Chapter Five
“Oh no you don’t!” Haley said, quickly moving forward and grabbing the slice of pizza that had the most pepperoni on it before Nathan could get to it. “You might have stolen my pepperoni last time, Mister, but you won’t succeed again.”
Nathan laughed but the sound died in his throat when, as a result of her leaning forward, he was treated to a glimpse of her cleavage which was being nicely displayed in the V of his shirt that she was wearing.
The two of them were lounging on his bed, the large pizza box between them as they satisfied the appetite they had worked up when they had arrived back at his house a few hours ago. He had been more than happy for them to stay naked while they ate but she had simply blushed and shaken her head before picking his shirt up from the floor and pulling it on. He, on the other hand, had stripped off the jeans he had put on to answer the door and was laying there with just a sheet covering him from the waist down.
“Fine, you win this time,” he said giving her a smirk. “By the way, have I told you how hot you look wearing my shirt?”
“Hmm, maybe once or twice. So, what do you feel like doing after we’ve finished eating?”
Instead of answering her, he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively which caused her to blush again.
Trying to ignore the lascivious look he was giving her, she said, “I was thinking we could make some popcorn and watch one of the movies you rented.”
“We could or we could just continue where we left off. I mean, it’s not like we get to have an entire house to ourselves every day so I think we should make the most of it while we can.”
Haley nodded knowing what he was saying was true. While her parents were often away visiting her brothers and sisters or just having weekends away, it wasn’t safe for her to have him over to her house in case Luke came over as he often did. And she felt too intimidated to hang out at the Scott mansion when his parents, namely his dad, was around.
Tossing the uneaten slice of pizza back into the box, she closed its lid before leaning over and placing it on the floor beside the bed. She could feel Nathan’s eyes on her as she did so and she gasped when she felt his large hand caressing her thigh. Before she knew it, he had thrown the sheet aside and pulled her on top of him while kissing her intensely as his nimble fingers made short work of pulling his shirt up her body, breaking the kiss only until the garment had cleared her head.
Her breath hitched in her throat as she felt his hands cupping and kneading her breasts, his thumb and forefinger pinching her sensitive nipples. God, all he had to do was look at her and she felt herself melt but add in touching and kissing and boy, she was a goner. Gripping his shoulder with one hand, she maneuvered her body so she was straddling his waist, her ass coming down to rest on his upper thighs.
“You’re so beautiful… I love you so much,” he whispered against her ear, his tongue slipping out to lick the shell of it. Now they had told each other they both wanted more, he wasn’t going to hold back on telling her exactly how he felt about her.
His words spiked her temperature and she cupped his face between her palms as she peppered his face with kisses. “I love you, too… more than anything.”
He moaned into her mouth when he felt her fingernails scraping across the back of his neck and his fingers dug a little harder into her hips. “I want you,” he breathed huskily and he felt her shiver in his arms. She was so responsive to what he was doing and he loved it. He knew he would never be able to get enough of her. No one else had ever come to close to making him feel half as good as she did.
The smile she gave him illuminated her whole face and he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Reaching over to his nightstand, she opened the drawer and removed a condom from it. Her forehead creased when he refused to take it from her and she wondered what was going on.
One hand came up to cup her cheek and after kissing her mouth softly, he told her, “I want you to put it on me.”
Biting her lip nervously, she averted her eyes and stared at his toned chest. His fingers came under her chin and tilted her face up so she couldn’t help but look into his eyes.
“I love you,” he affirmed and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
Haley paused for a moment before finally ripping open the foil wrapper and removing the disc from within in. This would be the first time she had done this for him and nervous didn’t even describe how she was feeling right at that moment. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt his hands guiding hers and together they rolled the latex onto his erection.
Nathan’s eyes closed as he reveled in the feel of her small hands stroking him and he bit his bottom lip as he fought for control. The sound of her giggling had him opening one eye and looking at her inquisitively. “What are you laughing at?”
“Nothing,” she told him as she nuzzled her nose against his. As she looked at him, she couldn’t believe how much had happened in just a short few hours. While she had been looking forward to them spending a weekend together, a part of her had been dreading it too knowing that she was going to have to keep a piece of herself back. Now that didn’t matter… he had told her he loved her and she had actually said it back, instantly feeling part of the heavy weight that had been weighing on her shoulders lifting.
Kissing her lips passionately, his hands directed her to move closer and a moment later he felt her lower herself onto his erection and he groaned at the tight feel of her surrounding him. His hands roamed all over her; stroking her back and squeezing her ass before coming around to play with her breasts. Their coupling, while frenzied, still demonstrated the strength of their feelings with every little touch they showered upon each other.
As she moved above him, Nathan moved his head between her breasts, licking and sucking on her erect nipples in turn, grazing his teeth on the rosy little nubs which had her hissing with obvious pleasure. When she squeezed her feminine muscles around his length, he groaned against her hot, fevered skin.
“Nathan… p-please…” she panted as she increased the speed of her movements. She could feel her orgasm fast approaching and she dug her fingernails into his shoulders as she fought to achieve it. The next thing she knew she was flat on her back with him pressing her down into the mattress as he thrust into her long and hard, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist to hold him as close to her as she could.
Her body bucked upwards when her orgasm hit a few moments later and her legs tightened around him even more as she rode it out. A minute or so later, her name fell from his lips in a mantra as he also climaxed.
They lay there tangled together as they took deep breaths and slowly calmed down. Nathan’s face was buried against her neck, breathing in her scent as his lips kissed and suckled on her salty skin.
For her part, Haley’s fingers trailed up and down his back as she held him to her. Her mouth, which was by his ear, whispered to him how much she loved and wanted him and it wasn’t long before things became heated once again and he was showing her just how much she meant to him.
* * * * *
“I wish we could spend today together,” Haley told him the next morning as they sat in his car just around the corner from her house.
“I know, I wish we could, too. Trust my Dad to be an ass as usual and piss my Mom off so she wanted to come back early. They weren’t supposed to be back until this evening. I’m just glad she called and told me what was happening so we could leave before they arrived back.”
She squeezed his hand which was resting on her thigh. “I’d invite you to hang out at my place but there’s a chance that, um, Lucas might come over and I…”
“It’s okay. When do you plan on telling him?”
“I-I’m not sure yet. I need to think about what I’m going to say and then pluck up the courage to actually come out and say the words. I just know it’s going to go badly,” she said sadly.
“You don’t have to tell him what we’re doing if you don’t want to.”
Tilting her head to one side, she gave him a confused look. “What are you saying?”
Realising what it might have sounded like, he quickly reassured her by saying, “I still want you to tell him about us, but I just meant that you don’t have to tell him we’re sleeping together. You could just let him know you’re tutoring me and that… well, things have developed. I don’t think he needs to know the exact details of what we do, that’s all.”
She released a quiet sigh of relief at his words and she gave him a warm smile. “Yeah, that’s probably for the best. It’s still not going to be pretty though. Just the thought of you and I talking to each other will have him going nuts so God knows what he’ll say when I tell him we’re together.”
Nathan heard the uncertainty in her voice when she said those last two words and it was his turn to squeeze her hand. “We’re together,” he confirmed before leaning in and covering her mouth with his and kissing her softly, feeling her smile against his lips.
Reluctantly breaking the kiss, she looked at him for a long moment, getting lost in his blue eyes. “I’d, uh, better get going just in case someone sees us.”
He nodded and before she had a chance to open her door, he grabbed her wrist, softly running his forefinger over the soft skin of it. “Will you do me a favour and tell him soon because I can’t wait until we’re out in the open?”
Turning to look back at him, she nodded. “I promise.” They shared one final kiss before she opened her door and stepped out of the car, making sure she had her overnight bag with her. After closing the door, she leaned in through the open window and blew him a kiss. “I love you,” she said, a bright smile on her face and she watched the smile grow on his.
“I love you, too. Is it okay if I call you later?”
“Of course it is. Just to warn you though, if I act a bit weird when you call it’ll be because he’s with me. I don’t want you thinking I regret any of this because I don’t. Oh, and if I didn’t say it before, thank you.”
He gave her a confused look. “Uh, what for?”
“For coming after me yesterday. I’m glad you did.”
The smile returned to his face and he nodded. “You’re welcome, Hales. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, drive safe.”
Once she had stepped back from the car, he started the ignition and after releasing the handbrake, he pulled away and started the drive home.
Haley watched his car disappear before walking the short distance to her house. She had only just rounded the corner when she noticed Luke’s truck parked outside her house and she felt herself break out into a cold sweat. Her mind was a jumble as she tried to quickly come up with a reason as to why she wasn’t at home on a Sunday morning and why she was carrying an overnight bag.
Walking up the path, she saw him sitting on the porch steps and he must have heard her approach because he suddenly looked up and smiled.
“Hey, Hales.”
“Hey,” she said returning his smile while her heart hammered in her chest.
“Where’ve you been? I’ve been sitting here for almost half an hour and you weren’t answering either your cell or the home phone. I was starting to get worried.”
She felt sick hearing him say that, knowing that he was being the good friend that he was and the whole time she had been with Nathan. “Um… I woke up early and, uh, couldn’t get back to sleep so I went for a walk.”
Lucas nodded at her as he got up from the step he was sitting on and came to stand beside her. “What’s with the bag?”
Once again, she tried to think of something fast but nothing was coming to her so she ignored his question for the moment and walked up the porch steps and fumbled in her jacket pocket for her door key. “Have you had breakfast yet ‘cause I can make you something if you haven’t.”
“That’d be great. I could really go for some of your pancakes,” he told her following her into the house.
Dropping her bag by the stairs, she looked at him from over her shoulder. “I don’t think so, buddy. I was talking more along the lines of toast or cereal.”
“Hey, I’m a growing boy and need my sustenance.”
“Fine, but I’m only making them because I’m starving, too.”
Busying herself with getting the necessary utensils out of the cupboards, she dropped the frying pan causing a loud bang when she heard what he said next.
“That must have been some walk you were on then to work up such an appetite, Miss Fruit and Cereal Girl.”
She laughed nervously as she kept her back to him until the heated blush she could feel on her face had lessened. If only you knew, Luke, she thought to herself.
Going over to the fridge, Lucas retrieved a carton of orange juice from it before getting a couple of glasses out of the cupboard he knew they were stored in. Pouring some into both, he asked, “So what’s in the bag?”
“Oh, just some junk,” she said a few moments later. “I thought I’d take a few bits to the second-hand store but I forgot they’re closed on Sundays.” Even as she said the words, she knew they sounded incredibly lame but she hoped that he’d buy her excuse. Focusing her attention on mixing the batter, she then ladled some into the hot pan.
If he suspected anything he didn’t bring it up, simply saying, “Oh, okay. Where were you walking?”
Damn, he was inquisitive this morning. “Just around town.” She almost said the docks but didn’t want to bring up the place where she and Nathan met most mornings. “I ended up at the park and, uh, sat on the swings for a bit.”
“You and those swings, huh? I could never get you to come home once you were sat on one of those.”
Laughing at his statement, she grabbed his plate and piled several pancakes onto it. “Here you go, you know where the syrup is.”
“Sure do,” he said, getting off his stool and walking over to the pantry.
“So, why are you over here so bright and early?”
“I thought you might want to hang out and do something, maybe catch a movie. I figured I’d keep you company since the ‘rents are away.”
The mention of the word ‘movie’ had her thinking about what had happened the previous night at Nathan’s. As the time had passed, she had insisted they watch at least one of the movies he had rented for them and after he had finally agreed and popped a DVD into the machine, she hadn’t been able to concentrate on a single moment of it since his hands had started wandering all over her body until she couldn’t take it anymore and had pretty much jumped on him.
“Haley, are you okay? You’re looking a little flushed.” Lucas watched his best friend with a look of concern on his face. He hadn’t failed to notice she seemed distracted a lot of the time lately but what with being busy with basketball and the drama involving Peyton and Brooke, he hadn’t given it much thought.
“Huh? Oh yeah, yeah I’m fine. I think the heat from the stove is getting to me,” she said trying to keep her voice light. Turning off the heat, she scooped her own pancakes up and placed them on her plate before drizzling some syrup over them.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while now, is everything okay? It’s just you seem a bit… preoccupied lately.”
Looking into his face and seeing his worry for her, she felt a sudden jolt of fear and panic at the thought of him not being in her life, but she knew he needed to know the truth. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth and said, “Actually, there is some—”
The sound of his cell phone ringing interrupted what she was about to say and he gave her an apologetic smile. “Sorry, let me just take this.”
Seeing the name that was flashing on his phone, he answered by saying, “Hey, Peyton, what’s up? … Oh, I’m actually at Haley’s right now so…”
Placing her hand on his arm, she smiled. “It’s okay, you should go.”
“Hang on a sec, Peyton.” Covering the mouthpiece with his hand, he looked at his best friend and said, “Are you sure? I mean, I came over here to hang out with you.”
“I know but it’s cool. I’ve got a few things I need to do before Mom and Dad get back later so I’ll be fine. I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Hales. I’ll pick you up at the usual time in the morning.”
“Oh! No, wait. I’ve got a, uh, tutoring session before school so you don’t have to pick me up. I’ll meet you by your locker though before first period.”
“You don’t normally tutor anyone on Monday mornings?” His eyes narrowed as he mentally remembered her schedule.
“Uh, it’s a new assignment,” she lied. She just knew though that after what had happened with her and Nathan this weekend, she couldn’t wait until Tuesday to see him.
“Oh, okay then.”
She nodded at him as she started to eat her breakfast and listened to him telling Peyton he’d be over at her place in about fifteen minutes. After he’d finished the call, he quickly dug into the rest of his breakfast.
“Woah, Luke, slow down. You’ll give yourself indigestion,” she teased.
“Hey, I’m not passing up your pancakes for anyone,” he said giving her a wink which caused her to laugh.
“That’s good to know. So, what do you and Miss Sawyer have planned for today?”
“I’m not sure yet. I think we might just hang out at her place and listen to music and then maybe head over to the café for something to eat. You’re welcome to join us if you want.”
“Thanks but I’ll be fine here. It’ll be nice to have some time to myself.”
“Okay, but you know where I am if you change your mind.”
“Uh huh.”
As soon as he had finished eating, he kissed her on the cheek and thanked her for breakfast before saying goodbye and running out the door.
“Thanks for leaving me with the dishes,” she playfully called out to him but he hadn’t heard her in his haste to get to Peyton’s house.
Finishing her own breakfast, her thoughts were plagued with the fact that she should have told him the truth when she had the chance. The longer she left it the harder it would get and the more chance there was of Lucas severing all ties with her.
After she had washed up and tidied the kitchen, she carried her bag upstairs and went into her bedroom, placing it on her bed and emptying it out. She had just dropped her dirty laundry into her hamper when her cell phone rang and she smiled when she saw ‘23’ flash up on her screen. She knew it was dangerous having that on there but figured it was no more risky than having his name programmed into her phone.
“Hey, you,” she said answering his call.
“Hey back. I just wanted to make sure you got in okay,” he told her.
Haley smiled. “Oh, did you think it took me this long to get inside?”
“No, but I didn’t want to bother you before you had a chance to get in and do stuff.”
“Aww, you’re so thoughtful.” She could imagine the scrunched up look he was probably wearing on his face right now.
“Funny.”
“Actually, it’s good you didn’t phone before. Lucas was sitting on my doorstep when I arrived back wanting to know where I’d been.”
“What did you tell him?”
“Just that I hadn’t been able to sleep so I went for a walk. He wanted to know what was in the bag though so I told him I’d been planning on going to the charity store to donate some stuff but that I’d forgotten it was closed.”
Nathan couldn’t help laughing at the excuse she’d come up with.
“Hey, it’s not funny. I had no idea what to say and that just popped into my head.”
“If he believed that, then he’s more gullible than I’ve given him credit for.”
“Nathan,” she warned.
“Sorry,” he said reluctantly. “So, did you tell him about us?” There was silence on the other end. “Haley, are you still there?”
“Yeah. I, uh, I was about to tell him while we were having breakfast but…”
“You were having breakfast together?” He felt a sharp pang of jealousy at the thought of them doing something so simple.
“So? I needed something to keep me occupied while he asked me twenty questions about where I’d been.”
“I’m sorry, I-I just wish it was me having breakfast with you.”
Her heart melted at the soft tone he used with her and she knew it was something reserved solely for her. “I wish that too.”
“So why weren’t you able to tell him?”
“Because Peyton rang inviting him to hang out with her and I told him he should go. It’s probably better that I try and mentally prepare myself anyway before I tell him. I will tell him, Nathan, I promise. I just need a little time.”
“I know,” he finally relented with a quiet sigh. “Are you on your own over there now? I could come over and keep you company.”
“I’d love you to but my parents will be back soon and I’d prefer it if they didn’t find us going at it.”
“You have a dirty mind, Miss James, anyone ever tell you that?”
She smiled. “Uh huh, my boyfriend was just telling me that last night… while we were in bed,” she whispered the last part of her sentence huskily.
“I can’t wait until Tuesday to see you… I want to see you now.”
“I want to see you now, too. The good news though is that you don’t have to wait until Tuesday. I thought we could meet up at the docks at our usual time tomorrow if that’s okay with you.”
“It’s more than okay, better than okay if you tell me we’re not actually going to be studying.”
Haley giggled. “Nope, we won’t be studying.”
“Good. I’ll bring the coffee and donuts as usual and you just bring yourself.”
“Okay,” she replied quietly, feeling her body heating up at his deep voice. “I’ll call you tonight before I go to bed.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
She could picture the sexy smirk gracing his gorgeous face as he said the words and she smiled. “Bye.”
“Bye, Hales.”
After hanging up the phone, she was in a blissful daze as she got her bag ready for school, making sure she had all the things she needed. She listened to some CDs for a while before picking up a magazine and flicking through it but the whole time her mind was focused elsewhere. Instead of working out what the hell she was going to say to Lucas, all she could do was count down the hours until she would be speaking to and then seeing Nathan again.