Page 42 of The Boys Next Door
“Neighbors,” Diana said quickly. “Friend” wasn’t an accurate word for Ian, and she didn’t want to think too hard about what word might be. “I grew up with him and Brendan.”
“Do you miss me, Ms. Wood?” Ian flashed white teeth. “‘Cause I miss you.”
Ms. Wood raised her eyebrows. “I’m sure you do miss my class. Just like you did twenty-nine times in one semester. As I recall, your coach got you out of that one. And no, Mr. O’Brian, I don’t miss your absences. Or you coming in late, smelling like pot, or your smart-aleck comments, or the incomprehensible scribbles you turned in and called papers.” Her eyes flicked to his sweatshirt. “I hope you’re attending the occasional class at UConn.”
Ian just laughed. “Gonna go cry in the corner now. Unless you want to spank me first.” Red crept to Diana’s cheeks — she couldn’t look Ian’s way, or Ms. Wood’s — but she also had to bite her lip to stop a laugh of her own. “Catch you later, Diana.”
As he sauntered off, Diana realized a second too late that she was staring at his broad shoulders and narrow hips, remembering how that muscular ass had felt under her hands the night before. A voice over the blasting music pulled her attention back.
“Diana, I know Ian O’Brian holds attraction for a lot of girls.” Ms. Wood had looked exasperated before; now she looked worried. “But please, don’t spend any time or energy on him. It would be an incredible waste.”
Diana blinked, too stunned to answer. Quickly, she looked over her shoulder again, fighting her embarrassment and hoping Ian hadn’t heard. Hazel eyes met hers. He’d heard. Before she could laugh it off, he turned away.
*
At one in the morning, Diana tiptoed into her room, carrying her red peep-toe pumps. Her cap and gown hung over her arm.
She was officially exhausted. Graduation parties, laughter, more people and chatter in one night than she was used to in a week. Her cheeks hurt from grinning. Her feet and calves ached from prancing around in three-inch heels.
But she wouldn’t have traded any of it. She’d dreaded this day even as she’d crossed off the calendar dates in anticipation, but now that it was over, she had to admit: she’d loved it.
Sighing with relief, she set her cap and gown on her armchair, wiggled her bare toes in the carpet, and reached back to unzip her tight dress. The navy blue fabric dropped to the floor.
It felt so good to free her heavy breasts from their lacy black cups — the same bra she’d been wearing when her eyes met Brendan’s while she enviously spied on the twins’ party next door. Had that really happened less than two weeks ago?
She glanced at the window. The O’Brians’ house was dark, the twins’ Jeep missing from the driveway. They must be out for the night. Probably with some of the people who’d been so ecstatic to see them after graduation. That was fine, she told herself, trying to ignore her twinge of disappointment. The excitement of the evening had already worn her out.
After a moment’s pause, she hooked her thumbs into her black thong, eased the scanty material over her hips, and stepped out of that, too. Posing naked in front of her closet, she gave herself permission, for the first time, to really admire the voluptuous girl in the mirror.
The full swells of her breasts didn’t embarrass her anymore; instead, they tingled under her gaze, knowing how good it felt to be licked and squeezed. Her large rosy nipples contracted in the cool night breeze from the open window. The exaggerated curves of her hips and ass — curves she’d always considered way over the top — seemed just right, now.
And whatever Ian said, her glasses were sexy. The black frames — along with her dark hair, crimson nipples, and the soft triangle between her legs — punctuated her pale skin.
All the whispers, words, and stares that had haunted her for so many years — they just didn’t have the same sting anymore. She’d worked so hard to make sure no one saw her that way again. But Brendan’s eyes on her lush curves held only appreciation, approval, and a touch of pride that made her squeeze her thighs together. Ian’s rasp in her ear that she was a hot slut, a bad girl, meant something very different from the names she’d been called, even if the words were the same.
She didn’t feel an ounce of shame with the twins; just pleasure. Eagerness for more. A slow-burning desire, stronger and stronger, to open up.
Maybe Ian was right. Maybe she could let go.
She fluffed up her hair, looking at herself from one side, then the other. Then, giggling, she lit some candles, turned out the light, and flopped into bed.
Just a quiet night now. She deserved it. A couple of sweet-smelling candles that would burn down soon, a book that wouldn’t keep her awake too long, and no nightgown at all, just the relaxing feeling of fresh sheets on her naked skin. Yawning, she stretched under the covers.
A light tap made her jump. Rolling over, she saw a male face in the window, framed with shadows. Her stomach flipped.
“Ian?” she whispered.
He raised an eyebrow at her. “Brendan.”
“Knew that.” Diana flushed. Of course it was Brendan. Ian wouldn’t have bothered to knock. And now that he was smiling, the cleft in his chin made it clear. “I, uh, I’m not really dressed.”
She sat up and held the covers over her chest, aware that her nipples were starting to harden under the cool sheets.
Brendan’s smile broadened. “That’s it. I’m leaving.” He started to turn around, branches rustling below him.
Diana began to laugh. It was a little ridiculous, she had to admit. “Don’t leave.”
Swinging easily through the window, Brendan landed on the floor and walked right over to her bed. Diana realized she was gawking at him, no better than her open-mouthed friends at graduation. His easy grace, his total confidence, the way his tank top and boxers clung to his muscled body.