Becca hugged her and laughed out loud. She leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “You have balls of steel tonight. What has gotten into you?”
Angela watched Jacob smack Nick on the arm, which apparently signaled a wrestling match as they all made their way to the parking lot.
“Just feeling a bit frisky and I must say I like it.” Becca didn’t know of her feelings towards Clay, no one did, and she intended it to stay that way.
Becca squeezed her shoulders again and finally released her. As they walked toward Becca’s car she’d gotten on her sixteenth birthday, she said, “Well, we’re going to meet everybody at the ice cream place down the street. Ready?”
Angela’s gaze was still a bit foggy but she managed, “As I’ll ever be.”
Fifteen minutes later, they snagged a close parking spot and exited the vehicle. As Angela stepped from the car, she caught Nick eyeing her legs when her skirt rode just a few inches higher than normal.
He came over to shut her car door behind her and then walked beside her from the parking lot to the entrance door. His hand rested on the small of her back, gentlemanly, but possessive nonetheless.
“So, what did you think of the movie?” he asked as he held the door open for her, Becca and Jacob were holding hands already and lolly gagging behind them, so they went ahead without them.
“It was all right, but I have to admit I didn’t watch much of it. I enjoyed watching everybody in the theater though. Now that was entertaining. What about you? Did you have fun?”
They walked up, joining the end of the line to wait for their turn to order. “I am now,” Nick replied as he sidled up next to her.
Angela looked up at him with her lips curving into a grin as Becca and Jacob finally made their entrance.
Becca made a beeline for Angela, and Jacob pulled Nick to the side.
“It didn’t take you two long to get cozy,” Angela announced to Becca with a knowing glance in Jacob’s direction.
“He’s so hot, isn’t he?”
Angela fought a laugh, but stifled it as she prompted Becca, “So, are you ditching me?” She already knew the answer as soon as Becca blushed and wouldn’t look her in the face.
When Becca finally spoke she said, “You know my parents are so strict about dating but I really want to spend some time with Jacob, and then I’ll take him home. Is that okay? I really feel bad,” she added at the end, and Angela could tell her best friend was torn.
Angela smiled and patted her arm, reassuring her that she would be fine.
Becca finally calmed down as Angela said, “Have fun and don’t worry about me. I’ll find another way home.”
“You are so self-sufficient. I wish I was as independent as you are,” Becca admitted.
“Thanks. Now go have fun, but not too much, Becca.”
She hugged her laughing friend goodbye. Becca kissed her on the cheek, and then dashed out the door with Jacob, who was winking at Nick over his shoulder.
“Your friend will be missing body parts if he takes advantage of her,” Angela declared all sugary sweet to Nick as he walked back up to her.
He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to hide his grin. “I have a feeling Becca can hold her own in that department.”
He was more right than she wanted him to know, so since their turn was coming up next to order, she turned her attention back to the ice cream case.
Nick stayed very close to her while they ordered and watched the employees make their ice cream concoctions on a freezing slab of marble.
They sat at a table in the brightly lit restaurant and talked about school and football games, grades, friends and family.
By the time they were through and throwing out their trash, Angela decided Nick was a nice guy. Both charming and gorgeous to boot. He was quick to smile, had a good laugh and was a bit more than just a ball of testosterone ready to jump her.
That prospect should have sent her head spinning but it was only a minor blip on her radar.
As they walked outside, Nick took Angela’s hand and stayed close to the building as they made their way back to his car, which was parked quite a few spaces down. She felt nice and comfortable with him.
Quite unexpectedly, Nick slowed and turned around to face her while they were in shadows, tugging her to a stop in front of him.
She was taken by surprise, steadying herself on his chest. “Are you okay, Nick? Is something wrong?”
He surprised her again by asking, “Can I kiss you?” in a rather husky voice.
She chewed on her lower lip and hoped he couldn’t fully see her face in the darkness. She didn’t want her hesitation to affect him. But all she could see was Clay’s face. It was horrible to use Nick, but since opportunities like that rarely presented themselves, she decided to take advantage of it while she could.
She took a step closer, relishing the feel of his hairy legs against her smooth shins.
He was a bit closer to her height than most guys were and she ran her fingers across his lips, whispering, “Yes, you can kiss me.”
Nick kissed her fingertips first and then angled his head down to hers.
He was soft and gentle to her mouth, not ever pushing his luck with her on this first, non-date kiss. He was the absolute gentleman he was supposed to be and it did nothing but leave her wanting.
Angela put her hands up behind his neck to grab a handful of his hair and deepen the kiss, but they were both blinded by headlights from the car sitting in the parking space directly in front of them.
They broke the kiss, shielding their eyes from the concentrated light.
Nick reached down to take Angela’s hand and lead her to his vehicle, when an angry voice came from the open door of the car that had just illuminated them.
“Angela, Mom and Dad would like you home now. They weren’t very pleased when I called and told them Becca went home without you and left you in the hands of some guy they’d never met before.”
Angela absolutely froze when she heard Clay utter that line of bull.
Nick was still trying to see past the blinding headlights as he asked, “Is that your brother? I thought Mark was off at college…”
Angela was livid, that Clay of all people would show up and ruin her fun.
She turned to Nick and replied, “Mark is away at school. That’s Clay, his best friend, who it seems is determined to ruin my night before he leaves for boot camp. I’ve got to go or my parents are going to completely freak out. Can I talk to you on Monday?”
She could tell by his facial expression, Nick knew he didn’t have a choice and looked at her with a reassuring smile. “Sure I’ll be there and we can talk more. Maybe we can even do the whole movie and ice cream thing again next week with everybody? This time, a few less people between us might be cool?”
“Angela, they’re waiting,” was all Clay said as he got back in the car and slammed the door.
Angela was totally on edge knowing Clay watched her so intently. She knew his hands would be strangling the steering wheel and the side of his forehead would be throbbing.
Well, screw him, Angela thought as she pulled Nick back down to her mouth and planted a huge kiss on his lips. “I’ll see you at school and we’ll plan something for next weekend, okay?”
Angela stomped over to Clay’s passenger side as Nick called after her, “Cool. Night, Angie!”
Angela wretched the door open as she tried to yell, “Good night!” over the rev of the engine.
She slammed the door shut as she watched Nick walk in the direction of his vehicle with a confused smile and a little wave.
By the time Nick was out of view Angela couldn’t be any more ready for a fight. She’d never been so embarrassed, and that was saying something with an older brother.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” she yelled.
When
she opened her mouth to speak again Clay growled, “Put your seat belt on,” through gritted teeth.
She snapped it into place as he whipped out of the parking space and out on the main road like a maniac.
She chanced a glance over at his silhouette next to her, and knew she should have kept her eyes focused on the scenery flying by.
He looked good. Muscular, intense. His head shaved for boot camp and camo shorts just short enough to see his lower thigh muscles clench as he furiously worked the clutch.
He looked dangerous and she hated herself for liking it. All she wanted was to stay mad at him for being such an ass, but she couldn’t get past turned on. The realization that he had the ability to push her buttons so easily made her temper flare.
“What’s gotten into you?” Angela bit out as they got on the freeway.
When he didn’t answer, she turned to face him and continued, “I wasn’t doing anything wrong. Nick could have taken me home just as quickly as you could. I can’t believe you told my parents about tonight and…”
“I didn’t tell your parents jack,” Clay admitted, his voice like ice, as he continued to stare straight ahead through the windshield.
“Excuse me, what do you mean you didn’t tell my parents anything? You said—”
“No matter how mad I am at you, I would never rat you out to your parents. I don’t want them to worry about you.”
“There isn’t anything to worry about, Clay,” she admitted, edging on exasperation again. “But I still don’t understand what you mean. You didn’t tell them about Becca leaving?”
“I followed you here, I watched Becca leave and then I watched you inside with him.” He uttered the last word like it was a curse.
Angela’s brain spun in several directions at once and finally settled on, “Then why are you mad? You knew he would take me home and I could handle myself, didn’t you?”
“I know exactly what he wants from you,” he spat back at her. He glared at her. Once her heart was ready to beat out of her chest he turned his gaze back to the road and then continued, “I made up the story so you’d have to leave with me instead of him. I took my own advice finally,” he snorted in disgust. With him or with her, she didn’t know.
Angela heard the confession in his voice and needed him to understand what was in her head. He’d never been receptive to hearing her feelings for him, so she stated two things very simply before he could argue.
“All you have to do is ask if you want me to go anywhere with you, and when I was kissing him tonight it wasn’t his face I saw in my head.”
Angela faced her window in silence because she couldn’t bear to see rejection in his eyes tonight. She’d always been able to take his rebuffs and think about tomorrow, but tonight she was afraid it would alter something inside her.
They rode in abject silence for the next few minutes as Clay exited the freeway and Angela recognized the familiar street they were on as the one right before the turn onto her street. Her heart sank because she didn’t want to go home and she didn’t want him leaving to go into the Marines on an argument. Not that they had much of anything but arguments after that night on the porch swing. Her mind swam for something to fix the rift that had formed between them in the past year.
She wasn’t sure of what to do or say to fix it since she didn’t think he would hear her out anyway, so she remained completely silent as her heart broke.
Her eyes threatened to tear up as Clay slowed the vehicle to a crawl and put it into park on the side of the street they were on, switching off the lights.
She didn’t understand what was going on since they weren’t in front of her house, but she stared out her window anyway, trying to find a way to at least remain friends when she wanted so much more.
Clay gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles threatened to break it and he took a deep breath.
She heard him shift in his seat to face her, but she stared out her window seeing nothing. Her hands shook so badly she clasped them tightly in her lap, trying to calm herself, but it wasn’t working at all.
Her breath caught in her throat when Clay ordered, “Angela, look at me,” in the sexiest voice, giving her that tingling feeling again.
She wanted to ignore him. She knew she needed to get out of the vehicle right then and just walk the rest of the way home, so she didn’t have to hear the same speech about her not being right for him.
She reached up and grabbed the door handle when he said, “Please, Angie, I need you to look at me.”
God, she had loved him for so long. His gentle plea broke something in her fragile resolve.
She whipped around to face him, unleashing years of pent-up, unrequited affection.
“Why, so you can walk away from me tonight and never look back? Or so you can pat me on the head and tell me I’m too young to know what I feel and tell me to find someone my own age? Well, fuck you if that’s all you have to say to me!”
Angela never cursed but she couldn’t hold back the hurt and fear raging inside her. She didn’t want him leaving and she didn’t want him to treat her like a child with a crush. What lived inside her was more than that for him and he knew it.
She opened her mouth to tell him exactly what she thought of him, but she forgot what she wanted to say when he reached up and put his hands on either side of her face and brought it, roughly, within inches of his.
Angela could feel his breath on her lips as he confessed, “I’m not going to tell you any of that tonight.”
He pulled her the last few inches up to his face and hungrily invaded her mouth. A sigh escaped her as he nudged her lips open and showed her what a real kiss was like.
She had kissed a couple other guys, but those had been nothing like this. They had been sweet and clumsy and awkward.
This one was wet, passionate, and warm against the cold from her ice cream.
Clay knew what he was doing and groaned as she angled her head to get closer to his tongue. She licked against his tongue, memorizing the taste of him. Wondering how she would survive without this when he left.
Angela half leaned forward on the middle console, reaching for his arm to steady herself, but Clay tried moving it out of range.
She opened her eyes a bit startled and stared into his tortured face. Angela tightened her hold on his arm and whispered, “Don’t stop, Clay. Don’t pull away from me. Not tonight. I’ll do anything you want me to, just don’t leave yet.”
Clay dropped his forehead, placing it against hers, letting out a deep breath with his eyes closed.
“Why can’t I get you out of my head, Angela?” he barely whispered, more to himself than to her.
Angela reached up to touch his face. She wanted to smooth away the worry that was apparent there, but Clay caught her hand before it reached its destination.
He held it tightly as she said, “I want to touch you. I want to feel all of you. I don’t want you to leave tomorrow before I even get a taste of what could be between us.”
One of Angela’s biggest fears was that something would happen to him in the military. He could get hurt or worse, she could lose him forever.
“You know me better than anyone and that’s why I’ve fought this for so long. Plus…you’re my best friend’s baby sister.”
Angela tried to pull her hand away as she turned her head to the side. She wasn’t going just to sit by and hear all of his excuses again. She had them memorized by now and they were ridiculous.
Clay let go of her hand to pull her face back around, forcing her to hear him out.
“There are a lot of things that you haven’t done yet that I have no right to be a part of.”
She opened her mouth to speak, to protest the fact that he was the only one that she wanted to share herself with, but Clay laid his fingers across her mouth.
He took a deep breath. “I’m l
eaving tomorrow for I don’t know how long and I don’t know if I’m coming back.”
Angela’s eyes finally welled over, as they had been threatening since she got in the car.
She reached up, holding his hands to her cheeks and leaned to one side to cherish the contact she knew was about to be stripped away.
“Please come back for me. I’ll be all grown up, then we can leave together and no one has to know where we’ve gone or anything.”
Clay shook his head and tugged his hands free from hers.
She let him because she knew he wouldn’t listen to her anyway.
He started the car, switched the lights on, pulling back onto the road.
Angela’s heart ached as he stopped the vehicle next door to her house. Neither one of them wanted her parents to find her with him. That would lead to too many questions that neither of them had answers to.
She wiped the tears away quickly from her cheeks and reached up to grab the door handle. As she opened the door and put one foot outside, she hesitated and turned back, “Why wouldn’t you take me someplace tonight? Some place private, so I could show you how much I want you to come back for me?”
She knew he could see the hurt in her eyes, and would have given anything to control her emotions so he wouldn’t see her as just some girl with a crush. What he said next thrilled and terrified her.
“If I had you tonight, I wouldn’t have been able to leave. Protecting you would consume me. You’d be mine and I’d never let you go. You aren’t mine to have, Angela, but wanting you will give me something to fight for.”
Before he could stop her, Angela leaned over to where he stared at her and took his mouth with hers. She grabbed a handful of his shirt to hold his mouth to hers and got lost in her love for him almost immediately.
She pulled her mouth from his to take a breath as he grabbed a handful of her hair and exposed her neck to his mouth. Her pulse raced under her skin where he touched her. She loved the way he made her feel and his smell intoxicated her senses.
Her breathing was rushed and shallow as she demanded, “Come back for me, Clay, I’ll wait forever if I have to.”
Final Surrender: The Surrender Series, Book 1 Page 4