Page 24 of Only Forever

“I made a reservation for us.”

“Where?” I asked. “Is it somewhere we’ve eaten before?”

Jason shook his head slowly. “Not a restaurant reservation. A hotel reservation.”

I swallowed audibly. Jason and I had gone as far as we physically could in a car, but we always stopped short on actually making love, since he insisted he didn’t want our first time to be in a car. We had never discussed when or where we would be together for the first time, but obviously Jason had been planning. My pulse quickened rapidly and my body reacted instinctively. I suddenly felt overheated.

Jason glanced at me when I didn’t say anything. “Only if you want to. No pressure.”

“I think a hotel room is a good idea,” I said, taking a deep breath. I was more than ready to go to the next level with Jason, but I was also nervous. I had never been with someone before, and I was afraid my inexperience would make me awkward.

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 5,” Jason said. “Do you think your mom will be okay with you staying the night somewhere else?”

I straightened my shoulders. “Of course. I’m an adult.”

In reality, I knew I would tell my mom some excuse. Probably that I was spending the night over at Shelby’s. I didn’t think my mom would exactly object to me spending the night with Jason,but I also didn’t want to discuss something so personal that hadn’t even happened yet.

Jason leaned over to give me a gentle kiss, smiling at me softly. “Tomorrow, then.”

Chapter Eleven

The next day, I was a bundle of nerves. I took a long shower, washing and shaving any part of my body I could reach, until the water ran cold. My mom easily believed my story that Jason was picking me up to go on a double date with Shelby and some guy, and then I was going to spend the night at her place. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt for lying to her.

My mom and Keith were settled into the couch in the living room, getting ready to watch a movie, when Jason arrived to pick me up. I was nervous that they would try to talk to him, so I rushed Jason out the door, throwing a quick goodbye over my shoulder. Jason took my overnight bag from me, and I followed him to this car. He looked irresistible in jeans and a dark blue polo shirt, and I could smell his cologne wafting towards me. His gaze was admiring as it traveled down my body, and I suddenly felt half-dressed, even though the skirt I was wearing wasn’t very short, and my v-neck top wasn’t very low-cut.

“Which hotel are we going to?” I asked, my hands fidgeting on my lap as Jason drove. Jason reached over and took one of my hands in his, his thumb brushing against my palm reassuringly.

“The Madison,” he replied, naming a fancy hotel in a nearby city. He glanced at me before turning his gaze back at the road. “We don’t have to do anything. We can just have a relaxing night at the hotel.”

I shook my head. I was ready for this. I just hoped my performance wasn’t disappointing. “No, I’m looking forward to it.”

My face turned red as I realized how wanton that sounded, but Jason just grinned, squeezing my hand in his.

“Me, too.”

It was about an hour drive to the hotel, and I admired the grand entrance when we pulled up. It was a little intimidatingbeing at such a nice hotel, and I awkwardly thanked the valet when he opened my door for me.

I couldn't help blushing a little as I stood beside Jason as he checked in at reception, and confirmed that we were staying for only one night. I felt like it was glaringly obvious what we were there to do. But Jason didn’t seem bothered by any of it. He seemed at ease at the hotel, and he looked and sounded like such a grown-up when he was talking to the hotel staff. I still felt like a kid pretending to be an adult.

When we got to our room, Jason opened the door with the key card, and I gasped when we stepped inside.

“This must have been so expensive!” I exclaimed, as I surveyed the room. Instead of just being a room with a bed, there was also a sitting room with richly upholstered furniture, and an eating area with a fully adorned dining table. Still, my attention was mostly on the king-sized bed that reminded me why we were here.

“Not really,” Jason replied mildly as he put both our overnight bags on a chair. He watched me as I gingerly sat on the bed, wondering what to do next. He walked over, standing in front of me. He tenderly brushed my hair back from my face, his smile sweet. “I thought we could have dinner here, instead of going out. I already ordered beforehand. It should be here soon.”

I couldn’t help but be relieved that we wouldn’t immediately be having sex. I needed to loosen up and relax.

“That sounds nice,” I said with a smile.

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door, and soon food was being wheeled in. I was grateful to see there was a bottle of wine. I needed some liquid courage tonight. The room service attendant placed all the food on our dining table with a small flourish, and then left us quickly.

“The hotel restaurant is known for their steak, but I thought you’d be a little sick of it since we had it last night,” Jasonsaid as he poured two glasses of red wine. “Their Italian food is supposed to be really good too, so I just ordered an assortment of dishes. I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course,” I said, eyeing the table with amazement. There were half a dozen plates of food, not counting the bread basket or the platter of various desserts. “But there’s only two of us. How are we going to eat all of this?”

Jason waggled his eyebrows. “Haven’t you ever heard of carbo-loading before a marathon? It’s sort of the same concept. We’re gathering energy.”

I burst out laughing at his over-exaggerated lascivious grin. His goofiness helped to calm my nerves, and we enthusiastically dug into the food. Between forkfuls of chicken parmigiana, linguine with clams and shrimp scampi, I also had plenty of sips of wine. I had to admit that the wine was helping me feel more confident about what was to come. I knew that being with Jason would be wonderful, no matter my lack of experience.

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