Page 23 of Still Here Without You

“Thanks. But I think it must be a mistake. I thought it was in San Fran. Surely they wouldn’t want me over there. Right?”

Joel seems to recover and smiles. “Why wouldn’t they? You're intelligent, hardworking, passionate, and have a beautiful personality. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. I’ve yet to see it.”

“Ha-ha. We both know I’m lovely.” I smile back, playing it off as a joke, but deep down his words have touched my soul, because I feel like he means them. He’s talking about me. Not about the person people think I am, but actually about me. About the person he’s seen. And from Joel, the guy who sees everything, that’s huge.

“I guess I’ll call them in the morning and find out for sure.”

“Good idea. But either way, congratulations. I’m not sure I really said that last night with everything that happened.” He lifts a shoulder in apology.

He’s still standing a few feet away from me, so I walk over and wrap my arms around his waist. “Thanks, Joel. No matter what people say about you, you’re a good guy.”

He snickers, pulling me in close until I’m pressed to his chest.

“Am I interrupting another moment here?” Dylan asks out of nowhere, causing Joel and me to jump apart.

“Nope, just congratulating this pain in the ass on getting an awesome internship. Nothing more.”

“Congratulations, Delilah. Joel mentioned you were up for one. Well done on getting it.” He genuinely beams at me.

“Thank you. It’s a lot to process, but I’m happy. I think.”

Dylan’s smile drops slightly as he gives me a curious look. “So you’re here, in the middle of the night,” he says, changing the subject.

“I am. Very observant of you.”

He mocks offense and raises his hands. “Hey, I know I’m no Joel, but I pick up on a few things every now and then.”

I can’t help but laugh. Ever since officially meeting Dylan, he’s made an effort to talk to me whenever we’ve crossed paths. He’s one of the good guys.

“Joel needed a ride. His best friend ditched him at the game. So I dropped him at home.”

“What an asshole! And now, for some reason, you’re stuck here in a state of undress.”

Fuck! My face heats instantly but I recover quickly. I’d completely forgotten about that.

“Hey…dickhead. What a way to make her feel uncomfortable,” Joel says, moving in front of me to half block Dylan’s view.

“It’s okay. I know he’s messing around. And let’s face it. I show off more skin in my cheer uniform.”

Joel turns to look at my bare legs and smirks. “That you do.”

“Eyes up here,” I say and slap his bare chest, letting my hand linger for longer than necessary.

Dylan clears his throat. “Well, I just came for a glass of water. I’ll leave you two to it.”

He quickly fills two glasses and then heads back to his room, leaving Joel and me alone.

“So what now?” I ask, because I love things to be as awkward as possible,obviously.

Joel laughs. “It’s the middle of the night. Get back to bed.”

It’s not a question; it’s a demand, and I freaking love it. Without answering, I turn and walk back to his room, slapping him on the ass as I move past.

The sun shines through the curtains hours later, and I find myself once again wrapped up in Joel. At my request, we went straight to sleep when we made it back to bed, but now I’m wanting more. If this is going to be the last time we’re together, I’m going to make the most of it.

Rolling out from under him, I gently push him onto his back. He stirs but doesn’t wake. Taking a moment to marvel at the beauty that is Joel, I stare at his body, uninterrupted. God, it’s nice. Rock-hard abs, a light tuft of hair, tanned skin. He’s delicious. Pressing my lips to his pecs, I slowly mimic the speed he took with me last night, kissing my way down his chest. When I reach the V, I trace both sides with my fingers ever so slowly until they almost meet in the middle—the holy grail—currently hidden by a sheet. After slowly pulling back the sheet, only an inch, I press a light kiss to the bare skin directly above his hardening length.

Joel hisses as his hips buck. “Jesus! You’re killing me.”

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