Not Just One Night

Chapter one

Camila's POV

"You've never had a one night stand have you?" Lauren's manipulating a frayed piece of the duvet between two of her slender fingers when I look away from my book. Her eyes dance from mine, to my lips, to the clock on the nightstand behind me, then back to my lips.

I smirk, "Am I that obvious?"
She dips her head, her lofty brunette curls pouring out across the white pillow case. She tucks one strand that has fallen too far against her cheek, behind her ear timidly. I've still not grown accustomed to the demure version of Lauren I'm seeing now.

When only minutes ago, she was ambitious, arousing, and unchaste.
I confirm her suspicion. "Well you're right," I say. "I've never had a one-night stand," I grin, flustered, seemingly mirroring Lauren's own expression. "You were my first," I admit.

She tucks her cheek into the pillow, hiding half of her face from me but I'm still sure she's smiling at my revelation. From what I can see, her nose is scrunched at her brow.

It takes everything in me not to reach over and smooth out the thin lines.
Having completely forgotten which sentence I had read last, I sustain the conversation.

"How can you tell?" I ask, folding the corner of the page to bookmark my place, closing the novel, and then lying it down on the nightstand. The headboard is currently supporting my unclothed body, but to be on Lauren's level, I slide down into the bed, pulling the blanket further up around me. I tuck my arms on either side of me, on top of the duvet and when I do, my forearm brushes against Lauren's hand. There's a tingling still that she leaves behind and it amazes me how you can barely know someone and they still have such an effect on you.

"Where do I even start?" she says playfully. I nudge her stomach with my elbow.

She softly laughs, "You sure you want to know?" her voice is low, and raspy, still welling with seduction even though the mood has shifted.

I nod my head enthusiastically, "Go ahead. Tell me what I'm doing wrong."
With no hesitation, "Well, for starters, it's called a one-night-stand for a reason. Not a two-night or five-night."

I shake my head, rolling my eyes. She smirks and I enjoy the playful banter between us. I feel comfortable enough with Lauren to counter, "Uhm, if I'm not mistaken, it was you that called me for the second night." I mock Lauren's deep rasp, reenacting the phone call I received only two days after we met at that bar. "Hey Camila. What are you doing? Me, nothing. I just couldn't get my mind off of you. Come over and let me fuck you senseless."

"Camila!" Lauren smacks my bare arm and I feign hurt, holding the affected area.

"Ouch!" I say over-dramatically.
She pouts, "Well you deserved it. I did not say any of that." Her brow furrows and I realize that mixed with her full-lip pout, it's probably the most adorable expression I've ever seen on anyone. Ever.

"Aww," I reach over, pushing her lip back into place. "I'm sorry." She shakes her head, a grin carving up her face that's lit naturally from the window above the bed.

"Okay, so instead of it just being a one-night-stand, it's turned into a booty call situation. How else have I messed everything up?"

"Number two," I sigh but it doesn't deter her from calling me out on my flaws, "You're supposed to sneak out in the morning, and if my memory serves me right, you're supposed to regret it immensely, that is if you remember how you ended up there at all."

Oh, I mouth, slowly nodding my head. "Hmm," I hum. "Well, I don't want to sneak out," I confess.

Lauren sneers, "Obviously." She points behind me toward the nightstand. "After the second night you started bringing reading material."