Jolted (Conflicted Encounters #1)

by Alyne Roberts

  She glared at me as she approached us, and I looked back to Ryder. I saw him wince at the sound of her high-pitched voice. I finally realized she was the girl that was all over him at the bonfire. I turned and faced the happy people in the water, trying to ignore the Barbie throwing herself all over the guy next to me.

  "Hi, I'm Crystal," she whined in a way-too-high voice. "You are?"

  "Kallie," I answered, looking straight ahead.

  "Want in?" Caleb invited, saving me.

  I looked up at his outstretched hand and didn't hesitate to take it. He lifted me to my feet and I didn't look back as I followed him closer to the water. When he handed me a rope, I looked up at him in confusion. I raised my hands up and backed way, shaking my head. No way.

  A flash of white and orange went before my eyes as Crystal grabbed the rope offered to me and swung herself into the water. I exhaled in relief and frustration. The crowd cheered as her half naked body swung over and plunged into the deepest part of the river.

  Her bleach blonde head emerged from the water and she laughed with the crowded. Caleb grabbed the empty rope as it swung back, his eyes on her. I gritted my teeth as I watched her swim to the shore. I grabbed the hem of my dress and pulled it over my head.

  "You don't have to do that," I heard Ryder say from behind me. I could feel his eyes trail down my bare body.

  "Right," I mumbled as I reached out and took the rope from the distracted Caleb.

  The crowd stopped cheering as I pulled the rope back and braced myself. I closed my eyes and ran to the shore, lifting my feet off the ground right at the edge. I was airborne and swung to the other side of the river, letting go right in the middle on my way back. I sank in the cold water, instantly feeling refreshed.

  I kicked off the muddy bottom when my feet hit, and I propelled through the water, gasping for air as soon as I broke through the surface. Immediately, I felt hands grab my hips. I wiped my hair and the water from my face and was met with Ryder's brown eyes. He pulled me back toward the shore.

  "I can swim," I insisted weakly, resting my hands on his chest.

  "Just wanted to make sure you weren't hurt," he said in a low voice that stirred something deep inside me. His wet skin was slick and smooth under my hands.

  My body flowed with the water and when he hit the muddy bank of the river, my body collided into his. My chest was flush against him and my legs intertwined with his out of instinct to keep afloat. Our eye contact didn't break, and suddenly the water wasn't very cold at all.

  I slid my hands up his smooth chest and up to the back of his neck. One of his hands moved from my hip and gently up my back. I felt his hand glide up my skin and stop on my shoulder, pulling me in. I bit my lip while I tried to decipher the look on his face.

  His lips crashed to mine without warning. Water splashed between our bodies with his rush and he tasted like heat and salt. He pulled my body closer to his and everyone disappeared. His lips on mine were all I knew.

  His tongue brushed my lips and I opened to let him in. My tongue met his and they teased each other. His body floated back and he rested to lean against the bank of the river. His grip never loosened on me as his fingertips dug into my skin.

  My skin was on fire, despite the cold water rushing over me. I wrapped my legs around his waist, bringing myself closer. He moaned into my mouth and the sound vibrated through me. I ran my fingers through his wet hair and pulled lightly. Our tongues wrestled for dominance. I soaked up every sensation his mouth and lips were giving me.

  He spun me around so my back was on the bank. He pushed into me and I broke away from his mouth to let out a moan and take in air. His lips traveled down my exposed neck and kissed down my collarbone. I felt him push into me and I instantly thought we were wearing too much clothing.

  My hands went to the waistband of his shorts. I felt his breathing stop on my neck and I slid my fingers further down, tickling the skin just below his waist. His lips captured mine again and my thoughts were blown away. A coughing sound broke the trance. Ryder slowly pulled away from my lips, nipping them a few times before finally looking up.

  "Should we leave?" I heard Scarlett ask. I looked up to see her standing above us with her hands on her hips. Logan stood beside her with a grin.

  "No," Ryder grunted back and pushed harder into me. I accidentally moaned out loud at the feeling.

  "Yes," she countered. "You're causing a scene."

  I finally remembered where I was. I looked around at the people watching. Most were swimming or chatting, minding their own business. I connected gazes with a very angry Crystal. I ducked my head behind Ryder's shoulder.

  "We should go," I whispered into his skin. I felt him nod, and he slowly pulled away from me.

  I looked into his face, expecting to see detachment and regret. Instead, I saw challenge, promise, and need. I also didn't miss the hint of confusion in there, much like my own. My insides turned with the look in his eyes. It basically screamed this wasn't finished. I slowly slid out from beneath him and turned to climb out. As I pulled myself up, I felt his hand cup my butt. I turned back to look at him.

  "What? I'm helping you," he insisted with an evil grin, much like his sister's. I shook my head at him and grabbed Logan's outstretched hand.

  He pulled me out of the water and Scarlett handed me my clothes with a dirty look. I kept my head down and put my clothes back on. I caught the glare she gave her brother. He threw one back, and they began another one of their silent arguments.

  "You should say bye to Caleb," she scolded. I nodded and found him near the tree.

  He was leaning against it casually as he watched me approach. "I've been wondering how long he was gonna hold out," he said smiling. I looked at him with confusion. "Thanks for coming, doll," he said, pulling me into hug. He leaned down to whisper in my ear. "You know where to find me if he breaks your heart."

  I pulled back and shook my head at him. "That's not happening. Nothing is happening." I didn't have anything to give him. I didn't have a heart to break. He looked off behind me as Ryder, Logan, and Scarlett came up. I waved goodbye and followed Scarlett to the car.

  We walked to the cars in silence and I rode back to the apartment with Scarlett. I kept touching my lips during the ride. They tingled and buzzed. It wasn't my first kiss, but it was my first kiss like that. It made me feel when I thought I was numb.

  Logan and Ryder followed and we ate dinner together. With Scarlett and Logan around, I had no opportunity to find out what that kiss had meant. Ryder never kissed me before, and I never had a kiss that felt like that. One that made me question everything. The night at the party was different. It was about lust and want; he'd never kissed me then. The way his mouth claimed me today felt different.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Ryder

  This Sunday was like every other Sunday. Scarlett asked if I was coming to my mom's with her. I told her no, just like every other Sunday. I avoided Kallie's eyes from the couch. She knew why I wasn't going now and I didn't need another lecture. I received enough from Scarlett.

  "You wanna come, Kallie?" Scarlett asked. I froze mid-step. I slowly turned to glare at her, but she kept her eyes on Kallie.

  I looked over and watched Kallie debate in her head. I could almost see the gears turning in her little brain. I clenched my fists. I didn't need my mother meeting her. She would love her, no doubt, but I also didn't need her telling Kallie all of my past mistakes.

  "I think I'll pass, but thank you," she politely told my sister.

  "You sure?"

  "Yeah," she nodded. "I'm exhausted and sunburned, and I got to be up early in the morning. I just want to chill for the day."

  Scarlett's eyes darted between me and Kallie. I shrugged and headed to my bedroom. I finally heard her sigh and leave the apartment. I paced my bedroom, wondering what to do with myself. I hadn't had a chance to talk to Kallie since what happened at the river yesterday.

  I had no idea what she expected to happen bet
ween us now. I repeatedly pushed her away only to drag her back in. I wanted to kick my own ass for the mixed signals. I also wanted to kick Caleb's ass for having her there. I suspected he was doing it just to piss me off.

  Right when I was just about to decide to stay locked up in my room all day, I heard the shower turn on, so I came out to the empty living room. I debated leaving, but really had no where to go. When Kallie finally came out from her shower, she wore a white, loose fitting halter top and a long skirt. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail. Her checks and nose were red from the sun.

  "Damn," I said when I saw the redness on her back.

  "I know. I told you I got burnt," she whined, trying to get a look at her back.

  I watched as she put some green gel on her small hands and rubbed it on her shoulders. She struggled to get the aloe on her back, where she needed it most. I walked over, took the aloe from her, and put some in my hands.

  "Thank you," she said quietly.

  I gently rubbed the aloe onto her shoulders and down her bright red back. She pulled her long ponytail and the straps of her top out of the way for me. I heard her wince when I grazed the skin.

  "Sorry," I mumbled.

  "It's okay." When I was done, I walked to the girl's bathroom and wiped the lotion off of my hands.

  Kallie sat on the couch and pulled her legs up. She tried to maneuver to a position so the fabric of the couch didn't touch her sore skin. She sighed and leaned over in defeat. I snickered and sat on the other end of the couch, tuning on the TV.

  "Come here," I said, motioning her over.

  "Why?" she asked, eying me with suspicion.

  I laughed. "Don't worry, I won't kiss you or anything. Well, unless you ask," I winked at her. "Lay on your stomach." What am I doing? I am asking for trouble.

  She thought about it for a few seconds, before finally laying on her stomach. I motioned for her to come closer and led her head to rest on my lap. She laid her head down and I felt her muscles relax.

  "You know, you could take off your clothes. You would be more comfortable," I joked.

  I felt her laugh. "You would like that too much," she threw back. "I'm supposed to be staying away from you. Couldn't have you breaking my heart," she mocked me, using her fingers to make air quotes.

  "It's good advice," I admitted, wishing I could see her face and read what she was thinking.

  "I'm not too worried about the condition of my heart," she said seriously.

  "And why is that, Princess?" I asked.

  "There's nothing there to break. Nothing there for you or anyone else."

  I didn't know what to say to that. She was always a mystery to me. She showed up out of nowhere and would never give anyone the real reason. I had a feeling that she was running from more than just her parents.

  "You really believe that? Why?"

  "It's been broken, and I can't seem to put it back together," she said thoughtfully.

  After a while of silence, I looked down and saw that her eyes were closed. Her body had gone limp, and her head was heavy on my legs. I ran my fingers through her ponytail and wondered how she could feel so broken.

  I would have imagined she was stronger than that. The girl I had come to know was too strong to let someone break her heart permanently. Her ex must have been a complete idiot. No bigger of an idiot than I was, I guess.

  Scarlett later found us on the couch still. Instead of the scolding glare I expected, I saw concern. She came over and inspected the red skin that was starting to blister. She went and got the aloe, gently smearing some thickly over the blisters. Kallie barely stirred.

  "She must have been completely wiped out. With work and all the sun, she was running on empty," my sister guessed, watching the small girl sleep. "She been out long?"

  "Since you left," I told her. She sat in the recliner and looked at Kallie with worry. "She's already broken."

  Scarlett knew what I meant. We rarely had to voice complete thoughts around each other. "I think so. I don't know her whole story, but from what I gather from bits and pieces that she lets slip, I think that she was with someone for a very long time. The only person she had ever been with. Something happened and she snapped. She couldn't handle the change, I guess, and the pressure from her life,” Scarlett said in a whisper.

  We stayed quiet for the rest of night to let her sleep. Any move Kallie made, she would wince and whimper in pain. I eventually lifted her head and went to my own bed. I laid awake and stared at the dark ceiling.

  I could still smell her on me. Every time I closed my eyes, I pictured her lips on mine. Now that I knew what she tasted like, I only wanted more. All day I itched to touch her, to hold her. I was tying to behave, looking out for myself more than her. I knew with any more tasting or touching, I would never be able to get her out of my mind.

  I could hear her soft sighs from the living room with every one of her tosses and turns. The sounds were driving me crazy, so I got of the bed. I stood in my doorway and watched her flip on her back on the couch, then quickly push back to her stomach. Against my own good judgment, I went to her and gently lifted her into my arms.

  She stirred when I picked her up and I whispered for her to go back to sleep. Her head rested on my shoulder and I took her to my room. I laid her down on my bed and gently coaxed her to roll over, onto her stomach. She sighed as she sprawled out on the bed. Here, she would have room to sleep better.

  I crawled back into my bed and laid as far away from her as I could. I was aware of her body next to mine even in my sleep. When I woke the next morning, she was gone. I hated how that upset me. Coffee was already made, and I realized she would have already left for work.

  "That motor should be arriving today," Travis hollered to me as I walked in the shop.

  I nodded and headed to the office to get the orders for the day. I busied myself with pulling in Kallie's car to prep it for the repair. Once the car was pulled into an empty bay and on the lift, I went to pop the hood. I opened the car door and was assaulted with her scent. I closed my eyes and pictured her laying in my bed last night.

  I shook my head to clear the image. I would soon have her precious car fixed and ready for her to drive away and out of town. Eventually, I wouldn't think about her lips anymore. I wouldn't remember the way she moaned in my ear. If I could keep away until then, then I would be fine.

  I reached for the hood latch and pulled it. I heard the click of the hood release and went to prop it open. I got back into the driver's seat to note the mileage and other info we needed for the paperwork. A photo was stuck in the center counsel, covered with loose change and sunglasses.

  You can tell a lot about a person by the inside of their car. How clean they keep it, the radio station dialed in, the stuff laying in the cup-holder. They all gave hints about the driver. This car held little hints about the Kallie we didn't know.

  My curiosity got the best of me and I pulled the photo out. Kallie stood wearing a black formal dress. Her hair was pulled into a clean bun and she wore a pearl necklace. She was on the arm of a man in a tailored tux. He was tall with blonde hair and blue eyes. The couple looked perfect for each other.

  I couldn't stop staring at her face. She wore a perfect smile, to match her boyfriend's. She looked poised and elegant on his arm. What had me entranced was the look in her eyes. They were blank, not matching with her happy face. I didn't see the fire that I saw in her eyes. She was a different person in this photo.

  I quickly shoved it back and went to work on removing the busted engine. The work went slow and I berated myself for not starting the removal days before. Travis didn't want the car taking up a bay when it wasn't necessary. By the time the truck showed up with the delivery, I was nowhere close to being ready for it.

  We unloaded the large crate and pushed it in the back for storage. I cursed at the foreign vintage car and finished the day trying to remove the engine.

  "Having issues, dude?" I heard. I looked up to find Caleb watching me in amusemen
t.

  "This thing is a pain in my ass," I grumbled. I wiped off the grease on my hands and went to shake his hand.

  I had no hard feelings toward my friend. Kallie was beautiful and new in the town. I've seen the way every guy in town looks at her. I know the effect she has on them, me included. I couldn't lay claim to something that wasn't mine, no matter how much I wanted to.

  Caleb and I go back to grade school. I knew if I told him to back off, he would, and I would do the same for him. I also suspected he was moving in on Kallie just to piss me off. But I wasn’t going to admit to him that it was working.

  "What are you doing here?" I asked him while I glared at the demon car.

  "Had lunch at Minnie's and thought I'd swing in here to say hey," he said, looking under the hood as well. "Kallie's?"

  "Yeah, replacement came today," I explained. He just nodded. "What time is it anyway? I was gonna try to catch her and give her a ride home."

  "I already took her home," he told me.

  "What? Why? She's not off for a few more hours," I said, looking at my phone.

  "They sent her home early," he explained. "She burned her hand on the grill."

  "Shit. Bad?" I asked.

  "Not bad, but it was making serving a little rough, so Minnie gave her the rest of the day off."

  I shook my head. She was already burnt from the sun, and now her hand. She was going to need to be wrapped in gauze from head to toe soon if she kept this up.

  When I walked in the apartment that evening, I found Kallie standing at the sink with her hand under the running water. She gave me a sheepish look when I snickered at her.

  "Let me see," I urged, taking her hand from the water. The skin was red and blistered.