Babydoll

  "You suck," she muttered, sliding down from the hood. She went to stand next to Gavin who smiled indulgently and put his arm around her.

  "Lucy, doused the kitchen the other day," Luke explained, with a grin. "So, like I said Lucy and Gav with me and Lane drives like a normal, law abiding citizen with officer Sweeten’s daughter in his car."

  My agreement came with eye rolling, huffing, and pouting but I knew no matter who I rode with the end result would be the same so I admitted defeat. After everything was packed up I slid into the passenger side of Lane's car and buckled up. Despite Luke's warning, the crazy boy next to me gunned it out of the driveway.

  The difference between the Luke’s Jeep and Lane’s car was night and day. There were always empty plastic bottles and work out stuff in the floor board of the Jeep. There was always beats flowing from the system. I was comfortable illegally slamming drinks in that back seat. Lane's ride was spotless and I didn’t dare crack open my bottle. There was nothing to look at but polished black leather and the cuts on Lane’s hands as he gripped the steering wheel. The only thing the boy’s vehicles had in common were their impressive sound systems. However, the music that pounded out of Lane’s speakers was just what I expected from the boy driving. It was heavy. It was loud.

  I liked it.

  I reached over and turned it up.

  * * *

  Chapter 12

  * * *

  We shot through town with the music up so loud the windows were rattling. When we screeched to a stop at a red light Lane turned the music down enough so I could hear him over the volume.

  "You like that?" he asked, nodding toward the stereo.

  I nodded.

  "Yeah, I've been digging some louder stuff lately," I explained. He knew what he was playing was a departure from my usual alternative or top forty. "Gav has been on a Nine Inch Nails kick and Jan has been digging a lot of screamo. They’re just rubbing off on me, I guess "

  While my groups of friends didn’t necessarily mix, I was able to flow between the two groups pretty seamlessly. The variety made my life feel so much more colorful. Lane looked thoughtful for a moment.

  "I'll make you a disc of what I'm digging," he told me.

  Music was a common thread in both of my friend groups. We had so many poolside and back deck conversations and arguments, it was safe to say we were all a little obsessed. We turned each other on to new sounds and knew all the lyrics to each other’s favorites. We made mix cd’s by the dozen. I had probably thirty discs with Lucy or Jan or even Luke's handwriting on them. We traded them at lunch and in between classes and in stacks on the weekend.

  While Lane never hesitated to join in conversation when we talked music, he’d never made a disc for me. I wasn’t sure that I’d ever seen him make a disc for anyone. His offer surprised me. I didn’t really expect him to follow through but I was pretty flattered none the less.

  My phone chimed and it was another text from Logan, letting me know he would be hanging by his truck and where he would be parked. I smiled as I read it, my excitement bubbling up again.

  "Got that flirting thing down, huh?" Lane asked, as he accelerated again.

  I shrugged.

  "I guess," I said, tucking my phone away. I knew he couldn't have seen the message. It was like he was a mind reader or something.

  "You guess?" he asked.

  "Well, he's kind of dumb," I explained. Then I blushed. I knew that was mean. I wasn’t really sure why I was telling Lane about him anyway.

  He chuckled and the sound was like dripping, warm honey.

  "You’re better than that," he told me, shaking his head.

  I rolled my eyes.

  "Look who's talking. You’re still with Allyson right? Miss Put it Anywhere?" I asked, with a raised eyebrow.

  He kept his eyes on the road but I could see his grin.

  "Why you worried about it? You wanna be my girlfriend?" he teased.

  "No," I said quickly, blushing again.

  "All I'm saying is you should be with someone you can connect with. Not some guy too dumb to understand what you’re talking about. You’re just going to get bored," he said.

  "Wow, isn't it my lucky day. I had no idea I won tickets to Dr. Phil," I snarked.

  That made him chuckle again and I grinned in spite of myself. The sound of his laugh made me feel melty every time.

  "Do you really want to be playing chess with someone who can only handle checkers?" he asked.

  I shrugged again. I hadn’t expected riding with Lane would involve an inquisition.

  "I just want to have fun," I replied.

  His softer smile turned back to a smirk and he turned the music back up, signaling the end of the conversation. We spent the rest of the ride in silence. But it wasn’t awkward silence. It was actually pretty nice. Every now and then I couldn’t help but peek at his profile. Being this close I could see the little details I rarely had time to check out. Like the few little freckles across the bridge of his nose. And how his eyelashes were long enough to make a girl want to die of envy.

  I understood what he was saying. If I kept messing around with these guys that were nothing but eye candy I’d find myself bored. But I didn’t see the harm in it when really, I was experimenting. Figuring out what I actually wanted in guys and relationships.

  As we closed in on the beach Lane rolled down the windows and I breathed in summertime. Sunshine and salty air. The ocean and the beach grew in the windshield and the sky was painted orange and pink. I stuck my hand out the window and let my fingers ride the wave of humid air. I loved it. I wanted summer every day.

  We parked in a mostly deserted area so I felt pretty safe boosting myself up on the old railing between the lot and beach and digging my cig case out of my bag. I couldn’t think of anything better than getting faded as I watched the day fade. I offered it to Lane after I took a drag.

  "I'm good," he said, leaning next to me.

  "Of course you are," I said rolling my eyes. I blew a fluffy white smoke into the air. "What's up with you anyway? You never get messed up, are you straight edge now or something?"

  He shrugged.

  "You keeping tabs on me, Baby-doll?" he asked. He turned raised an eyebrow at me and I rolled my eyes. "I can get into plenty of trouble sober. I don’t need anything clouding my decision making process."

  He chuckled darkly. I knew there was something behind his words but I didn’t feel like digging into a mystery at that particular moment.

  "Suit yourself," I told him, with a shrug.

  My phone chimed again and I pulled it out, with my smoke clamped carefully between my lips. Logan again. I can’t wait to see you. I sighed. I wondered if maybe he was thinking we were a little more than we really were. Lane's words from earlier swirled in my hazy brain. Someone on my level. Playing chess.

  And I wondered…would it work… with him? With Lane? I took the joint out of my mouth and looked at him. As if he felt my gaze on him, he looked back at me. Instead of only lingering on those fascinating eyes for a couple of seconds like I normally did I held his gaze. I parted my lips ever so slightly and slipped my tongue out to wet them. Then I slowly slid my eyes down to his perfect mouth.

  He moved, lightning fast. His hips were between my knees and his hands were on either side of me, gripping the railing. He leaned so close, his voice in my ear.

  "Don’t forget, chess is complicated, Baby-doll. Are you sure you want to play this game with me? I cheat," he growled.

  I could feel his breath hot on my neck. My senses were filled with his cologne, smoke, and wet air. Suddenly, my heart was pounding in my throat. I wanted to feel his lean body pressed against mine and I wanted to know what that perfect mouth tasted like. But a more cautious part of me was screaming in alarm. Being this close to Lane made me feel like I was too far out in the water and I might start to go under at any second. I wanted to take it back. I wanted to say sorry, I didn't mean to wade into the deep end.

  His cheek
brushed against mine, so softly, as he pulled back to look at me. His eyes were endless deep gray-blue and there was fire there. Wildly, a single question surfaced in my mind. Could a person drown and be on fire at the same time? Then, as quick as the overwhelming interlude started, it was over.

  I heard them a split second after he saw them, whooping and hollering out of Luke's death trap. Our friends. His sister among them. People who knew even better than me that staying away from Lane Campbell was a must. Seeing the alarm on my face, Lane put a couple of steps in between us.

  "Baby-doll, beautiful Bailey," Lucy sang at the top of her lungs. She was riding on Gavin's back as they headed down the embankment. She looked at Lane and me, curiously. “What’s up?”

  I smiled and held up my smoke.

  “Just getting right,” I assured her.

  Her suspicion faded and she hopped off her boy’s back so she could go take a little hit.

  "Hey, bitches, are you smoking without us?" We heard Haley yell. It looked like her bottle of Boones was mostly gone and it had vastly improved her mood.

  I looked back over at the boy who had just blown my mind. He smiled and held out his hand to help me down from the railing. Against my better judgment I took it. I felt electricity from where our skin connected and my breath hitched.

  "Check," he said.

  I had figured out the easiest way to shut a boy up. Sticking your tongue in his mouth. Lying next to Logan in the back of his truck, watching the dark sky explode with color was perfect until he started going on and on about how excited he was to see Toby Keith in concert that fall. I was pretty sure he was hinting that he wanted me to go with him. I was even surer I had never given him any indication I was interested in country music. Instead of telling him I would rather slam my finger in a door for an hour or two, I grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him in for a kiss. I could feel his smile against my mouth. I could taste his chuckle. It was nice. It helped me relaxed back into my buzz from sips rum and my earlier smoke.

  "You little minx," he murmured, in my ear, before kissing my neck.

  I had to gulp down my giggle. Minx? Really? I pulled his mouth back to mine. More kissing, less talking. He got the idea and moved over me. His broad chest was pressed to mine. He was so warm and big. Feeling him was so much better than hearing him. I wrapped my legs around his waist and circled my hips, creating a delicious friction. The growl my movement elicited from him gave me chills, so I did it again. His kisses were getting more insistent and just a little sloppy and I loved that I was making that happen. I was making him lose that good boy restraint. His kisses trailed down my chin, my throat, then down the middle of my chest. My mind was dreamy fire and when I opened my eyes the sky matched my emotions.

  I was out of breath and everything below my waist was achy in the most delicious way. It occurred to me that maybe instead of finding a challenge maybe I was ready for a different next step. I pushed and angled with my body and he rolled right over, pulling me on top of him, just as I wanted.

  "That what you wanted?" He asked, his eyes were heavy lidded and hot.

  I nodded and smiled. I had never felt so powerful in my whole life. I wasn’t some sweet little Baby-doll. I was something else, something more adult. I kissed him quickly and then scooted back so that I was astride his thighs. I moved my hand to the button of his jeans and I wasn’t terribly surprised when his big hand stopped mine.

  "You don't have to -" he began.

  I brushed his hand away and he didn’t really fight.

  "I want to," I told him.

  This was my next step. Experimenting with this guy. I wanted to be the one with a story to tell tomorrow, not just the friend listening and living vicariously. Brass slipped through cotton in a blink of an eye and I shoved his shirt up his chest. I trailed my fingers down his toned stomach and relished his tremble. I smiled and rolled off him, onto my side, tucking myself close to him. I tugged at his jeans and the guy that just a minute ago was telling me no, was lifting his hips, eager to help. When his jeans were down far enough I admired how his shorts were all full of points. My nerves tweaked a little.

  "I've never really done anything like this so -" I started, and this time he cut me off.

  "Shit, Bailey, you don't have to do anything," he said, shaking his head.

  He tried to sit up. My admission of inexperience might have had him throwing on the brakes but the message didn’t seem to have registered with his dick. I laughed and shook my head. I gave his chest a firm push and he let me move him, even though there was still concern in his eyes.

  "I want to," I told him. "You just have to tell me if I'm doing it wrong."

  He laughed.

  "Sweetheart, you couldn't possibly do this wrong," he said.

  I rolled my eyes. Clearly, he was eager so I refocused my attention. I pushed soft gray boxer briefs down his thighs and for the first time I saw real, live, hard, boy. He wasn’t as big as the guys in the porn magazines we found in Luke's room but my fingers barely touched when I wrapped my hand around him. His skin was soft and smooth and underneath was so hard. I was so glad I wasn’t a guy because I just couldn’t imagine that having a part of me that hard would feel good. I slid my hand up and down slowly finally putting into practice so much reading and listening. I guessed I was getting it right because Logan groaned and I was pretty sure his eyes rolled back in his head. His arm was around me with his hand gripping my hip. I could feel his fingertips digging in.

  I experimented a little varying the speed in which I moved my hand and twisting my wrist a little. Some of my motions drew noises and some didn’t. After a bit of erratic movement on my part his free hand closed over mine and guided me, showing me what he liked. It seemed like no time until I hear him pant my name.

  "I can’t hold out much longer," he groaned.

  I didn’t really know what that meant as far had how I should react, so I just kept going.

  "Oh, fuck," he gasped. Apparently, continuing was the right call.

  Seconds later, his hips thrust forward almost like he was seizing. The hand on my hip gripped so hard it hurt a little. And then there it was. Thick wetness spurting up, getting all over his stomach and my hand. I froze, not wanting the mess to get messier than it already was.

  "Shit, we made a mess," Logan said, when he was finished. But his look was happy and relaxed.

  He sat up and tugged his t-shirt over his head. He mopped up as best he could then handed it to me so I could clean up as well. I sat up with my back against the tire well and cleaned up. My nose winkled at the sticky texture on my skin

  "Is it that bad?" he asked. He was only playfully offended.

  "It’s pretty gross," I said, wrinkling my nose.

  "Gee thanks," he said. He righted his underwear and pants then scooted over next to me. He put his arm around my shoulders and squeezed me close. He kissed my forehead. "But really, thank you."

  "Uh, you’re welcome," I replied, with a laugh. It just seemed weird to thank someone for jacking you off.

  He shook his head at me.

  "My mama raised me right. Someone does something nice for you, you say thank you," he told me with a laugh.

  "I doubt that was what your mama had in mind," I teased.

  "Well, what about you?" he asked. I feel his warm hand, sliding under the hem of my shirt.

  And just like that I was done. My experiment was over. The results were interesting but now all I want to do was wash my hands and go find my friends. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to experiment more but I knew this wasn’t the guy. Apparently the gods had a sense of humor because my phone chose that moment to chime with Haley's text tone. Out of one mess, into another.

  Where the fuck are you?! Your dad is here!

  "Shit," I cursed. "I gotta go. My dad is here."

  Logan jerked his arm back so quick you would have thought I said dad was right behind him.

  "I'll call you," I told l him, as I grabbed my bag and hopped down out
of the truck.

  I dug a bottle of water out of my bag and rinsed my hand off as I walked. I followed that with hand sanitizer. I realized I’ve left my rum in the back of Logan’s truck but that was probably for the best if Dad was on the prowl. I had almost reached the crowd and I was digging for a Starburst I knew I saw in there earlier when the sound of authority stopped me.

  "And where are you coming from?" my dad asked.

  I almost giggled at the phrase considering what I had been doing, but when I turned and saw my dad in full uniform with that no nonsense look on his face, all my giggles died in my throat. I was mostly sober from my earlier excesses but I didn’t want to take any chances. I focused on playing it straight.

  "Makeshift bathroom, dad," I huffed at him. Sounding indignant always helped.

  "Hmm," he muttered. His eyes were examining. Looking for misdeeds.

  "And I robbed a bank when I was done," I said, looking at him pointedly.

  "Mouth," he warned, letting me know my sarcasm wasn’t appreciated.

  He studied me a moment longer and then nodded. Either he didn’t see the signs of my mischief or he chose to ignore them. I didn’t really care which.

  "I want you home tonight," he informed me.

  "But dad," I groaned. "I was going to Haley's tonight."

  "You were," he said. "There's too many crazies out tonight. Too much trouble. I want you home where I can see you’re safe and sound when I get off shift in the morning. I want you there by eleven."

  I pulled my phone to check the time.

  "That’s in a half an hour!" I cry. "I'd have to leave now."

  My dad smirked. He knew he was putting the screws to me.

  "Better find a ride quick," he said. He adjusted his cop belt and turned to go buzzkill some other unfortunates.

  "But dad –" I yelled, after him.

  "Eleven, Bailey. I'll be calling the house phone," he called back.

  "Shit," I cursed, kicking the sand.

  It took a lot of whining and eventually promising to wash the Jeep, but I convinced Luke to drive me home. We made it there just in time. I gave my dad a whole bucket full of attitude when he called. I narrowly escaped grounding.