by Shane Morgan
“So, why is it so hard to just go to Haxtun with him?” she asks.
“I don’t know. I feel like it’s something he has to do alone,” I explain to her when she lifts a brow. “Like how I have to get over my guilt. I mean, even if you or Micah hold my hand and walk with me into the ocean, I’m still gonna be afraid. I have to take that leap alone. It’s something like that.”
Straightening, Claudia puts her red hair up into a loose bun, then comes over to the bed to lie down. I flatten on my back, resting my head on the pillow next to her.
“Okay,” she murmurs. “So he hid the fact that he was in juvie—”
“And he lied about his name,” I remind her, my voice sharp.
“Yes, yes, but, have you considered that if Micah goes back to Haxtun alone, then he might not return to Newport?”
I raise my head and look over at her. “Are you saying he’ll be more inclined to make his peace and come back only if I go with him?”
Seeing I’m taking her words serious, Claudia touches my arm and says softly, “Ignore me, I’m only spewing fuckery again. What do I know?”
She titters to calm me down. I rest my head back on the pillow.
“By the way, does he know you’re going to Florida with me right after your birthday?”
“Oh... I still need to tell him that.”
“Well, if he’s back in Newport by then, he could come with us, you know? I don’t mind.”
Again, it sounds like she thinks he’ll be gone a long time. “Guess that depends on when he goes to Haxtun too,” she adds.
“Guess so,” I mutter, not saying more on the topic.
Pulling the covers over us, Claudia rolls on her side and turns off the lamp. “Let’s get some sleep.”
“Okay,” I say in a near whisper. “Goodnight.”
An hour passes and I’m still awake, considering what Claudia said. As much as I’m mad at Micah for lying and keeping juvie a secret, I don’t want to choose not to accompany him to Haxtun only for him to decide he’s not coming back to Newport…to me.
I sneak out of Claudia’s room before daybreak and hurry back to my house to change for a morning run. When I drive down to the beach, Micah isn’t there waiting for me. He’s always first. Maybe he thought I wasn’t going to show up today so he decided not to come.
Even though I’ve lost interest in running by myself since I started doing it with him, I use the opportunity to consider more about Haxtun.
A part of me wants to go with him, and a part of me is saying no, let him do it alone.
I jog for fifteen minutes then head back to the beach, stopping in the sand to watch the sunrise in the horizon. I don’t feel captivated when Micah’s not here, observing it with me. Gosh, I like having him around so much. I like his broad grin and the small, sexy dimple on his right cheek; his addictive scent, the way he kisses me, the way he touches me.
I really want him to touch me right now. To be inside me, telling me over and over how much he wants me.
Swiveling, I jog back to my car and jump in, taking off immediately. I feel as if my insides are on fire, tempting me to drive like a maniac and run the stoplights. When I finally arrive at his house, I park on the side, fling the door open, and spring from the car, leaving the engine running as I tread up to the third floor and pound on his door.
I don’t care. My senses are all over the place right now and only one thing is clear: I need Micah.
It’s like I’m enflamed; there’s a warm, moist sensation between my thighs pushing me to take care of it. I’m so overpowered by lust that I’m on the verge of ripping out of my clothes at his doorstep. When I think I’m about to erupt, Micah finally opens the door. This is perfect. He’s shirtless, only wearing shorts.
He flicks his eyes over my face once and quickly tugs me inside. He slams the door shut and backs me up against it.
“Micah…” I breathe. He lifts my hands up and hauls my top over my head.
Like an animal that hasn’t been fed in days, he kisses me aggressively, pulls at the waist of my tights and squeezes my butt as he presses into me.
“Micah,” I groan. There are three words at my lips, but something’s holding me back. I can’t tell him, not yet.
I entangle my tongue with his as he devours my mouth. Reaching around his back, I claw into his skin and pull him harder. Micah unsnaps my bra and tosses it to the floor. He strays from my lips, kisses my chin, and traces my jawline until he reaches my neck. I tremble as he sticks his hand inside my panty, finding what desperately needs his touch.
“Hmm…” he groans in delight as he realizes how much I want him. Then he gently inserts his middle finger and uses it to pleasure me.
“Micah,” I moan again as I lift my leg to give him more access. Gliding a hand down his torso, I slip it inside his shorts. A conceited grin stretches across my lips when I feel how hard he is. He wants me just as bad.
As if he’s had enough, Micah slides my tights and panty down to my ankles. I kick them off. We don’t make it to his bed. Desire takes over and we slither to the hardwood floor.
“Oh…” I quiver as Micah eases his way in, making love to me; slowly, then ravenously, and with more passion than before.
Thirty-One
Micah
“WHAT JUST HAPPENED?” I ask, moments later when we’re cuddling after we eventually reached my bed.
“I don’t know,” she tells me, sounding exhausted. “I was at the beach, and then…I wanted to see you right away.”
I laugh teasingly. “I could tell. So, I guess you’re not too mad at me for lying about my name and keeping secrets then?”
Reign nuzzles up to me and kisses my jaw. “I’m still a little upset about it, but I like you too much to stay mad.”
Lowering my head down to her face, I kiss her lightly on the lips and stroke her hair. I can’t get over the way she looked earlier, standing in my doorway, heaving.
There was so much passion in her eyes when she stared at me. And the way she held my body when I made love to her, it’s as if it was our last.
I can’t help but ask, “Did you decide if you want to come with me?”
Her face tenses. She looks away from my gaze. “I…don’t know…”
“It’s okay if you don’t,” I tell her so she doesn’t feel bad.
Glancing at me, relief covers her face. “You sure?” she confirms, “You’ll be okay going back alone?”
I nod. “Truthfully, I’ve never felt more scared about anything, the way I’m afraid of seeing Lewis again. But it’ll be fine. I need to get past this.”
Reign tips her chin up and kisses me. We stare at each for a while before I glimpse the clock on the table by my bed. “It’s almost eight. You don’t want to be late for work and put me on your mom’s bad side, do you?”
She wobbles her head and eases out of my arms as I climb out of bed to put on my sweats. Walking over to the kitchenette, I make her coffee and toast—since I’m pretty sure she came straight here after running—while she hauls back on her workout clothes.
“So, did you call that guy back?” she asks, putting on her sneakers.
I lean against the counter. “Not yet. I’ll call Greg in a bit.”
Sitting down at the table, Reign rests her elbows on top of the placemat, studying me as she asks, “Who is he, anyways?”
“He was my counselor in juvie. He helped me a lot, not only with what happened to Lewis, but with stuff having to do with my parents.”
“I see.” She picks at the placemat, contemplating something. “Are you thinking about going this weekend then?”
I sit down at the table across from her. “Yeah, I probably will. So, I guess I’m gonna have to tell your mom—”
“But you’re coming back, right?” There’s uncertainty in her eyes, like she’s afraid I won’t. “I mean, you just have to ask her for the weekend off, that’s all. And my birthday’s next week. You’ll be here for that, right?”
Leaning for
ward, I reach for her hands. “Of course I’m coming back, babe, relax,” I assure her. “Why wouldn’t I?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know, maybe you’ll go home and realize how much you missed it and then decide to stay.”
“The only way I’d stay in Haxtun is if you’re there,” I tell her. “Don’t worry about that.”
The sweet smile I adore returns and she braces over the table to kiss me.
“I forgot to mention something,” she says, settling down.
“What?” I press, playfully narrowing my eyes at her.
“Claudia and I planned this trip to Miami from a while back. It’s for two weeks; we leave at the end of the month. She says you can come if you want…”
“Huh…sounds like a girls’ trip.”
She shakes her head. “It’ll be fine, you can come with us. Claudia won’t mind.”
“Babe, you don’t have to invite me along. You can go have fun with your best friend,” I say. “But you gotta get in the water, though. It won’t be fun if you don’t.”
Reign twists her mouth to one side then says lowly, “I’ll keep trying. I’ll do it before we leave for Florida. I will.”
“Okay. I believe you.”
I hear the toaster and hop up to fix her a plate. We have breakfast together before Reign heads home to get ready for work.
On my way out, I call Greg to let him know I’ve decided to meet with Lewis this weekend. I just have to suck it up and handle my problem.
“That’s great, Mitchel,” he enthuses. “I’ll let them know you’ll be coming then. Can I ask what changed your mind?”
“It’s the right thing to do,” I reply. “I never got a chance to apologize and I want to.”
Greg pauses a moment before he says, “That’s good. It’s part of your journey to moving on.”
“I know.”
“Well, I’ll let the Harrison’s know. See you soon.”
When I arrive at the restaurant, that broker who stopped by last week, Dean Carmichael is inside talking to John. He appears sympathetic, while John has a crooked look on his face. He’s not happy, and he wants nothing to do with Mr. Carmichael.
I park my bike next to a metal post and walk through the door. The air is thick. I feel as if I’ve missed the whole shebang.
Aislin and Reign stop talking and glance at me. Mr. Carmichael turns away from John, striding over to me.
“Hey, I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Dean,” he says, reaching his hand out to shake mine.
I reply simply with “Micah.”
“Well, Micah. Good to meet you. I hope we’ll have a pleasant working relationship from here on.”
John snorts at his back. Wrinkling a brow, I twist and regard Reign’s face. She shrugs and looks down at her fingers, chipping at her nails. It’s what she does when she’s thinking hard or isn’t sure what to do.
Looking back at Dean, I ask, “What do you mean?”
A smug grin spreads over his face as he answers, “I’ve purchased Captain’s Choice from Sophia. My consultant and I will be working to come up with strategies that will improve the restaurant.”
“Improve how?” Aislin fires from across the room. She slowly walks over to him and drops her hands on her hips.
Dean slants and eyes her from head to toe. “Well, I’m considering changing the name, getting a revamp of the place,” he clears his throat then adds, “among other things.” That probably means he’s planning on letting them go.
Her eyes expand. “You’re changing the name? You can’t do that.”
“Miss,” he chuckles, finding her reaction amusing it seems. “I own the place now. Yes I can.”
The door swings open and we all spin around to see Mrs. Aldridge coming in. She studies our faces and lets out a deep sigh as she stops on Dean.
“Why are you all moping around? It’s not the end of the world.”
“But Mom,” Reign starts, “You love this place. We love this place.”
“And it’ll still be here, thanks to Dean,” Mrs. Aldridge says, walking over to her daughter. She squeezes her shoulder.
Looking at the rest of us, she says, “It’ll remain Captain’s Choice until August. I’ve agreed to let Dean do whatever he wants after that. Now, please, don’t look so depressed. You’ll still have your jobs.”
“Right,” Aislin mumbles. Mrs. Aldridge makes to say something to her but then three customers enter the restaurant.
Suddenly, we all scatter. Reign tends to the customers, Dean walks out to his car to use his phone, John does what he does best, which is glance at the TV while he fishes around the bar, and Aislin ambles out to the deck to fume by herself.
I walk around to Mrs. Aldridge’s office. Even though it’s a hard time for her, I have to tell her I’m going back to Haxtun this weekend.
“You are?” she retorts, peering up at me from a sheet of paper on her desk.
“I need to take care of something,” I tell her.
“Does this have anything to do with juvie?” she asks.
“Yes, ma’am,” I reply in a low tone.
“Did you tell Reign, not only that you’ve been there but what you’ve…done?”
“I have.”
Her face relaxes. She sits back in her chair and studies me. “Micah, if you don’t mind me asking, what happened in Haxtun?”
I look down at my hands. “I don’t…um…I don’t think I—”
“You were more comfortable telling Reign,” she concludes.
I meet her gaze again.
“It’s okay. I understand.” She releases a gush of air before saying, “I’m glad you opened up to her. It’s never good keeping something that hurts inside. And I don’t know what you’ve done, but I’m happy she’s trying to do the same.”
Mrs. Aldridge smiles at me. It’s warm, kind, and beyond genuine. It’s the way I wish my own mother would smile at me, if I ever meet her.
“Well, get back out there. Today might be one of those days we get a noontime rush,” she says, hopeful.
Nodding, I hop up and head for the door. Before stepping outside, I twist and look at her sideways, saying, “Mrs. Aldridge, I’m sorry you had to sell your restaurant.”
Her smile slowly fades. She glances at the floor as she mutters, “Don’t be. I’ve wanted to make a change for a while now. I guess it’s just time for me to move on, too.”
After work, Reign drives home to park her car, then she hops on my bike and I ride out to the beach.
She snuggles in my arms as we stargaze, relaxing to the tranquil sound of waves as they roll ashore. The salty sea breeze clashes with the fruity scent of her hair as it blows in the wind. I gently stroke her head; her strands are smooth against my fingers.
She exhales deeply before saying, “I wish we could spend more time together. It’ll be like this when I start college, too. You’ll be working during the days, and I’ll be in class. We’ll only get to see each other in the evenings and on weekends. I wish we had more hours.”
“Yeah right,” I chuckle. “I’m sure you’d get sick of me if we were together twenty-four seven.”
Easing out of my arms, she penetrates me intensely. The pale moon casts a dim spotlight on her face.
“I could never get sick of you,” she whispers, then leans forward to kiss my lips. Her mouth is like a drug, a really sweet one that keeps me hooked. There’s no rehab in the world that could break my addiction. Her body is my heaven. Man, I think I’ve fallen hard for this girl.
Reign collapses into my chest at the end of the kiss. She muffles something like “Please come back,” I’m not sure. When I lift her chin and gesture for her to repeat herself, she shakes her head and smiles at me. Then we go back to watching the stars.
An hour passes before we head from the beach and I walk next to her with my bike instead of riding us back to her house.
Reign asks me all kinds of questions, about my childhood, what I did in Georgetown, and if I was ever in a s
erious relationship before.
“Why does that matter?” I ask, bumping her arm lightly.
Her lips curve upwards with a shy smile as she brushes back her hair behind her ears. “Because, I feel like…I mean…I consider this, between you and me…” she glances over at me for an instant as she says the word, “serious.”
“And?” I prod her to go on, finding her impeccably cute as she expresses herself.
“And, I want to know that you feel the same. That you don’t have a problem with us being exclusive.”
I can’t help the broad grin that pushes its way onto my face. “Reign, believe me when I say I’m all yours. I consider this between us,” I gesture with my hand, “serious, too.”
A satisfied look masks her face. “Good,” she mutters, slipping her small, soft hand into mine.
“This doesn’t have anything to do with me going back to Haxtun, does it?”
“I’m just making sure you don’t have some hot crush waiting for you,” she says jokingly.
I snort and dip my head back in a conceited way. “I have several superhot crushes waiting for me in my hometown,” I say, messing with her. “I was a soccer star in my high school, baby. Girls go crazy when they see me.”
She scoffs and knocks my arm lightly. “Uh, make sure you behave then, or I might just give Nate a call while you’re away.”
Stopping instantly, I widen my eyes as if appalled. “You better not.”
With a mischievous grin Reign keeps walking down the sidewalk, swinging her hips as she hums along the way.
I laugh short then hop on my bike, riding up to her. I kiss her cheek and slap her butt as I past. She squeals and runs after me, her beautiful laugh filling the night.
Circling, I ride back to her. She slows down and looks at me in wonder, grinning from ear to ear. I’ve never seen a happier girl in the world. Pulling up to her, she hops on my bike and I kiss her again, this time sweetly on her mouth. Then we take off for her house.
I can’t deny it, clearly I really have fallen. I’m in love with Reign.
Thirty-two