“Love you too.” Olivia blew her a kiss. “Happy birthday, babe.”
Farrah softened. “Thanks. For the presents and cake and…everything. You guys are the best, even if you act like thirteen-year-olds.” She tried to laugh but got choked up again.
“Oh, no. No crying on your birthday. Go put your presents away and have sex.” Courtney waved her off. “You deserve it.”
“Let’s be honest, they’re not making it to 808,” Farrah heard Kris say.
Farrah’s and Blake’s shoes echoed in the stairwell as they made their way to the third floor. The rest of FEA was at 808, but Farrah had wanted to have her cake and gift unwrapping in the dorm. It was easier than going out, hauling the presents back to her room, and going out again.
To her surprise, she opened the door to an empty room. Farrah invited Janice to the pre-birthday celebration, but Janice declined, saying she had work to do. She’d expected to find Janice on her laptop, but her roommate was nowhere in sight.
Farrah wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or insulted. It was possible Janice lied about having work to get out of attending her birthday, which sucked. At the same time…
“Looks like we have your room to ourselves. A birthday present from the universe, perhaps?” Blake placed her presents on her desk and winked. Even in a simple white shirt and jeans, he caused her heart to flutter.
“If it is…” Farrah added her haul to the pile and walked over to Blake. She hooked her fingers through his belt loops. “Far be it from me to refuse.”
Their lips met in a long, deep kiss that drove every other thought out of her mind. She parted her lips and he swept his tongue inside, increasing the heat until she smoldered with need.
Blake lifted her up. Farrah expected him to carry them to her bed. Instead, he slammed her against the wall, eliciting a gasp of surprise and anticipation from her. He kept one hand on her waist while he used the other to unclasp her dress and bra. His movements were jerky, almost desperate as he eased the material down her body.
Her nipples hardened in the cool air. Blake brushed an open palm over them and she shuddered, an all-too-familiar ache blossoming between her legs. He played with her breasts for a while longer, tugging and twisting so expertly he might as well be in her head. Farrah had always assumed this level of sexual connection and expertise was unrealistic, concocted by romance movies and novels to give the female population hope, when in fact a majority of guys were like the ones Farrah encountered in the past—quick, clumsy, awkward.
Not Blake. He knew exactly what to do, when to do it. By the time he lowered his head to suck on her sensitized nubs, Farrah was ready to fall apart. Her body was a live wire of sensations, crackling and scorching hot. Every nerve ending was sensitive to the touch.
Blake slipped a finger between her slick folds and found that spot, and she did fall apart. Farrah exploded with pleasure so intense she saw stars. It went on and on, and just as she came down from the high, Blake tossed her on the bed. She heard the rustle of a condom being unwrapped. A second later, he was inside her, filling her to bursting.
Farrah clutched his shoulders and cried out. The heat surged until the flames consumed her once more. She arced up, pressing her chest against Blake’s. His hand slipped down between their bodies. His fingertips brushed her clit as he pounded into her, taking her higher and higher to a place where she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. The sensations ran wild through her system, so intense and all-encompassing she nearly wept. Farrah craved release yet never wanted this to end. All she could do was ride the wave of pleasure until her body detonated, and her cries of ecstasy mingled with Blake’s as they crashed back to earth together.
After twenty years, she’d found the guy who could take her to heaven and back.
Farrah collapsed on the bed and tried to catch her breath. “Best. Birthday. Present. Ever,” she wheezed.
Blake chuckled. He rolled onto his side and smoothed her hair from her face. “Better than the markers?”
“It’s close. I really like the markers.” Farrah ran her hand up and down his arm. Kris’d been right. They weren’t making it to 808. She had zero desire to get dressed and sweat her ass off in a crowded club. She’d much rather stay here with Blake in their own little world. “But I like you more.”
She expected him to reply with a smartass remark. When he didn’t, she looked up to find him gazing at her with such love it hurt her heart. Not because of the love, but because of what hid behind it—a sadness that reawakened her earlier sense of foreboding.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.” Blake played with the ends of her hair. “How does twenty feel?”
“It’s fine, and don’t change the subject. Something’s wrong. I can feel it.” Farrah propped herself up on her elbow so that they were at eye level. “Is it your dad?”
“No. I’m stressed about the bar, is all. There’s so much left to do.”
He’d said that the last time she brought up his strange behavior. She believed him then. She wasn’t sure she believed him now.
“Let’s talk about something else. I don’t want to be a downer on your birthday.”
“You can talk to me about anything anytime. You know that.”
There it was—that melancholy that shouldn’t have been there. “Have I told you how much I love you?”
Farrah smiled even as her heart clenched with unease. “You might have mentioned it once or twice, but I wouldn’t mind hearing it again.”
“Well, I do. I love you so, so much.” Blake cupped her cheek. She detected a slight shake in his hand. “Never forget that.”