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  Summer Down South

  Lily Hayden

  Copyright © 2018 Hayden Woods Creative

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 9781792165900

  Summer Down South by Lily Hayden is published by independent publishers Hayden Woods Creative.

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  This book is for everyone who’s only here for a good time…

  Love, Lily

  Graduation

  Ella, Shauna and Taylor were ready. They’d been waiting for this day forever. Well, not forever, but since they’d started college, four long years ago. So much had changed since then. They’d grown from fresh-faced, (kind of) wholesome teenagers to the women stood side-by-side in front of the full-length gilt-framed mirror.

  They’d met during their first week on campus and been best friends since, but now everything was about to change. They were graduating today, before hitting the party to end all parties and then heading on to their grown-up lives.

  Ella Coombes pouted at her reflection. Gone was the freckled, chirpy, blonde cheerleader and in her place was a smoking, platinum sex-pot. Ella had had a strict upbringing in her little hometown back in Ohio. Her parents were devout Christians and she had even started College wearing her purity ring. She laughed at the thought. Who knew that beneath the angelic honour student was a party-girl dying to break free? She pushed a perfectly-curled strand of hair behind her ear, tilting her head to the left and then the right to admire the way her highlighter popped. Her pale blue eyes were illuminated against a backdrop of smoky shadow and impossibly long dark lashes, framed by the piece-de-resistance: her full red lips. She was far from vain, but in the tight little red dress beneath her cap and gown, she knew she looked hot. Her parents would be at the graduation ceremony, but she was hoping to keep the gown covering her show-stopping dress as there was no time to get back here and change before the party, and she needed to look her best. Tonight would be her final shot to get with the man-of-her-dreams, Caleb. He’d been the only man that she’d met who had ever resisted her advances, although, in Ella’s defence, he had had a long-term girlfriend, Ashley, for the majority of his time at college. Rumour had it that they’d split up: Ashley was heading overseas on some do-gooding charity work and she’d wanted to take a break from their intense relationship. This was Ella’s last chance to add Caleb to the notches on her bedpost, and hopefully more. She’s heard that he was heading to Texas after graduation. Was it a coincidence or fate?

  Shauna Williams sucked in her tummy. Did she look fat in this gown? Ella and Taylor shook their heads emphatically. No way! They reassured her. She looked amazing and her curves were kicking! Tall and curvaceous compare to her two slim friends, Shauna had been delighted to see big butts make a comeback in the fashion world. She turned, inspecting her curved derriere in the mirror. Hmmm, she looked ok, she decided. Her long red curls cascaded over her one shoulder and Ella had done an amazing job with her make-up, blending golds to bring out the green in her eyes. God, she wished Ella and Taylor were moving to Louisiana with her. She didn’t know how she’d cope in her new job without their expert beauty and fashion advice. She wore a full-length black dress with a daring split to the thigh that they had convinced her to buy. She’d felt self-conscious in the revealing outfit, but she had to admit that the clingy material drew all the right attention to her womanly curves and flattered the bits she wasn’t so sure about. She hoped tonight would be the night that Mikey Rosen finally noticed her. Tall, dark and gorgeous, they’d taken several of the same classes, but the sizzling chemistry must have been all in Shauna’s mind as he’d made no attempt to ask her out.

  Taylor Mitchell regarded her friends objectively.

  “Ladies, we are looking good.” She announced to their reflections.

  Taylor had been the unofficial “leader” during their college years. Growing up rich and privileged, she’d attended a n exclusive girl’s school back in the state of New York. She’d bucked her family’s trend of working in the entertainment industry, instead setting her heart on majoring in Conservation and Environmental Studies in Chicago after she’d fallen in love with the course that had offered multiple work experiences in remote obscure locations, like the Alaskan wilds and the stormy coast of beautiful Scotland. Her dedication to her studies had meant she had been pretty much single for the duration of her college years, although, she cast her mind back to a few of her colleagues, Sam from Outer Hebrides and Dr Elliman from Katchikan, she had managed to have a few new personal experiences, too. She gave her reflection a mischievous smile, watching as her full mouth turned up at the corners and her dark eyes sparkled back at her. Dark skin, long limbs and a banging body, even if she did think so herself. She knew that she looked classy in the tight emerald-coloured dress. She was hoping that Connor, the sexy young lecturer would be at the party tonight. He’d said he would try to make it and Taylor had taken extra care to look good for him. It would be her last chance before she headed down to Florida on her paid internship on a conservation programme. She would never dream of putting her education at jeopardy and she’d kept their relationship strictly professional since he’d started teaching a module of her course this year, but she was no longer a student and after four years of (mostly) all work and no play, she really wanted to go out with a bang!

  “I’m going to miss you!” Ella surveyed their reflections and felt her eyes grow misty.

  “Awwww!” Taylor and Shauna threw their arms around her and they hugged tightly.

  “It’s been a blast.” Shauna echoed the sentiment, discreetly wiping a tear from the corner of her eye before it spilled over and ruined her flawless look.

  “I can’t believe we’ve all bagged graduate internships for the summer!” Taylor regarded her friends with undisguised pride.

  “At least we can get jobs, even if we can’t get boyfriends!” Ella joked, and her friends swatted her playfully.

  “Who would want a boyfriend tonight of all nights?” Shauna scoffed. “We’re smart, we’re sexy and we’re going to have amazing careers! No boring long-term boyfriends holding us back!”

  “No bad sex!” Taylor cheered, filling their champagne flutes as they toasted their future.

  “To no bad sex and amazing futures!” Ella giggled happily, and they drained the glasses, savouring the delicious bubbles as they trickled over their lips and tongues.

  After the Party

  The banging in Ella’s head was growing louder. She’d woken up, fully dressed, head pounding on the sofa a few hours earlier and summoned up every last ounce of strength to drag herself into the sanctuary of her still-made bed. She forced one eye open through the caked-on layer of eye make-up she hadn’t been sober enough to remove before she’d passed out in a tequila haze in the shared lounge-diner of their college apartment.

  Light streamed in from the open window and Ella groaned loudly. The knocking wasn’t in her head, she realised. Someone was at the door. She lay still, her body was aching and if she stayed here, maybe they’d give up and go away. Or better yet, wake one of the others up and they could bring her water and painkillers.

  She held her breath and waited for her prayers to be answered.

  A door opened, and she heard the patter of feet heading towards the front door followed by low voices. There was silence and the feet retraced their journey across to the room. There was a tap at the door before it opened slightly, and Taylor’s face appeared, peering around the doorframe into the messy chaos that was Ell
a’s bedroom.

  “Sorry to interrupt!” Taylor started before doing a double-take.

  “What?” Ella shuffled up onto her pillow, opening both eyes to look properly at her friend.

  “Has Caleb gone?” She looked surprised.

  Ella groaned loudly, dropping her head into her hands.

  “Ugh!” She moaned, every excruciatingly embarrassing moment of the previous night coming back to her in that moment. “He didn’t stay!”

  “Oh, honey!” Taylor pushed the door open and entered the room, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

  Ella took the hand she offered her, but then it was her turn to double-take. Taylor was dressed in a man’s formal white button-down shirt and nothing else; her sexy, long legs bare underneath.

  “Oh my God, Tay!” Ella’s eyes were wide in disbelief. “Did you bring a guy back here?”

  Taylor giggled self-consciously. “Ssssh! Yes. I’ll tell you later.”

  “He’s still here!” Ella exclaimed, momentarily forgetting her headache and then wincing as her voice reverberated around her own skull.

  “What happened with Caleb?” Taylor asked again, stroking Ella’s crazy bed-hair down.

  “I can’t talk about it.” Ella sighed. “It’s too awful! Anyway, what did you want? Did I hear someone at the door?”

  “Oh, yes!” Taylor remembered, quickly getting back up. “It’s some guy looking for Shauna, but she’s not in her room. I thought maybe she’d gone out for coffee and was coming to ask you if you’d seen her.”

  Ella shook her head. “No. I didn’t hear her go out.”

  “Crap.” Taylor darted back to the door. “I’ll let him know. I’ll be back in a bit.”

  Ella watched as the door clicked shut softly behind her friend and she fell back against the mountain of soft, cream pillows. Oh, God! What a disaster last night had been. Graduation had been great and then they’d gone on to the party. She’d made a beeline for Caleb and everything had been going soooo well. They’d danced and flirted all night. Ella had turned down all the requests from other guys to dance, terrified that her dream man would disappear like Cinderella if she turned her back for even a minute.

  Ashley had been nowhere in sight, darting off after the ceremony, and Caleb had shown no signs of looking heartbroken. As the evening slipped into night, the tempo of the music had slowed down, and big groups had split into couples on the dancefloor. Ella had felt butterflies erupt in her stomach as the song changed to a sexy, slow ballad and she’d daringly slipped her arms around Caleb’s neck. Her heart had almost stopped as she felt him hesitate, but after a split-second, he’d circled his strong arms around her tiny waist and pulled her close. She could feel his thumbs on her hips and his fingers resting against the dip in her back. She stepped closer, feeling his hard, muscular chest against the softness of her full, pert breasts. She looked up at him from below her lashes, curling her lips into what she knew, from experience, was an irresistible come-to-bed smile.

  He dipped his head and she parted her lips in anticipation.

  “Uh, Ella.”

  Her eyes flew open and Caleb was looking down at her, his face a picture of concern.

  “Huh?” She recovered quickly, but she felt her cheeks flushing furiously, betraying her nonchalant tone.

  “Can we maybe go somewhere private?”

  Oh. Of course! Ella felt her embarrassment evaporate. He didn’t want their first kiss to be here, on the dance floor, in front of all their classmates. Everybody knew he’d been going steady with Ashley. He was probably conscious of rumours getting back to her. She hadn’t turned up to the party. It was only natural that she was heartbroken over the split. What a gentleman to consider her feelings. Ella was civil with all her exes. Maturity was so important to her.

  Ella rearranged her face into an understanding smile.

  “Of course.” She disentangled her arms from his neck and slipped a hand into his. He pulled it away and she pretended not to notice. “Shall we go back to mine?”

  Caleb frowned. “Yours?”

  God, he was a bit dense. She felt herself growing annoyed, but one look in his sparkling, dark eyes had her forgiving his awkwardness.

  “It would be nice to be able to talk properly.” She said, emphasising the word ‘talk’. “I’ve got good coffee.”

  Caleb’s frown had melted away then and he’d slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her close as the cold night hit them as they left the party together. Back at her place, Caleb kicked off his shoes and she sank onto the sofa next to him.

  “I can’t believe we’ve graduated!” He smiled at her, resting a large hand gently on her bare leg.

  She edged closer, causing his warm fingers to slide from the safety of her knee to the exposed skin of her thigh. She saw a flicker of surprise cross his sexy, dark eyes and she wriggled seductively closer. He looked down at his hand, as if unsure whether it was his own hand or a mirage, but he flexed his fingers, brushing the tips against her silky, soft skin.

  Ella pressed her lips together, letting a little moan escape. She twisted her body expertly towards him and suddenly his lips were on hers. His mouth moved hungrily on hers and she pushed her body greedily against him. His hands were moving of their own accord as they kissed fervently, and she felt her skin tingle as his fingers traced the curves of her thighs. She ran her hand over his chiselled jaw, feeling the roughness of his stubble and traced her thumbs down to the opening of his shirt, desperate to feel his bare skin. She fumbled with the buttons to his shirt and this time it was his turn to groan. His fingers were growing closer to her lace panties and she arched her back, hungry for his touch. He found the damp scrap of material covering her and he stroked his hard fingers over the soft mound. She moaned involuntarily against his lips and his tongue probed deeper. She could feel his own excitement, hardening against her thigh and she reached for it, covering the length with her hand and stroking it gently through the straining material of his pants.

  He pulled away, panting slightly but his fingers didn’t stop running circles over the expensive underwear, the roughness of the lace ecstasy against the hot softness between her legs.

  “Ella.” He muttered her name, his voice thick with desire.

  “Caleb.” She tried his own name, loving the sound of it from her own swollen lips.

  “Ella.” He said again, but his tone was suddenly serious, and he sat up, almost knocking her from the sofa in his haste to sit up.

  He pulled his hand away from her wetness, but Ella saw him glance down at her exposed panties with regret.

  “What’s the matter?” She frowned at him, sitting up straighter and pulling her dress back around her thighs.

  “This.” Caleb gestured at the sofa. “Ella, I really like you, but I can’t…”

  “Oh!” Ella’s hand flew to her mouth. God, this was embarrassing. He was going to say he was still in love with Ashley. “It’s too soon isn’t it?”

  “Yes!” His anxious expression melted into relief. “Oh, I’m so glad you understand.”

  He looked exuberant at her understanding and he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair.

  “It’s been so hard.” He continued, his words tumbling out so fast she could barely understand what he was saying. “Meeting someone with my values. I thought Ashley felt the same as me, but she said she’d changed how she felt about it all and she wants to have “experiences”. Can you believe it? How could she change her mind after all this time? Oh, Ella, I’m so glad you understand!”

  She mumbled a noncoherent response, totally confused as to what she had agreed with, but his lips felt good against her neck and his arms were strong and firm around her, so she just let him speak.

  She had been pretty wasted, she remembered sat up in bed the morning after, and she’d grown sleepy listening to him ramble on before she’d taken in that he was telling her that he believed in waiting until marriage.

  As realisation had dawned, her eyes had gr
own wide with horror! Jeez! She was all for personal choices, but he was barking up the wrong tree! She loved sex. She couldn’t wait until the end of the first date most of the time, never mind until marriage! Oh, God, but he’d poured his heart out and he seemed to have got the impression that she was an abstainer too! What had she said? She furiously backtracked over her incoherent mumbles, searching for the point where he had firmly clasped the wrong end of the stick. But he kept talking and he was so sweet, so honest that she didn’t have the heart to correct him and instead, she had discreetly opened the half-bottle of wine that Taylor had left on the table and drunken herself into oblivion as Caleb had opened up his soul to her about how much her understanding meant to him.

  She had woken up, hungover and extremely sexually frustrated, with Caleb tucking the comforter over her comatose body and muttering something about her going to some meeting with him. Oh, fuck, no! Now, she had to deal with the humiliation of admitting to the gorgeous, honest man that she was actually an over-sexed nymph who had no intentions of going more than a couple of days without an orgasm. What a mess!

  She heard Taylor moving around in the apartment and waited for her to return, but a man’s deep voice called out and she could hear Taylor giggle before her own door clicked firmly shut.

  Taylor glanced over her shoulder, biting her lip with concern. She should really check on Ella, but Connor had called out to her and one look at his bare chest and come-to-bed eyes against her silky sheets had her padding bare-foot back into the bedroom. She told herself that Ella would be fine. Just twenty quick minutes with this glorious man and she’d be all ears to Ella’s woes.

  Connor pulled the sheets back, inviting her in, exposing his hard, taut abdomen, the smattering of dark hair growing thicker as it disappeared beyond the waistband of his designer boxers. Taylor slipped into the bed next to him and shivered with pleasure as she felt his hand snake underneath the shirt she was wearing.