Page 8 of His Promise

Gage

I wake up alone and look around for Maci. I don’t see her, but I smell coffee and her bag is still next to the couch. I sit up and look toward the bathroom, noticing that the door is closed. Sure enough, a moment later, Maci steps out wrapped in one of my towels, her dark curls hanging wet around her shoulders.

I smile at her and hold out a hand. She hesitates for a moment, then approaches the bed and laces her fingers with mine. I pull her into my lap and bury my face in her hair. She smells like my body wash, and it sends a wave of possessiveness I’ve never felt before coursing through me.

“Good morning,” I say with my lips pressed to the smooth skin of her shoulder.

“Morning,” she replies in a breathy voice.

Slowly, I peel the towel away from her and take in the beautiful body beneath, her gorgeous, full breasts, flat stomach, and round hips. I trace the line of her curves with my fingertips as I press kisses along her neck and jaw before finally taking her lips. We stay that way for several minutes, trading lingering kisses and whispered words. Sunlight streams through my thin curtains, casting a soft glow on Maci’s skin. I could spend hours mapping her body with my lips, tongue, and hands.

Just as Maci presses down against my hard cock, we’re interrupted by a shrill sound. My alarm. Grabbing my phone, I silence it, then groan as I realize I’ve lost valuable study time …Again. This is becoming a common occurrence with Maci around, but I push the frustration away. It’s Saturday, so I don’t have to show up to any classes, but I’m still supposed to meet with the professor that I’ll be working with this semester to go over the syllabus and what he’ll need from me before everything starts on Monday.

“I have to go. I have a meeting on campus,” I tell Maci. She moves to climb off my lap, but I grab her hips to hold her still. “Will you stay here and wait for me?”

“Do you want me to?” she asks.

I raise my hips, pressing my erection into her and making her gasp. “What do you think?”

She giggles. “I suppose I could hang around. It’s not like I have anywhere else to go anyway.”

“Right,” I say, remembering how we got here in the first place. “I suppose I should send Student Housing a thank you.” At her confused expression, I add, “If they hadn’t screwed up processing your payment, I would never have met you.”

She smiles at me. “I suppose there is a silver lining to being temporarily homeless,” she asks, the smile falling away to a look of uncertainty. “You’re still okay with me staying the weekend?”

“More than okay. I’m looking forward to it, but I really do have to get to this meeting.”

I let her go and follow her off the bed. After a quick shower, I’m dressed and heading for the door. Maci meets me there with a thermos of coffee. I take it from her gratefully and drop a kiss to her full lips. “I won’t be gone long, maybe a couple of hours.”

“I’ll be here,” she says as I walk out the door.

As I’m backing my car out of my parking space, it occurs to me that I could get used to waking up to Maci every morning. I’ve no sooner had the thought than I push it away.

She’s a freshman, I remind myself, glancing at the clock on the dashboard.And a distraction I can’t afford. Focus, Gage. Focus.

Still, the taste of her lingers on my lips, and memories of last night play in my head as I turn my car toward campus, already eager to get this meeting over with so I can return to my apartment … and Maci.

Chapter 7

Maci

The rest of the weekend flies by, and I’m shocked at how quickly I’ve gotten comfortable sharing Gage’s small studio apartment. Aside from his meeting Saturday morning, we’ve spent the entire weekend together. But now, it’s Monday morning, and our time together might be nearly over.

I push myself up to a sitting position and look over at Gage’s sleeping form. He’s lying on his stomach, his hair falling into his eyes, and I have to stop myself from pushing it back so I don’t wake him. I think about all the things we have in common and how much fun the weekend was. But I have to remember why I’m even at college in the first place. Whyhe’sat college, too. We both have dreams we’re chasing, and it’s unclear if we’d be able to chase them at the same time while staying in each other’s lives.

I slip out of bed quietly and start to gather my things into my duffle bag. The Student Housing office opens in an hour, and I should have just enough time to get there to get my dorm situation sorted before my first class. After zipping my bag closed, I cast one last glance at Gage. I feel a spike of guilt at leaving him without a proper goodbye, but I’m afraid if he wakes, I’ll end up begging him to let me stay. I can’t do that to myself.

I can’t do that to him.

***

A little while later, I’m walking out of the Student Housing office, dejected. Despite my calls to my bank and the proof they gave me of my housing payment, I still don’t have a dorm room. I was told to come back that afternoon, so I’m left hauling my duffle bag around campus to my classes.

My first class of the day is an advanced course in financial planning. During my senior year of high school, I’d taken a few classes that gave me college credit hours, so I was able to skip the prerequisites and go straight to the advanced course. Despite my interest in the subject, however, I struggle to get excited for class to start. I’m distracted by the stress of my continued housing problem and thoughts of Gage. The image of him sleeping in bed this morning, warm and relaxed, is stuck in my mind. Memories of the weekend play through my head, and I have to squeeze my thighs together in an effort to relieve some of the needy ache I feel.

To distract myself, I decide to pull out my planner and review my goals, remind myself of why I’m here and what my focus should be. But when I open my bag, I can’t find my planner. Frantically, I begin to dig through my bag, certain it has to be here somewhere.

The whispered conversation of a couple girls in front of me catches my attention, pulling me away from my search.

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