Taking the Plunge Read online

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s okay, really.”

  “Well, I’ll see you later. Tell Tina I said hello.”

  “I will.”

  “Bye.” She left then went to the campus even though she already missed her first class. She hung around in the cafeteria, doing homework and studying until her friends arrived.

  “Baby, what do you want for lunch?” Coen asked.

  “Some fruit,” Sydney answered.

  “I’ll be back.”

  “And what do you want?” Henry asked Ren, his hand lightly touching her neck.

  Ren smiled. “I want some greasy pizza and some ice cream.”

  Heny smiled. “Whatever my baby wants.”

  Sydney smiled. “Period?”

  “Yep,” Ren said sadly.

  “Gross,” Derek said.

  “Sorry,” Ren said.

  “I’ll be right back,” Henry said after he kissed her on the head.

  “I’m coming too,” Derek said as he followed him.

  Nancy watched him go, feeling the sadness in her heart. She never expected a man to buy her food, but it hurt that Derek never offered. Coen and Henry were so attentive and loving with their partners. Why couldn’t Derek treat her that way?

  Sydney caught the look. “I’ll have Coen talk to him.”

  “No,” Nancy said quickly. “It’s pointless if he does things because he’s told to. It dilutes the meaning.”

  Sydney opened her textbook and looked through the pages.

  Nancy remembered she had a microbiology exam coming up that she hadn’t studied for. She sighed in annoyance, trying to remove the stress through her breathing.

  Henry returned a moment later with two trays. Ren eyed it with a hungry expression then dug in. Henry watched her with a smile on his face, obviously smitten with her. Nancy was happy for Henry but she was also envious. It seemed like everyone was finding their happy ending except her. She could have one if Derek pulled his head out of his ass. She felt like she was waiting for a ship that would never come to shore.

  Coen returned and handed Sydney her small cup of fruit. He had a roast beef sandwich with fries.

  Nancy noted the obvious difference. “That’s cool that your diet preferences don’t affect each other.”

  “What do you mean?” Sydney said, eating a piece of pineapple.

  “Coen eats meat but you don’t seem to care. You don’t eat meat but he doesn’t seem to care,” Nancy said.

  Sydney patted Coen’s thigh. “I can’t expect Coen to be strong without adequate protein.”

  Coen smiled. “I don’t care what Sydney eats as long as she’s healthy. When her hair starts to fall out and her nails get thin and brittle, breaking when she scratches my back, then I’ll be concerned.”

  Derek placed his tray on the table. He had pizza and fries.

  Seeing the food made Nancy hungry so he left the table and got her own food from the cafeteria. She picked up a salad and paid for it with cash. Her father gave her a credit card and said she could buy whatever she wanted, but Nancy never used it. Even though she lived with him, rent free, she refused to use his money. She practically lived alone anyway because he was never home, and when he was off, he chose to spend it with his bimbos. He didn’t approve of her job at the aquarium but Nancy didn’t care what he thought. She needed to make her own money, find her own place in the world.

  She returned to the table and picked at her salad, suddenly losing her appetite. Derek practically inhaled his food, hardly ever using a napkin. When he was done, he dropped one arm over her chair, touching her neck gently. Even though Derek was an ass, she felt the electricity course through her when he touched her. She wished she didn’t feel that way, feel so attracted to him.

  Derek turned to her. “Wanna come over after school?”

  Nancy knew what that meant. “Why don’t we go out?”

  “And do what?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

  She shrugged. “Go out to dinner.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I’m not rich.”

  “Then I’ll pay for it.”

  “We aren’t doing that either.”

  “How about ice cream?”

  “I guess.” He didn’t seem interested at all.

  “Fine. What would you rather do?”

  “Why don’t you come over and we’ll watch a movie?” Derek asked.

  “Will we really watch a movie?”

  “Well, if other things happen, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.”

  Nancy sighed. “I think I’ll pass.”

  “What’s wrong? You’ve been weird lately.”

  “Nothing.”

  “Come over and I’ll rub your back.”

  “I’m good,” she said.

  “I know all your sweet spots.”

  She was so fed up with him that she grabbed her bag and stormed off, not looking back. She didn’t understand why she stayed with him. He was a total jerk. He never took her anywhere, treated her right, or even acted like he cared. She didn’t expect him to spend a lot of money on her, but just spending time with her would suffice—and not just having sex.

  She went to her microbiology class, hating every second of it, then finally went to her art class, the only course she actually enjoyed. They were studying gothic architecture in European buildings, and she was fascinated by the style of the era. Everything she learned in the class inspired her to paint and draw, even if she wasn’t very good at it. Her father obviously thought she had absolutely no talent.

  When the day was finally over, she walked to her car, feeling the weight on her shoulders. Now that Sydney was married and Henry was totally in love, Nancy felt more alone than she ever had. She didn’t have a family, a boyfriend, or friends to confide in.

  When she arrived at her car, Derek was standing there.

  She glared at him. “I’m not in the mood.”

  “What? Why are you mad?”

  “Because you’re an asshole—that’s why.”

  “Hey, I don’t mean to be an asshole. I’m sorry.”

  “I’m tired of hearing that excuse.”

  “I don’t know what else to say.”

  She opened her car door. “I’ll see you later.”

  He grabbed the door before she could close it. “How about some ice cream?”

  She shook her head. “Derek, it’s fine.”

  “No, I want to go. It’ll be fun.”

  Nancy knew her friends had intervened. That was the only explanation of his behavior.

  Derek leaned into her, pressing his face close to hers. “Baby, please come with me. I don’t want to lose you.”

  Now she felt confused all over again.

  He kissed her neck, moving to her ear where he nibbled the earlobe. “Come on. Let’s get some rocky road.” He moved his lips to hers and kissed her gently, cupping her face as he parted her lips with his own. She melted at his touch, feeling the burn between her legs. He pulled away. “Please.”

  “Okay,” she whispered.

  “Thank you. Let’s take my car.” He opened the door wider and helped her get out. When they came to his truck, he opened the door for her, which was a first. Against her will, she smiled at him. He kissed her again then shut the door.

  They drove to the small parlor near the coast. When they got inside, Derek let her order first then paid for their dessert. He didn’t complain about being broke, which was a nice change. They sat outside and faced each other at the table.

  “You like mint chip?” Derek asked, surprised.

  “I love it.” She looked at him, eyeing the brown hair that she loved to touch. His hair was thick but short, messy on top. He never styled his hair or put any effort into it, but it always looked sexy. She was jealous. His eyes were a light blue, reminding her of the sky right before sunset. When she looked at his shoulders and arms, she felt her skin prickle. He had a gorgeous body. His arms were chiseled and firm from all the hours he spent surfing, and his stom
ach was lean and tight because he worked his core every afternoon. Nancy had always been attracted to Derek, but she never thought of him that way until they slept together. Her feelings for him immediately came to the surface after that night.

  “Well, at least you’re eating dessert and keeping your breath fresh at the same time,” Derek said with a smile.

  “Yeah. How were your classes?”

  He shrugged. “Boring. I hate school.”

  “I don’t care for it much either.”

  “I thought you loved science.”

  “Not really. I just do it because I need job security.”

  “Yeah. I wish I had a family trade to go into.”

  Nancy never revealed the family business she would inherit someday. Her father insisted on training her to take over the hotel and be a partner with him, but she couldn’t do it. He was so greedy and selfish and she didn’t want to be a part of that, become a greedy jerk. No one hand any idea that she was loaded. She kept it to herself because she didn’t want the attention. She wasn’t proud of her money, but ashamed of it. “You’ll find your own place in the world, Derek.”

  “Yeah. As a pro surfer.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “Ouch.”

  “I think it’s amazing you’re pursuing your dream and I admire you for it, but don’t throw all your eggs in one basket.”

  “Throw all my eggs in one basket? What’s the point of doing something if you don’t put your whole heart in it?”

  “That isn’t what I meant either,” Nancy said. “Even if you became a pro surfer, it wouldn’t last long. You’ll age and won’t be able to do it anymore.”

  “So, since I know it’s going to end I shouldn’t bother at all?”

  Their quiet conversations always turned to arguments. It was frustrating. Nancy sighed. “You aren’t listening to me, Derek. I think you should pursue your dreams, but I also think you should pursue a lifetime job. There’s no reason why you can’t do both. You can enjoy two things at once.”

  He shook his head. “You don’t believe in me. I get it.”

  “I never said that,” she snapped.

  “Well, that’s what I heard.”

  “Forget it.”

  “Whatever.” He shoved his ice cream into his mouth, his eyes downcast.

  “Why do we argue all the time?”

  “Because you’re always get mad at me.”

  “You were the one who snapped at me.”

  “Well, it’s fucked up that my own girlfriend doesn’t believe in me.”

  She sighed, knowing this was a moot point. Instead, she ate her ice cream in silence. Instinctively, she wanted to apologize, but she didn’t. She didn’t do anything wrong. He was just too sensitive about this topic. “I have a microbiology exam coming up.” She didn’t know what else to say.

  “The lecture or lab?”

  “Lab.”

  “That’ll be easy.”

  “Did you already take it?”

  “Yeah. It’s the only lab I actually liked doing,” Derek said.

  She finished her ice cream then pushed it away. “Thank you for the ice cream.”

  “Yeah. Thanks for letting me take you.”

  She watched him eat, noting the movement of his mouth. She hated being so attracted to him. Nancy knew she should just be smart and get out of this relationship. It was too unpredictable to have any real future.

  “What did you do last night?” he asked.

  “Painted,” she blurted. After the words came out of her mouth, she regretted saying them.

  “Painted?” he asked. “I didn’t know you made art.”

  She shrugged. “It’s a hobby.”

  “That’s cool.”

  “I’m not very good at it.”

  “Well, I don’t think Picasso is very good, but he’s hailed as a master,” Derek said.

  That made her smile. “It just makes me feel better. Sometimes when I feel stressed and scared, I pull out my paintbrush and throw the colors on the page, forgetting about everything that weighs me down. It’s the only way I can silence the doubt and pain in my mind. It’s almost therapeutic.” She had never been that open with anyone before. It just came from her lips, unstoppable. She stared at the table, waiting for him to say something, ask her about the pains she was referring to, but he didn’t. When she looked at him, his gaze was focused to the left.

  “Let’s sit here,” a pretty blonde said to her friend as they sat at a nearby table. They were both wearing bikinis, their sandals tracking sand across the patio. Derek was staring at them, his eyes focused on the blonde’s ass.

  Nancy held back the tears and took a deep breath. She was sick of this. She grabbed her purse then walked off, leaving him sitting alone.

  “What? Where are you going?” Derek said.

  She kept walking, feeling the anger and regret flood through her. She was so stupid for expecting Derek to do anything else, like actually care about something she had to say. He cared more about checking out a girl’s ass than Nancy’s feelings.

  “Stop,” Derek said when we reached her. “What the hell did I do now?”

  “You weren’t even listening to me,” she said as she pushed him back. “Could you respect me just a little bit and not gawk at every girl that walks by?”

  “I wasn’t gawking!”

  “Fuck you!” she said as she pushed him again.

  “Nancy, calm the fuck down.”

  “Go fuck yourself.”

  He grabbed her arm. “You know I check out girls all the time. You want me to be fake and pretend I don’t when I’m around you? You want me to be a liar? I’m not a liar.”

  “You’re a fucking asshole. You could at least be a gentleman when I’m standing right next to you.” She marched off again, heading to the sidewalk.

  “Where are you going?”

  “School.”

  “You’re going to walk?”

  “What do you think?”

  They walked past his car and he grabbed her. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry.”

  She jerked her arm away. “I’m done with this.”

  “Calm down. It didn’t mean anything. I would never cheat on you, Nancy.”

  “That’s beside the point,” she said as she rounded on him. “I was talking to you and you weren’t even listening to me.”

  “I was listening! You said something about painting.”

  She rolled her eyes. “So no, you didn’t listen to me.”

  “Calm down.”

  “Bye, Derek.” She walked away again.

  Derek grabbed her and pushed her against his trunk, pinning her against the door with his heavy body. He grabbed her face and sealed his lips over hers, holding her arms by her side.

  Nancy tried to turn away, but he continued to devour her. “Stop it!”

  He released her hand then cupped her face, slipping his tongue inside her mouth. His kiss was rough and aggressive, dominating her body and her mind. His hands slid down her waist, gripping her hips, as he embraced her against his trunk.

  She tried to fight him, but the feel of his lips dulled her mind. The intensity of his kiss made her shake. She could kiss him all day, feel his tongue inside her indefinitely. Her hands ran through his strands of hair then down his back, feeling the muscles underneath his shirt. Her anger dwindled the longer they made out in the parking lot.

  Derek grinded against her hips, pressing his erection against her stomach. It was big and long, reminding her how good the sex was. He knew what she liked in the bedroom and always delivered. Her lips burned as he kissed her, caressing her lips with his. Her heart hammered in her chest as the arousal pooled between her legs. Eventually, she was so hot for him that she grabbed his waist and pulled him closer to her, as close as he could get.

  Derek broke their kiss and rubbed his nose against hers, his hands grabbing her breasts and massaging them. “My place?”

  She knew she should say no. “Yeah.”

  They
got inside his trunk and drove back to his apartment in silence. His hand was on her thigh then it moved to the area between her legs. His fingers rubbed her, pressing against her in the right away, keeping her horny for the entire drive.

  When they came back to the apartment, they stormed to his room then locked the door behind them. Derek immediately grabbed her and ripped her clothes away, practically tearing them off her body. Her kissed her neck and chest as he moved, sucking the skin between his lips.

  Nancy pulled his shirt off, revealing the chest she loved so much. He had wide shoulders and large pectoral muscles. They flexed when she placed her hands on him. His stomach was even better, chiseled with an eight back that led to small hips. When her fingers moved down his chest to his stomach, she felt the heat of his body. He was always warm.

  She unbuttoned his jeans and pulled them down, along with his boxers. When she saw his hard cock, all logical thought ceased. The darkness set in, only her strong desire remaining. All she thought about was fucking him, getting off to his sexy physique. His cock always hit her in the right place, igniting her into a blaze of burning fire.

  He pushed her on the bed and kissed her then lay on top of her, his cock pressed against her stomach. He parted her legs then leaned over her, grabbing a condom from his nightstand. He tore it open then handed it to her. She pinched the tip as she rolled the condom to the base of his dick, touching the mound of hair of his balls. She leaned back as he grabbed her thighs then slipped inside.

  “God…yeah,” she said as she scratched his back.

  He pounded into her, rocking his headboard into the wall. When he fucked her, he never tried to stay quiet. He didn’t care if his roommates heard him. Derek grunted and breathed hard as he worked his ass to thrust inside her.

  She used his muscled body to pull her hips to him, fucking him hard from below. Within seconds, the pool of pleasure started to leak everywhere, moving from her stomach to the apex of her thighs. It burned until it exploded. “Derek, yeah.”

  He fucked her harder. “Cum for me.”

  She leaned up and bit his shoulder, feeling the intense orgasm rock through her. “Yes!”

  Derek moaned as he thrust into her, sweat dripping from his chest. Suddenly, he picked her up then rolled on his back, placing her on his hips. He gripped her waist and thrust into her from below. She grabbed his shoulders and rode him, pushing his cock as far as it would go. Seeing his hot body below her fueled her. She could fuck him all day because he was so hot.