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  He sat up in bed and looked down at me. “Is everything okay, Emmi?”

  I nodded, smiling. “Yes, everything is okay. I would just feel more comfortable sleeping at home.”

  He nodded. “Sure, of course. Let me get dressed and we'll get you home.”

  I watched as he dressed quickly and then retreated into the bathroom. He closed the door behind him and I heard the tap turn on. I quickly got out of bed and took a towel to clean myself off with. I pulled my panties on and followed with my jeans. I slipped into my bra and then pulled the t-shirt over my head. I brushed my fingers through my hair and tousled it a bit. Bennett came out of the bathroom dressed and ready to go.

  “Are you ready, beautiful?”

  I smiled. “Yes, I'm ready to go. Thank you.”

  He took my hand and led me out of the bedroom and down the hall. I grabbed my purse off the couch and followed him out the door.

  We were silent for most of the ride home. I didn't know what to say at that point and he seemed lost in his own thoughts. I wondered if I would get to see him again when he returned from his trip. I imagined I would, but I still felt so self-conscious about the sex that we had. I hoped that he didn't think less of me now that it was over. It wasn't something I usually did and I hoped he didn't hold it against me.

  I sent Connie a quick text and asked her to meet me at my place, I needed to talk. She sent a quick reply back saying that she was on her way.

  He pulled up to my apartment and turned off the engine. I sat there silently unsure of what to say.

  “I hope everything is okay, Emmi. I hope you have no regrets about what happened tonight because I don't.”

  I looked up at him. “I'm fine, really. I just don't usually sleep with someone on the first date – I'm not sure what came over me.”

  “Well whatever it was, I really liked it.”

  I laughed. “I liked it, too. It was really good, Bennett.”

  “I thought so, too. Amazing chemistry we have, little lady.”

  I smiled, and he winked at me. “Can I see you again, Emmi, when I return from the games? I would love to spend some more time with you.”

  Relief washed over me and I smiled broadly. “I would really like that, too, Bennett. Give me a call when you get back and we'll make a plan.”

  He smiled and leaned over to me and kissed me softly on the lips. I got that feeling of being safe again and I closed my eyes.

  He pulled away from me and got out of his truck. I followed suit and he walked me to my door.

  “Have yourself a good night and I will be calling you soon.” He leaned in once again and kissed me goodnight. I could still feel the sparks every time our lips came together. It made me want to invite him in, but I knew I had to let him go. Connie was on her way and I needed to clear my head.

  We parted and I watched him walk back to his truck. He looked fantastic in the moonlight and I knew that I would miss him that week.

  I went into my apartment and put my purse on the kitchen table. I put a pot of coffee on and waited for Connie to arrive. I couldn't get over just how into Bennett I was. He had totally changed my landscape of how I looked at guys. No guy had ever made me feel the way I did with Bennett and in such a short time. I wasn't one to even get that close to a guy so soon and yet I had completely let my guard down with him. I worried that there was no turning back now. I was supposed to take things slow and that idea just got blown out of the water. I wasn't sure what to do.

  I heard a knock on my door opened it to find Connie there.

  “I hope you know I'm sleeping over now. It's too late for me to drag my butt home. Oh good, you made coffee.”

  She followed me into the kitchen, and I poured us both a cup of coffee. I put cream and sugar on the table so that Connie could help herself. I only put cream in my coffee and I tentatively took a sip of the hot liquid.

  “Well, it must have been really good for you to call me over right away.”

  “Yeah, it was amazing. Couldn't have gone better.”

  “Are you drunk?”

  “Not anymore, but I was probably a little tipsy about an hour ago.”

  “Wow, that’s good, right?”

  I laughed. “I had a lot of fun.”

  I decided at that moment that I wasn't going to tell Connie I had sex with Bennett. Not quite yet, anyways. I wasn't sure still how I felt about the whole thing and I worried she would give me a hard time about it. She was already worried about me dating a guy that travelled a lot. I knew she would worry that I had rushed things with a guy I barely knew. And the truth was, I did rush things with a guy I barely knew. It had felt completely right, but was it? I didn't need to have sex with him so soon, even though it was easily the best sex of my life. What can I say, the guy was highly skilled and I could have sex like that every single day if I had the opportunity.

  I would tell Connie one day about the sex and how amazing it was, but it wouldn't be that night. I felt bad about it and I didn't want to lie to her, but I felt like I needed to protect myself, as well. I was still so confused about what I did that I didn't want to get bogged down with her opinion of my misdeeds, either. She would find out sooner rather than later and I would have to deal with that at the time, but for now I just wanted to tell her about the amazing time I had before we tore each other’s clothes off.

  “We went to the burger joint and you should have seen Candace's face when she saw Bennett. It was like love at first sight.”

  Connie laughed. “Yeah, I bet, watch out for that one. She is always in heat.”

  “She doesn't worry me. We were there all night, though. We drank so much, but it was a blast. We talked about everything, Connie, it wasn't awkward at all. I could tell him anything I think and it wouldn't matter.”

  “Wow, that's pretty amazing. Good for you. I hate those dates where you just stare at each other.”

  I laughed. “Totally and it wasn't like that at all with us. We talked so much I feel like I have known him forever.”

  “That's amazing. Do you think you guys are going to see each other again when he returns?”

  I smiled. “Well, he said he wanted to. He told me he will call when he gets back, so I guess we'll see. I'm sure he will, it was his idea, after all.”

  “I'm sure he will, too. It seems that you guys have really hit it off, so I don't see why he wouldn't call you again.”

  Unless he realizes he doesn't want to date a girl who slept with him on the first date. Gee, Emmi, get yourself together. It's not a big deal and he said it was okay. He also said he wanted to see you again. So chill out.

  Connie and I stayed up for hours talking about my good fortune to have met a guy like Bennett and to have such great chemistry with him. I seemed to just go on and on gushing about him. I was probably going overboard, but I think I was also trying to convince myself that everything was going to be okay. That's all I wanted was for everything to be okay. We decided at 2 a.m. that we should probably get to sleep since we both had classes in the morning. I wondered if I would hear from Bennett at all while he was away or if I would have to wait until he returned.

  Chapter Fifteen

  When I awoke, I felt incredible. All the worry and anxiety from the previous evening had disappeared. Maybe all I needed was to talk things out with my friend to get a clear head. She didn't know about the sex, but so what? I didn't feel so bad about it anymore. I felt completely content about my decision to have sex with Bennett because I felt like we belonged together and that we might have a real shot of making it together. The chemistry between us had just taken over and I shouldn't feel ashamed about where that led us. It was more than a one night stand, that sort of intensity doesn't come around every day and I didn't believe that Bennett felt like it was a one night stand, either. I knew he felt the same connection as I did when we were together. It just all felt so right, and I wasn't going to beat myself up any longer about experiencing that with him. We were going to be alright no matter what happened. I was offi
cially floating on cloud nine and nothing was going to tear me from my good mood.

  I woke Connie up and we both got ready to go to school. Connie drove us there, promising me she would drive me back home after classes. Even my slight hangover couldn't affect my good mood.

  When we got to school, however, there seemed to be a suspicious buzz in the air. When we walked down the hallway curious looks came my way. Most people knew me because of my father, but even the people I didn't know were looking at me with new eyes.

  “What is going on?” I asked Connie.

  “Beats me, but something is up for sure.”

  We walked by a group of girls holding the latest issue of the paper when Connie went up to them and grabbed a copy.

  “Hey!” yelled a girl.

  “Just one second, sweetheart, and you can have your paper back.” She turned the paper over to the cover and gasped. “Holy shit, Emmi, you made the cover. How could your own paper do this to you? I would be killing someone if I were you.”

  “What are you talking about?” I went over to her as she held the paper up. My mouth dropped open and my good mood instantly disappeared. On the cover of the college newspaper was a picture of Bennett and I eating dinner at the burger joint and then a small snapshot of us kissing in front of my apartment. I looked at the group of girls who were somewhere in between smiling and feeling embarrassed for me.

  I looked back at the paper and read the headline of the article. “Bennett Thomas Rises To The Top By Dating Daughter!”

  “Oh my God, Connie! Oh my God.”

  “Just relax, Emmi, you know its bullshit. I suggest we go kick the ass of your editor, though. How dare she run something like this about one of her own writers.”

  I was still reading the article while Connie vented. The group of girls had walked away knowing they weren't getting the paper back. The article was terrible and said awful things about Bennett and how he was just using me to get a position with the Long Island Stingrays. It stated that Bennett was determined to rise to the top at any cost and I was just one of many stepping stones. How could they write this stuff about him? Who were their sources? Tears welled up in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks.

  “Oh, Emmi, don't cry. This is bullshit, it doesn't mean anything. You can't let people get to you like this. It's going to be okay. We'll make them run a retraction. We will do something, don't worry. But just don't cry.”

  I couldn't help it. The tears just kept coming as I stared down at the pictures. What had been a perfect evening for me was now tarnished and smeared across the paper for everyone to see and judge. How could this have happened? I was so happy literally 10 minutes ago.

  “Connie, how did this happen?”

  “I don't know. Maybe Candace got a hold of the paper, she would have seen you guys first.”

  “What if it’s true.”

  “Don't talk like that. You know it isn't.”

  “I don't know anything anymore. This is such a huge violation. Don't you see that?”

  “Of course I do. You have every reason to be upset and we'll get to the bottom of this, but I don't think this is Bennett's doing. I think he is being attacked just like you are.”

  “I don't know. God, this was the last thing I expected. I was so happy, Connie.”

  Connie put her arms around me and pulled me in for a hug. She held me tight as I cried on her shoulder. I sobbed harder than I ever had before. I felt so totally lost.

  I could barely think straight. I didn't know what to do or how to fix what had happened. I knew I needed to speak to my paper because I wasn't sure how I could continue to work for someone who was capable of doing this to me. I let the paper fall from my hands – I never wanted to see it again.

  I didn't know what I was going to do, but what I did know was that I could never go out with Bennett Thomas ever again.

  Throwing Love #2 comes out May 16th

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  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2015 Nella Tyler