Bonham (Pushing Daisies Book 3) by Heather Young-Nichols (the little red hen read aloud txt) 📗

“I’m not hiding you.” I took a deep breath. “I know a showdown is coming with my parents. About you, about school, about what I want to do with my life. I just don’t want it to happen now. I want to enjoy you while you’re here and not have any time taken up with their issues.”

“We’ll figure out how this is going to work,” he told me softly. When he blinked it kept getting slower. It wasn’t even late, but I was as sleepy as he was. “I don’t want this to end.”

“Neither do I.”

I kissed his cheek, then before long, I drifted off to sleep in his arms.

17

Bonham

Jurnie and I had woken up after a couple of hours and it was no time before I had her naked again. I wanted to be with her as much as humanly possible before I left. Hoping to emblazon my mark on her soul so that she’d continue to want me while I was gone.

Unfortunately, she had to go to the radio station for a few hours and I couldn’t stop her, no matter how much I wanted to. I wanted every single minute with her, but she’d said she’d stay the night again and that was going to have to be enough.

Though I still wondered how she was handling her parents.

After she got off work, we spent the day in my apartment. She had schoolwork to do and no matter how much I tried to distract her, she had her laser focus on. When I made a move, she’d swat my hand away, saying that she had to finish her work.

Deep down, I loved the fact that she didn’t give in to me. That she put herself and school first.

Every once in a while, I’d bring her a drink and kiss the top of her head. I put on some headphones and played the latest Call of Duty. It wouldn’t distract her, she said, but I still got to be near her. When she turned on the couch so that her legs spread over my lap, I couldn’t help but run my hands over her smooth skin. She was soft everywhere.

I even kept my smack talk to a minimum. It would’ve been at the NPCs, but I didn’t care.

A while later, I glanced her way and found her with her laptop closed and her smiling like she had a secret she was eager to tell. I hit pause and yanked the headphone off.

“Have you been watching me?” I asked. She nodded, but that grin remained. “You done?”

She nodded again.

I tossed the controller to the depths unknown and moved over her. Her laptop I was more careful with, but now that she was done, I could kiss her the way I’d been dreaming of all day.

“Want to go out for dinner or order in?” I asked her when I came up for air. She’d spent hours on that computer and dinner was right around the corner.

“Order in, please.” She moved her hips so that her heat brushed across my cock. She was wearing a dress again today, so the only thing keeping her from being bare was her panties. “But maybe in a few minutes.”

That was all I needed.

This time, yeah, we stayed in the living room after I ran to the bedroom for a condom, but she’d climbed on top of me. At first, she was hesitant, her movements extremely tentative. I clasped her hips and helped show her the way. It wasn’t so much that I wanted to be her teacher. No. That wasn’t it at all. I wanted to encourage her and the better it felt for her, the more quickly she’d become comfortable.

Once we were dressed again, though that seemed like a huge waste of time, we decided on dinner. She wanted something simple, so we ordered from the pub up the street and had it delivered.

We ate in the living room this time with a movie on.

“Where do your parents think you are?” I asked her. “I know you said a friend’s house but did they ask who?”

She nodded. “They did. This morning in a text. I told them I spent the night with you.”

I choked at her honesty. The sputtering and gagging must’ve been a real turn on. Once I got it down, I was able to ask, “What?”

She nodded. “I didn’t tell them your name. Wait, that’s not true. I said Bonham, but not your last name. I told them I was staying with you before you until you leave town. I’m grown, if they want to hold my tuition over my head, let them. I’ll take out loans. I’ve been getting out from under their rule for a while now. Well, for a few months. It’s not about you. I promise.” I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “After talking to you last night, I wanted to make sure you didn’t feel like I’m hiding you because that the last thing I’m doing. It’s time for me to be living my life and not theirs.”

“What’d they say?”

Jurnie grabbed her phone off the table next to her and tapped around before turning it toward me so I could see their conversation.

“My mom asked why they haven’t met you. Delaney responded that she could answer that question.” I snorted. “Oh yeah. They’re using the family group chat. Dad popped in here to lecture me about preserving myself for marriage. You can read that part yourself. I have no interest in ever reading or hearing those words from my father again.” She cocked her head to the side. “You know, I don’t think my mom even agrees with him on that part. She didn’t say anything during that lecture. I just don’t know why she doesn’t disagree with him in public. She did warn me to be careful, though.”

“Shit.” I ran my hands through my hair. I’d never meant to be an area