She sat down, her thoughts in a jumble. She stared at the fountain and tried to think of how she could ask the question that plagued her.
He sat beside her, a silence settling in between them. She drew in a breath, gathering her courage to speak. “I want to ask you something, but I don’t want you to get offended.”
His gaze landed on her, a knowing look on his face. “I won’t get offended.”
“What happened before you got arrested?”
“You mean, why did I beat up Michael?”
The way he said it, like he had to spit out the name, made her tense. “Yes.” She rubbed the palm of her hand, not sure she wanted to hear his answer.
“He was going to hit Molly.”
That was the last thing she’d expected to hear. Her gaze snapped up to his. “What?”
“I was protecting my sister.”
She was confused. “The police officer…”
Christian sighed and leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees. “Michael is my mother’s boyfriend. And yes, he’s a cop.”
A coldness spread through her stomach. “He lives with you.”
“Yeah.”
“And he’s abusive.”
“Yes.”
That one word held an unimaginable weight. Her fingers trembled. “Your mother didn’t stop it?”
A bitter laugh escaped him. “My mother isn’t capable of stopping him. But I was. And I went to juvie for it.”
“You told them what happened, though, right?”
“Yeah. My mother sided with Michael. She lied to cover up what he was doing. And she let them take me away.”
Jessica wanted to cry. She placed her hand on his. “That’s terrible.”
His thumb grazed her fingers, and the feeling that skimmed across her skin was indescribable. Her breath hitched.
“Did you get your answer?”
Yes, she got her answer. Christian wasn’t a teenage delinquent. He was Molly’s hero. She blinked and drew closer to him. Her fingers moved against his, the electricity between them growing. “Is there more to the story?”
“Probably.” His dark eyes connected with her gaze. The bottom dropped out of her stomach.
“Are you going to tell me?”
“Probably not.”
She was so entranced by his intense gaze that she didn’t even care he was holding something back. There was an invisible cord pulling her closer to him. Drawing her in. He wasn’t at all what she thought, and her heart broke for him.
He reached out and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. His touch sent a wave of warmth through her. She wanted to feel more of it. His mouth dipped and she had the impression he was going to kiss her.
The thought set a thousand butterflies loose in her stomach. A week ago, she couldn’t have imagined wanting to kiss Christian, but now, as she sat next to him, she couldn’t think of anything she wanted more. She shut her eyes, hoping to give him that silent permission to close the distance.
Her phone rang and she jumped. Christian pulled away. With shaking fingers, she took her phone out. Her father’s name was on the screen. She swallowed. “It’s my dad.”
“You’d better answer.”
She slid her finger across the screen. “Hello?”
“Where are you? And before you say you’re with Destiny, you should guess who stopped by looking for you just now.”
She stood and took a few steps away from Christian, her heart pounding. “Sorry. Destiny left the mall with Jack. I stopped by the…soda shop on the way home.” She cringed. Why did that pop out of her mouth? She never went there.
Her father was silent on the other end of the line. “When will you be home?”
Crud. He sounded super calm, which meant he was mad. “In just a few minutes.”
“We’ll talk when you get home.”
She hung up and turned to Christian. “I’m in trouble.”
He jumped up and came to her. “How much trouble? He wouldn’t hurt you, would he?”
“Oh, heavens, no. Nothing like that. He…when I get home, he’s going to pull out the whiteboard.”
Confusion crossed his features. “What does that mean?”
She rubbed her forehead. “He lectures. With a whiteboard…color-coding his points.”
Christian’s lips twitched and she could tell he was trying not to smile. “Color-coding his points?”
She knew how stupid it sounded, especially since he came from such a different type of home life. “Yeah. I gotta go.”
“I’ll walk you to your car.”
She nodded and they started down the path. The gurgle of the water fountain faded as they got farther away from it. Christian’s fingertips brushed lightly against her palm. It was tentative. A silent question. Did she want to? She didn’t think. Didn’t stop to contemplate the consequences. She just let her body respond to his and took hold of his warm hand, threading her fingers through his.
A thrill rushed through her, unfolding in her chest and blossoming into her extremities. If this is what holding his hand felt like, she couldn’t even imagine the feeling of his lips on hers.
They slowed as they approached the parking lot. Jessica didn’t want to go. She wanted to stay there with him forever. She turned and leaned against her car, looking up at him. “I’m sorry I have to leave.”
He leaned against her, his body pinning her to the car. “I’m sorry, too.”
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. After school?”
He stared at her, his jaw flexing. “What about at school?”
“Are you going to be there?” She didn’t mean for it to sound accusing, and she sucked in her breath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”
“I know what you meant.” He came closer. “Yes, I’ll be there.”
Her heart thrummed. He was so close to her now. She could smell the scent of his soap. Or maybe it was his cologne. Musky. Sexy. “Then I guess I’ll see you at school.”
He pulled away, a half-smile on his face. He let her hand drop. “Okay. See you.”
She watched him walk to his motorcycle, fasten on his helmet, slide his leg over his bike and take off. Her heart leapt into her throat. Something had happened tonight. Something she couldn’t take back. Did she even want to?
She liked Christian Black. And that was absolutely forbidden.
Chapter 8
Jessica held her breath and entered the kitchen. Her father sat at his usual spot at the table. He didn’t move when she walked in. He just gave her a look that made her wither. How did he have the power to do that? She gave him a little half-wave. “Hey, Dad.”
“Sit down, please.” He motioned to the chair opposite him.
Jessica pulled out the chair and sat down, feeling more and more like she was in the worst trouble she’d ever been in. He wasn’t yelling, which was good, but he usually wasn’t the type to yell. He was more the type to talk her to death. “What’s up?” She tried to keep her voice light, but it felt strained.
“Can I see your phone?”
Oh, no. This wasn’t good at all. Her muscles tightened. “Why?”
Her father stared at her and she wanted to sink into the floor. “I want to install an app.”
Her stomach rolled. She tried to keep calm. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as she thought. She ran her finger over the edge of the table. “What kind of app?”
His pointer finger lightly tapped the tabletop. “One that will tell me where you are.”
Oh, yes, indeed. It was as bad as she thought. Worse, even. She tried not to react. Kept her face as passive as she could. She couldn’t refuse, or he would know she was lying about where she was. She couldn’t let him install the app, though, or he would find out about Christian. She was stuck.
As her mind vacillated, she knew she really had no choice. He would force it if she said no. And saying no would only make it worse. “Okay,” she said slowly, pulling out her phone.
She hesitated for a second before handing it t
o him. Then she realized her texts with Christin were on there. She froze as she watched his finger hover over the screen, her heart beating loud in her ears.
He opened the app store and she relaxed. He searched and found what he was looking for, then installed it. “It’s not that I don’t trust you.” He frowned. “I’m only doing this for your safety. You remember the talk we had, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she said quickly. “I remember.” She prayed he wouldn’t bring out the whiteboard.
“I love you. I want you to live a long, happy life.”
Oh, yes. How could she forget the long, happy life part of the safety talk? “I know.”
He messed with her phone a bit more, setting up the app, then handed it back to her. “I hope you know this doesn’t cancel the need to sign out in the notebook.”
Perfect. “Of course,” she said, forcing a smile.
He returned her smile. “Good. I’m glad you understand, sweetheart.” He stood and bent to kiss the top of her head, like he used to do when she was little. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She gritted her teeth and jumped up. She had to go research this app and see exactly what it would do.
She ran upstairs, forgetting about her ankle, and winced when pain shot up her leg. Dang. She would have to put ice on it tonight. She shut the door to her room and limped across the floor as she searched the internet for the name of the app.
After reading about it, she relaxed a bit. It didn’t record her texts. It only tracked the GPS position of her phone. She could get around that. She spent a few minutes devising a plan.
She brushed her teeth and dressed for bed. As she climbed under the sheets, she couldn’t help but think of how close she and Christian had come to kissing tonight. Her phone interrupted it, she was sure. And the thought made her crave it even more.
Her phone sat on her nightstand, and she picked it up, debating if she should text Christian or not. It wasn’t too late yet. He was probably still up. She pressed on his name.
You make it home okay?
Yes. You okay? Did your dad bring out the whiteboard?
I managed to avoid the dreaded whiteboard. He did put an app on my phone, though. He can track me now. She ended it with a frowny face emoji.
That’s not good. Does that change our plans?
No. I found a way around it.
How?
I’ll give Trudy my phone after school. Then I’ll get it from her after our workout.
You’re devious.
That made her grin. If you only knew.
You are intriguing, blondie.
She rolled her eyes. She went to text him back but decided it would be easier to call. She pressed on the phone icon and waited for him to pick up.
“Hey,” he said. Something about his voice had changed, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Maybe it was just that they were more relaxed around each other? Or maybe his voice was becoming more familiar to her?
“Intriguing how?”
He chuckled. “Seriously? You called me to ask that?”
“I want to know.” She shifted against her pillow.
“I can’t tell you that. I still haven’t figured you out.”
“So, I’m a mystery.” She kind of liked that.
“You’re an enigma.”
“What are you doing, sitting there with a thesaurus?”
He shuffled on the other end of the line. “Are you saying I can’t know a big word?”
“Dude, I wasn’t saying that at all. Defensive, much?”
He blew out a breath. “Are you always this difficult?” he asked, repeating her words from earlier.
She laughed. “Yeah. I think I am.”
“Good. I like difficult.”
She smiled and snuggled more under her covers. “I’d better let you go. I just wanted to talk to you before I fell asleep.”
“Was it everything you hoped for?”
She sighed and closed her eyes. “Yeah,” she said quietly.
“Goodnight, Jess.”
The way he said her name made her pulse quicken. “Goodnight, Christian.”
Chapter 9
Christian sat on his bed, staring at his phone. This wasn’t good. He couldn’t be falling for the deputy county attorney’s daughter. And yet, he couldn’t help the feelings coursing through him. She was amazing. And totally off limits.
He plugged his phone in and climbed under the covers. Apprehension filled him as he thought about what might happen at school tomorrow. Jessica had implied she wouldn’t run from him. She wouldn’t pretend she didn’t know him. But he wasn’t sure what that would mean.
He had trouble falling asleep, thinking about her. When his alarm went off in the morning, he could barely open his eyes. He hit snooze a few times, then showered quickly and left the house.
The cool October breeze helped wake him up as he sped to school on his motorcycle. He parked in his usual place in the lot and swung his leg off his bike. Going to school was such a joke. He was failing almost every class. He’d already turned eighteen, so legally no one could make him go.
If he were being honest with himself, he was only there to see Jessica. As he walked into the door, her bright hair caught his attention. He started toward her. She smiled when she saw him. “Hey, Christian, this is my friend, Trudy.”
He gave the girl with the dark hair a half-wave. “What’s up?”
Trudy looked him over. “Hi.” She exchanged a look with Jessica. “Well, I have to go. See ya.” She gave her another meaningful look, then disappeared.
Jessica turned to him. “Trudy agreed to help us out, although she thinks I’m crazy.”
He rested his arm on the locker behind her and leaned in. “Are you?”
Her lips curled up into a smile. “Most definitely.”
Christian stepped back before Jessica could lecture him on appearances and making sure her cousin didn’t see them together. “Is today a rock music day, or a no music day?”
“It’s a classical music day, and I’d better not get any guff from you.”
“So, is that what you listen to? Classical?”
“I grew up on all kinds of music, but no, that’s not my jam.” She opened her locker and pulled out her books.
“What is your jam?”
She gave him a flirty smile. “Maybe you’ll find out.”
The urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless was almost too overpowering. She had no idea how much she drove him wild, did she? He picked up a strand of her purple hair. “You’re impossible.”
The bell rang. She pulled back. “See you in science class.”
He let out a breath. “Yeah.”
He watched her disappear into the mass of students. He started down the hallway toward his first class. Mr. Brown, the principal, stepped into the hall and signaled him. “Christian. How are you?” He fell into step beside him.
Heat crept up Christian’s neck. He liked Mr. Brown. He just had a way of making him feel guilty. “I’m fine.”
Mr. Brown had these piercing eyes that seemed to see through a person. He wielded his weapon now, and Christian felt like he was twelve. “How are the grades? You keeping up?”
Not really, but Christian didn’t want to say that. “I’m doing all right.”
Mr. Brown raised one eyebrow. “I looked at your scores this morning.” He stopped and laid a hand on Christian’s shoulder so Christian had no choice but to stop and look at him. “What can I do to help? I want you to be able to graduate with your class.”
Guilt wormed its way into Christian’s chest, making it hard to breathe. “I don’t know.”
“You know, my offer still stands.”
Christian swallowed. When he’d gotten out of juvie, Mr. Brown had been the only one who he felt had supported him. He’d pulled him aside and talked to him frankly about his grades and his home life. He’d offered to go talk to his mother. But Christian knew that wouldn’t help. Just Mr. Brown’s concern
was enough to make Christian like the guy even more, though.
“Thanks, Mr. B. I’ll think about it.”
“If you ever need a place to go, my home is always open.”
This touched him. “I’ll remember that.”
“Do you need a tutor? I could line up someone.”
“Naw, I’m good.”
Mr. Brown finally let him continue down the hallway. “I’m glad we had a talk. Keep working on improving those grades, okay?”
Christian nodded at him. “Sure thing, Mr. B.” He was glad when he could duck into his classroom and disappear into the back of the room.
Jessica pulled her car up behind Christian’s motorcycle and watched him slide his helmet off. She was in trouble and she knew it. She was careless at school, flirting with him where anyone could see. And now she was at his house, and she no longer cared about the science project. All she wanted to do was flirt with him and get him to kiss her.
“And this is how you get rejected from Juilliard and end up strumming a guitar on the street corner for pennies.” And now she was talking to herself. She blew out a breath and got out of her car. She had to focus. Had to keep her head in the game. This was her senior year. There were no more do-overs.
She followed him into his house and down to the exercise equipment. He turned on the light, then sat on the bench press. “Okay. Hit me with the old people music.”
She smirked at him and held out her hand. “Funny. Give me your phone.”
“Oh, right.” He handed it to her. “I forgot, you’re incognito.”
She opened his music app and created a quick playlist, beginning with Chopin, Mozart, and Copeland, and ending with Vivaldi and Beethoven.
They started their workout routines. She tried not to watch Christian as he worked his abs. Dang, he had muscles. And every time he flexed, she would watch the birds tattooed on his arm move. She wanted to ask him about it, which was stupid. She had to ignore him and do her assignment.
Jessica pulled on the rowing machine and found it helpful to distract her from wanting to lip-lock with the gorgeous guy on the other side of the room. She threw herself into the workout, beating all of her previous times and weights. Then she realized that data might be corrupted.
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