by Piper Shelly
Tony gave me a funny look, then unscrewed the paper. Slowly, his gaze returned to me, his right brow arching in question. I said and did nothing other than trying to kill him with a lethal scowl.
He seemed untouched by it. All he did was scrunch up the paper again and toss it into the bin in the corner. Then he concentrated on Miss Jackson, totally ignoring me for the rest of the hour.
CHAPTER 16
Back home, I slipped through the door, not wanting to talk to or even see anybody. If I had learned one thing from all the crap with Tony it was that my every emotion was apparent for everyone to see. And that sucked.
Trudging upstairs, I hung my head, ready to spend the remainder of the day in bed, reveling in my misery, with loud music blasting all thoughts of Anthony Mitchell out of my mind. But then I remembered that I had cheerleading practice later this afternoon, and the prospect of dancing and looking like I was having fun, when I only wanted to bawl, made me heave a deep sigh.
Dropping my schoolbag to the floor, I flopped onto the bed and buried my face in the pillow. But a knock on the door pulled me out of bed a moment later. I opened it and found Cloey standing on the threshold with a pile of my laundered clothes in her arms. She took an aggressive step toward me, which had me backing off.
Her face in mine, she hissed, “This is my house, my school, my town, and you’re hanging out with my soccer team. I told you not to get between me and my family. But getting involved with Anthony Mitchell was your worst mistake so far.” She pushed at me until I felt the edge of the desk at the back of my thighs. “I swear I’ll find a way to get rid of you, little cousin.”
I could only stare at her mad face, speechless.
She turned around and headed toward the door, then spun on her heel once again and tossed the laundered clothes at me. “Here’s your stuff.” A moment later, she was gone and the door banged shut behind her.
A mess of clothes lay scattered at my feet, but I couldn’t bring myself to pick them up. With the heels of my palms pressed to my temples, I glanced helplessly about the room. Why couldn’t I have my old cousin back? The one who loved to play Alice in Wonderland and who would have never accused me of stealing her parents or her friends. What had happened to Cloey to make her turn into this monster? What did I have to do with it?
I couldn’t cope with this any longer. If only the four months could be over and I could move into my new home with my family. Starting to hate this house and the room I was trapped in, I grabbed my gray hoodie from the rack and shoved my arms through the sleeves, then I rushed downstairs and out of the Summers’ villa.
Unsure where to go, I walked down to the beach, where I tossed stones into the waves for what seemed like hours. Not a very productive task. The need to talk to somebody grew inside me. Susan had soccer training today, so my next best option was Liza. With my hands tucked in my pockets, I ambled off to her place.
Saratoga Avenue was quiet; not many cars and next to no pedestrians at this time in the afternoon. The tree in Liza’s front garden came into view long before her house did. I slowed down when I reached it, but instead of crossing the street and ringing the bell, I stood rooted there for several minutes, gazing at a different house.
Why couldn’t Tony make up his mind? Be a nice guy or a jerk. Like me or not. Simple things. My gaze fixed on the tips of my boots as I hung my head and sucked in a deep breath. It would be wise to go home and forget all about this boy, but I couldn’t. And when the front tire of a mountain bike appeared in my peripheral view, I knew it was too late.
“Wondering what my room looks like, Summers?” I heard him say in a mocking tone that made the hairs on the back of my neck bristle.
Slowly, I looked up. “No, I’m actually wondering how a guy with a nice mom like yours could become such a dismissive jerk.”
“Dismissive?” He lifted his brows and propped his forearms on the handlebar, his feet placed in a wide stance at either side of his bike. He wore his light blue soccer jersey, and his hair was a sweet mess. “If I remember it right, I traded partners with Robert yesterday just to be in a team with you. How can you call that dismissinve?”
I cocked my head. “And what about today? You couldn’t even say hi.”
Laughing, he replied, “Today…sucked.”
Oh, he was mocking my message? Two could play this game. “Since you seemed so conversant with each of my looks yesterday, tell me, which look is this?” I gave him a fake smile and flipped him the bird as I started off around his bike.
“That’s your ‘I’m hurt because Tony didn’t talk to me’ look,” he whined, cutting a glance skyward, and reached for my arm. I was too slow to evade his grip. He pulled me back to his side. “Now, don’t run away.”
“I’m not running away. I’m going to see Liza.”
“Liz isn’t home. She came to watch us at training and left with Hunter. Since his car is nowhere around, I suppose they went to his place.”
I wrested my arm free. “Fine. I’ll go home then.”
“Why didn’t you call her instead of wandering all the way to our side of town, anyway?”
“Because it wasn’t intentional. I just needed to get away from…” Cutting off midsentence, I narrowed my eyes at him. “Ah, forget it.” Crunching on my molars, I spun on my heel and trudged off.
“From your cousin?” Tony said behind me. His understanding voice made me stop.
I pivoted to him.
“You look like you need someone to talk to. And this isn’t me catching your emotions again, Sam, it’s just plain obvious. So if you’ll give me five minutes to shower, you can come in with me, and I’ll make good on what I missed with you today.”
How could he be such a dickhead all day and then again get me with just three stupid lines? This was unfair! And totally frustrating. Tony left me no choice. Coming forward and laying one arm around my shoulders, he wheeled the bike with the other hand.
Because I really didn’t want to go home right now, my protest died as he led me across the street. However, I didn’t accept his arm around my shoulders and pushed at his chest. “Go away. You stink.”
Tony hugged me tighter, pressing me against his sweaty side. “Aw, as if you aren’t dreaming of this scent day and night, Summers.”
I was not. Not of his stench of sweat anyway. But he made me giggle.
Tony leaned his bike against the white façade of the house. He pulled a key out from under the doormat, unlocked the door, and entered. I followed him inside. I had glimpsed the hallway once before but was dying to see the rest of the house, especially Tony’s room. He ushered me past a spacious kitchen, which was built into an oriel, upstairs and through the first doorway on the right.
Tony strode into the room, taking off his shirt and tossing it onto the bed, which protruded into the middle of the room from the wall between the window and door. I hesitated on the threshold, suddenly feeling a bit shy and uncomfortable when he stood in front of me half-naked. I tried not to stare—or drool—but his bulging muscles were an eye-catcher, all right.
“Music?” he suggested as he walked to the wide desk to the left of the window. There were two monitors on it, a silver-gray compact tower, and lots of drawings scattered around the place. Pushing the start button of his computer, he gathered most of the drawings and made them disappear in a wide but low drawer right underneath the oak-white desktop.
He turned around and glanced to where I stood in the doorway and tried to relax as my eyes threatened to pop out at the stunning view of him. “Come in. Make yourself comfortable,” he offered. “I’ll be back in five.”
He grabbed fresh clothes from the wardrobe, which was made of the same light wood as his desk, and brushed past me, giving me a little push into his room.
I wasn’t entirely sure if I would have left him alone in my room if I was in his place, but he seemed fine with it, so I reluctantly walked toward his bed and sat down at the very edge. By the time his computer had booted up, gentle music drifted fr
om all corners at the ceiling. He probably had a random playlist on auto-start. I wondered if he listened to music when he was drawing, like I did.
With the door wide open, I could hear the splash of water in the bathroom next door.
Don’t! Just don’t let your mind wander over there, I warned myself. But that was easier said than done. Tony naked under a spray of water…way too sexy. My throat went dry.
To distract myself from that fatal thought, I started inspecting his room instead, beginning with his bed. Plain dark-blue sheets covered his pillow and duvet. The bed was wide enough for two. To each side stood a small cube holding a lamp, comic books, and a remote for the huge TV attached to the wall. The window produced a big square of light on the floor in the center of the room, and also graced one corner of the bed.
I liked his place. It had air. Even the dark blue curtains fit perfectly into the light/dark style. But there was one more thing that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Something that made this room amazingly appealing to me.
I wandered around, skimming my fingers over the edge of the desk, then walked to the open window and gazed out. From here I could see Liza’s house, but her room was at the opposite side. I drew in a deep breath, getting a whiff of the white roses down in the garden. Suddenly, it hit me. I turned and walked to the middle of the room, taking another deep breath through my nose.
That was it.
The entire room smelled of Tony. Not nasty, sweating Tony, but the way he smelled every time I got close to him. A mixture of fabric conditioner and men’s shower gel. If only I could bottle a shot of that scent for later.
The water stopped next door. I quickly sat down on his bed again, waiting silently for his return. A minute later, Tony came in, barefoot and dressed in a plain white T-shirt and light blue jeans that were ripped at both knees. Two additional, fashionable holes sat on his right thigh. His hair was tousled, and he obviously hadn’t taken the time to thoroughly towel off, because water drops trailed down his bare arms and also at the sides of his neck.
I had never seen anything this hot, ever.
Tony crossed to his swivel chair, slumped down, and laced his fingers behind his head, planting his feet wide apart.
Our gazes locked for an infinite moment. My heart began to stutter. Slowly, a smile sneaked to Tony’s lips. “Never thought you’d actually find yourself in my room one day, did you?”
“This is crazy,” I croaked.
“Why is it?” Unlike mine, his voice was steady. Soft and intense.
I cleared my throat, hopefully sounding more confident when I spoke next. “You instantly hated me—and I still don’t know why, by the way. You were like the meanest guy I’ve ever met.” My voice dropped a notch. “You made me feel like a thorn in your side.”
“Or rather an abscess on my butt,” he mumbled, then laughed, taking his hands down and folding his arms over his chest. “I’m sorry, Summers. You were just hanging out with the wrong people when you came here.”
“That much I figured out myself. But I didn’t have much of a choice at the beginning. And Cloey wasn’t always like this. You should know.”
Tony arched a puzzled brow at me.
Rising from his bed, I walked to the window and looked out for a moment, then turned around and leaned against the windowsill, crossing my ankles. “I was quite shocked when I heard from Susan that you and Cloey had been a couple.” I knew I was going to hit a nerve with this, but I might not get another chance like this moment to drag more information out of him. It was worth a try.
Tony spun in his chair so he could look at me again, his expression blank. “I told you, we never were a couple. We dated for a while is all.”
“Because she dumped you after you slept with her?”
“Sam, I’m not up to talking about Cloey and me.”
“Why not? It’s apparent something happened between you and her that causes my life to spin out of control.” Unintentionally, my tone had become harsh as I gripped the edge of the sill for support.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean she knows you kissed me. And today she threatened to get me out of the way, whatever that meant. She already hates me because her mom and I get along so well.” I left the spot by the window and crossed to the opposite wall. Tony spun once more to follow me with his gaze. Leaning with my back against the door, I continued, “But the fact that you and I might be involved somehow ticked her off totally. And I want to know from you why that is.”
“It ticked her off, did it…” Tony rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “I thought it might.”
“You thought so?” My voice hitched. “But everyone said she dumped you. Why would she still care? I don’t get it.”
Tony pulled his left leg to his chest, placed his foot on the seat, wrapping his fingers around his ankle, and rested his chin on his knee. He looked at me for a long time, his lips compressed, his eyes wide and soft. What the heck? Would he tell me what happened already?
“So…” I carefully prodded when it seemed he’d never say anything again.
Heaving a deep sigh, Tony licked his bottom lip, then began, “So…what would you think if I told you I never slept with her?”
I pulled my brows into a deep frown. “What?”
“You want the truth? I want your promise that it will stay in this room, no matter what happens.”
Tony was willing to give away a secret, exclusively to me? I probably looked as thunderstruck as I felt, because he chuckled. “Promise?” he demanded.
“I promise.”
“Well, I believe it’s no secret to you that I…felt a certain attraction to Liza for a long time.”
I shook my head. I had been told that he was madly in love with her.
“The thing is I didn’t realize how much I really liked Liza until I started dating your cousin. First, it was all exciting and cool, and I thought I was falling in love with Cloey. But when I brought her to my room one night, and she was all over me, I couldn’t stop thinking about Liz. And suddenly it felt really, really wrong to be with Cloey.”
Tony paused long enough for all this information to sink in.
“So it wasn’t her who dumped you,” I reasoned. “You sent her away that night, didn’t you?”
With his chin still on his knee, he nodded once.
“Oh my God,” I whispered. “That’s why she cried for weeks. My aunt told me about it. Cloey felt so miserable, and I’ve been wondering why all this time, when everyone thought she was just a bitch. You hurt her.”
“And I felt terrible about it. For exactly two minutes. Then she threatened me with something you should never threaten a guy with.”
“What did she say?”
“She warned me to keep my mouth shut and let people believe she broke off with me. Saving her pride somehow, I guess. Otherwise she’d tell everyone that I was only lying about it because I was dead in the sack.”
Even now I could see how deeply Cloey’s threat had cut into his pride when his blue eyes turned sad and a soft pink crept to his cheeks.
“But your friends would have believed you. Why didn’t you tell them? Why did you lie to Liza when this would have been your chance to get her back?”
“Ah, there was some other shit going on with Liz that night. I had practically shoved her into Hunter’s arms, and he was just too happy to keep her. I could have said whatever I wanted. They wouldn’t have believed me.”
“And later? What about now?”
“Now it doesn’t matter anymore. They’re in love.” He shrugged nonchalantly, his eyes focused on the floor. “Nothing can change that.”
“But you still love her.”
His gaze lifted to mine and he smirked. “Do I?”
“I don’t know. Do you?”
“Well…that’s actually what I’ve been trying to figure out lately.”
“Figure it out? Why? Shouldn’t you know what you feel?”
“Hmm.” He pressed his lips together, then
he asked out of the blue, “Are you in love with me, Summers?”
“I—er— Sorry, what?” In a split second my mouth had gone bone dry.
“Let’s see if I’ve got this right.” Tony rose from his chair and slowly walked toward me, his bare feet slapping on the parquet. “You like hanging out with me…and you certainly enjoyed me kissing you.” He tilted his head, arching his brows. “Then again, I think I make you angry a lot, which probably makes you damn me to hell.”
He broke through my personal zone and placed both his palms at eye level against the door, hemming me in. I wondered if this was to reassure himself that he wasn’t going to touch me.
“Now, tell me, Summers, is this love?”
The temperature in the room rose about twenty degrees. I pressed harder against the door, flattening my hands against the wood. “I don’t know,” was the only honest answer I could give him. It came out in a hoarse whisper.
“See? Sometimes it’s just hard to tell. I don’t know if I’m still in love with Liz.”
His soft breath graced my skin. My breathing quickened. “And now you’re using me to find out how you feel about her?”
“No, Samantha...” Tony dragged out my name as though it was some candy he was devouring. “I’m not using you.” Relaxing his shoulders, he dipped his head a little more. His mouth was so close, I could feel the soft brush of his lips against the corner of mine when he drawled, “You drive me crazy.”
My knees got wobbly. The blood in my veins heated up to an unbearable point. “I’m—sorry?”
“Are you?” Tony chuckled low and deep.
“I feel like I should be.”
“You make it impossible for me to stay away from you.”
“I didn’t know I did.”
Tony angled his head so his nose skimmed along my hair and he took a deep breath. “You’re the total opposite of what I always thought I wanted. Cheeky. Tiny. With an impossible haircut.”