by Jane Anthony
“You’re not skating?” I ask.
“No, you guys go ahead. I’ll hang back with Lizard.”
“Suit yourself, loser.” Maribelle lifts her finger and thumb in the shame of an “L” to her forehead. “Boys are boring. Girls just wanna have fun.”
Bodies fly around the circle, each one zipping past the neon outline of a guitar with widespread wings encasing the back wall. We ease into the flow of traffic and allow ourselves to be caught up in the rush. Song after song, the wind whips through our hair as we travel round, laughing, singing, shaking our hips to the new wave pop stylings of Madonna and Prince and until we’ve had our fill.
“I can’t believe you’re leaving me,” I whine as we break from the spinning whirlpool and branch off toward the bar.
“You should come with me anyway. He can't do shit about it.”
“Come where?” Anthony asks, looking in our direction.
“To LA,” Maribelle answers.
Lizard’s eyes sparkle in the neon light. “You’re going to LA?”
“For school, yeah. My dad’s getting me an apartment out there, and I already have a job lined up waitressing at his buddy’s restaurant. He could totally hook Gabby up, too, but her dad’s being a total killjoy.”
Anthony’s body visibly stiffens. “Were you gonna tell me that?”
“I didn’t think I had to.” I shrug. “My dad will never let me go.”
Maribelle touches my arm to get my attention. “He only has power because you give it to him. It’s time you stop letting him control your life and start living it on your own terms.”
Three sets of expectant eyes burn into me as I stand on display for their inspection. Maribelle waiting for an answer, Anthony’s glare of utter shock, and Lizard’s spinning with stars in his gaze.
“Look,” Maribelle continues. “We graduate in two months. All I’m saying is think about it.” She bangs her fists in the air. “It’s Los Angeles! Oh my God . . . you all should come! The whole band — imagine that? Playing at the Troubadour and hanging out on the strip. We’ll have a blast!”
Lizard backhands Anthony in the chest. “Dude . . . LA,” he whispers to his friend.
Anthony stares hard at the psychedelic wall at my back, a deep cavern forming between his thick brows. “No.” Nothing less, nothing more. A single word falling off his tongue as he turns away.
But Lizard steps in his path. “C’mon, man, this is our shot. You wanna pump gas in New Jersey for the rest of your life playing these shitty bars? If we’re gonna make it, LA is where we need to be.”
No answer.
He flicks his gaze to me then back at Lizard as he pushes him off to the side. The two men fall into a quiet conversation. I strain my ears in a vain attempt to hear what they’re saying, but their angered whispers are nothing compared to the music booming around us.
Turning from them all, I skate back to the clerk and claim ownership of my shoe. What started out as the best night ended in turmoil. Sure, Anthony’s gut instinct was to say no, but with Daniel gone, there’s nothing holding him here. It’s only a matter of time before Lizard wears him down.
“Hey.”
The timbre of his voice sends chills down my spine. The hair on the back of my neck raises toward the sound. “Hi,” I reply, meeting his gaze.
“Those guys are gonna head back down to the bar. You want to take a walk or something?”
Rocks tumble in my gut. I nod, but the feelings of dread saturates me from the inside out, leaching across my skin in the form of goose bumps that won’t go away. This is it. The big brushoff. I square my shoulders, preparing myself for it, but I already feel the tears broaching my lash line.
Out on the boardwalk, he takes my hand, our arms lazily swaying as we walk along with the setting sun on our backs. “Thank you for everything. I had a really great birthday.”
“It’s not over yet.”
I look down at the planks rushing beneath our feet. A carefully laid zigzag of ancient wood that’s been here longer than all of us. Nothing can wash it away. Not rain, nor snow, nor thrashing winds. It holds strong in spite of the external threats stacked against it.
“If you want to go, I won’t hold you back.”
His footsteps stumble at my statement. He takes my arm and forces me to look at him. “I said no, and I meant it.”
“But what about the band?”
“I have no delusions of grandeur. I play guitar in a band that covers shitty glam rock tunes. We’re not Iron Maiden, and we never will be. Everything I want is right here.”
“The garage, you mean?” Looking up, I meet his stare. The sun sweeps across his cocoa irises, lightening them to a golden shade of honey. The idea of never basking in his dusky gaze again seizes my heart inside my chest. I want to drown in that suntanned sea, let it envelop me whole for the rest of my days.
“And you.” The word slips off his lips as though it’s an obvious sentiment. “Did I ever tell you how my parents met?” He leads me down the ramp to the beach, my feet sinking in the warm sand. We stroll along the tide listening to the seagulls squawing in the distance before he starts. “My dad was a pilot. He flew for Pan Am over twenty years, country to country, city to city, day in and day out.
“On an international layover in Milan, he stopped at a local tavern for a bite to eat. And there, behind the bar, worked the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He stayed until closing, refusing to leave until she agreed to have dinner with him. She didn't speak much English, he didn’t know a single word in Italian, but by the end of the week, she’d become his wife.
“I don’t know what the future has in store for us. All I know is that I’m not leaving without you.”
My heart thrashes like the crashing waves, slamming against my ribs with fervor. He pulls me close, his fingers finding a home in the thicket of curls blowing in the breeze. “But we need to fix this problem with your dad.”
The mention of my father throws ice water on my burning libido. I step back in a huff, breaking our embrace as I turn away. “Do we have to talk about him right now?”
He lays his hands on my shoulders. “You only get one family. I don’t want to be the thing that comes between you and yours.”
“That’s my business.”
“Always a rebel.” He spins me to face him. His thumb runs across my cheek and up over my ear. I lean into his hand, nuzzling the phantom sting of my father’s slap against his rough palm. “I don’t want to have to keep sneaking around, waiting for secret phone calls when his back is turned. I want to take you out whenever I want, then walk you to the door before saying good night. And, maybe someday, he’ll even invite me in.”
My eyes burn with fresh tears. “I want all that, too.”
“Then let’s go to your house and talk to him. Together.”
“I-I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“I know he’s tough, but there must be a reasonable man inside him somewhere.” He drapes his arm over my shoulders and begins moving toward the boardwalk. “We’ll sit down and have a chat.”
Doubt creeps in, but the hopeful gleam in Anthony’s eyes propels me forward. He’s so sure of himself. So confident that he can change my dad’s mind that it’s almost contagious. A perfect ending to our perfect love story.
Chapter Fourteen
ANTHONY
Night falls over my Corvette’s hood, the dull primer soaking in the silver light. Someday soon, the moon will shine against shimmering paint, but for now it oozes over the monotonous gray as Gabby and I near her house.
Her hands ball in her lap, her toe tapping against the floorboard. I turn onto her street and her back straightens. The hiccup of breath hitches over the low clamor of rock ‘n’ roll emanating through the speakers. It pulls my attention as I careen to the curb.
She sees him seconds before I do.
Wide eyes and parted lips, she leans against me, her nails digging into my arm. “Go,” she shouts, but I don’t understand. H
er hair whips against the seat as she turns full throttle. Her irate voice raising an octave, she yells, “Anthony, go!”
But panic makes one move in slow motion.
I turn toward the window, following her horrified stare as her father advances. A lawn chair lies on its side in the driveway. I drag my gaze across the winding concrete to the sliver of moon glittering the steel barrel of his shotgun. He cocks it midair. A single shot explodes in a blast of fire. Blood rushes my ears, drowning out Gabby’s scream.
Taking cover, she folds in half, but he’s not aiming for her.
The nose of his weapon is pointed at me.
My foot finds the gas. Wheels spinning on the concrete kicking up smoke and dirt, I peel out as another shot rings through the night. Glass fragments scatter through the air and onto my back seat. A shriek wretches from Gabby’s throat, but my concentration lies on the road. I don’t turn back to peruse at the damage. I only look ahead, flying down the highway as fast as I can.
“You okay?”
Wind blusters through my shattered window. Gabby rips at her hair, pulling glass shards from the teased-up strands. “Yeah. I think so. Are you?”
“That was fucked,” I say in disbelief. Both of us lean to the right as I take a sharp turn, bearing toward my city. The car slows as I hit the top of my street, then I gun the engine all the way until I’m safely settled in my drive.
Adrenaline pumps hard through my veins. I breathe for what feels like the first time, reaching out to calm the girl trembling beside me. “You’re still shaking. You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah.” We sit in stunned silence, both of us staring at the headlights burning holes in the single garage door.
Without warning, she lunges toward me. Her teeth gnash against my earlobe as her fingers tangle in the fibers in my shirt. “Thank God you’re okay.” With my hair in her fist, she brings my face to hers, raining kisses on my cheeks and chin. I yank her over the console and pull her onto my lap. She grips me tight, our hearts ramming against our ribs in perfect synchronicity.
When she sits up, the lights from the dash illuminate her face, highlighting her tear-stained cheekbones with a delicate glow. A halo of untamed curls floats around her face. I’ve always found her beautiful, but nothing compares to the way she looks right now. Her dark eyes round as saucers, the smolder glimmering in her glare.
I cup the nape of her neck and pull her mouth to mine. Her tongue brushes against my lips. Following her lead, I breathe her in, her soft moan filling my lungs, undoing any restraint I was desperately trying to maintain.
My hands find purchase on her hips. She grinds herself against me, crushing our lips together in a furious frenzy. Hungry and feral. The kind of kiss that takes you apart bit by bit. Emotion pours out of her — the fire, the fear, the heat, the anger — it all comes rushing out in a blistering bite that takes her over.
The soft feel of her body, the taste of her mouth, and the smell of her perfume turns me to a man possessed. For a split second, I consider taking her right here in my car, but the idea leaves my head as fast as it enters. This isn’t the time for that. When I finally sink my cock inside her, it’s going to be because she wants it, not because she’s mad at her father.
I grab her arms rougher than I intend and push her back. Confusion streaks across her lust-filled features. She falls limp, trying to return to the moment, but I hold her firm. I can’t be trusted with her right now.
“Get out of the car, Gabby,” I growl, pushing the door open with my elbow and practically flinging her off my lap.
She complies with a frustrated huff. “What the hell is your problem?”
The slamming door echoes around us. “Your dad almost killed me, Gabby. Excuse me for being a little freaked out.”
The look on her face is the equivalent to an open-handed chip to the Adam’s apple. “I warned you in the beginning.”
“No, Gabby. You told me he was strict. You never told me I had to fear for my fucking life.”
She flicks a tear off her face, twisting her chocolate locks around her forearm and over one shoulder with the most irritating eye roll I’ve ever seen. “Don’t be so dramatic.”
“He had a gun pointed at my head,” I growl. “I’m lucky he didn’t hit me.”
She lifts her palm between us. “Please, if he wanted to hit you, he would have.”
“Well, great, that’s very comforting. I must be out of my fucking mind.”
Her brows clip, her lips pulling into a pout. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s just a little disturbing that my attempted murder turns you on like this. If you’re looking for a guy for the soul purpose of pissing off your dad, I want no part of it.”
The fight drains out of her right in front of me. “That was way harsh, Anthony.”
A strong breath puffs from my lips. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
A saltwater luge funnels down her face. “This is exactly what he wants, you know. To scare you into breaking up with me.”
“Whoa, babe. I’m not breaking up with you.”
Her voice goes from incredulous to hysterical in two-point-two seconds. “Really? Because that’s what it sounds like to me.”
“Calm down, okay?”
I reach for her arm, but she yanks it away. “Don’t worry, I’ll save you the trouble.” She stalks down my driveway.
“Gabby, stop it.”
Sobs hitch in her throat. “Just leave me alone!”
I call her again, but she doesn’t listen. Anger brews beneath the surface of my skin. I’ve come too far to let her walk away now.
Behind her in an instant, I take her in my arms and throw her over my shoulder. With an about face, I march toward the door.
“Let me go!” Gabby flails, punching me in the back.
“You wanna act like a baby, I’ll treat you like one,” I warn with a stern smack on her ass.
She hangs lifeless as I unlock the door and kick it open. “You’ll stay here tonight. We’ll worry about the rest in the morning.” I fling her to the couch like a side of beef.
“You don’t tell me what to do.”
The suction sound of the fridge engages as I tug on the handle. Cold air blasts me in the face, but it’s not enough to chill the testosterone-fueled rage flooding my system. When she stomps toward me, her fiery eyes are lit from within. They roil and burn, twisting with fury, laced with desire that darkens their color to a haunting shade of midnight.
I pull a beer from the case and let the door close with a wisp. My nerves feel like they’re bound by twine. I bring the bottle to my lips and let the crisp taste of brew slide down my gullet, staving off the want simmering inside. Her anger consumes me, billowing through my body like brushfire in a drought. If I was smart, I’d throw her back in my car, drop her off on Daddy’s doorstep, and never look back, but meeting her smoldering stare, all I can think about is fucking that pretty pout until her lips are red and raw.
“Upstairs, Gabriella.”
Mischief sparkles in her gaze. She cups her hand on her jutted hip. “Or what?” she challenges.
I stalk forward, forcing her back to the steps until her shins hit the bottom riser. “Or I’m gonna do something I regret.”
A rosy hue blossoms on her cheeks. A hint of pink glides between her lips. It takes all I have not to peel those second-skin jeans off her body and bend her over right here on the staircase.
My hand falls to the bulge in my jeans. She follows the movement, her chest rising when she sees my burgeoning arousal. “Tell me.” Her sweet voice thickens like smoke. “What do you want to do to me right now?”
I blanche as she calls my bluff. With one hand gripping on the newel post and the other pressed flat on the wall, I lean in close enough to see the pulse pound against her neck. “I want to feel every piece of you splinter and crack as I make you mine. I want to bask in the sound of your whimpers while I tear through that untouched pussy. But first, I want to devour you whole.
Sop up every last drop of your essence on my tongue until you’re sticky and quivering and begging me to break you.”
“Do it.”
The single demand whooshes past her lips and reverberates through my entire body. The thought of her flawless cunt squeezing around my cock has me on the verge of coming in my pants. Making her mine.
Mine.
Mine.
That’s all I focus on as she spins in place and saunters upstairs.
My heart riots in my chest, butterflies rumbling chaotically in my stomach with pure desire. I take the steps two at a time until I find her standing at the foot of my bed. With bull-like precision, I charge, my arms wrapping around her as I tackle her to the mattress.
“You’re such a big, dumb animal,” she pouts with an innocent giggle. “I was trying to be sexy.”
“You are sexy.” I press a kiss to her nose.
Her hand slides to my chest as she tilts her face. “Make love to me, Anthony.” Her voice whispers with quivering seduction. Purity glitters in her dark eyes. Crystal clear, piercing me until I feel as though I could shatter into a million pieces. The curve of her lashes only adds to the exotic provocativeness within her.
My heart beats against her fingers. “You sure you want to do this?”
Her timid nod is all the approval I need.
Rolling over without a word, I run my hand through her hair then move it down to cup her jaw. She arches into it, letting me guide her face up to meet mine. She falls into the moment, the taste of cloves on her tongue as it softly strokes the roof of my mouth. Her fingers sift my hair, pulling it into her fists with gentle tugs.
I travel to her neck, kissing a glittering trail of saliva across her chest. The fucking corset’s in my way. I pluck at the strings, planning to tear it in half when she bends her back. A line of hooks holds it together. Taking her with me, I kneel, blindly fumbling with the clasps, but the moment it falls away, I’m met with the most luscious set of tits I’ve ever seen.