Young Love (Bloomfield #4) Read online

  There was no denying that I’d been standing there, my back against my door, my mind racing with thoughts of Grey, wishing he’d come back to me, when that was exactly what I’d heard. There was no denying that I’d opened that door knowing and wanting exactly what it was he wanted.

  How could I deny any of it? I wanted Grey more than I’d ever wanted any guy, and I’d thrown myself into the electricity between us without a second thought. Except now I felt like a complete ass, because he had a girlfriend as much this morning as he’d had last night when he’d been inside me.

  Oh God. Just the thought of him inside me had me squeezing my thighs together. This was not good.

  Firm lips kissed the back of my neck as Grey nuzzled against me. I wanted to pull away, but my traitorous body only seemed to melt further against him. What was the guy doing to me?

  “Morning,” he said, his voice gruff with sleep, and sounding even sexier than usual.

  “Good morning,” I said softly.

  His warmth left me suddenly, and I couldn’t help but feel the loss immediately. I rolled onto my back, watching him as he swung his legs over the side and sat on the edge of the bed. He lowered his head into his hands, staying that way for a moment before he straightened, looking back down at me.

  One corner of his mouth tipped up. Reaching out, he stroked a piece of hair away from my face, his eyes roaming over my face, searching my own eyes for my feelings.

  “We fucked up, didn’t we?” he said.

  All I could manage was a nod.

  “It’s hard for me to regret it when I have you lying there in front of me, your hair a mess, and your lips still bruised.”

  My cheeks lit on fire. I bit at my lip, his eyes immediately going to it. Damn it, I wanted him. Just as much, if not more, than I had last night.

  “I’m sorry, Honor,” he said.

  “For what ?” I asked. I was a big girl. He didn’t make me do anything I hadn’t wanted to do.

  “For putting us in this position. I didn’t know what was going to happen when I came back here last night, but I’m not going to lie and say I hadn’t been thinking…” his eyes slid down my body, “this.”

  I swallowed, my mouth and throat dry. “You don’t have to apologize. We both knew what we were doing.”

  He nodded, his lips pressed into a firm line.

  Suddenly my alarm went off, causing us both to jump.

  “I guess you need to get to class,” he said, standing as he continued to look down at me.

  I nodded. I wasn’t good at this morning after thing, especially the guilt that was there this time around.

  He rubbed a hand across his mouth, lines of tension around his eyes. As much as we both wanted this, it didn’t change the fact that we both knew it was wrong.

  “I should probably go get ready for work,” he finally said.

  “Yeah, I need to get in the shower,” I said, sitting up, clutching the sheets to my chest. The mention of a shower made a spark light in his eyes. Instantly images of Grey and I in the shower filled my head. Not. Good. He needed to leave- now.

  “I’m going to…I should really go,” he said, grabbing his clothes quickly. I didn’t miss how hoarse his voice had gotten again. I knew he had pictured just as many things as I had at the mention of hot water.

  He walked to the door, glancing back at me one last time. “I’ll talk to you later?”

  It sounded more like a question than a statement, so I nodded. He stared at me for another breath before disappearing out my bedroom. I heard the front door open and close a second later.

  Releasing the breath I’d been holding, I fell back on my bed, staring up at the ceiling as if all the answers to my crazy life’s questions were up there.

  “Honor Jacobs, what have you gotten yourself into?” I whispered.

  ***

  I fell into my seat, my bag slamming to the ground as I blew my hair out of my face.

  “Running late?” Chloe asked, smiling at me.

  “It’s been an…interesting morning,” I said, righting myself.

  “Do tell,” Adrien said from my other side. I looked over to see him grinning at me. He wiggled his eyebrows. I felt as if “I just had sex” was written all over my face from the way he was looking at me.

  “I just…slept in,” I replied lamely.

  I heard him chuckle as I reached down into my bag to grab my things.

  “Sure you did.”

  “What am I missing?” Chloe asked. “Why do I always feel out of the loop around you two?”

  “You’re not missing anything,” I said quickly.

  “I think Honor is hiding something,” Adrien said, ignoring me.

  I looked up at Chloe, rolling my eyes at her interested expression.

  “I’m not hiding anything,” I said.

  “What is she hiding?” Chloe asked Adrien, ignoring me also.

  “I think Honor has a new man friend,” he said in a sing-song voice.

  Oh. My. God! How did he know? I almost wanted to grab my compact and see if “I just had sex” really was written on my face. I could feel my cheeks burning as I kept my focus on my notes instead of the two gossip queens sitting on either side of me.

  “Really?” Chloe said excitedly. “Who? Tell, Honor!”

  I huffed. “I have no idea what either of you are going on about. There is no ‘man friend’ to speak of. I just slept in, that’s all.”

  They both hummed their disbelief. It was like I wasn’t even speaking.

  “She is definitely covering something up,” Adrien said to Chloe.

  “I agree.”

  “Would you two stop it? I’m not covering anything up.”

  They both laughed at my obvious irritation. Thankfully the teacher started class right then, once again saving me from further interrogation. I went about the rest of my day like this, lost in a haze of thoughts and a complete disaster.

  I had a quiz in my English lit class, which I was pretty sure I’d failed. Numerous people had tried talking to me as I walked between classes, but if I had actually stopped to speak with them, I didn’t remember.

  I couldn’t stop the images and memories from last night from invading my thoughts. It didn’t help that every time I shifted in my seat I could feel how tender I was, and Grey’s sexy blue eyes filled with passion would assault me again.

  It was a shit day, and the next three days weren’t any better. I didn’t see Grey for the rest of the week. Part of me wondered if he was avoiding me on purpose, and then I thought, of course he’s avoiding me on purpose! Why wouldn’t he? I’d been the girl he cheated on his girlfriend with, and he probably regretted every minute we’d been together.

  I was likely the last person on earth he wanted to see right then. So, of course, that left me eating entire pints of ice cream each night as I wallowed in my own self-pity. Cat came over at one point Friday to try and get me to go out, but I couldn’t even pull myself together enough to do that.

  She’d left without argument, which meant I probably looked as pathetic as I felt. If Cat doesn’t want to push you, you know you’re in trouble. Saturday classes were a mess. Even the students commented on how crappy I looked. I just couldn’t manage to lift myself out of the funk I was in.

  It’s not as though I wanted Grey to be there waiting for me each night so we could have a repeat of Tuesday. I didn’t want that to happen again if he was still dating Kelly. The guilt hadn’t left me, but that also didn’t stop me from being disappointed that he was never there.

  As much as it killed me to admit it, I wanted to see him. I wanted him to reassure me that I wasn’t a horrible person, and that we were, at the very least, still friends. How I went from wanting nothing to do with Grey, to wanting to be friends with him, if nothing else, was beyond me.

  Saturday night I decided I needed a good ole’ dose of Mom and Auntie Grace. If those two nut jobs couldn’t bring me out of this grey cloud, pun intended, nothing could.

  I walked
into the house to find the two of them already in their bathrobes, singing and dancing to Abba in the kitchen as they fried chicken.

  “Baby girl!” my mom shouted when she noticed me watching them.

  “Hey Mama,” I said, returning her hug as she flung herself at me.

  “To what do we owe this pleasure?” Auntie Grace asked when I gave her a peck on the cheek.

  I shrugged, hopping up on the counter to watch them. “I just needed some…home time.”

  “Uh oh,” my aunt said, giving my mother a knowing look.

  “I hear ya loud and clear,” Mom said, walking over to the liquor cabinet.

  “Someone is having men problems,” Grace said, pulling out three wine glasses.

  “I didn’t say that,” I said, my protest sounding weak even to me.

  Mom sent me a wink. “You don’t have to say it, sweetheart, it’s written all over your face. You come here and tell your mama and auntie what happened.”

  So that’s how I ended up spending my Saturday night, three glasses deep in wine, and spilling my guts about my hot neighbour. Both of them murmured reassuring sentiments as they continued to top up my glass.

  “He’s probably just trying to get his side of things in line,” Mom said.

  Auntie Grace nodded. “It sounds to me like that boy is head over heels for you. This Kelly girl just needs to be let down gently.”

  “But I slept with him,” I said, my head dropping to the table with a bang. “Ow.” My forehead ached from the impact, but I couldn’t bring myself to lift my head again.

  “Honey, I know you feel like you did something wrong, but if what he said to you before was true, he doesn’t want to be with this Kelly girl. He wants to end things because he likes you, not her. Was it right to sleep together before he was single? No. But I don’t think you should beat yourself up about it. We’ve all done things we’re sometimes not proud of.”

  Grace snorted. “Some things, a million things, who’s counting anymore?”

  “I don’t even know if he’s head over heels for me,” I whined. God, I was annoying myself. Why did my tongue feel so big in my mouth? And why was the floor tilting?

  “Of course he is,” Mom said, patting the back of my head. “Any boy would if you gave them a chance with you.”

  I looked up at her, blinking when I saw two.

  “You look ready to fall over, baby girl,” Auntie Grace said with a chuckle.

  “I need to go home,” I said…I think.

  “Just shut your eyes for a few minutes, baby. We’ll get you back to your bed,” Mom said gently. I did as she said, shutting my eyes for what could have only been a second, but what did I know?

  The next second I was being lifted in the air by two strong arms that I knew could not belong to either woman. Turning my head, I brushed my nose against a warm chest, inhaling deeply. I hummed in pleasure, that scent instantly making me feel at ease as it surrounded me.

  “Now you make sure she gets home safe,” I heard Mom saying.

  “I will, Ms. Jacobs,” a deep voice replied.

  I liked that voice. That voice was sexy as hell. Where was it coming from? Was I flying? Could I fly? This was so amazing. I needed to open my eyes to see. Wait. I couldn’t open my eyes. They were too heavy. I whimpered. Why were my eyes so heavy?

  “Shhh, I got you,” that voice said as a sudden burst of fresh air hit my face. I snuggled in deeper to the warmth and smell my body seemed to recognize, as my mind slipped further into the blackness that had been hovering on the edges for a while now. I was out in seconds.

  ***

  What the fuck?

  Who the hell was shining a spotlight on me? And why was there banging going on? I moaned, turning my face into my pillow.

  My pillow.

  Wait. Where was I? Lifting my head, not easily, I blinked at the pillow beneath me, not recognizing the case on it. I turned, cringing at the feeling of my brain wracking in my head as I did so, noticing the sheets on the bed weren’t mine either. They weren’t my mom’s or aunt’s, so whose were…

  I lifted my eyes to see Grey standing beside the bed, looking down at me with concern.

  Shit.

  What had those two hens done now?

  They called Grey? Of all people?! Sometimes I wondered if they had any sense whatsoever.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked, holding out a glass of water and two pills. That water was looking mighty fine right now.

  “I think I’m dying,” I admitted, sitting up slowly.

  He chuckled. “I bet. From what I saw left over at your mom’s, I’d say you’re going to be feeling like that for the rest of the day.”

  Or month, I thought miserably. I took the offered drink and pills, downing them in seconds. At least I wasn’t sick. That would have been infinitely more embarrassing.

  I looked up at him again, feeling like a complete idiot. I hadn’t seen him all week, and this is how we reunite? God, could the ground just open up and swallow me whole?

  “I’m really sorry they called you,” I said, my cheeks burning.

  “Why?” he asked, sitting on the bed in front of me.

  “Because you didn’t have to come all that way to pick me up. They should have called Perrie, or a cab.”

  He scoffed. “They most definitely should not have called a cab,” he said. “You were in no shape to take a cab by yourself. And I believe your mom said Perrie was busy and couldn’t come.”

  “Oh,” I said. What could Perrie have been doing that she couldn’t save me from those two wicked witches?

  “Plus, I don’t mind.”

  I winced as I put the cup down on the table beside his bed. Why was everything so much louder today?

  I looked back at him. “I’m still sorry. They probably pulled you away from something…” Or someone, I thought. Okay, maybe I was going to be sick after all.

  “I wasn’t doing anything, Honor,” he said softly. His eyes roamed over me, and I could only imagine what I looked like right then.

  This was just too awkward for me, but I didn’t think I could stand just yet. Avoiding his stare, I glanced around his bed. “Did I take up your bed all night?” I asked, shrinking.

  He chuckled. “Don’t feel bad about it, my couch is actually quite comfortable.”

  I hid my face in my hands, groaning at how awful this whole situation was.

  “Hey,” he said, reaching for me. Gently, he raised my head so he could see my face. “I honestly don’t mind, Honor. It was either this, or I left you out in the hall in front of your door.”

  “You should have just dumped me inside my apartment.”

  “I couldn’t find your keys. Plus, I wanted to keep an eye on you.”

  My keys were definitely in my purse, which meant if they weren’t, my mother and aunt were even more devious than I’d thought.

  “Well, thank you,” I offered weakly. “I appreciate it.”

  He smiled, letting go of my face and sitting back. “No problem.”

  We stared at each other in an awkward silence. Finally he broke our gaze, looking away for a second before facing me again.

  “I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch this week.”

  I bit at my lip, trying my best to control my expression so he didn’t see how much it had affected me these last few days. Shrugging, I said, “its fine. You don’t have to apologize. You don’t owe me anything.”

  “Honor,” he said, his voice warning. “Don’t do that.”

  “Do what?”

  “Just shrug me off. Shrug this off,” he said, motioning between us.

  Isn’t that what he had done all week? I wanted to scream that at him, but I was afraid my head might explode if I did. When I remained quiet, he huffed out a breath, turning away from me again.

  “I wasn’t avoiding you,” he said. “Well, not exactly, at least. I figured maybe you needed some space after everything, and I didn’t want to put us in a situation where we’d do something we’d both feel
guilty over again, while I’m still…”

  “With Kelly,” I supplied when he didn’t finish. He looked at me and nodded.

  “I’ve also been really busy at work this week, so I’ve been coming home late, and I didn’t want to bug you when I knew you had school.”

  “I see,” I said softly, looking down at the comforter.

  “I’m sorry, Honor. I should have called, or texted…or something. I just knew things were confusing between us, and I didn’t want to make it worse.”

  Well you did, I thought. You made me go crazy and get drunk with my mom. How much worse could I get?

  Clearing my throat, I looked back up at him and offered a weak smile. “Well I appreciate the apology. And the rescue last night.” Throwing off the covers, I got out of the bed, wobbling slightly before finding my balance again.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, his hand outstretched as though he were ready to catch me if I fell.

  “I have one of the studios rented out this morning to practice my routine,” I explained. “I need to get ready and catch the bus down there.”

  “I can drive you, if you want,” he offered.

  “It’s okay, I don’t mind taking the bus.”

  I walked out of his bedroom, making a beeline for the front door.

  “Honor,” Grey called out just as I reached the door. I looked over my shoulder at him.

  “I’d really like to drive you,” he said.

  I stared at him for a moment before giving in. Nodding, I said, “Okay.”

  Chapter 20

  Grey

  I had watched Honor dance before, but never like this.

  It was only the two of us at the studio. She had given me the job of pressing play on the stereo as she positioned herself in the middle of the room.

  As soon as the music began to play through the speakers, I was entranced.

  Honor moved across the room as though each step was as easy as breathing for her. She was all long, delicate limbs, and smooth, graceful movements.