A shiver of fear danced up my spine as I nodded in rapid succession. “Yes, sir.”
The last thing I wanted to do was disappoint him. He’d gone out of his way for me since I’d arrived at the school. He’d counseled me. He’d checked on me. He’d treated me like the son he never had. I only knew the latter because he’d told me that very thing. He and his wife had tried to have a boy, but after three tries and three girls, they’d decided their family was big enough.
“Hit the shower.”
I started to leave then stopped. “Coach? Do you think I messed up any chance with the BC scout?”
He grabbed the door handle to his office. “You need to worry about the next game and not freezing up.” Then he went inside.
Several cuss words zipped around in my head. I wasn’t mad at anyone but myself.
“What is taking him so long?” I paced the white-and-gray hardwood in the gym.
Celia wanted to roam the school since this was her first time at the academy. “I’ve heard a few things over the years about this school,” she’d said on the car ride up. “Tough, cliquey, and lots of drama.”
Most high schools were exactly that. Kensington wasn’t any different.
My response had been, “You left out bullies.”
Noah was absorbed in his phone. Celia was too.
Marcus, Jasper, Emma, and Ethan had left as soon as the game was done, although Emma promised she would be back to catch up with Celia and me before we left. But I knew the truth. She’d run back to her dorm to fix her hair and dab on some makeup to impress Noah. She had been smitten with him since he’d sat down next to me
“Maiken is probably getting his ass chewed,” Noah said. “He froze.”
It was my fault. He probably thought Noah was trying to move in on me.
“Tell me more about basketball camp. You roomed with Maiken? How come I’m just now learning about this? Did you know he and I were dating?”
Celia looked up from her phone. “Yeah. Did you know they were dating?”
Noah gnawed on the inside of his cheek. “I tried to get ahold of Maiken when I found out my mom took a job in Ashford, but we never connected. He’d never mentioned your name. We didn’t talk about family. I don’t like the subject, frankly.”
Celia and I had both been surprised to see him sitting in the stands. At first, I’d thought I was at Kensington until my gaze had landed on Greenridge’s state championship banners hanging from the rafters.
A door creaked open, causing my gaze to dart to the far end of the gym. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest.
Maiken’s muscular thighs, encased in dark jeans, ate up the space between us as he beelined it for me, unleashing a belly-tingling grin.
I kicked my feet into gear, and then I was running full-out, like I was sprinting to the finish line.
Stopping, he braced his legs, knowing what was about to happen. I didn’t want us tumbling to the floor, at least not on the hard surface. It would hurt his back, and he’d already had problems with his lower spine.
His lips split into an even bigger grin. “I got you, babe.”
Goose bumps exploded on my body, and fireworks went off in my head as I leapt into his arms.
He laughed, wild and free, as his hands went into my hair. “I’ve missed you.”
I peppered kisses along his ear. “I was dying to run out on the court when you were playing.” I squeezed him as tightly as I could. If we stayed like this the rest of the night, I was okay with that.
He gripped my waist and helped me down on two feet. Then he planted his lips on mine softly and tentatively. “I’m afraid if I kiss you, I won’t let go.”
That wasn’t a bad thing. So I gave him a nudge and darted out my tongue. He didn’t hesitate, kissing me hungrily and greedily as though it would be our last kiss for a long time.
In essence, it was.
He tasted sweet and minty, making me whimper.
“You two should really get a room,” Noah said at my back.
“I agree,” Celia added.
“A room alone with you sounds amazing,” Maiken said as he nibbled on my lip.
Reluctantly, I began to pry myself from him until he whispered in my ear. “Give me a minute before you turn around.”
I didn’t have to ask why. I could feel his excitement for me. I needed to distract him. So I asked, “Did you get in trouble?”
He blew out a breath. “Not really.” Then he nodded, giving me the go-ahead that I could turn and face my BFF and Noah.
Noah was staring at Maiken as though he were trying to read him. “Good game, bro.” He stepped closer to Maiken, and the two exchanged a bro hug.
Celia flicked her dark hair off her shoulder. “Maiken, long time, no see.”
Maiken raked his blue gaze over Celia. “You look good after that fall at Quinn’s party.”
“I have a hard head,” Celia teased.
“Did you three just meet tonight at the game?” Maiken asked evenly despite the hard vibe jumping off him and onto Noah.
The four of us stood in a circle of sorts, and I slipped my hand into Maiken’s. I wanted to feel him as much as I could before Celia and I headed home in a couple of hours. Daddy had been adamant that we get on the road early. He didn’t want us driving back in the dead of night.
“He goes to Kensington,” Celia said.
One part confusion and one part shock washed over Maiken. “Really?”
Noah held up his big hands. “I called you. You were supposed to call me back and never did.”
“I left you a voice mail,” Maiken volleyed in return.
I squeezed his hand. “I just learned tonight he was your roomie at camp.”
Celia slipped her phone in her purse. “Did you know Dustin Lane and Noah are cousins?”
Maiken glared at his friend. “For real?”
Sensing or reading Maiken’s stiff body language, Noah said, “My mom took a job in Ashford, and just before she did, she told me about a step-cousin I never knew I had. I called you that day to tell you the news.”
I wagged a finger between the boys. “You really didn’t share much at camp, huh?”
Noah laughed. “Nah. I didn’t tell Maiken squat about me except that I move a lot. And he didn’t share much either except that he had a girlfriend and lived in Ashford. I have a dysfunctional, screwed-up family I don’t like talking about. Nothing is going on here, bro, if that’s what you’re thinking.” He stabbed a finger at me while keeping his gaze locked on Maiken’s. “Full disclosure, though. I did try to ween in on Quinn until I found out the first week from the basketball team that you two were dating. Then I backed off.”
“I was curious why you stopped hounding Quinn,” Celia said, echoing what I was thinking.
Maiken draped an arm over my shoulder and pulled me to him as though he were making sure Noah knew he wasn’t getting anywhere near me.
A second of thick, soupy silence stretched between them.
“You came up to see me play, then?” Maiken asked.
Noah beamed. “Dude, I’ve been trying to convince my mom to send me here. She gave me the thumbs-up to check out the place. And I heard from Coach Dean that you were playing tonight. So two birds, one stone, and all that.”
Maiken lit up. And just like that, any animosity was gone as though someone had stuck a pin into a balloon and popped the air out of it. “Wow! That would be awesome.”
I tugged on his hand. “Can you wrap this up?” Not that I was bored, since I was glued to Maiken’s side. “I would like to spend time with my boyfriend before we get on the road.”
Maiken kissed me on my temple. “Want to take a walk?”
I wanted to do anything other than stand there.
“Quinn. Celia.” Emma’s voice echoed in the humungous room as she bounced up, her ponytail swishing behind her. “We didn’t get to meet earlier.” Her big brown eyes were on Noah. “I’m Emma, Maiken’s sister.”
Noah tensed. Maiken
did as well.
Celia and I exchanged a knowing smile.
Poor Noah. He was sort of screwed. He couldn’t date me. He couldn’t date Emma either because of the bro code. However, Celia wasn’t off limits. She liked Noah, but she was digging Sloane’s brother, Trevor, more. But Trevor had his lips on the brunette, Claire, and seemed to be into her more than any other girl.
Still, I could see the attraction. Where Noah was tall and lanky, Trevor was tall and beefy. Celia liked beefy.
I was warming up to Trevor. Under all his bully layers and mean comments, he was just a boy who was looking for attention, much like Sloane and Marcus.
“Why don’t we head down to the pizza place on campus?” Emma asked.
Celia’s lips parted. “There’s a pizza restaurant on campus? I want to go to this school. Maybe I’ll talk to my mom too.”
“I don’t think so,” I rushed out. “My BFF isn’t leaving me.”
She snorted. “We should convince your dad, then.”
As much as I would like to see Maiken every day, that wasn’t happening. My parents wouldn’t let me go to another high school. Besides, they didn’t have the money to send me to a rich academy. “Good luck with that.”
Maiken’s lips grazed my ear. “I would love that. We could snuggle up in your dorm room or mine.”
I shivered in delight. “Maybe college.”
Emma hooked her arm in Noah’s. “Enough talk. Let’s get something to eat.”
Maiken growled low.
Noah chuckled as if to tell Maiken he didn’t have anything to worry about when it came to Emma. But if I knew strong-willed Emma, Maiken didn’t stand a chance of telling her who she could or couldn’t date.
Celia looped her arm around Noah’s free one. “I’m starving.”
“We’ll catch up,” Maiken said.
Once we were alone, Maiken’s lips crashed to mine. His tongue dove in hard and fast like he was a starving boy. I wasn’t complaining. I’d been dying to kiss him for what felt like forever.
But he broke away before I could get lost in us. “Come on. I want to show you something.”
I pouted, licking his minty taste off my lips.
He gave me a wolfish grin. “I promise you’ll love what I have to show you.”
Five minutes later, we were two lovers, holding hands, strolling the rolling hills of the academy under the stars, where nothing mattered but him and me. The scene was romantic, serene, thrilling, and I felt like I was on cloud nine. Something between us seemed to be stronger, more powerful. Maybe it was because we didn’t see each other every day, and the separation was heightening my emotions.
My feet sank into the plush grass as the moonlight guided us. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere quiet where it’s just you and me.”
I squeezed his hand. “I like that plan. I miss our time in the supply closet at school.”
He chuckled. “Where I’m taking you is ten times better than a closet.”
I didn’t care where we ended up as long as I was with him.
The academy grew distant behind us as we trudged across the expanse of the property for another five minutes. Finally, Maiken settled near a large oak tree. Then he bent down, cleared away a pile of fallen leaves, and picked up a blanket.
My eyes widened. “Planning ahead?”
He grinned. “For sure. I thought this would be a great place to lay under the stars.” He looked up. “On a clear night, like tonight, the sky is amazing.”
I glanced skyward, and he was right. The stars twinkled and shined like I’d never seen them do before. I thought the view from my farm was pretty spectacular, but it was nothing compared to this. Where we were, nestled in the Berkshires with dense trees surrounding the property, I felt like I was on another planet.
I snagged the blanket from him and shook it out before I placed it on the ground. “It’s beautiful up here.”
He tugged me to him. “You’re beautiful.”
I threw my arms around him and kissed him with every ounce of energy I had.
He chuckled, a sound that made me break out in goose bumps as he pulled me down onto the blanket. “I’ve missed you.”
“Shhh. No talking. Just kissing.”
Maiken tasted sweet, minty, and delicious.
He adjusted us so he was on top with his hands on each side of my head. “I just want to look at you for a minute. You’re beautiful, Quinn Thompson. You’re my starlight. You shine like an angel, and I love you hard.”
I flattened my hands on his jaw. “And you are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
His blue gaze searched mine. “Your butterscotch hair shimmers in the moonlight.”
I beamed up at him, my heart swooning and my body tingling. “Your poem.” He’d written me a couple of them during the last year or so.
He nibbled on my bottom lip. “Your amber eyes sparkle and ignite.” His tongue darted into my mouth. “Mmm… Your lips… are soft and taste like berry.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Nothing about our relationship is temporary,” I said, reciting his next line.
He moved a strand of hair from my eyes. “And when I look at you like you hung the moon, all I do is swoon and swoon and swoon.”
Tears of happiness and content and so much more surfaced. “I love you to the stars and back, Maiken Maxwell.”
He cemented his mouth to mine, kissing, taking, possessing. I was the happiest girl around as I matched him kiss for kiss and tongue for tongue.
This boy had my heart in the palm of his hand.
While I waited for Trevor to show up, I reminisced, staring off into space. It had been five days since I’d seen Maiken at the academy. Five days since we’d held hands and strolled the grounds in the moonlight and kissed until our lips were swollen. That night under the stars had been amazing and one of the best times of my life. It felt like we had grown so much closer.
The door to the library creaked open, sounding ominous in the quiet space, and pulling me back to the present. I blinked a few times as I scanned the room. A handful of kids sat at tables scattered around, with their heads buried in books.
Trevor and I had agreed to meet on Wednesdays right after lunch since we both had a free period. The time worked out perfectly. He had basketball practice after school, and I had to get home on most days to get my chores done.
But the person gliding around tables liked she owned the damn library was none other than Sloane Price. Her hair was pulled back off her forehead. Her big brown eyes were heavily made up in a smoky look with blue eye shadow and a ton of mascara. Her solid black outfit brought out the white-blond color of her hair, and she was eyeing me as though she had a bone to pick.
Great!
She settled across the table, not sitting down. “Quinn.” Her voice was light, belying the petty snarl she had going on. “I hear you’re tutoring my stepbrother.”
I set my phone down, Maiken’s poem fading from my memory. Argh! I was having a perfectly good week. I was ready for my test in calculus that afternoon, and I was still riding on a love high since seeing Maiken. He and I had been texting more than ever, and even though he wasn’t in school with me, I kind of felt like we had a secret love affair going on. I knew that sounded ditzy, but I had to make the best of our separation. Not only that, but Thanksgiving was three weeks out, and he was coming home.
“You heard correctly.”
She flattened her red lips together as though she were holding back from yelling at me. “Don’t. Stay as far away from him as possible.”
I sat back. She was a confusing individual—nice one minute, a witch the next. She’d been through a rough time. She blamed herself for her father’s death. I couldn’t begin to know how that felt, and I hoped and prayed I never would.
“Are you worried about me?” I didn’t see any emotion in her brown eyes.
“We’ve had our differences, but I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Um,
I’m only tutoring him. I need the gig for my college apps.”
She scanned the library like she had a big secret. Then she leaned over the table. “Just be careful. Trevor is an asshole.”
He had that quality about him, so I couldn’t exactly disagree. Still, he hadn’t been a jerk to me since I’d deleted the video from his phone.
“He’s got a girlfriend. Right?”
Disgust filled Sloane’s eyes. “Please tell me you’re not interested in him.”
I knitted my brow. “For real? Hello? Maiken Maxwell. My point is, if he has a girlfriend, then he’s not interested in me. Besides, he gave me the impression he needs to get his grades up to play ball.”
She lost her attitude. “Well, that is true. His dad has been cracking the whip with him and his grades.”
“See? Nothing to worry about.” Not that it was any of my business, but I had to ask. “Why didn’t you move like you were supposed to?”
“My mom’s job offer fell through. At least that’s what she tells me. But it was around the same time she met Trevor’s dad. I’m not even sure why I’m spilling all this to you.”
Again, she was a confusing person. “I don’t know either. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re moody. One day, you’re nice to me, and the next, you treat me like I stabbed you with a knife. What gives? And why were you such a bitch to me at my party?”
Before then, I hadn’t done anything to get on her bad side.
“Sorry about that. I was having a bad day.” She seemed like she meant it.
“I’m sorry too.” I regretted a lot of things about that night, like drinking.
“What are you two talking about?” Trevor asked, coming up behind Sloane.
I hadn’t seen him walk into the library. For all I knew, he could’ve been lurking in between the bookshelves.
He hung his arm over Sloane’s shoulder. “Sis, are you getting tutored too?” His tone was sickly sweet with a dash of salt.
Sloane went ramrod straight as she sneered. “I got to study for a test.” Without so much as a goodbye, she dashed away to a table on the other side of the library as though Trevor had the plague.
My Heart to Keep: A Maxwell Family Saga - Book Four Page 12