He always did this too.

Sighing, I uncurled my legs and stood. As I stretched gracefully, Bryce enjoyed the show with a half-grin curling at his mouth. I bent forward, holding his gaze intently, and reached for his plate. I grabbed my own and then traipsed up the stairs.

Bryce followed as I placed the dishes in the sink and proceeded upstairs to my room.

I left the door open and fell on my bed as Bryce followed inside.

“When are your parents coming back?” he asked as he pulled his shirt off. My eyes traveled over his muscular chest and stomach.

“They’re in Italy and won’t be home until Thanksgiving,” I murmured, huskily, as I knelt on the bed. “Between you and me, I don’t even think they’ll be back by then.”

Bryce left the door open since my room could get stuffy and moved closer to me.

“You told me they’d be back this weekend. I remember,” Bryce stepped closer and closed his eyes when I slid my hand down his chest. I hooked a finger on the inside of his pants and he said hoarsely, “because that was your excuse for my party on Friday.”

I unsnapped the front button and slid the zipper down.

I pulled him down on top of me and whispered, closing my eyes as his hand started his own exploration, “Maybe I just didn’t want to go and see you hit on all those other girls.”

“Baby.” Bryce rolled me underneath him and propped himself up on one elbow.

I opened my eyes and held his sapphire ones.

He bent forward and pressed a kiss to my jaw when he murmured, soothingly, “You’re always my first choice. You know that, don’t you?”

In truth, I hadn’t gone because we’d had a ‘near emotion’ event that day. That’s what Corrigan called them when I witnessed a cheerleader pawing the front of Bryce’s pants that afternoon. Bryce hadn’t known I was around, but my jaw clenched and I turned away.

Corrigan had shaken his head when I left down the opposite hallway and out the door.

The sight of a girl mauling Bryce wasn’t anything new, but the sight of Bryce enjoying it had cut deeper than I wanted to acknowledge. I begged off the party and my excuse had been weak. At the time, Bryce registered the feeble excuse with a flicker in his eyes, but he hadn’t said anything.

I entwined a hand around the back of his neck and pulled his head to mine.

Against his lips, I whispered, as I twisted one of my legs over his, “I better damn well be.”

Bryce smirked once before he captured my lips with his and his full weight fell on me.

Moments later, both of us were panting as the rest of our clothes followed to the floor and Bryce gasped, “Condom.”

“Usual place,” I whispered against his skin as I stayed wrapped around him.

Bryce groaned and I pressed against him.

We hadn’t been together all weekend.

“Baby,” he grunted. “I have to go. Condom, now.”

The haze disappeared enough for me to remember the importance of that little piece of rubber and I let go. Bryce was off the bed in a flash and he grabbed a condom from my dresser drawer. He met my lips when he returned and it didn’t take long before the condom was applied and Bryce rolled me underneath once more.

He slid in and both of us groaned in pleasure.

As the tempo sped up, slowly, Bryce continued to kiss just underneath my ear. It was one of my spots that he’d discovered early on.

I tilted my head back, ran a hand down his back, and moved to meet his lips with mine.

I knew that was something he liked.

He groaned into my mouth and increased his thrusts.

After awhile, both of us just held on as we climaxed together and our bodies shuddered. We stayed put, wrapped around each other with Bryce still inside of me until our bodies had stopped convulsing.

I sunk down onto my pillow and nearly purred when Bryce ran a hand down the side of my body, from my shoulder to my knee. It was soothing and I rolled to allow him to move to the other side of my body.

Chuckling, Bryce pulled out and pressed a kiss to my hipbone as his fingers finished their exploration of my body.

He moved to the side and pulled my bedcovers over both of us before he turned and wrapped an arm around me, spooning from behind.

I yawned, feeling contented, when I glimpsed the clock.

12:45.

“We should go back for the rest of the afternoon,” I murmured, tiredly.

Bryce chuckled into my ear and asked, “What for? We’ll just get reamed out by the principal.”

“So what? We should stay in bed all day?”

“Why not?” He propped himself on an elbow and looked down on me as I fell to my back. He smiled and murmured, “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Because you have soccer practice in three hours,” I pointed out. “If you’re not in school, you can’t play.”

A shadow of weariness passed over him as he sat up and moved to the edge of the bed.

“What?” I asked and sat up.

Bryce shook his head and reached for his pants.

“What?” I repeated and reached for my own.

“Nothing,” he clipped out and moved to the shower. When I heard the water running, I dropped my clothes and crossed to the bathroom doorway.

I could see Bryce in the shower and his eyes found mine through the translucent glass shower door.

He finished and stepped out a moment later.

He moved aside and was dressed when I finished my own shower.

Bryce sat on my bed and waited for me to finish dressing.

Finally, I asked when I put my hairdryer away, “What is it?”

“Nothing. Are you done?” He stood and grabbed a set of car keys on my nightstand. He knew I kept keys to all three cars on any set. I always kept an extra set in my bedroom, one in my purse, and another set in my pockets.

“Are you mad?” Even as I asked it, I felt my chest tighten a little. This was encroaching onto a conversation I didn’t want to have, but I’d already asked.

“I don’t want to fight so let’s just…,” he waved towards the door. “Let’s go.”

“What fight? Did I say something to offend you? Is this about soccer practice?” I felt myself cringing with each question. Seriously. I feel like I had lost control of my mouth. I couldn’t stop asking questions…I was annoying myself.

Bryce opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He closed it and turned towards the hallway.