I must have made a sound.
One moment, I was fighting with myself to walk away, and the next, I was being hauled back against my will. I was convinced nothing felt better than Vaughn’s dick against my spine or his arm around my waist.
“Going so soon?” he sexily hummed in my ear. “The show was just about to start.”
“Vaughn, let me go.”
To my surprise, he obliged, but I should have known better. Setting me on my feet, he quickly turned me around. The moment I faced him, Vaughn’s hands claimed me once more, holding my hips this time.
“Enjoy the view?”
“If I had, I wouldn’t have been running to wash my eyes out.”
He scoffed at that while looking slightly pissed. “It’s nothing you haven’t seen before.”
“My view was a lot rosier back then.”
“Pip-squeak—”
“Fuck you,” I spat before he could finish. I couldn’t handle any more of his lies.
With a determined glint in his eye, he backed me onto the picnic table a few feet away and stepped between my legs after forcing them open. Seriously, who kept these on a goddamn balcony anyway? And one sturdy enough to hold the both of us…
“Say yes to me, and I’ll do better than that,” he promised on a whisper. “I’ll fuck you.”
“Is that your final offer? Losing my virginity on a moldy, old picnic table?” I tried to suppress an eye roll even though I was tempted and failed. “How romantic.”
Taking my chin, he made me meet his gaze. “Under the moon, gazing at the stars…with me.” His voice almost broke on the last. I didn’t even get a chance to question the pain in his eyes when he dropped his head on my shoulder, hiding his face in my neck. “I feel like I’m slipping away, and there’s nothing to hold to. Nothing but you. I need you so fucking much, pip.”
Feeling his entire body tremble, I found myself wrapping my arms around his neck of my own free will. If he needed me to hold onto him, I would. Nothing else mattered. My own emotions bubbled up, and I found myself demanding answers. “What happened to you?” My frantic tone split the quiet night.
I felt his lips pressing against the small sliver of skin peeking through my T-shirt just before he shook his head. “I can’t tell you.”
Rather than get upset, I clung to him tighter. “Did someone hurt you?”
He seemed to think about that for a moment before lifting and shaking his head again. “Not on the outside.”
“Was it your father?”
His lips tightened, giving me my answer even before he denied me. “I don’t want to talk about him.” I felt his hands sliding underneath my shirt, reaching for the waistband of my shorts. “I just want to forget,” he said before kissing me hard. “Please make me forget.”
I couldn’t deny him the plea he’d whispered against my lips. At that moment, I would have given anything to take his pain away, so when he started pulling my shorts down, I didn’t stop him. I was even willing to risk getting a few splinters in my ass.
“Lift up,” he whispered.
I did as he ordered, and then my shorts were gone. I nervously watched as he pushed his boxers down and stepped out of them. Just like that, he was completely naked while I had only my shirt shielding me from prying eyes. As if only just remembering that we weren’t here alone, my gaze darted to the still partially opened sliding door. I couldn’t see that well inside, but the coast seemed to be clear.
Closing his eyes and throwing his head back in aggravation, Vaughn groaned before padding back inside the cabin.
I watched, trembling with anticipation and fear, as he grabbed a duffel bag with USC’s logo on the side. How hadn’t I noticed that before? The gears in my mind turned and tumbled as he rifled through it almost desperately before tossing it aside. Next, he grabbed Jamie’s bag since everyone had pretty much left theirs. It didn’t take him long to find what he was looking for. He then grabbed the knit throw adorning the back of the sectional and stepped back onto the balcony, tossing a box of condoms onto the tabletop.
“You’re going to USC?” I asked as if I weren’t half-naked and out in the open for anyone to see.
His lips tightened before he responded. “Yeah.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” And why didn’t he sound excited? The only time Vaughn didn’t look like he was two