“I think you should put a retainer on a hotel room with the way you two are always sucking each other’s face,” I joked.
“Not a bad idea, my friend,” Ty countered and wrapped his arm around Lilly’s waist, pulling her close. “What do yah say, darlin’?” he drawled, totally coaxing her.
“Tyler Gibson. Is that all I am to you?” Lilly scolded, biting back her smile, and pretending as if she were offended and innocent.
“You two are so full of shit.” I joked back, and the four of us broke out in laughter.
I slipped off my boots and dug my toes into the cool sand. When RJ wrapped his arm around my shoulder, I leaned in, loving how I felt in his arms.
“I love you,” he whispered again.
I reached up on my tippy-toes, kissed his cheek, and repeated, “I love you, too.”
“Yup, somebody’s getting sideways all right.” RJ chuckled as we walked into the thick of the crowd, watching a bunch of teenagers dancing, drinking, and getting a bit rowdy. Across the way, three guys on four-wheelers were causing a ruckus, kicking up sand close to the water’s edge.
We followed Tyler and Lilly toward a huge log that he set his cooler next to. He took a seat, and Lilly plopped herself right in his lap while RJ and I sat with our backs facing the fire. Tyler flipped the lid of the cooler and pulled two bottles from the icy mess inside, opened both of them, and handed one to RJ.
“You girls want one?” Tyler asked, holding the other bottle.
“Ladies, Ty. We’re ladies,” Lilly corrected, and then smacked Ty’s chest in mock irritation.
Tyler laughed, and Lilly and I both rolled our eyes.
“I’ll have a sip of his,” I said, waving away the offered bottle. “How does your dad not know his beer is always missing?”
Tyler shrugged. “Who knows? I’m sure he suspects something, but he never asks me outright.”
RJ handed me the bottle, and I took a long gulp. Not that I was big on drinking, but beer was never my favorite. If I was going to drink it, I was going to drink it fast so I didn’t taste it as much. I wiped the overflow from my lips and burped—loud.
“Excuse me.” I giggled, covering my mouth to hide my embarrassment as I passed the bottle back to RJ.
“Hey, check it out.” I turned to where Lilly was pointing. Piper was on the tailgate of her on-again‑off‑again boyfriend’s truck, dancing and doing her thing, and I envied her for a whole three seconds. Then RJ’s arm tightened around me, and the envy died a fast death. I didn’t need to be the center of anyone else’s attention but his.
“That girl is gonna have the time of her life in Texas.”
“Is that where she decided?”
“Yeah, she figured the farther away from here the better.” Lilly laughed, shrugging one shoulder.
“Lilly, why don’t you ever dance like that on my tailgate?”
“Because I don’t like flashing the goods to everyone around me. I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t like it much either.”
“You’re damn right I wouldn’t,” Tyler said in a playful possessive tone. He loved baiting her.
Ty pressed the bottle to his lips and looked at her from the side of his eye. Lilly sat up straighter, defiance radiating off her. I think she did it more for show than anything else. “If I wanted to, I would, though. No matter what you said,” she sassed.
“I wouldn’t stop you. I’m sure you wouldn’t like having to watch me throw down with everyone who caught a glimpse, though.” Ty grabbed the back of Lilly’s neck and brought her mouth to his.
I looked away and rested my head against RJ’s shoulder.
“I’m glad you’re not like that,” RJ whispered in my ear before planting a kiss on my temple.
“It’s because I have you.” I smiled. “Oh, hey. I got the summer leader position.”
“Yeah?” Lilly straightened, holding onto Ty’s neck. “Lucky you. I got a call back from one of the burger places in the food court, but I declined.”
“You don’t need to work, baby, I have enough for the both of us.” Ty kissed her cheek.
“That’s not the point, babe. I need to learn how to be financially independent . . . at least that’s what my daddy keeps telling me.”
“It’s not a bad thing,” RJ chimed in. “Your parents only want what’s best for you.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I just hate that he rides my ass all the time, telling me what to do with my life instead of asking me. I never said I wanted to major in business. Shit, my sister Leeza is going to beauty school, but only because she wants to own her own salon one day. Daddy is already bidding on a few prime spots.”
“Don’t worry, Lil.” I interrupted the conversation, if not Lilly’s rant would go on for the entire night. “I’m one step closer to that shiny gold plated plaque with my name embossed in cursive and the word “Principal” beneath it.” RJ turned my face toward his and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “Who knows, maybe I’m even thinking I could get promoted to school district superintendent.” That might have been a bit farfetched.
“Congratulations, babe. You’re going to do great.”
“Thank you.”
I sighed happily with the start of my career outcome and took in everything about the night. Peace and tranquility to the left of us and rough and rowdy to the right. Shifting my eyes to the far left, I was lulled by the sudsy whitewater rolling up onto the shore before receding back.
“Nickel for your thoughts?” I asked softly.
“I thought it was a penny?”
“You’re worth more than a penny.”
He regarded me blankly, and if it hadn’t been for the KC lights and fire burning in the background, I might have missed the worry in his eyes.
“You. My thoughts are always about you . . . and us.” He leaned in and barely brushed his lips across mine.
When he pulled back, the worry remained, but something else tried to push through, too. I stood and held my hand out. “Take a walk with me?”
RJ narrowed his eyes, locking them on my hand for a second before standing and tucking me close to his side. I wobbled on the uneven sand, and my palm shot up, pressing flat against his chest for balance.
“Did I tell you how pretty you look tonight?”
“You didn’t.”
“Well, you do.” He smiled before turning us away from the crowd and toward the surf.
“Addie! Addilyn!” A deep, playful voice called from behind us, and RJ froze, looking at me with question clear all over his face before he turned us back toward the fire.
A tall, bulky figure was moving our way, I couldn’t tell who it was since the fire was behind him, but as he got closer RJ tightened his arm around me and my tummy twisted with anxiety. I squinted, just able to make out the guy’s face.
“Hey, Jax,” I greeted and felt the tension from RJ rolling onto me, but I gave him a squeeze to let him know it was okay.
“Hey, Addie, glad you could make it! Who’s your friend?” He gestured his chin toward RJ.
“Boyfriend. I’m Addie Mae’s boyfriend,” RJ clipped, pressing me just a bit closer to his side.
“Hey, sorry, man, I didn’t know who you were.” Jax held his hand out. “Jaxson Hayes, Addie and I had a few classes together.”
RJ stood as still as a statue staring Jaxson down. I lifted my eyebrows, silently asking him why he was being so rude. Cheerleaders and football players mingled all the time. Friends who had the same classes associated with each other all the time. Jaxson knew I had a boyfriend. So, RJ’s behavior was more than a little rude.
RJ came to his senses, finally offering his hand. “Yeah, nice to meet you,” he mumbled.
“You want to come over and join us?” Jax asked.
“No! We’re going that way,” RJ answered for the both of us and jabbed his thumb in the opposite direction.
Jax rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around, Addie, hopefully before the summer is over.” He was already
walking backward away from us.
I nodded and smiled. “Yeah, Jax. See ya.”
RJ and I didn’t get to take our walk, and I didn’t get to find out what all the worry was about. Lilly, who all but shoved past Jax in her rush to get to me, pulled me away, declaring that, if we didn’t dance to the song playing that she just might die.
My eyes narrowed at the sight of Addie walking away and leaving me at a loss for words. What the hell just happened? He didn’t know she had a boyfriend? My fucking ass he didn’t know.
He was probably one of those pigheaded jocks who didn’t give a shit. The boys of fall thought they were royalty of the school and could do whatever, or whomever, the fuck they wanted. By the look on his face, he knew damn well that Addie Mae had a boyfriend and was just messing with my head.
“Hey.” Tyler elbowed me and jerked his head toward the party. “What the fuck was that about?”
I shrugged. “Not a clue, your guess is as good as mine.” I sat back down.
“I got the call today.” Ty stared straight ahead at the rumbling waves. “I meet with the recruiter a week from Wednesday.”
“I got a letter from University of North Carolina,” I countered.
Tyler raised one eyebrow, questioning me. “You never mentioned you applied. I didn’t think you wanted to do the college thing?”
“I don’t. Not really. Just keeping my options open, you know?” I took a gulp and held the bottle suspended in front of me. “But that letter that came today was probably telling me to go fuck myself.”
“So, no call back from the recruiter?”
I shook my head in disappointment. “Naw, not yet.”
My eyes strayed from the bottle in front of me to where the girls were dancing. They were surrounded by a bunch of jocks and a few other guys that were getting too close for comfort. My teeth clenched, and annoyance slithered through my veins. I sat up ramrod straight. “It’s like we aren’t even here,” I mumbled as I stood. Ty, who had seen the same thing I had, stood with me.
As soon as I was a foot away from Addie Mae, I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her back into my chest. She stilled for a beat, tension rolling off her as if she were a split second away from swinging on the guy who dared touch her. Addie looked over her shoulder and anger melted to happiness. Each of the guys took a step back, and my ego soared. I dipped my head and kissed her as she wiggled to the beat of the music. I hoped each and every one of them watched and were reminded of who this beautiful girl belonged to.
The soft vibrations of Addie moaning into my mouth did some crazy shit to me. Slowly turning in my arms, she pressed her body into mine, and her soft breasts pushed into my chest. Holding on for any kind of control, my fists squeezed tight, bunching the back of her dress.
“Let’s get out of here,” I said against her mouth with a smile, and she nodded. Tyler and Lilly were nowhere to be seen, so we headed back toward my truck, scooping up her boots as we went.
Addie tugged at my hand. “Where are we going?” she asked as I led her past my truck.
“Follow me.”
We fell on an awkward silence, until eventually Addie stopped and asked, “Is everything okay?”
Standing there searching her gorgeous blues, my hand cupped her cheek and she leaned into my touch. “Shit’s about to get real, and soon.”
“I know, and it scares me that—” Her eyes cut away from mine and focused on the sand.
“What are you scared about, babe?”
“That this might be the end.”
“Addie, I love you. I can’t tell you I know what’s going to happen or that it doesn’t scare me either.” I pulled her in close, and she rested her chin on my chest so she could look up at me.
“I just wish we didn’t have to feel like this. It’s like dread is following us around waiting to drop the ball. I just want us to stay like this forever.”
“Hey.” I pinched her chin lightly. “We need to stop thinking the worse; we’re the only ones making this harder on ourselves.” She nodded against my chest, and I told myself that I had to try to believe my own words.
How did the mood shift so quickly?
After letting her boots slip from my hands, I lowered us to the cold sand. She made herself comfortable between my legs, her back against my chest.
“This is perfect.” I wrapped my arms around her shoulders.
“It is, isn’t it?” she agreed.
Our body heat tangled, creating a blanket of comfort and reminding me of how perfectly we fit together. If, for some reason, this didn’t work out, I knew deep inside that I’d never find this kind of love again. Addie would always own my heart, whether she chose to or not.
“I remember the first time I sat between your legs like this.”
“I do, too.” I chuckled into her hair. “I was grounded. You snuck over and threw pebbles at my window, trying to get me to come outside, at what time?” I thought for a few seconds. “It was like two in the morning, right?”
She giggled and nodded. “It was. I missed you and had to see you.” She looked over her shoulder with a dreamy look in her eyes. “You had just told me you loved me for the first time the night before. What did you expect me to do?” She hid her smile by biting her lip. “And I wanted to kiss you.”
“I always want to kiss you.” Like that moment and everyone thereafter, I loved kissing Addie. It was one of my favorite things to do. “Yeah, I broke curfew that night.” I wrapped my arms tighter around Addie and brought her back closer to my chest. “I think I fell in love with you even more that night.” I took a deep breath. “Sitting there with you, holding you close to my chest under that big old oak tree . . . it was one of the best nights of my life.”
Addie nodded and kissed my arm perched securely in front of her. “It was for me, too. It didn’t even matter that we didn’t go anywhere. I was just happy to be there with you.”
Hmm. Maybe she will be happy if I follow her to North Carolina. But, who am I kidding? Who wants their boyfriend tagging along without a plan in place? I’d just end up getting in her way, more so now that I didn’t get accepted.
“So, what are you going to do while I’m in school? You better not have a secret girlfriend that keeps you company,” she said, reaching back and pinching my side.
I hated to admit, even if only to myself, that her joke stung a little. How could she even think for one second I could be with anyone else? “Well, now, wouldn’t you like to know?” I gently bit her earlobe, and she giggled nervously. “Honestly, though, work I guess. Not much else to do. It won’t be much fun doing anything without you.” Leaning back with my palms dug into the sand, I added, “It’ll be lonely, for sure. I’ll have to find a hobby or something. Plus, I’ll come and visit if you want.” I hoped she still wanted me around.
“Of course, I want you to visit, silly.” She squealed and jerked her knees up. “Oh, shoot, what was that?”
“Sand crab.” I chuckled quietly.
Keeping my eyes on the sand, I waited to see if any more of the camouflaged crustaceans would peek out of a sand hole. Sure enough, two more darted diagonally across the sand.
We sat silent for a while, needing the quiet. Lately, too many words filled us and wreaked havoc on our emotions, I just needed to feel her—feel us in that moment.
“RJ?” Her voice was so soft it almost got lost to the sound of the surf.
“Yeah, babe.” I kissed her bare shoulder. She sat quiet for longer than I expected.
“I . . .” She turned her body to face me, her head fell to the side a little, and her sweet smile made me love her even more. “I want you to make love to me.” Her eyes fell, and I tilted her chin to face me.
“And I want to make love to you . . . but you have to be ready. You need to be one hundred percent sure.”
“I am.” Those two little words didn’t sound very confident.
“Soon, babe. Really soon.” I assured her as I maneuvered her gently onto her back. She wigg
led into the cold sand, and I nestled my body between her warm thighs, bearing my weight on one arm.
Her deep blue eyes fluttered closed while her cheeks tinted a shade of pink. I brushed my thumb across her soft smooth skin as I admired my girl. “You are absolutely beautiful, do you know that?”
Angling my head, I pressed my lips to hers and felt her smile against my lips. Our tongues touched, and a hint of beer mingled with her bubble gum flavored lip gloss teased my taste buds. My judgment fogged over, and I didn’t stop myself when my hand trailed up under the hem of her skirt and squeezed her thigh. Everything in me needed her. I wanted to share this with her, just not here. When Addie and I finally made love, it would only be the two of us, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t kiss her and express how much I loved her through our kisses.
“Babe, not yet.”
We were both sexually wound up tight. Knowing that our impending separation was rounding a corner, it messed with the both of us. I didn’t want him to think that was the sole reason for my wanting to give myself to him.
I honest to God love him.
“Let’s go to the truck.” I got up and dusted the sand off my dress and other areas of where it stuck to my skin. RJ dusted off his jeans and shirt then faced his back toward me.
“Hop on.” Piggyback rides were my favorite.
I jumped onto his back, and he tucked my dress tight as he locked his arms around my knees. He cut a wide arc around the party, and I wasn’t sure if he did it on purpose so we could avoid any more unwanted interruptions. Not that I minded. I loved being this close to him, and as long as I was, I didn’t really care where we went. I had just slid off his back when I heard Lilly all out screaming at someone, presumably Tyler.
“How could you not tell me about this?” She held her chin high, and her nostrils flared. I looked back at RJ, and he shrugged. Tyler grabbed for Lilly’s hand but she jerked it away. “Take me home.”
Reclaiming Us Page 3