“Ok-ay,” I dragged out. “Thanks for skipping the most important part of my question there. What about-”
And before I could even bring up his girlfriend that he was clearly forgetting about, his lips were on mine. My body was too stunned to react at first, so I held still while his lips mashed against mine and then he roughly probed my mouth open with his tongue.
It was then that I joined in, our tongues mingling together and making my body instantly warm in the chilly water. I wrapped my arms around his neck, tugging him towards me to bring him closer and wrapping my legs around his waist. His body felt like it fit with mine perfectly. He pulled back slightly and dipped his head down to lick and nip at my neck, so I threw my head back to give him better access.
The feelings that were running through me were something that I had never felt before with any guy, including Chris. They were almost animalistic, and I seriously wanted this to go farther. Right now. His hand landing on my right breast, squeezing gently, was what broke through the fog that was clouding my head.
“Nash, please stop,” I managed to pant out. I let my legs drop, realizing how little material there was between our two bodies. “You have a girlfriend and I’m really not looking to come in the middle of that.”
He gave me a disappointed look and moved an inch closer. “Della,” he panted out, lightly stroking my cheek but I quickly pulled away. I was only so strong and if I let him keep doing that, I would soon forget about Mariah and anything else. “I’m sorry I let things get so carried away. I promise I’ll be on my best behavior from now on. Promise. But I am thinking about breaking up with Mariah, I just thought you should know.” He held his hands up and backed away, watching as my feet found the shore.
I looked away not wanting to give him any kind of hope. If he was going to break up Mariah, he needed to do it for his own reason and not because of me. I was more worried about me. I was on the path to becoming a real adult like my mother and everyone else expected, and I needed to stay on that path. I knew if I let Nash Griffin in at all, he wouldn’t just be another meaningless hook up like in the past. Nash was the kind of guy you fell for and fell hard. But Mariah would also be added into that mix. And I did not need that kind of mess.
***********
“Della, make sure you set an extra place for lunch, honey pie.” I looked up at Grams questioningly but she just gave me a bright smile and turned back to the stovetop where she was checking her roast.
Church had been worse than usual this morning since I hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. The nightmare combined with Nash’s visit had earned me maybe a total of two hours of sleep, and it was definitely showing. I was able to cover up the bags with makeup this morning, but that didn’t help me to keep my eyes open during church. I had gotten a few nudges from Grams though that helped me along.
“So, Della, how has school been going? I’m assuming you’ve been keeping up on your grades?” Grandpa set the newspaper down that his nose had been buried in since we got home.
“Good, I think I’ve really got the hang of it. I’ve been keeping up on my studying along with getting all my papers in on time. The professors there are really helpful. I’ve even joined a few study groups.” I couldn’t believe it myself really. Della McGregor was not a scholar. I had skimmed by in schoo at MCCC. I was actually pretty proud of myself.
“Well, that’s great to hear then,” he replied, giving me a slight smile which was the most I had received from him since being back. “And your job?”
A knock at the door saved me from answering that question. I had informed Grams the minute I got a job, but I wasn’t sure if they would really approve of the uniform I wore while doing it. I guess in a way you could basically compare it to Hooters and Grandpa tended to be a little old fashioned about things.
“C’mon in, it’s so good to see you, son.” I heard Grams say from the entryway. I turned quickly when I heard the word son and dropped everything I was doing when I saw my dad walk into the dining room.
“Dad!” I launched myself at him, his strong arms easily catching me and twirling me around in a circle.
“Della, baby. It’s so good to finally see you.” He finally sat my feet back down on the ground, looking at me with a wide smile before patting me on the head. “I would have been back sooner for a visit, but I just couldn’t get away. You’re looking well. These two have been keeping you in line,” he teased, while patting Grandpa on the back.
“For the most part,” I shrugged with a smile.