Him by Carey Heywood (reading strategies book .txt) 📕

prom king and queen dance together. I have to look away when Jessica wraps her arms around his neck. When I turn, I see Kyle, her date, watching them dance. He looks just as uncomfortable as I feel. I glance back at Will and Jessica, my mouth dropping. I watch Will jerk his head to the side as she tries to run her fingers through his hair. I look back at Kyle to see him shake his head and walk away. I jump when I feel an arm around my waist and look back to see Will.

"What are you doing?" I whisper, feeling everyone watching us.

He pulls me out onto the dance floor where Jessica still stands, her mouth open. "I'd rather dance with you."

I can't argue with that, but as much as I dislike Jessica, I do feel bad for her as she hurries off the dance floor in search of Kyle. The dance floor fills around us as Will brushes his lips across mine. The crown is a bit big and has a decidedly lopsided perch on his head. It matches his lopsided grin. We leave after that dance. Will laughs when I make him walk out first. I feel like if we walk out together, everyone will assume we're going to go have sex. We are. I just don’t want anyone to know. He is pulled around front, waiting for me. He's leaned up against the side of his car. I'm suddenly shy as I walk over to him.

He cups my face and kisses me. "We don’t have to do anything. I'd be happy to just fall asleep with you in my arms."

"I know."

He opens my door for me, and once I'm seated, closes it and jogs around to the driver's side.

"I mean it. We can just kiss and stuff if you want."

"Will, I'm nervous but I want to, so let's go."

He doesn’t argue with me and drives to the hotel. We're both eighteen so getting the room isn’t an issue. Will came earlier to book it and already has the keycard. I wonder if people are watching us as we walk across the lobby to the elevators. Will has a duffle bag slung over one shoulder and my hand in his. I put my other hand on top of them, and Will looks down at me.

"Are you sure about this?"

I blush and bump my hip into his. "Stop asking. I'm sure."

He bends down to kiss me, his lips not leaving mine until we reach our floor. When he opens the door, I cover my mouth with my hands. There are rose petals covering the bed. Will pulls a lighter out of his pocket and walks around the room lighting candles before plugging his iPod into a speaker.

"I made a playlist I thought you might like," he says, pressing play.

The first song that comes on is “You're Beautiful.” He stands over on the other side of the bed, pulling off his suit jacket. I'm still standing by the door but start to move towards him. He meets me halfway and runs his hands up and down my arms.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it. Thank you."

"I want it to be perfect for you."

"As long as I'm with you, it will be."

He pulls me closer, kissing my forehead. "I love you so much."

"I know. I love you too, so, so much."

I turn in his arms and pull my hair to one side. "Can you unzip me?"

His breath catches, and his hands tremble as he slowly lowers the zipper of my dress. I shiver when he drags his fingertips up my arms, pausing to kiss my shoulder. He takes a step back as I lift the halter strap over my head. I turn back to face him, holding my dress to my chest. When his eyes snap to mine, I let my dress fall to the floor. I didn’t wear a bra because of the neckline of my dress, so I lift my arms to cover my chest. He closes the space between us, pulling me into his arms. I reach up to untie his bow tie and giggle when I see it’s a snap on. He moves his hands from my back to help me unbutton his dress shirt. He’s pulling it down his arms and tugging his undershirt off as my hands move to the button of his slacks. We're both undressed and on the bed before the next song comes on.

We lay there, facing each other. We've never been all the way naked, both of us, either of us, together before. This is the first time I'm actually seeing him. Will catches my eye and smirks. He knows I'm checking him out.

"Can I touch you?"

"Huh?" He hesitates. "Sure."

He turns onto his back and puts his hands behind his head. He watches me nervously. I reach out to touch him, a nervous stroke up the length of him. Snapping my eyes to his, "Is that okay?"

His jaw is tense. He’s chewing on the corner of his mouth. He doesn't say anything, just nods. I reach out again, this time to grasp him. He groans, his hips twitching. I release him and pull my hand back, apologizing.

"It's okay. That felt really good."

I giggle. "God, I thought I hurt you."

I gently explore him with my fingertips until Will admits he might lose it if I keep touching him. He pulls me up to kiss me, turning back onto his side, pressing against me.

"I'm nervous I won't be good at it," I say, avoiding his eyes, spinning my ring.

He cups my face in his hands, lifting it until my eyes meet his. "Impossible."

"Will it be messy?"

He laughs, dropping his hands, and then tries to keep a straight face. "Why would it be messy?"

I cover my face. "Because I've never done it."

He's so quiet I move my hands to look at him. He's grinning at me.

"What?" I laugh.

"You're cute."

He licks his lips before crushing his mouth to mine. We blur into a