US (Formerly The After Effect - Book 2)

41 - Y O U / A N D / M E

"I've been waiting all night for that dress to come off," Brink confesses sheepishly. His cheeks slightly go pink and I can't tell if he's being sarcastic or not. Either way, I'm a giggling mess, and way too high on life to calm down.

"Lock the door!" I squeal as we slip inside our dwelling. As the party raged on, Brink and I figured we would be able to get some much needed privacy if we left a little early. We were very right. The halls were totally vacant.

Brink flips the deadbolt on our door and removes his shiny black tuxedo jacket in one fluid movement. When he spins back around in his white button down, my heart accelerates and I inch backward toward the queen bed. I'm so jittery with anticipation I almost lose my balance and stumble onto the mattress.

He meets my stride with a few quick steps and gradually weaves his fingers through mine, softly nudging my hips with his. "I want you...so bad right now," he groans. "I've wanted you like this for months." His crystal blue eyes pierce through my red ones and light the fire beneath them.

"You sure there wasn't any alcohol in your drinks?" I joke. The past hour has heated up between us, to the point where leaving became mandatory before I just burnt up.

I slip my clammy hands out of his grasp and turn my back to him, welcoming him to unzip my gown. I part my curled hair and peek over and see him resting his chin on my shoulder, his eyes gentle. His hands glide down my spine, following the trail of the zipper, and I shiver at the touch. Goosebumps instantly rise up and spread like wildfire across my entire body. He smirks at this and brings his hands further down to ease the remainder of the dress over my waist. It falls to the ground and I watch as he takes in a stuttering breath.

"I don't want to screw this up," he confesses.

I turn around. "You won't," I assure him. "Or you would've already." I smile as I unbutton his white undershirt. As I cross his heart, I pause and keep my fingers there a moment, feeling the unsteady pulse beneath the fabric. "You're making me nervous."

"You make me nervous," he counters.

I bring my lips to his jaw and kiss it. "I trust you."

His Adam's apple dips and he squeezes his eyes shut before sliding his hands around to my back and unclasping my bra.

I gasp a little and he freezes in midair, his eyes wide. "What?"

"Nothing," I say, and tear off the rest of his long-sleeve. His alluring set of abs are still going strong, despite the obvious weight loss.

"Good to know you still think I'm in shape," he jokes as my bra tumbles onto the floor. His eyes follow it and he concentrates back on my face again. He seems afraid to look at my body, but I ignore his anxiety, mostly because I'm not used to it and think it'll vanish on its own.

I go for the waistline of his dress pants but first check him for approval. "You okay?"

He pushes out a great breath. "Of course I am. I'm elated...the pressure is just really heavy." He undoes his pants mindlessly and drops them to the floor as if to get it over with. Then his wobbly hand goes to his forehead. "Sorry. I know I'm acting all weird. I'm with the girl that I love, and I'm messing it all up."

My throat dries as invisible feathers tickle away at my lower stomach. He loves me.

"Just be normal," I suggest. "We've never had a problem before. Especially in  the ring toss booth," I say to lighten him up. "Don't overthink this, Brink."

"I know. It's the circumstances. There's so much going on in my head right now and then you're topless right here and all I can think about is how many moments like these I ruined for everyone that is dead now..." He trails on like a mad scientist, speaking every thought passing through his head, from yesterday's events, to hardships in general. Naturally, my arms curl around my chest to cover myself the longer he rambles. Plus, Travis's conversation with me earlier comes flying back to the front of my mind. Maybe this isn't the time.