I brought my head up to say in her ear, "I better not ever see you let a guy touch you like that again."
"He only pulled me onto his lap," she responded breathlessly.
"You're mine, Gianna. No one touches you but me." I kissed her possessively while driving my fingers deep to drive the point home. She came around my fingers, moaning her pleasure against my lips. Pulling my fingers out, I got in position and thrusted between her splayed legs.
"We were only having fun," Gianna gasped.
Pressing my forehead against hers, I demanded, "Say you're mine, Gianna."
With her hands in my hair, she kissed me, stroking my tongue with hers sweetly. "I'm yours Caleb . . . for as long as we like each other."