This time Dylan cleared his throat. Very loudly. “Texas?”
“Yeah?”
“Sidebar.”
Jackson found himself being dragged away by Dylan and Seth, who didn’t speak until they were well out of Danny’s earshot.
“What the hell do you mean you can’t give him advice?” Dylan hissed.
“Are you serious?” he hissed back. “Mia would freak out if she knew I was encouraging her little brother to fuck his girlfriend!”
“He doesn’t need encouragement,” Seth said, rolling his eyes. “The kid’s clearly got his mind made up. He’s banging that girl no matter what you tell him.”
“At least if we talk to him about it beforehand, we can prevent any disasters,” Dylan said. “I mean, what if he doesn’t use a condom? Someone needs to give him the safe-sex talk.”
Seth nodded gravely. “Think about it, Texas. What’ll make Mia angrier? You giving practical sex advice to her brother, or said brother coming home with an STD or a knocked-up girlfriend?”
Uneasiness continued to flow inside him, but he couldn’t deny his buddies had a point. A teenage boy could be dumb as a bag of rocks when it came to sex. Without guidance, Danny might do something seriously stupid.
“Fine,” he finally mumbled.
The trio strode back to the waiting teenager, who rolled his eyes at their approach. “Are you done freaking out?”
Jackson ignored the quip and crossed his arms over his chest. “So is this for real? You’re actually gonna do this?”
Mia’s brother nodded.
“What method of birth control are you planning to use?”
A blush stained the boy’s cheeks. “Angie’s on the pill.”
Seth narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Did you know that it takes a month before the pill is effective?”
“Yeah, I know. She’s been on it for three months just in case.” The flush deepened. “And I have condoms. We’re going to use those too.”
“Good boy,” Dylan said in approval.
“What exactly are you concerned about then?” Jackson asked carefully. “It sounds like you’ve planned ahead and you’re being smart about this.”
Danny sighed. “It’s not the safety part I need advice on. It’s the…uh…mechanics.”
Son of a bitch.
Jackson got uncomfortable all over again, and from the corner of his eye he saw his friends fighting back laughter.
“I mean, obviously I know what goes where,” Danny hurried on. “I’m not an idiot, and I’ve watched porn before, so…” He released another breath. “I’m just worried about her, you know? I wanna make her feel…um…good. And I…I just wanted some tips on how to do that.”
Jackson exchanged a look with Dylan and Seth, who were waiting for him to take the lead. But no way could he do that. Danny might have made up his mind about losing his virginity this weekend, but Jackson couldn’t allow himself to high-five the kid for it.
Preaching safe sex was one thing, handing out sex tips was another altogether. Mia was insanely protective of her little brother—she’d never forgive him if he endorsed Danny’s foray into the world of underage intercourse.
“All right, I guess I’ll be fielding this one,” Seth said when Jackson didn’t speak up. “Uh…” The SEAL’s voice became gruff. “Okay. So. The vagina is a mysterious garden that—”
He didn’t get to finish the thought because Dylan had keeled over in a fit of laughter.
“Oh fuck!” Dylan choked out, clutching his side. “Shit, I can’t believe you said that.” Another laughter-induced shudder overtook his body, tears forming in his eyes. “Oh sweet Jesus, I think I just pissed my pants.”
Seth glared daggers at his teammate. “As I was saying,” he said loudly, his gray eyes shifting back to Danny. “The vagina is a mysterious garden that requires a lot of tending. You work in landscaping, right?”
Danny nodded.
“So then you know that you can’t just throw any old soil down and then wait for flowers to grow. You need to water them, give them enough sun, play with them for a bit. Oh, and you definitely have to go down on them.”
“Are we still talking about flowers?” Danny said in confusion.
“We were never talking about flowers, dumbass.” Seth let out an exaggerated sigh. “Texas, you take over. I’m all metaphored out.”
Despite the misgivings coursing through him, Jackson joined the conversation. Heck, he was already in this deep. At this point, he couldn’t imagine how his speaking up could make things any worse.
“What this moron is trying to say is that you can’t make the sex entirely about you,” he explained. “You’ve gotta think about the lady’s pleasure first and foremost. Which means a helluva lot of foreplay.”
Dylan, whose laughter had finally died, spoke up enthusiastically. “Lots of foreplay.”
Danny bit his lower lip. “Like oral and stuff?”
Seth gave a decisive nod. “Oral, petting, dry-humping, finger-blasting—”
Jackson silenced him with a glare.
“We’ve done some of that already,” Danny confessed, averting his eyes. “I mean, we haven’t gone down on each other, but the rest—”
Jackson swiftly held up his hand. “Oh Lord, please don’t give me any details,” he pleaded. “Look, just remember that you can’t snap your fingers and expect a woman to have an orgasm. You’ve gotta warm her up, get her nice and primed for it.”
“And you can’t expect her to come every time,” Dylan piped up. “And especially not the first time.”
Danny tilted his head thoughtfully. “My health teacher said if a woman has an orgasm every single time you have sex, she’s probably faking a lot of them.”
“Probably true,” Seth said with a shrug. “Women are different from men, dude. According to my wife, it takes a lot of ‘mental energy’ to come.”
“So she doesn’t, um, come every time?” Danny said shyly.
Seth shook his head. “There are times when she doesn’t come at all, and other times when it happens more than once. But she’s always into it, no matter the final result.”
Danny looked ready to ask another question, but Jackson quickly redirected the conversation before the teen could ask him—God forbid—about his and Mia’s sex life.
Because that would just be…wrong.
“Here’s another tip,” he said. “This applies to the first time, and whenever else you think it’s necessary, but jerking off an hour or so before sex is recommended.”
“Definitely,” Dylan agreed.
A crease dug into Danny’s brow. “Why?”
“Because you’re a virgin,” Seth answered with a laugh. “The moment you see your girl naked for the first time, you’ll be a stroke away from exploding. Which means you’ll last thirty seconds, forty at the most.”
“If that,” Jackson said wryly.
“Which pretty much guarantees she won’t get much pleasure out of the experience. So yeah, yank it beforehand,” Seth advised. “Release all the pent-up energy, and then when you’re getting it on, you’ll impress her with your crazy stamina.”
“But…what if I don’t come a second time?” Danny asked in concern.
The three men stared at him.
“Dude. You’re sixteen years old.” Seth rolled his eyes. “Trust me, you’ll come again.”
13
It was nice having some time to herself. Mia loved her brother to death, but she had to admit that she missed waking up to a quiet, empty apartment. She’d lived on her own before Danny had moved in, and sometimes she longed for those days. Back then she’d had the freedom to do whatever she wanted. Sleep in until noon, stroll around naked if she felt like it, eat cold pizza for breakfast if the urge struck.
Being a parent involved rules and schedules, not to mention a total lack of privacy, so she treasured this feeling of liberation as she rolled out of bed on Sunday morning and headed to the bathroom to wash up.
The only downsi
de was that she and Jackson hadn’t been able to take advantage of her first teenager-free weekend in ages. Jackson had been in Irvine on Friday—watching the Warriors win yet another game—and the following night he’d gone to the rehearsal dinner for a teammate’s upcoming wedding, Ryan something or other. He’d apologized profusely for not being able to invite her since it was a wedding-party-only event, but Mia was slightly relieved to be excluded.
Truth was, she was still troubled by the way their relationship was progressing. She hadn’t dreamed she’d still be seeing Jackson after six weeks, and when he’d referred to himself as her boyfriend she’d experienced a sense of panic that had stuck with her.
As much as she loved being with him, she worried that she was starting to care for him a little too much. He was on her mind more often than not, and the level of anticipation she felt about seeing him was kind of terrifying.
Was she falling in love with him?
The idea scared her to death. She couldn’t let herself fall for him. That would only make it a million times worse when the relationship eventually ran its course. Because it would. Something this good couldn’t possibly last, and when it reached its inevitable end, she refused to be left brokenhearted and destroyed.
She forced the disturbing thoughts from her head as she wandered into the kitchen to fix herself some breakfast. She was grabbing a carton of eggs from the fridge when a knock sounded on the door.
Sighing, she set the carton on the counter and left the room, wondering if Danny was back early and had forgotten his key. But if that was the case, she knew he would have texted to give her a heads-up. Ditto for Jackson, who was too polite to stop by unannounced.
Which meant that the person on the other side of that door was most likely some rude jerk who’d decided to bother her at nine o’clock on a Sunday morning.
Times like these, she really wished her front door had a peephole, but the people who’d put up this building had been too lazy to install one. Frowning, she left the chain on and opened the door a crack so she could peek out.
And then her blood ran cold.
“Mia!” Her mother looked overjoyed. “Baby, hi! It’s so good to see you!”
Her jaw clenched so hard her teeth rattled. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, her tone icy and unwelcoming.
Brenda’s expression filled with hurt. “I told you I was coming to San Diego for a visit.”
“Yeah, last month. And surprise, surprise, you never showed.”
“I couldn’t get time off from work. I tried, I really did, but it didn’t work out. Luckily, I had this whole weekend free so I’m finally here!”
Mia made no move to slide open the chain. She just stared at her mother suspiciously. “If you had the whole weekend off, why are you here today, on Sunday, instead of coming earlier?”
“I was visiting a friend in LA.”
Disbelief coated Mia’s throat, making it impossible to speak. Her mother had made such a big stink about wanting to see her kids, yet when the opportunity finally arose, she chose to visit a friend first? The woman wasn’t going to win any Mother of the Year awards, that was for sure.
“Are you going to let me in?” Brenda asked with a loud sigh.
Mia studied her mom’s appearance, noting that in the two years since they’d seen each other, Brenda had changed—and aged—considerably. She’d gotten some blond highlights in her brown hair, which looked incredibly tacky paired with her dark eyebrows. She also had a whole lot of new wrinkles around her eyes and mouth, and her petite frame now packed at least twenty extra pounds.
Just seeing her again sparked a flash of fury in Mia’s belly. Her hand actually tingled with the urge to slap her mom in the face, and the fact that she was tempted to commit violence only angered her more. Brenda was the only person on this planet who evoked this much rage inside her. The woman was toxic, and Mia didn’t want anything to do with her.
“Sorry, but you wasted a trip,” she said coolly. “Danny’s not home, and I’m on my way out.”
Disappointment flooded her mom’s expression. “When will he be back?”
“Tomorrow morning,” she lied. “He’s on a school trip.”
“And you?”
Her voice was curt. “Late.”
“Oh. I see.” Brenda’s bottom lip trembled. “I won’t be here tomorrow. I’m heading back to Reno this evening.”
“Darn. What a shame.”
The two-inch crack in the door offered a clear glimpse of the tears that welled up in Brenda’s eyes.
“I know you’re mad at me, baby, but I really wish you’d let me in so we could talk this out.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. You left, end of story. And just in case you’ve forgotten, this isn’t the only time you deserted us so you could run off with some worthless piece of shit who meant more to you than your own kids.”
Her mother’s tears kept falling, but Mia refused to be conned.
“So if you want to talk to someone, go back to Reno and talk to your husband,” she finished angrily.
Brenda sniffed. “I don’t have a husband. I’m single again.”
Despite her better judgment, Mia narrowed her eyes and said, “You and Stan got divorced?”
“Stan?”
Her mom’s confusion caused a wave of hysterical laughter to bubble in her throat. “Stan,” she repeated. “You know, the husband you abandoned Danny for two years ago?”
“Oh. Right.” Brenda visibly swallowed. “We split up not long after the honeymoon.”
“Shocking.” Mia gritted her teeth. “Just for my own sick curiosity, how many times have you been married since?”
There was a beat. “Just once.”
The laughter spilled out, a high-pitched sound laced with desperation. “For fuck’s sake, Mom. That makes ten now. I think that’s a new record.”
“Mia—”
“I have to get dressed,” she snapped, her fingers trembling over the doorknob. “Go back to Reno. We’re doing perfectly fine without you, and we don’t want to see you, so don’t bother coming back here.”
“Mia—”
She closed the door and flicked the deadbolt, then sagged against the wood and sucked in a few shallow breaths. She knew her mom was still standing in the hall. She could sense her.
God, she wanted her to go away. To disappear off the face of the Earth.
Mia’s heart ached as if someone had stabbed it with a dull knife, throbbing even harder when she heard soft sobs coming from the corridor. It took some serious strength of will not to throw open the door and comfort her mother. But she was done taking care of Brenda. Done wiping away her tears and dragging her out of bed whenever her latest divorce sent her spiraling into a black hole of depression. Done paying all the bills after Brenda got fired from yet another job because she blew off her shifts to fuck around with her boyfriends.
There came a point in a person’s life when he or she had to learn to take care of themselves. Mia was the child, damn it. Her mother should have been taking care of her, not the other way around.
She blinked away the hot sting of tears. Held her breath. Waited. When she finally heard the footsteps retreating from the door, she exhaled in a hasty whoosh.
And started to cry.
* * *
Danny strode through the door several hours later with a spring to his step and a broad smile on his face. He’d never looked happier, and he surprised the hell out of Mia by giving her an enormous bear hug when he saw her.
She pasted a smile on her face, trying hard to share in his joy, but their mother’s visit continued to play over in her mind like a shitty pop song. It was hard to convey enthusiasm for the Warriors’ latest win when she couldn’t stop picturing Brenda’s devastated expression as Mia slammed the door on her.
But she couldn’t let herself feel guilty about what she’d done. Her mother was a poison that killed everything in its path. She’d never cared about her children, only herself, and they
were better off without her.
Mia clung to that reminder as she listened to Danny describe every single play of Friday night’s game. She was tempted to cut him off and tell him about Brenda’s appearance on their doorstep, but she resisted the urge. The best course of action was to keep Danny in the dark and forget that Brenda had ever been here.
“Wow,” she remarked when her brother finally stopped babbling. “You’re insanely happy about this win.”
He blinked. “Yeah. Right. The win. I’m psyched about it.”
“Do you think the team will make the playoffs?”
“If we keep playing this way, then for sure we will.” He beamed. “You know the Warriors haven’t made the playoffs in four years? And now not only will we get there, but everyone’s saying we can actually win state.”
“That’s because your quarterback rocks.” This time her smile wasn’t forced, but bright and genuine. “So what’s your plan for today? You’re not working, right?”
“Leon gave me the weekend off.”
The shit-eating grin never left Danny’s face, making Mia wonder if he might be on drugs. But no, his pupils looked fine, and he was speaking in coherent sentences. Must be the leftover high from his win.
“Ang and I wanted to do something outdoors today,” Danny added. “’Cause it’s such a nice day.”
“Do you need me to drop you guys off somewhere?”
“Nah, Angie’s sister is giving us a ride.” He paused. “We might walk around the harbor, or maybe go to the beach.”
“Sounds like fun. Jackson’s coming over later, around six. We were going to grab dinner at Tonio’s. Do you and Angie want to come with us?”
“Probably, but I’ll check with her. Her parents might want her to have dinner at home tonight since she was away all weekend.”
There was an odd flicker in his eyes, but Mia couldn’t decipher it. So she just shrugged and said, “All right, well, call me later and let me know.”
“Cool beans.” Danny bounded toward the hallway. “Gonna shower and get ready. Ang will be here soon.”
Out of Uniform Box Set: Books 4-6 plus 2 Bonus Novellas Page 74