Catching Fox Read online

  “Apparently I’m not appealing enough for you,” she said as she reached back and unzipped her dress, letting it fall to the floor at her feet. “There, I’m not wearing it anymore. Is that better?”

  She watched the look of shock on his face at her unexpected move. He just stared at her. “You’re wrong. I think you are the most appealing thing I have ever seen.”

  Adalynne unclasped her bra, letting it meet the same fate as her dress.

  “Don’t.” He tried to pull his gaze away. His voice was pained. “Please don’t.”

  She didn’t stop because she wanted him to see her. She wanted him to be the first to ever see her naked, to know her body. She wanted him to be all of her firsts because he was the first one to claim her heart. Sliding her panties off, she stood before him completely bare. He didn’t move as he took in her body, learning the way she curved. His eyes scorched and excited her. She didn’t know where she was calling her bravery from. This was a bold move for her but she didn’t know if this moment was all they had.

  “You make it so hard for me to do the right thing.” He stood then with a hunger in his eyes she had never seen before. He ran his fingers through his hair again, causing it to fall haphazardly around his perfectly chiseled face. He closed the distance quickly, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her against his body, crushing his lips against hers. They were urgent kisses, like he was scared the moment would end. His hands felt her bare flesh and he pulled her closer still. She met his kisses and touch with the same insistence. Grasping his shirt, she pulled it up to expose his perfectly formed stomach. The feel of her naked flesh against his was the most sensual, unreal experience she’d ever had. He pulled his shirt off the rest of the way with one quick motion and discarded it on the floor. She pressed her soft curves against his hard body, completely dizzy with need. Adalynne’s hands found his belt and she undid it, pulling it from his pants. He immediately shed his pants and Adalynne was taken aback by how striking he really was as he stood before her naked.

  “You don’t know how long I have wanted to do this,” he panted against her neck, “to touch you like this.” Adalynne was shocked by his confession. She had no words for the intensity of the moment, she wasn’t even sure she was still able to speak.

  Fox laid her back against her bed, leaning upon his arms he looked down at her. She ran her fingers through his hair as he took her breast in his mouth, teasing her nipple. She cried out in unexpected pleasure and she let him explore her. His hand traveled down the length of her body, slowly past her navel until he gently touched her wetness that welcomed him. His fingers against her body, touching her, pleasuring her, felt like an out of body experience with sensations that she did not know were possible. The feeling of bliss filled her so full that she was suddenly awash with an overwhelming sense of release that made her cry out. He leaned down over her trembling body.

  Adalynne reached down to take him in her hand, feeling the length of him. “Don’t,” he pleaded, trying to stop her hand.

  “Please,” she begged before her insistent hand continued. She stroked him, discovering his body before he moaned and spilled his hot pleasure on her stomach.

  It was Adalynne’s first and only intimate experience. She cherished the memory because it was all he gave her. The next day at school he broke up with his girlfriend. Adalynne remembered watching the dramatic scene his girlfriend pulled in front of the school yard.

  Things didn’t change much for how they interacted at school or in public. He kept his distance from her and she didn’t push him, respecting his wishes. Sometimes when he walked by her in the hall or in the schoolyard, he would purposely brush against her and sometimes even grab her hand for only a moment before he was gone. He never did come to stay with her at night again after that, even though she left her window wide open for him every night. When she woke in the morning to see her window closed tight she knew he had been there and it was enough for now. She wanted more but it was better than the cold shoulder he gave her before.

  Chapter Five

  Present Day…

  “How long are you gonna make him wait?”

  “What are you talking about?” Adalynne looked at her friend standing beside her. The sun shone in full glory down upon them, unwavering in its heat. It brought out the red in Katie’s auburn hair as her wet curls glistened in the light. Her barely there bikini top was paired with cut off jean shorts. It was much the same as the other girls’ outfits, including her own. It was the dress code for the event. They were hosting a car wash to raise money for their sorority house. Their house mother, Meghan, insisted they pull off the infamous sexy car wash because it was a guaranteed money maker. Adalynne looked down at the small triangles struggling to contain her assets and sighed. How Katie talked her into wearing this getup was beyond her.

  “Hello hottie,” Katie drew out appreciatively as she pointed toward Matthew. He was standing with a group of guys watching from the sidelines like starving animals. Adalynne swatted her hand down before he saw they were talking about him. Too late. Matthew waved back confidently, loving the attention.

  “You’re making his head swell even bigger.” Adalynne complained. Katie and Adalynne had met the first day of initiation for the Roth Sorority, just over a month ago. It only took them a moment to hit off a friendship and they had been practically inseparable since. “His boner’s been pointing at you since he got here and he’s practically frothing at the mouth. He’s just itching to get a taste of what you are hiding in those seriously short shorts.”

  “Katie, please.” Adalynne widened her eyes in a silent shut-your-mouth look before grabbing her sponge out of the bucket of soapy hot water.

  “Well?” Katie persisted.

  Adalynne sighed. “It doesn’t feel right yet…I don’t know. I want it to be perfect. Besides we haven’t even really had an official date.” Adalynne trailed off as she rubbed her sponge over a black sports car she knew they had already washed earlier; apparently the owner was eager to support their ‘cause.’

  “Oh my god, Addie! You’re still a virgin!” Katie blared, to Adalynne’s horror. Adalynne could feel the color creep across her face as the girls around them shot her looks.

  “Katie, seriously!” Adalynne begged her to be quiet.

  “Sorry. It’s just, how can you still be a…” Her words trailed off when Adalynne gave her a warning look. “That breaks the law of physics.”

  “That doesn’t even begin to make sense.” Adalynne sighed. This was the last place she wanted to talk about her sex life—there were a bunch of gossiping girls surrounding them.

  “Waiting for Mister Right, huh? Well, if you ask me, Matthew looks pretty right. He is hot—look at how his muscles are formed in all the right places. It’s sinful,” Katie said staring at him, “but what do I know. I gave my virginity away ages ago. It was some guy at one of my sister’s parties. It’s funny I can’t remember what his name was…Tom maybe. Anyway the whole time I couldn’t wait for him to stop. I felt like I was going to throw up. He was shoving that thing around in there like he wasn’t sure what direction he wanted to go. Afterward I had nightmares for weeks because I kept hearing his moaning in my ears like a zombie was going to attack me when I lay in bed at night. Seriously, he sounded like he was straight out of one of those cheesy zombie flicks. I was traumatized but eventually I moved on to others. All different variations of bad, mind you, but never as bad as my first. I figure I’ll be forty by the time I find someone who knows what they’re doing. I’m getting tired of having to get myself off.” Katie pulled her sponge out of the bucket and slapped it on the car, taking her frustrations out.

  A loud cheer erupted around them. Adalynne and Katie both turned to see Mary and Kimber playing the crowd with a make-out session against the front of the car. The owner had his phone trained on the scene while drooling at the action his car was getting. It was pretty much guaranteed this was ending up online. The second wash was definitely paying off for th
is man because he was getting his money’s worth. The car looked expensive but he didn’t seem fazed that two girls were lying down on the hood, grinding against each other. Adalynne didn’t know them very well but she knew this wasn’t the first time they had pulled this display to please a crowd of adoring men.

  Adalynne took the opportunity for a break. The scene looked like it could go on for a while as the audience was waiting in hopeful anticipation clothes would soon come off. She was in desperate need of a drink. The sun was hot and she had lost count of how many cars she had scrubbed down. Katie followed close on her heels as they made their way into the convenience store next to the parking lot they had claimed for their fundraising efforts. Adalynne headed straight for the glass doors in the back of the store. Countless brands of beverages lined the shelves but she grabbed the most normal looking bottle of water she could see and immediately placed it against her neck. “Ah…feels good. It’s so hot today.”

  “Tell me about it. I am sweating in places I didn’t know I had.” Katie grabbed her own beverage before heading to the checkout. A nervous looking young man sat on a stool behind the counter. He was on the thin side, with long brown hair that hung in his face. They dropped their purchases on the counter in front of him. A deep red crawled over his skin as he took in the barely dressed girls. “Great day for a car wash.” His voice cracked.

  “You enjoying the view?” Katie leaned over the counter in an attempt to emphasize her cleavage. The young guy’s eyes widened, his edginess causing him to knock over a display of protein bars. They fell down and scattered at his feet. Katie had a curvy physique she was not afraid to use to her advantage. Adalynne, on the other hand, tended to be more conservative with her figure, but based on what she was currently wearing, one would never know it.

  “Yes…ah…the drinks are on the house…you look hot. I mean you look like you need a drink.” The boy stumbled through his words. He dropped down to pick up the bars without waiting for their reply.

  “Thanks a bunch, sweetness.” Katie beamed, leaning over the counter.

  The main door opened. Adalynne turned to see Matthew walk in, his attentions focused on her. She couldn’t help but smile. He was beautiful with his bleached blond hair and strong masculine features. “Addie, you look good enough to eat.” His signature sly smile spread across his lips.

  “Hey there, the show getting too hot for you out there?” Katie raised her brow.

  “No such thing. I just wanted to see what Addie had planned tonight?” He turned back toward Adalynne with a sparkle in his eye. “Any plans?”

  “Not that I know of, but I’m sure Meghan has something planned for us newbies.” Adalynne rolled her eyes. Meghan was simply wicked when it came to exacting her power over the new sorority recruits. She couldn’t help but appreciate how gorgeous Matthew was. He looked as if he walked off the cover of a magazine with his perfect lines and magnetic gray eyes. She marveled with the idea of spending time with him, wondering what would come of it. When she started school in a new town she promised herself she would date, meet new people, and enjoy everything this new adventure brought. A part of her reeled at his attention. This is what she wanted after all, a fresh start, but a much bigger part of her still mourned what she left behind when she came here. She just didn’t know how to overcome it.

  “Maybe I’ll speak to Meghan to see if I can persuade her to let the girls out for a little fun tonight. Our house is having a small get together.” His confidence was a stark contrast to the nervous boy behind the counter. Adalynne couldn’t help but find the quality incredibly sexy.

  “Sounds like fun. Hopefully your skills in persuasion are exceptional because Meghan seems to be the stubborn type.” Adalynne smiled despite her hesitance. She didn’t have much luck when it came to parties, in her experience.

  “All my skills are exceptional.” He winked before turning to leave. “Any time after ten. See you there.” He turned back when he reached the door. “Oh and Adalynne, I do believe red is my new favorite color,” he added before pushing the door open. He let his eyes roam the length of Adalynne’s body before walking out the door. Adalynne was sure her cheeks turned the same color as her bathing suit after he left. She was grateful he wasn’t there to see it.

  “You are in so much trouble!” Katie could barely control the excitement in her voice as she warned Adalynne. “I have no idea how you can retain your self-control around him. I would let him do whatever he wanted to me and he could even moan like the walking dead all he wanted.”

  “Oh Katie.” Adalynne shook her head with a smile.

  “What?” Katie countered before they both erupted into a fit of laughter. “I’m just saying I think he knows his way around a woman’s body.”

  ***

  True to his word, Matthew came through with his plan to persuade Meghan into letting them have the night to enjoy with no strings attached. It was strange not having a task to fulfill or duties to carry out for Meghan or the other senior girls of the house. Those girls took their position of power seriously. Meghan had taken a special interest in making her life miserable since Matthew started paying Adalynne so much attention. Katie had dug up some information and informed Adalynne it was because Meghan and Matthew had a history together and apparently she wasn’t over him.

  Since the moment she had arrived for her first year of university it had been a whirlwind of commotion. Other than the drama and demands the sorority provided, Adalynne also started a full schedule of classes she had no interest in, making it hard for her to focus. Her reason for attending this prestigious school was because generations of her family before her had attended and it was expected that she uphold the tradition. Her mother’s main priority had always been maintaining appearances. There was never a discussion of which direction Adalynne wanted to steer her own future. It was decided for her long before she even considered what she wanted her career to be. Adalynne’s father was a successful lawyer from a family that had established a name in the industry for many generations. Her mother was a therapist who worked with high profile clients. Although the grades came easily to her, neither one of these professions interested Adalynne.

  Adalynne’s love was the arts, preferably music. Unfortunately her mother viewed music as simply a pastime and not a suitable career choice. Even though she was not currently working toward her own goals, she was at least granted the freedom to be out of her mother’s stifling grasp on a daily basis. Her heart was not with her in this new endeavor and it was slowly taking its toll on her. The course load was heavy, and without her passion to drive her, she found it hard to push herself. Her busy schedule allowed no time for music or painting. The few art supplies she had brought were still packed in a box in the bottom of her closet and it called to her now as she sat in her room organizing her latest assignment, surrounded by a sea of papers covering her bed.

  Adalynne opened her closet and pulled out the heavy box. Ripping the tape from the top, she revealed the treasures waiting inside. It seemed like a lifetime ago when she packed this box as she ran her fingers over the tubes of paint. Adalynne’s fingers came to rest on an old notepad from when she was a child. The cover was worn and practically falling off as she smoothed out the bent edges. Flipping through the pages was like stepping back through time. Memories swirled the emotions within her. She came to rest on one drawing she remembered very clearly. Running her fingers over the pencil lines, a smile graced her lips. It was the picture of a fox and bee she had drawn the first night Fox came to her room.

  It had been four years since Adalynne first met Fox on her sixth birthday. They had seen each other many times since that day, always meeting secretly in the woods behind her house. Fox refused to venture too far from the cover of the trees for fear her parents would see him. He made her swear not to tell her parents about his visits and insisted that their friendship remain a secret. Adalynne was more than happy to oblige. Her mother had so many rules and she knew well enough by then if her mother found o
ut about Fox it would be the last time she would see him.

  In the summer they met almost every day in the secret meeting place they had discovered together—a small clearing in the woods where the sun would shine down on them and a few large rocks made perfect places to sit. During the school year their visits tended to be restricted to weekends. Much to Adalynne’s dismay, she was homeschooled by a woman her mother hired to come to their home. Mrs. Clemont was dreadfully boring and never made anything exciting. Adalynne wanted to go to school with other children her age. Most of all she wanted to go to school with Fox and missed him desperately when he was gone for long periods of time. Even the playdates her mother arranged for her with other girls her age didn’t ease her sadness. She would always find herself just waiting for his return.

  Adalynne always asked their housekeeper, Carmen, to pack her a picnic to eat in the woods for lunch whenever she met Fox. She had told Carmen to pack extra just to be safe; never revealing it was because she was meeting Fox. Carmen just smiled at her with her friendly brown eyes and always packed special treats for two without question.

  Unlike her mother, Carmen always gave Adalynne the freedom she craved to play and have fun. Carmen had a way of knowing things without having to be told that always amazed Adalynne. She adored Carmen, a constant in her life for as long as she could remember. Whenever Adalynne needed anything Carmen was the first person who came to mind. In her eyes Carmen was a part of her family.

  The jarring sound of the door swinging open and banging against the wall jolted Adalynne from her thoughts.

  “Party time!” Katie bounded into the room, slamming it closed behind her. “Isn’t it lovely to be free of those demanding bitches for the evening?” Katie threw herself on her bed on the other side of the room. The springs of the mattress protested against her abuse.