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  “I’m glad that you have a car. It’s better than having to take the bus for our date.”

  Aaron laughed. “You’re the only girl I’ve ever been with, who didn’t care about my family’s money.”

  “I hope this doesn’t sound bad but other than the good fortune of birth, what does your parents’ wealth say about you?”

  “Good question.” He thought about it for a moment. “Not much, I guess.”

  “I’m not dating your parents. I’m dating you.”

  “Then we’d better get to it,” he said as he put the car in gear and took off.

  I was extremely glad that Aaron had suggested the pony tail for my hair because riding in a convertible is windy. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an exhilarating feeling the wind on your face and the sun warming your body as you’re speeding down the highway but it comes at a price—messy hair.

  It surprised me when Aaron pulled into a nearly empty parking lot.

  “Here we are.”

  “And exactly where are we?” I asked. There wasn’t a building to be seen. Just a dirt trail.

  “You’ll find out. Come on.”

  When we got out of the car, Aaron took my hand and we headed toward the footpath.

  “It isn’t very far. Less than a mile. Do you mind walking?”

  “Of course not. I love to walk.”

  We headed along the dirt pathway into the quiet woods. The trail was well worn but I didn’t see any other visitors on our trek. It could have been because the weather was getting colder or perhaps it was still a bit early in the day for visitors. The sun was out and it was almost too warm for our jackets, in a few hours, though the sun would be setting and it would get cold.

  Aaron took my hand and laced our fingers. When I looked over at him, he had a twinkle in his eyes. “I hope you enjoy this.”

  “I’m sure I will.”

  Several minutes later, we arrived at a beautiful Japanese Garden and Tea Room.

  “I thought we could do a tour of the garden then have an early dinner in the tea room,” Aaron suggested.

  I smiled. “Sounds like an excellent plan.”

  The only other person I saw was an older man selling tickets to get into the garden. “Last weekend of the season,” he said as he handed Aaron two tickets. “Then we’ll be closing up for the winter.”

  The garden was lovely with beautiful ponds and wooden foot bridges. I felt like I was in a water lily painting by Claude Monet. As we stood and watched the fish swimming amongst the lily pads, I felt what I imagined you were supposed to feel in a Japanese garden: serenity.

  Aaron grabbed my other hand and pulled me into him. He embraced me in a hug and whispered in my ear. “I’m glad you’re here with me, Sunshine.”

  Aaron kissed my neck and my stomach clenched. Then worked his way up to my mouth and the intensity of his kisses grew as his desire for me did. Within seconds, we were both enraptured and breathless. Aaron was awakening a longing deep inside me, one that I wasn’t yet accustomed to. My heart fluttered with the thrill of the new feelings I was experiencing.

  “We’d better stop,” Aaron inhaled. “This is definitely not taking things slowly.”

  I grinned. He was right. We were starting to get carried away and at the rate we were going, I wouldn’t be a virgin very much longer.

  “Besides, it’s almost dinner time and I’m starving.”

  ***

  The tea room was small but charming. We had our choice of tables and Aaron selected one in a quiet back corner of the place. Not that it mattered because we were the only patrons there. Privacy would not be an issue.

  When the young and extremely attractive waitress came over to take our order, she had a strange expression on her face. She was staring at Aaron and completely ignoring me. A past fling, perhaps?

  “Hello, Aaron,” she said in an overly flirtatious and inappropriate tone.

  Aaron looked completely uncomfortable with the young woman. “Amanda,” he said, finally acknowledging that he knew her.

  When Amanda touched Aaron’s shoulder, he froze for a second then moved from under her grasp. She gaped at him as if she couldn’t believe he wasn’t responding positively to her gesture. “What’s going on,” she said. She seemed to be confused.

  “I’m here with my girlfriend,” Aaron said matter-of-factly.

  It was like a light bulb went off. Amanda suddenly realized that Aaron wasn’t alone and I was sitting at the table with him. A look of complete disgust crossed her face. I’m sure she wondered why someone like me was sitting with Aaron instead of her. She was clearly a 10 on anyone’s scale and I was probably a 7 on a really good day.

  “You have a girlfriend,” she blurted, her eyes still fixed on me. I’m sure what she really wanted to say was: that’s your girlfriend but she refrained.

  “We’d like to order.”

  “Oh, yeah, right.” Amanda’s attention was still fixed on me.

  I was sure she was thinking, like the beautiful girls, who sat in the back on my art class that Aaron was with me because I had a magic Vajayjay or gave good BJs.

  Aaron ordered yakitori, grilled chicken, with rice for both of us. When Amanda left, Aaron took my hands in his and kissed my fingers. “Sorry about that.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “I don’t want my past to continue to haunt our relationship.”

  “I thought you handled that really well.”

  He smiled. “Thanks, I’m trying.”

  After Amanda brought our food, I took the opportunity to broach a sensitive subject. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Of course, you can ask me anything.”

  I swallowed and gathered my courage. “Now that we’re together, what are you going to do about The Tournament.”

  Aaron expression grew sullen and I immediately regretted bringing up the subject.

  He took a moment to gather his thoughts then said, “I have two older brothers. We’re all two years apart and extremely competitive. They were both in The Clubhouse when they were in college. Of course, they were both President just like me and they both won The Tournament their senior years.”

  Aaron’s expression changed. I couldn’t tell if he was sad or embarrassed, maybe a bit of both. “I have to tell them that I’m out of the Tournament. I don’t think they’ll understand. My oldest brother will be turning 27 and he’s just now thinking about settling down. My other brother is still playing the field. They’ll think it’s weird that I want a serious relationship in my senior year, of all times.”

  Serious relationship. I liked the sound of that. But I was still concerned about Aaron. “As long as you’re sure this is what you want.”

  His gaze grew intense. “I’m not sure about many things in life but I am very sure about you.”

  I nodded. That was enough for me.

  It was dark when Aaron parked outside my dorm room. I wasn’t ready for the date to end but I was also scared of what might happen if it continued. I wasn’t sure if just inviting him up was being too forward and I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. Why did dating have to be so confusing and complicated?

  “My roommate is gone for the weekend,” I said finally.

  Aaron raised an eyebrow. I froze. He smirked. “You don’t have to worry. We’re taking it slow and we don’t have to do anything until you’re 100 percent ready. I just love being with you.”

  “Do you want to come up to my room?”

  “I was waiting for you to ask.”

  When Aaron looked around my room, he seemed struck by the immensity of my art book collection. “You do have a lot of art books.”

  I closed the distance between us. “Art is my passion.”

  Aaron looked at me, his gaze intense. “I hope to become your second passion.”

  I smiled. “Keep working on it.”

  “I intend to try.” He leaned down and kissed me. Every time we kissed, my feelings for Aaron seemed to intensify tenfold.

 
Aaron ran his thumb down the side of my face and lingered around my chin. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”

  I shook my head.

  “I didn’t think so.” He leaned down and put his lips on mine. I loved the way he tasted. So sweet. His lips were soft but he used them so skillfully. He parted my lips with his tongue then played inside my mouth. I started to feel light headed and jelly-legged.

  When we stopped to take a breath, he said, “Maybe we should sit on your bed.”

  I nodded. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could trust my legs.

  Aaron took my hand in his and led me to the bed. He slid over to the top of the bed and pulled me with him. We were both lying on my bed sharing my pillow. “We’re not really sitting on the bed.”

  “Do you mind?”

  “No.”

  “Good.”

  He perched himself on one elbow and gazed down at me with such intensity, I almost couldn’t breathe.

  He took his thumb and ran it over my bottom lip. “Do you have any idea how much I enjoy kissing these magnificent lips?”

  I gulped.

  Then he leaned down and did just that. His kisses were soft at first but then grew much more needy and full of desire. And my desire for him grew as well. I wanted Aaron to touch every part of my body, not just my lips and face and hands.

  Aaron very slowly parted my legs and placed his hand between them, over my pants. I froze then swallowed. I think Aaron could sense my apprehension because he stopped and looked into my eyes. “Just tell me if there’s anything you don’t want to do. I’ll stop.”

  “I know.” I was afraid of intimacy with Aaron but at the same time I craved it.

  He moved his hand up to my breast and carefully caressed it through my shirt. I let out a soft moan. Then he moved to my other breast and gave it equal attention. He made his way down my chest, to my stomach and between my legs again. I could feel myself getting wet as he seemed to work magic down there. How was it possible to get so turned on and still be fully clothed?

  Aaron then pushed my knees down and slid over so that his body was between my legs. He slid up until we were face to face and every inch of our fully clothed bodies was touching. Oh. My. God. I could feel Aaron’s erection pressed hard against my body. His desire for me sent a wave of shivers through me. I imagined what it would be like if we were both sans clothing. For years, I had longed to experience all of those things I had read about in romance novels and saw in movies. Aaron was making all of my fantasies a reality.

  Aaron’s eyes were searing with desire. “This isn’t really slow, is it?” he whispered.

  “I don’t care,” I managed to get out.

  He pressed his body into mine and kissed me greedily. Then the fire between us ignited. Being a virgin suddenly felt like a burden that needed to be eliminated immediately. I wanted Aaron in every way and I longed to release the sexual tension that was building inside me. Before I could stop myself, I whispered, “Take me.”

  “What,” Aaron asked.

  I looked into his eyes. “Make love to me, Aaron.”

  He looked awestruck then shook his head. He moved from on top of me and lay down next to me again.

  My heart sank. I could feel tears starting to well up in my eyes but I willed myself not to cry. “Why? Why don’t you want me?” All sorts of thoughts begin to creep into my head. Why didn’t Aaron want me? Did I do something wrong? Was it because I was so inexperienced?

  I could feel several tears escape down my cheeks.

  When Aaron noticed I was crying, he shot up. “Please don’t cry, Sunshine.” He wiped the tears that were now streaming down my face. “I want you. I really want you. I’ve wanted you from the moment I first laid eyes on you. The day you were moving in.”

  He pulled me close to him and embraced me. “I want your first time to be special. You deserve it. Promise me, you’ll let me do this for you.”

  “Okay,” I whimpered.

  “You make me feel like I’m in high school again,” Aaron said.

  “Is that good or bad?’ I asked.

  “I learned to love someone when I was in high school and now I’m learning again.”

  “Well, this is all new to me,” I admitted.

  He raised an eyebrow. “All?”

  “All,” I reiterated. “Because of my mother’s illness, I didn’t date in high school. I never had a boyfriend. Never went to prom. Never even kissed anyone. Until I met you.”

  Aaron looked into my eyes with such tenderness, I felt like crying again. “I’m glad you picked me to be your first.”

  “Me, too.”

  “And I want to be your last,” he said firmly. He planted a soft kiss on my lips. “I want these lips all to myself. I want you all to myself.”

  I tried to hold back a yawn.

  “Are you getting tired?” Aaron asked. “It’s getting late. Do you want me to go?”

  I shook my head. How could I tell him I never wanted him to go? “Maybe you could sleep here tonight?” I suggested my voice uncertain.

  He smiled. “I would love to fall asleep with you in my arms and wake up with you in my arms but I want you to be sure. Think it through. If anyone sees me leaving your room in the morning, you know what they’ll think, even if it’s not true. Are you ready for that?”

  He had a point but I was willing to risk it. But I had just one question first. “You’re out of The Tournament, right?”

  Aaron hesitated for a moment. Oh, no. The thought of him still being involved in something like that was completely revolting.

  “I’m out of it,” he said finally but I wasn’t convinced.

  “Look at me,” I said and he did as he was told. “You’re sure you’re no longer participating in The Tournament.”

  His gaze was now intense. “I’m sure.”

  “Okay, then let’s go to sleep.”

  Aaron laid his head on my pillow and he pulled me into him so that my head lay on his chest. I melted into the warmth of his body. His kissed the top of my head and whispered, “Goodnight, Sunshine.”

  “Good night,” I managed to get out before I fell into a peaceful slumber.

  Nine

  A Mulligan

  When I awoke the next morning, it took me a moment to remember that I had someone in my bed with me. My head was still on Aaron’s chest and his arms were around me. We had stayed like that all night. The sun was starting to peek through the shade, so I knew it had to be later than I normally woke up. This time of year, it was still dark when I awoke. I glanced over at the clock and saw it was a little after eight.

  As soon as I moved, Aaron woke up. He kissed my forehead. “Good morning, Sunshine.”

  “How did you sleep?” I asked.

  “I could definitely get used to that. And you?”

  “I think you cured my insomnia.”

  “If you think that’s a good sleep, just wait until we start having sex.”

  I gave him a sheepish half smile. I really couldn’t wait to be with him.

  He looked over at the clock. “Eight fifteen. Shit. I have a Clubhouse meeting at nine.”

  “Why so early on a Sunday?” I asked.

  He got up and stood in front of the mirror trying to fix his matted hair. “We’re giving the new recruits some chores to do and we have to make sure they all get done and get done right. It’s my duty as the President to make sure everything goes smoothly.”

  I got up from the bed and stood next to him, looking at the two of us in the mirror together. Aaron kissed my cheek. “You’re beautiful in the morning.”

  “You’re not so bad yourself.”

  “We’re having a get together with some of the other social clubs tonight. Nothing formal. I’d like for you to be there. Would you like to come?”

  I still didn’t feel comfortable in The Clubhouse but I could sense it was important to Aaron. “Okay, sure,” I agreed.

  He kissed my cheek. “Be there around eight?”

  I nod
ded as Aaron took my hand and lead me to the door. He kissed me then whispered in my ear, “I can’t wait to see you again tonight.”

  ***

  When I stood at the doorway to The Clubhouse, the same two guys were guarding the entrance as had been there the night of Parent’s Weekend. They looked at me as if they were trying to recall how they knew me. I was sure I was probably the only one who had refused to sign their book.

  “You need to sign in,” the taller guy informed me.

  “I’m not going to do that,” I countered.

  The guy gave me a closer look then seemed to remember me. “You’re the girl, who Donovan knows.”

  “I’m Aaron’s girlfriend,” I said matter-of-factly.

  The shorter guy stifled a laugh. Asshole.

  “Aaron said I didn’t have to sign the book, remember?” I was now fuming.

  “Whatever.” The taller guy shrugged.

  I marched past the two buffoons and headed toward the sound of rock music. There was a room, that had a fully equipped bar, dance floor and even tables for people to sit. It was like a small nightclub in their house. The room was about half full already and I wondered how I was going to find Aaron. I looked around but I didn’t see him. I did see his friend, Evan, standing with two other guys near the bar. Evan intimidated me but he was the only person I knew besides Aaron.

  As I got closer to the bar, Evan’s gaze met mine and he gave me an odd look. It immediately made my stomach crawl and I decided against speaking to him. Then I saw him elbow the guy next to him and point in my direction. He spoke loud enough for me to hear him. “Hey, isn’t that the chick that Aaron scored with last night?”

  My stomach lurched.

  Evan continued. “I heard he walked out of the Virgin Vault early this morning. You know what that means. Aaron’s gonna post a big score on his card. Now that Aaron’s warmed her up, I wouldn’t mind giving her a go. I usually don’t go for his sloppy seconds but in her case, I think I’d make an exception. I bet she’s still pretty tight. She needs a real man to really loosen her up.”

  To say that I was completely and utterly disgusted would be the understatement of the year. I was so sick to my stomach I needed to get out of there and fast. Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aaron. He looked at my face then looked over at Evan and his friends. They were now laughing and pointing in my direction.