For Always

by Janae Mitchell

  "Don't apologize. I just hope I can make it better." He laid his arm on top of mine, which I had propped up on his center console. He smiled at me and held my hand, giving it a little squeeze.

  I squeezed his hand back and smiled. I hope you can, too.

  We pulled into his driveway and I catapulted myself out of his truck. "So, what are we gonna be doing?"

  "It's up to you. We can take the boat out for a while, or we can just chill here and swim or something," he said as we walked into the house.

  "Well, I've never been on a boat." And that sounded like something that could help take my mind off of things.

  "Then the boat it is. You can change up in Beth's room if you want," he informed me as we walked up the stairs. "I'm gonna put my trunks on. I'll meet you down at the dock when you're ready."

  If he was putting trunks on, I guess that meant I should put my bathing suit on. I don't know why I hated that so much. LeLe always said that she'd run around naked if she had my body. "You've been blessed with it, show it off," she would say. I just didn't want to be one of those girls.

  I loved Beth's bathroom. I got out my phone and took a picture of it to show Grandmama. She thought I was exaggerating when I told her about it, so now I had proof. I changed and freshened up; borrowing some of Beth's deodorant, which I hated to do but knew she wouldn’t mind. I slipped my khaki shorts back on, not wanting to dirty the outfit I brought, but not wanting to walk out half naked, either. Since I didn't think to bring my cover-up, this would have to do.

  I left my bag on Beth's bed, grabbed my phone and sunglasses, and headed out the door. I went down the same back stairs that I had went down with Beth, out the back door, and down to the dock. As I walked across the yard, I saw Jace putting things in the boat. He didn't have a shirt on, which made me feel much better—he was more naked than I was.

  Once I got down to the boat, I noticed just how hot it was. "Do you have sunscreen? I will look like a lobster if you don't because I didn't bring any."

  He looked up, but he didn't stare like most guys did. "Yeah, we got all kinds, take your pick." He walked to a compartment under one of the seats and opened it. He was right; I had five bottles to choose from. I picked out one for my face and another for the rest of me, caking them on while he fiddled with something in the back. I knew I should take my shorts off so I could get my legs, and since he was busy, I figured that this may be the best time. I quickly slipped them off and made sure that every inch of me was covered with sunscreen, except for the part I couldn't reach. Dang it. I didn't want to ask him to put lotion on my back, so I got up and was looking for a spray when he came back up to the front.

  "Do you need something else?"

  "I'm looking for some spray for my back."

  He took the bottle from me and squirted some into his hand. "Here, I'll get it."

  At least I didn't have to ask. I sat down in front of him so he could get my back good. When he was done putting the lotion on, he kept rubbing my shoulders, which felt amazing.

  "You really must've had a bad day," he said as he dug his thumbs into the muscles at the base of my neck. "You're muscles are really tight,"

  "Yeah, I can tell," I sighed. "That feels good." I didn't care if we went out or not, at this point.

  He massaged me a few more minutes before he finally stopped and asked, "You ready?"

  I had never been on a boat, so I wasn't sure. "I hope so. What kind of boat is this?"

  "It's a ski boat, but we don't get to ski much."

  "Why not?"

  "Because of work. We can only ski if Dad drives the boat, and he's usually too busy to go out." I could tell it bothered him. I guess that was the downside to running a busy business; you made a lot of money but didn't have time to enjoy it.

  "Do you like to ski?"

  He started the motor, which was loud and intimidating. "Yeah, as long as I don't fall. That part sucks." He handed me a life jacket. "If you don't know how to swim, you need to put this on."

  "I know how to swim, but should I put it on anyway? How's your driving?"

  He laughed. "I'll take it easy on you, since it's your first time." He turned the radio up and we took off.

  He showed me all around the lake; different houses that were really neat, some eagles' nests, and we rode down to the dam. It was so beautiful, especially with the mountains in the background. He pulled into this one cove and turned the boat off.

  "You want to swim for a bit?"

  I got a little nervous. "How deep is it here?"

  "Deep."

  "Are there fish back in here?"

  He laughed at my question. "Yes, there are fish everywhere in the lake. But if any try to eat you, I'll wrestle you away."

  "I didn't bring a towel. Did you?"

  "Yes." He was still sitting there smiling at me, waiting for me to quit asking questions and answer his.

  I took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll swim." It had gotten so hot since we had stopped, there was no doubt in my mind that I was gonna swim. "You jump in first."

  "Okay." He got up and went to the front of the boat and did a swan dive into the water. "Feels good," he encouraged me when he came up.

  I walked up to the front of the boat to jump in. I knew he was watching me, which made me feel…surprisingly not bad. I tried not to look at him, so I looked down at the lake, which looked like a cesspool of bacteria. I looked over at him as he floated on his back, still watching me. "I'm gonna get a disease from this, ain't I?"

  "My skin ain't rotted off yet, and I've been in here hundreds of times."

  The thought of my head going under this water made me slightly nauseous, so I opted for the sit down, slide in method. I held on to a bar that ran around the front of the boat and eased myself into water. It did feel pretty good.

  Jace swam over to where I was treading water. "I'm rather disappointed."

  "Why?"

  "I was expecting a cannon ball, or a belly flop, or something impressive. And all I got was that?" He laughed and splashed me, but not enough to get bacteria on my head.

  "When we get back to your house, I'll do a cannon ball for you. How's that?"

  "Off the diving board?"

  "Yes. And a can opener, too."

  "Okay." He got out of the water and jumped in a few more times while I floated and relaxed. After his last front flip, he swam over to me and grabbed my hand under the water. "I'm glad you came today."

  "Me, too." And I was…now.

  "You ready to head back? I got some snacks on the boat. We can eat on the way."

  "Now that sounds like a plan. I'm hungry."

  He took me a different way back, which took us right by the marina. It looked different from the water. Luckily he didn't stop, just went on past it towards his house. When we got back, we swam in the much clearer water of the pool before calling it quits and getting ready to go eat.

  "You can take a shower in Beth's bathroom while I take one in mine. She should have towels in there somewhere."

  The thought of both of us being naked and taking showers at the same time was weird. I was surprised his parents allowed us to be here alone like this. We could take one together and they'd never know. The fact that that thought had even crossed my mind made me smile.

  "What are you smiling about?"

  Dang it. I didn't realize he had been watching me. "I was just thinking about us taking a shower together." Please, sweet Jesus, tell me that didn't come out like that.

  He raised his eyebrows, grinning, so I knew it did.

  "No! I don't mean us literally taking one together, just that we could." This wasn't helping, and he started to laugh. Seeing me squirm must be funny.

  "So, you were smiling because you were thinking about how we could take a shower together?"

  "No!" Now I was starting to laugh. "I was actually thinking about how your parents don't care that we're here alone." I'm sure my face was beet red, and not from the sun. "I'm going on up to take a shower now," I said in defea
t. It was time for me to stop talking.

  He just laughed and told me to let him know if I needed a towel. After embarrassing myself like I just did, I would drip dry before I went to his room and asked him for a towel. I took my bag into her bathroom and locked the door. She had a radio on the counter, so I cranked it up in hopes of drowning out my thoughts. Her shower was huge. But as luxurious as it may be, I didn't have time to relax and enjoy it. I knew that drying my hair would take forever, so I showered as fast I could and got out.

  I put my favorite vanilla scented lotion on and pulled my clothes out of my bag. I had opted for some cropped blue jean shorts and a sheer white tunic top with a white tank top underneath it—flirty but covered up. I went through my usual makeup routine, which took less than two minutes. I was burning up by now, so I opened the bathroom door to let some cool air in, and started the monumental task of drying my hair. It was only partially dry when I gave up, put some vanilla body spray on, and gathered my things. I got my bag and walked out the door and down the back stairs.

  Jace was already waiting in the family room watching TV and stood up when he saw me. "You look beautiful."

  "Thanks. Sorry it took so long."

  He was still standing there staring at me, when a big smile broke across his face. "It was worth the wait."

  "Thanks. You look pretty dapper yourself." And he did. He had on a bright orange shirt that seemed to make his beautiful green eyes appear even lighter. And his hair was still wet and messy, which I hoped he had put some gel in so it would stay like that.

  He smiled and led me out to his truck. When he opened my door, he knelt down on one knee and gestured toward his other one and said, "You're step ladder, my lady."

  I laughed, took off my shoes, and stepped up onto his leg, which made it so much easier. "Why thank you, sir."

  "Anytime," he said as he handed me my shoes.

  We ended up eating at a nice restaurant that was on the way into Pigeon Forge and had a blast. We played putt-putt and rode go-karts until we were worn out and broke. On our way back, Jace said he wanted to show me one last thing before he took me home. We turned off the main road and headed down a curvy one. I cracked my window so I wouldn't get car sick, which I did not want to do tonight. He turned down another smaller road that wound up the side of a small mountain, or just a really big hill; it was dark so I couldn't tell. When we got to the top, I was speechless. We were at the top of the dam looking out over the water that the moon was magically glistening off of. It was breathtaking.

  We got out of his truck and walked over to the overlook area. “The view from up here is absolutely beautiful."

  "It is," he agreed, but was looking at me, not the water.

  I really hated blushing and hoped it was too dark for him to see. "Thank you."

  He looked at me puzzled. "For what?"

  "You did it."

  "Did what?"

  "You made it better…my bad day."

  "I'm glad." He smiled, looking down at the ground for a minute, then back up at me. "Can I kiss you?"

  That was unexpected. The few boys I had ever kissed didn't ask; they just did it. Did I want to kiss Jace? I hadn't really thought about it. I liked him and thought he was really cute, especially in nothing but his trunks. After I told him yes, I suddenly felt butterflies in my stomach.

  He grabbed my hand and curled it into his chest, which I thought was really sweet. He kept his eyes on mine as he leaned down toward my face. His lips gently covered mine a couple of times. I thought this was all I was gonna get until he moved his free hand up to the back of my neck. When he did, his mouth ravished mine and I was thanking myself for saying yes.

  We continued to kiss for a minute, or maybe five; I sort of lost track of time. All the while I’m hoping no one pulls up and sees us standing here, practically making out on the overlook deck. I wasn’t fond of PDA, yet here I stood, publicly displaying a lot of affection. My body started getting hot and I gave him the signal that we needed to slow down. He slowly stopped kissing me, but kept his lips resting on mine.

  He gently kissed me one last time and sighed, letting me know that he felt like I did. "You ready to go?" He asked quietly.

  Even though I wasn't, I nodded and we headed back to his truck. He once again helped me in, but when he got in, he didn't start the engine; he just sat there looking out over the dam. I had to admit, it had been a perfect night.

  "I like you, Malyn." He kept looking out the window as he said it.

  "I like you, too."

  He finally turned to look at me, but didn't say anything. It's like he wanted to say something but couldn't. It felt intimate being here so close to him, alone in his dark truck. So I reached out and held his hand, hoping it would coax him into to saying whatever it was he wanted to say, but it didn't. He raised my hand to his lips and kissed my fingers before he started his truck and took me home.

  Chapter 12

  TIME

  Malyn

  Max came shortly after the whole plasma ball incident, but only stayed for a few days. Those were some of the most eye opening, informative, and heart breaking days of my entire life. Beau was extremely nervous before he got here, which I never did understand. But in the end, Max helped Beau probably more than anyone ever had.

  Grandmama drove to the airport early that Tuesday morning to get Max while Beau and I enjoyed some rare private time. I told her I would sleep on the couch and let Max stay in my room while he was here. I wanted to get some things out of my room, though, so I wouldn't have to bother him. I was off until Thursday, so I knew I would be home most of the time.

  Beau watched me as I got my bag out and put a few things in it. "You're really gonna like Max. Even though he's one of the smartest men I know—a scientist, researcher, and a paranormal phenomenon—" I said, smiling at Beau, "he's still cool and down to earth. There's no need to worry."

  "It's not really him that I'm nervous 'bout, I don't think."

  "Well, whatever it is, there's no need to be." I hoped I was right.

  "So, we get the entire downstairs to ourselves tonight?" Beau asked with a mischievous grin that made my stomach feel like people were tap dancing in it.

  "It looks that way, yes." I walked over and turned on my plasma ball. "Shall I throw this in my bag?" I asked as I winked, trying to be enticing, which was an impossible task for me to accomplish. Beau was lying on my bed and I pounced on top of him.

  "You're so cute when ya try to seduce me. But ya do realize you're wastin' your time, don't ya?" he asked as he flipped me over on my back and straddled me. My feelings were almost hurt until he added, "Ya seduce me without even tryin'."

  He leaned down and kissed me so softly that it almost tickled my lips. He continued to give me feather light kisses across my jawline and down my neck, making me shiver. Thank you, Margaret! Who knew my plasma ball would be the best Christmas present I would ever get.

  As he got to the hollow of my throat, he traced his tongue back up my neck. By the time he got to my ear, I thought I was gonna spontaneously combust. I reached up and grabbed a handful of his hair and gently pulled his head back, giving him a look that I knew he would understand.

  He moaned softly and whispered, "Malyn…don't."

  "Don't what?" I whispered back.

  "Tempt me."

  I slid my hand from the back of his head down his cheek, pulling his face to mine. He kissed me gently at first, still holding back. So I wrapped my leg around him, pulling him down on top of me. This seemed to ignite a fire in him that mirrored mine, causing his mouth became fiercer, letting me know I had won.

  My shirt had slid up slightly when he had flipped me over, so I raised his shirt, too, feeling his stomach on mine. I bit my lip so I wouldn't make any unnecessary noises.

  At some point he raised his head to look at me and caught me. "Hey, that's my job," he whispered as he bent down and nibbled on my lip himself. Then he surprised me when I felt him slide his hand under my shirt. I had just wok
en up shortly before, so all I had on under my shirt was the tank top I had slept in. This made me slightly nervous, wondering just how far he would, or even could, go. Maybe I was pushing him, and myself, too far.

  As he released my lip, I whispered his name, which made him raise up to look at me. He was so handsome; I wanted him to be mine forever. And from the look in his eyes, he felt the same way. I knew at that moment that I couldn't live without him, even though he wasn't even capable of living himself.

  He continued to kiss me as his hand ventured upward across my tank top. His touch made my pulse, and his breath, quicken. Then he sat up and grinned, pulling his shirt up over his head. He had worn the same clothes since I had known him, but I really liked the change. As soon as his shirt hit my bed, it disappeared. We both looked at each other in amazement, but were too wrapped up in ourselves to really care where it went at the moment. He then reached down and grabbed the bottom of my shirt, pulling it up over my head. I might as well have been topless, seeing as how my tank top was pink and very thin.

  His eyes scanned over every inch of me as he continued where he left off, his hand tracing my curves. When his hand slid down my side, his fingers caught my tank top and slid it up slightly. At this point, my nerves were on fire and I didn't care how far we went. But I should've known that even though I didn't care, Beau did. It was obvious that he wanted me as much as I did him, but after a while he started pulling himself back. Eventually he lifted his body off of mine, letting his kisses become gentle again. I was still trying to catch my breath and get my heart rate back to normal when he shut his eyes and rested his forehead on mine.

  "I love ya, Malyn. I've tried my best not to," he said barely above a whisper. "But not lovin' ya is like not breathin'. Even like this, I’d never be able to hold my breath forever."

  I knew he loved me, which he had already admitted to, but his words melted my heart. "I want you to love me. No matter what happens, we've got right now; this moment. And that's enough for me." I kissed him softly, rubbing his nose with mine.