“We taking you home today, Son?” my dad laughed as he began pulling out of the parking lot.
“Yeah, thanks,” Cam leaned his head back on the seat. “My brother can be a real dick sometimes.”
“That’s an understatement,” I grumbled.
After a short drive, we arrived at Cam’s house. He climbed out, and then rested his arms on my window as he leaned in so he could talk quietly. “About that favor you wanted…me keeping the douche away? I can’t do that,” he mumbled.
“Why’s that?” I rolled my eyes and slumped back in my seat.
“Because he likes you,” Cam shrugged as he backed away from the car door. “Nothing gets in his way when he wants something, and right now…he wants you.”
My mouth dropped open, and then snapped shut. “Well he’s not getting what he wants this time.”
“We’ll see,” Cam winked.
“Yeah, we will,” I muttered as Cam turned, headed into his house, and Dad pulled away to take us home.
“So what was that all about?” Dad smiled at me as he drove the short distance to our house.
“Nothing,” I sighed. “Just Nick Sutter being Nick Sutter.”
“Ah, I see,” he kept grinning at me as he pulled into the driveway.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I groaned.
“Nothing,” he kept smiling. “You just seem to be awfully angry with a guy you don’t like.”
“No, I’m not!” I stressed. “I dropped another second on my 400 today,” I changed the subject as I pushed open my door and climbed out.
“That’s great, Baby,” Dad stayed in the car.
“Aren’t you coming in?” My forehead wrinkled in concern.
“Can’t…working tonight. Your Mom’s home though. I gave her a night off,” he winked at me.
“How chivalrous of you,” I giggled.
“That’s me,” he laughed as he put the car in reverse and began backing out of the driveway. After he disappeared down the street, I began heading up the front walk to our door.
Once inside, I could smell dinner cooking. “Hey, Mom,” I called as I tossed my backpack by the stairs, and rounded the corner to the kitchen.
“Hey, Honey. How was practice?” She smiled as she stirred something on the stove.
“It was good,” I grabbed one of the carrots from the counter and popped it into my mouth. “Still need to shave more time off though,” I slowly shook my head.
“It’ll happen, Honey. Have faith,” she reached over and squeezed my shoulder as she pecked me on the cheek. “Go shower. Dinner will be ready soon,” she pointed toward the stairs as I pushed off the counter. “Hurry up,” she smiled as I grabbed my backpack and raced up to my room.
ooooooooo
Dinner had been quiet tonight, and as soon as we finished, I went to my room to work on homework while my mom did the dishes. I’d been staring at my Physics book for the last hour, and, as I tried to solve one of the problems on my homework, I heard a tap on my window. My head jerked up as I turned in the direction of the sound. My room was on the second floor of our house, but I had a huge oak tree right outside my window. The way our roof sloped toward it made an easy climb. Just as I began to get up, I saw I light flicker outside.
I slid from the bed, and giggled when I saw Avery appear at my window. She’d been sneaking into my room for years. We thought we were stealthy, but we found out when we were fourteen that my mom had known about it from the beginning. She never said anything to us though. She trusted me, and she knew I wouldn’t do anything I shouldn’t. As I got older though, it became harder and harder to keep to that standard. Avery was a good friend, but she had a bad habit of talking me into to doing things I shouldn’t, and like any other night, I had a bad feeling I’d be sneaking out soon.
Tap, tap, tap, went her fist on the window.
I giggled as I unlocked it and lifted the sash, “You know you could have used the door. It’s early still.”
“What would be the fun in that?” She swung her leg over the sill and climbed in. “There’s a party tonight,” she beamed. “Wanna come?”
“You know I can’t,” I grumbled. “I have to study.”
“Leah, you study all the time and you’re working on stuff that we’re not even supposed to be learning until next year. It’s a party…live a little,” she flopped back on my bed and stared at the ceiling.
“Avery…” I sighed as I joined her.
“Come on…please? We won’t stay long,” she rolled onto her side. “I promised somebody that I’d bring you.”
“Who?” I narrowed my eyes on her.
“Can’t tell you that,” she murmured as she pushed herself up and began wandering toward my closet. “You need to change.”
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” I glanced down at myself. I was wearing a black tank top and a pair of jean shorts. They were fringed on the bottom where I’d cut them. They’d been my favorite jeans until I’d worn holes in them. “And who said I was going?”
“Seriously?” Avery spun on me, holding a denim skirt in her hand. “You can keep the top if you let me fix your makeup.”
“Avery,” I groaned. “I can’t…”
“Yes…you can,” she moved to stand in front of me and gripped my shoulders. “You do this for me, and I’ll owe you one.”
“You say that all the time,” I muttered as I stood, stripped out of my shorts, and grabbed the skirt from her.
She grinned in satisfaction as she watched me hike it over my hips, “This time I mean it.” She sashayed over to my dresser and gathered some makeup before coming back to sit on the bed. “Sit,” she pointed “and no looking until I finish.”
I blew out a breath as I sat down and folded my legs underneath me all the while wondering how I was going to climb the tree in a skirt. “Trust me,” she whispered, “I can see the wheels turning already.”
“You know me so well,” I rolled my eyes.
“That’s what best friends are for,” she giggled as she handed me a lip gloss. “Put this on.”
After Avery had finished with me, I stood in front of the mirror admiring myself. I did look good. Avery had a way with makeup. She knew exactly what colors to use and how to use them. I swayed from side-to-side as I slipped my feet into a pair of flip-flops. “You did good,” I grinned but it fell when I looked at the window. “How am I supposed to get out like this?”
“I said trust me,” she shrugged. “Your mom’s out for the night.”
“No, she’s not,” I wrinkled my forehead.
“Yes, she is. My mom took her to the movies. She was supposed to pick her up a half hour ago. She probably thinks you’re studying and didn’t want to interrupt you. We’re going out the front door,” she grinned as she stood, made her way to my door, opened it, and motioned for me to follow. “I parked down the street.”
“Ok genius. You figured out how to get out. How are we getting back in?” I smirked at her.
“Easy,” she laughed as we closed the front door behind us. “You’re going to walk in, and go to bed.”
“Uh,” I squinted. “How is that stealthy? I’m gonna get caught.”
“So, by that time you’ll have already been to the party. Besides…your parents never punish you,” Avery clicked her key fob to unlock her car and climbed in.
“Alright then, Super Spy,” I yanked open my door and climbed in. “Who is it that had to see me tonight? Whose party is this? Where is it?”
Avery slowly shook her head, “You can’t ever just enjoy yourself, can you?”
“With you…no,” I shook my head. “You’re avoiding the question, too. Who is it?”
“Who’s what?” Avery refused to look at me.
“Who wants me to come to this…whatever?” I waved my hand in the air.
Before I could continue my inquisition, Avery pulled off the road and parked in a dirt field. She pushed open her door and climbed out, “Come with me and you’ll find out.”
Whe
n I stood, I tugged on my skirt and looked around. There must have been a hundred people standing around in the field. A huge bonfire was blazing not too far away. Guys were hollering and girls were squealing. Several people had lowered their tailgates and girls were dancing on them half-naked.
“What is the celebration for?” I turned to see Avery staring at me.
“No reason,” she bit her lip. “Several of the seniors are just ready for graduation. I think they started celebrating early.”
“Seniors? Whose party is this?” I narrowed my eyes at her, but within seconds, I had my answer.
“You got her to come,” a deep voice hidden in the shadows came from a few feet in front of us. “I didn’t think you could,” he chuckled.
“I’m good at what I do,” Avery giggled just as a beer was thrust into her hand.
“Wait a minute,” I glared at her. “What the hell is going on?” I placed my hands on my hips and turned to face her.
“Meet me back here at midnight,” she waved at me before she took off running for the crowd, leaving me standing there.
“Glad she got you to come,” the deep voice chuckled as its owner stepped closer and into the headlights of more arriving guests.
“I wasn’t given a choice,” I grumbled as I turned my eyes to see the one and only Nick Sutter. “This is your party?” I darted my eyes around.
“Yeah, Golden Girl, it is,” he nodded and moved to stand beside me. He leaned closer, and tossed his arm around my shoulders and leaned in next to my ear. “I’ve been waiting for you to come to one of these for a while,” his breath reeked of beer, and he staggered slightly as he bumped into me.
I reached up, and pushed his arm off me, “I’ve never had the desire to attend one of your keg parties.”
“Have I changed your mind,” he leaned right next to me like he was sniffing my neck and skimmed his nose along the soft flesh.
“No,” I reached up and pushed against his chest as I stormed off to find Avery. She was so dead right now.
“Don’t be so uptight, baby,” Nick called after me.
I kept my back to him, and refused to let him see he affected me. I didn’t want to be attracted to him. He was a jerk, and I knew all he wanted was to get in my pants. If I ever gave into him, he’d use me like he did every other girl.
“You got shot down,” came another voice, and I knew it was Nick’s best friend, Logan.
“Shut up!” Nick shouted “and get me another beer.”
Yep, I was gonna kill Avery, but I’d wait until she took me home. I can’t believe that I snuck out for this. I was gonna get in trouble, and the night wasn’t even going to be worth it.
Chapter 2
Nick
“Man, she’s hot,” Logan whistled from beside me.
“Yep,” I popped the P as I grabbed the beer he was holding, tipped my head back, and proceeded to chug it.
“That was mine, ya know?” he grumbled.
“Relax. Get another one,” I shrugged as I began heading back toward the party.
I wanted to find Leah again. I saw the way she reacted to me. I’d been watching her for months. We had two classes together this year, and seeing her every day was slowly killing me. I wasn’t sure why she was taking senior classes. She was a junior like my brother. I guess she was super smart, or something. I mean…who would want to push themselves like that? Perfect people, I guess.
“She’s never gonna go out with you,” Logan laughed beside me. “She doesn’t date.”
“How would you know that?” I narrowed my eyes at him as I sipped on a fresh beer.
“When have you seen her with a guy? I mean…other than your brother,” Logan chuckled.
“She’s a good girl,” I muttered.
“Exactly,” Logan stressed. “Why would she hang out with someone like you? Now her friend on the other hand…I’d tap that,” he smirked.
“Stay away from Avery Southerland, dude. If you bang her, I’ll never get a chance with Leah. She’ll blame me when things go south. Guilty by association and all,” I waved my hand around.
“Whatever man,” Logan grumbled. “I’m gonna find someone to cuddle with. It’s getting cold out here.”
“You mean you’re going to find someone to take into the trees over there and make out with,” I shook my head at him.
“Trees? Cars? My bed? What’s the difference?” Logan lifted his arms in the air and began walking backwards.
After watching him disappear into the dark, I happened to look up and see the object of my fantasies sitting on a nearby tailgate. For the first few minutes, I just stood there and watched her. She was sitting next to another girl just laughing and talking. Her brown hair was hanging softly around her shoulders, and her eyes were sparkling in the firelight. The denim skirt she was wearing should have been illegal it was so short. Her long muscular legs were swinging back-and-forth as she talked animatedly with the other girl. “I’ll see you at practice tomorrow,” the girl called as she hopped down and began walking away.
“Yeah, see ya,” Leah called after her in an almost wistful voice.
I watched her, trying to decide if I should attempt to strike up a conversation again. I’d thought about it every day in Physics. Watching her laugh, toss her hair around, and smile was downright dangerous. The best thing though…she didn’t even realize how attractive she was. She had that innocence about her. One that said she wasn’t experienced. I’m sure she’s dated before, but to say she put off that vibe, you know, the one that flashed ‘pure’ over her head, was an understatement. It followed her around. It intimidated me, and it made her that much more appealing. I wanted her, but not for the reasons that most people would think. She was beautiful, smart, and she had goals. Goals that she’d set long ago, and had been trying to achieve ever since.
“You gonna stare at me all night?” she groaned as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“It’s a nice a picture,” I shrugged as I let my signature smirk slip into place.
“Oh, please,” she rolled her eyes. “Like I haven’t heard that one before.”
“Not from me you haven’t,” I moved closer and stood by the tailgate. “I don’t compliment girls…ever.”
“So why me?” she shifted like she was uncomfortable and stared out at the fire.
“You’re different,” I moved to sit beside her, and as soon as the tailgate dipped under my weight, she sucked in a breath. “Relax,” I reached out and trailed a finger down her exposed arm. Goose bumps rose, and she shivered slightly. “You cold?”
“I’m fine,” she hissed as she ran her hands up and down her arms briskly.
“Stop being so difficult,” I sighed as I slid closer. I lifted my arm and glanced at her, silently asking permission. When she gave a barely there nod, I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her flush with my side. She stiffened slightly, but then sighed in relief as she slowly began to warm. I could see her emotions as they played across her face. She liked this, but she was determined not to admit it. She didn’t want me to know that being close like this was something she wanted. “Better?” I whispered as I leaned in next to her ear.
“Yeah,” she nodded as she scooted closer.
We were lined up from shoulder to knee, and I could feel her body pressed to mine. It was all I could do to keep from kissing her right then. I wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or my hormones egging me on, but Leah Carmichael was my addiction; I was quickly overdosing and didn’t care.
ooooooooo
Leah
Oh, god he’s got his arm around me. He smells so good, too. What am I doing? He’s gonna think that I like him…but you do like him, you dummy. I darted my eyes to the right to see if Nick was staring at me, and sure enough, he was. I swallowed and shifted my hips slightly causing my shoulder to bump into him harder.
“What’s wrong?” He tipped his chin down, and I could smell the alcohol on him.
“Nothing,” I muttered.
“Oh no,
it’s something. I know that face,” he grinned as his arm tightened around me.
“What?” I whispered.
“You get this little line right here when you’re really thinking about something. I’ve seen it in class,” his smug expression caused me to scowl. “I think it’s cute,” I could tell he was trying to recover, but it wasn’t working.
“Whatever,” I muttered as I began to look back out at the crowd of people. There were a lot of people partying now, and I’d lost sight of Avery a long time ago.
“She said midnight,” he nudged me and winked.
“Huh?” I shivered from the cold once again.
“Avery…she said midnight,” Nick shrugged as he slid forward and hopped off the tailgate to stand in front of me. “Come on,” he held out his hand as he waited for me.
I sat there staring at him not sure on what I should do.
“I’m not going to hurt you or anything,” he rolled his eyes. “Come on…”
I sighed as I pushed myself forward until my feet touched the grass. I wobbled slightly as I got my balance and Nick just shook his head at me.
“How much have you had?” he chuckled. “I didn’t think the Golden Girl drank.”
“I don’t,” I growled. “I’m training. I don’t drink anything other than water or milk,” the words came out before I could stop them, and as I watched his face, I knew I sounded like a stuck up bitch. “I’m sorry. That came out wrong.”
Nick shrugged, “Hey…good for you. Coach would love to see that kinda dedication from me. He’s always on my ass.”
“I need a scholarship,” I mumbled. “It’s the only way I’m gonna get one.”
Nick nodded his head in understanding as he stopped beside a truck. When I looked closer, I could see that it was his.
“I’m not going anywhere with you. You’ve been drinking,” I looked around again for Avery.
“Relax,” he chuckled. “I’m not planning to drive you anywhere,” he laughed “at least not tonight,” the last part was said so quietly that I had to strain to hear it. He opened the passenger door, and leaned in for a moment causing his shirt to pull tight across his back, and rise up to expose a sliver of his tanned skin. His jeans hung down on his hips causing the waistband of his boxers to be visible. I sucked in a breath just watching him. My hands wanted to run over every inch of him, and caress the tight muscles.
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