Fuck expectations. This is way better.
Austin skidded into his garage, closing the door behind him. Butterflies rattled around my stomach with anticipation. He casually exited the car and then popped the truck.
“Can’t forget Waffle,” he said, picking up the enormous pink unicorn.
I snort-laughed. “You are ridiculous.”
“I take my custody very seriously.”
We moved into his house, which was located a couple of blocks off of Texas Tech’s campus in Tech Terrace, a subdivision that had been growing since the ’60s. Austin had bought the house a couple of years ago, gutted the interior, and started over. The property itself had been worth more than the house sitting on top of it. But, now, it was gorgeous, rustic, and a total bachelor pad.
Austin put Waffle on the couch with care. “There you go, buddy.”
“I wish you were like this all the time.”
Austin’s head snapped to me. “I am like this all the time.”
“Uh, no, you’re not. Most of the time, you don’t give a shit about anything.”
“All this time, you’ve thought that I don’t care about you, Jules?”
“What else am I supposed to think with the way you act? Every time we are together, you make some snide remark about getting me in bed. You didn’t care that I had a boyfriend, which I suppose shouldn’t have been a surprise, and you are generally a jerk.”
“Truth is, I don’t know how else to act around you.”
He took a few steps away from Waffle, pinning me in place with his heated gaze.
“So, you go with antagonistic?”
“Yes. It’s easier than telling you that I’ve thought about you every day since you left.”
“That was almost two years ago,” I said a little breathlessly.
“It was.”
“You could not have been into me this whole time. You were the one who fucked up. You were the one who pushed me away.”
“I know. I’m not going to make that mistake again.”
I read the sincerity on his face before he pressed me back against the wall, his mouth covering mine. I gasped as we collided. He took advantage of the movement and moved his tongue into my mouth. My body shuddered under his with all those months of pent-up sexual tension between us.
His hand slid down my thigh and hoisted it up around his hip. We shifted together a fraction closer, thrusting our hips together. I threw my arms around his shoulders, and he took that as indication to go further. He grabbed my other leg, pulling me completely against him. I locked my legs behind his back.
“Jules,” he muttered like a prayer.
“Hmm?”
“Want to fuck you, babe.”
I pulled back from his lips as he grasped my ass roughly in his hands. “That a question?”
“Statement.”
“Good. That’s what I thought.”
He grinned. “Could you be more perfect for me?”
“Yet to be seen.”
He kissed me again. This time, it was soft and gentle. Not at all like a kiss I’d ever gotten from Austin. He leaned me into the wall, caressing my lips with a tenderness I hadn’t known he was capable of. This wasn’t a quick, desperate kiss. This was passion, and in some way, it almost felt like an apology.
“What was that for?” I whispered against his lips.
“Just wanted to do it once before we went back to yelling at each other.”
I laughed. “You’re so confident that we will.”
He winked at me as he started walking me through the living room and the kitchen, and then he kicked open the back door.
“Austin…”
“Yeah, babe?”
“What the hell are you doing?”
One hand slipped between my legs and stroked me. I groaned at the intimate motion.
“Getting you wet.”
He slipped his shoes off, and before I could protest, he threw us both into his pool. My head went under with a giant splash. Austin released me as we went under, and I kicked away from him. I might have even kicked him in protest. I resurfaced, gasping, with him a quarter of the way across the pool.
“What the fuck?” I sputtered.
I pushed my soaked red hair out of my eyes and found Austin coming back toward me with a mischievous look on his face.
I held my hands out and shook my head. “Stay back, Wright.”
I grabbed both of my shoes and tossed them over the edge. Those Vans were seriously dead now.
“Ah, come on,” he said, stepping close to me again.
“Oh no, you’ve lost rights to all of this.” I gestured to my body.
“Don’t think so.”
“You ruined my shoes. Again.”
“Can’t ruin something twice.”
“You just did.”