“Let’s see if I can live up to the fantasy,” he teased as he handed over five dollars to the man running the game. Three softballs were placed in front of him. “You might want to stand back a little,” he winked at me as he got ready throw at the milk bottles a few feet in front of him. I’d seen my dad try this game, and it wasn’t easy. You had to knock them all down in one shot to win. If you didn’t hit the stack just right, one always got left behind.
Brock turned sideways as if he were getting ready to pitch, and wound up. When his arm came forward, releasing the ball, it sliced to the side only taking out two of the bottles. “Almost,” the guy chuckled. “You trying to win something for the lady? You need to throw like a man,” he teased.
Brock shook his head and laughed under his breath as he stepped back a little farther. “I was too close,” he winked at me again. “Start deciding what you want,” he eyed the stuffed animals that were hanging overhead. “This one’s going to do it.” His chin dipped as he stepped back, and hurled the ball in the direction of the restacked tower. The bottles blew apart like a set of bowling pins, and as a grin spread across Brock’s face, the guy running the game nodded in appreciation.
“Nice job, Slugger,” I giggled as Brock turned to face me. He held his arm out in a sweeping motion as he bowed and laughed, breaking the tension that we’d had between us just moments ago.
“So what do you want?” he slung an arm around my shoulder and pointed to the myriad of items hanging above us.
“You pick,” I smiled at him and watched as he scanned the choices.
“We’ll take that one,” he pointed, and when the guy handed him the giant kangaroo he passed it to me. We started to walk away before he leaned closer and asked, “Aren’t you going to ask why I picked that one?”
“Why did you pick this one?” I rolled my eyes as I hugged it tighter to my chest. I was surprised that he didn’t pick a teddy bear. That was usually the standard prize, but I didn’t care. It was from him. He’d picked it, and the truth was I would have accepted anything he’d chosen.
“I remember how good you used to be at bouncing around on that diving board at your parents’ house. I remember you teaching me that the bounce determined whether you landed the flip. Kangaroos bounce a lot,” he grinned as he moved his arm back to my shoulder. I didn’t shy away this time, instead I leaned into him and let him lead me around the different games before escorting me down to where the food was.
Brock
“Mmmm,” she mumbled as she stuffed another bite of funnel cake into her mouth. I couldn’t believe she put away the food that she did. I’d never seen a girl eat like that, but it made me happy. All this ‘I’m too fat. I want a salad’ bullshit got old. I liked women who embraced the way they looked and believed me when I told them they were beautiful.
“You gotta stop that,” I warned as I watched her lick the powdered sugar off her fingers one at a time.
“What?” she looked at me with a blank expression before one side of her lips began to curl. “It’s good. Want some?” she broke off a piece and held it out to me. Now if I wasn’t the type to know what I wanted, I would have reached up and grabbed it with my fingers, but who was I to pass up this opportunity?
Instead, I leaned forward and nipped it with my teeth. Her eyes flared as I smirked and let my lips graze her fingers. A blush spread over her cheeks as she quickly pulled her hand away. “You’re right,” I mumbled around a mouthful of the powdered dessert. “This is really good.”
“Un huh,” she looked away before pulling her hands into her lap. She was nervous, that much I could tell. Every time I’d try to add a little heat to our evening, she’d pull away. I didn’t know why. I’d always thought that she liked me. At least when we were younger it seemed that way.
“Are you seeing someone back at school?” I blurted. I figured I’d just ask and get it out of the way. Maybe I wasn’t alone in the battle for her attention.
“What? No!” she shook her head as she fidgeted in her seat.
“Come on,” I stood and held my hand out. “Let’s go for a walk,” I tipped my head in the direction of the sand as I watched her slowly stand. She tugged at her shorts before grabbing the kangaroo and wrapping her arms tightly around it. As she hugged it to her chest I silently wished it was me that she wanted to hang on to so tight.
We made our way off the pier and down to the sand where we stepped out of our flip-flops. I took hers from her grasp and held onto them along with mine. I grabbed her hand with my free one and twined our fingers together. I’d never been the guy to beat around the bush, so I decided to push a little tonight and see where this went. She’d already alluded to the fact that she was only home for the summer, and I still didn’t know where she called home the rest of the year. If this was going to be a summer fling, I needed to get on it, and soon.
Emma
His hand was warm and slightly rough. When he grabbed my hand, a buzzing sensation raced up my arm. I closed my eyes for a moment while I took a deep breath, and told myself to relax. This was Brock. My Brock. The Brock who used to tease me when I was younger.
“So, how long have you been back here?” I kept my eyes straight ahead. It was the only way I could keep the nervous tremble out of my voice.
“A little over a year,” he squeezed my hand.
“Where’d you go to school?” I’d wondered this as soon as he stopped coming around. My dad didn’t really have the information. After he’d offered Brock a spot on his team and Brock turned him down, there wasn’t much communication. I’d spied on him in the mornings during his run, but he stopped talking to me once my dad’s wooing ceased.
“University of Southern California,” he smiled as I looked up.
“That’s impressive,” I gasped.
“Not really,” he shrugged. “I wanted to go back home; be near my friends; play for the team I’d dreamed about since I was little. It didn’t matter though,” his head dropped.
“Why? What happened?” I stopped moving and pulled him to a halt. His eyes glazed over as he stared out into the darkness. We’d moved far enough away from the pier that only the moon and stars illuminated us. The waves crashed, causing water to swirl around our ankles. I could barely hear him over the ocean.
“I took a bad hit at the end of the season my junior year. Torn rotator cuff. Doctor told me I’d never play again, not at the college level anyway. Forget going pro,” he stared out at the water. “So,” he took a deep breath and blew it out loudly, “I came back here. I wasn’t going to stick around, but I found a job I really like.”
“Oh? What’s that?” I smiled up at him.
“Enough about me,” he chuckled. “Tell me about you.”
“What about me?” I nibbled my lip as I thought about everything that had happened over the last several months. I wanted to tell somebody so badly, but I just couldn’t bring myself to bring it up. I didn’t really want to unload on Brock either. I was finally getting what I wanted from him... his attention, and I had no plans to wreck that.
“What have you been up to since I left? I haven’t seen you in like six years,” he turned us and began walking back toward the pier.
“I spent most of that time finishing school. I got a lacrosse scholarship to Eastman,” my voice trailed off.
“That’s great,” his voice rose in excitement.
“I guess. I quit the team last month,” I mumbled.
“I’m sorry,” his voice lowered and he released my hand, only to wrap his arm around my shoulders.
“Don’t be, I’m not,” I shook my head as I kicked at the sand, causing a small amount of water to splash up.
“Hey Emma?” he dropped his arm from where it was around me. He grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face him. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you all night.”
“What’s that?” I sucked my lip between my teeth again and watched his eyes flare.
“Don’t do that,” he growled as he stared
at my mouth.
“Why?” I teased before doing it again.
“Because it distracts me, and I need to ask you something,” he huffed. I released my lip from between my teeth before tipping my eyes up to look into his. “Can I see you again?”
“Like another date?” I squeaked.
“Yeah, you said you weren’t seeing anyone. I’d like to change that,” he bent his knees so he could look me directly in the eyes.
Please tell me this isn’t a dream. Tell me that Brock Foster really just confessed that he wants to see me again. This can’t be real.
I started looking around, wondering if this was all a mean trick. It had happened in high school with Matt Starnes, and it felt like that all over again.
“I like you, and I’d like to get to know you better. We’re different people now,” he smiled and my nerves caused me to pull my lip between my teeth again.
“You have to stop that,” he growled as he moved closer to me. My hand holding the kangaroo dropped to beside me as he leaned closer, causing his chest to bump against mine. “Stop me if I’m outta line,” he muttered as his head dipped to the side and he pressed his lips lightly to mine.
Oh my god! None of the fantasies that I had built up in my head all those years ago came anywhere close to the real thing. His lips were soft but insistent, and I all but melted into him. I dropped the stuffed kangaroo as both arms lifted and I fisted his t-shirt tightly. My feet shuffled forward as my hips bumped into his. His chest vibrated as he groaned, and when I gasped he ran his tongue along my bottom lip as if he were asking permission. I released his shirt, and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He stumbled slightly, catching himself as his arms banded around my waist. One hand gripped my hip as the other made its way up my back and finally tangled in the hair at the base of my neck.
“Fuck!” he hissed as he pulled back panting.
My eyes fluttered open, and my fingers came up to my lips. They were swollen from the kiss and tingled. I looked over to see Brock pacing back and forth in short strides. He was muttering something to himself that I couldn’t understand, and I wondered if it was regret.
“Are you ok?” I reached out and grabbed his arm. He stopped and looked at me for a minute before going back to the pacing. I reached down, grabbed the kangaroo, and began walking back as I shouted, “It’s no big deal. Forget it happened.”
“What? No!” he called as he jogged a few paces to catch up with me. “I don’t want to forget that it happened.”
“You don’t?” I stopped and stared at him, thoroughly confused. “Then what was all that?”
“I’m just trying to wrap my head around you being you,” he sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. “My eyes can see that you’re all grown up. My body sees it too, but my brain is having a hard time accepting that. I want to be around you. I need to, but it’s like I’m at war on the inside. It’s just going to take a little time,” he blew out a deep breath as he shook his head. “God, I sound like such a pussy.”
“It takes a real man to tell a woman how he feels. I like that. Don’t ever change that,” I smiled softly as I watched acceptance wash over him. His posture relaxed and he seemed at peace with what had just transpired between us.
“We should head back. It’s getting late, and I might not let you leave if you keep looking at me like that,” he smirked as he grabbed my hand and began leading me toward the pier.
“Oh really. What exactly would we do if I stayed?” I giggled as I leaned toward him and laid my head against his shoulder.
“You don’t want me to be that honest yet. You’re not ready for it,” he growled in my ear.
“I might be,” I teased.
“Trust me, you’re not. Not now anyway. Give me a few weeks and I’ll show you,” his voice lowered to barely above a whisper.
“Can you show me what this says too?” I grazed my finger along the waistband of his shorts right where the tattoo was hidden. The darkness was making me brave, and even though I knew I should go home, a part of me never wanted the night to end.
His body went ridged as he hissed, “You’re killing me, Em. God, you’re killing me, but what a way to die.”
We both laughed as we made our way back to the parking lot at the pier. Brock handed me my flip-flops before pressing a light kiss to my cheek. “Meet me for running in the morning?” he whispered next to my ear.
“Ok,” I smiled back.
“See ya at seven,” he walked me over to my car and opened the door for me, “and Em?” I turned back to look at him as I climbed in.
“Yeah?” I tossed the stuffed kangaroo in the passenger side.
“I had a great time tonight,” he winked before closing my door behind me.
I watched him as I backed out of my spot. When I got to the main road, I peered in the mirror and still spotted him there. He hadn’t moved and continued to stare. I kept looking back waiting for him to move, but soon I’d gotten too far away to see him anymore.
I thought about our night for the entire drive home. I hadn’t really found out much about him. Other than the little bit he shared about college, I didn’t have any new information. I knew he worked nearby, and that would keep him close, but he didn’t really open up. I hadn’t either, so there was that. How would Brock feel if he knew the real reason I’d come home? Would he still want me, and more importantly... how would my parents feel? Could they forgive my mistakes, and would I be better off just starting over and leaving last year’s mistakes in the past? Could I do that to Mel? I didn’t have answers to any of this, but I had a feeling that Brock held some of them. Only time would tell.
Chapter 5
Brock
“God I am so screwed,” I groaned to Pete, my pet parrot as I stretched and prepared for my morning run.
“So screwed, so screwed,” he squawked back to me.
“Thanks, buddy,” I rolled my eyes as I sighed. I’d been thinking about Emma pretty much nonstop since I left the pier last night. I’d thought I could do this, but the longer I hid who I was from her, the worse it was getting. I knew I needed to fess up and lay all the cards out, but part of me was worried that she’d stop whatever this was before it really started.
“What do you think, Pete? Am I outta my mind here?” I shook my head as I grabbed my keys off the table and stuffed them in my gym shorts. I didn’t live on the beach. In fact, I lived a few blocks inland, I just liked running on the beach. Seeing her that morning was a complete coincidence. I’d changed my route, and now I was going to stick to that one even though I needed to drive to the public access lot in order to do so.
“Later, buddy,” I waved as I made my way over to the door.
“So screwed, so screwed,” he mimicked again. Yeah, I was screwed.
It didn’t take me long to get to the public lot. I locked up my car, pushed my earbuds in, and took off down the beach toward where I’d run into her the day before. I knew where her parents lived. Hell, I used to run by her house every day. I refused to do that now though, and as I saw her approaching in the distance, I was thankful I wasn’t going to have to come up with an excuse.
Emma
“Later!” I waved and called as I jogged past my parents sitting on the deck. They were so absorbed in reading the paper and eating breakfast that I didn’t think they heard me.
“Two days in a row?” Mom smiled at me.
“I like to stay in shape,” I shrugged. Ever since we’d talked about me quitting the team she’d kinda left me alone. I was thankful for the space, but I was waiting for one of them to corner me.
“Later,” Dad grumbled without looking up. I think he was still mad at me, or disappointed, or something. He was kinda freezing me out, but it was also the beginning of summer training camp for the team. I knew how it was. His head would be buried in football for next three months waiting for the season to start. He and Uncle Cam would be in meetings and practices during the day, and closed up in his office at night. I remember
what it was like when I was little. The only good thing that ever came out of it was he sometimes let me come with him.
I shook my head at him as I bounced down to the pool area. I stretched a little, put my earbuds in, and took off down the beach. I’d planned to meet up with Brock, but I needed to get away from the house and clear my head. As much as my parents said they’d support my decision, I knew they felt bad that I’d quit.
After about a quarter mile, I saw him. His head was bent as he clicked buttons on his iPod and he was moving at a slow jog. His head popped up as I got closer, and a smile appeared. He gestured toward the pier that Mom and I had run to the other day, and I nodded in agreement.
Once we turned, I decided to raise the speed. Brock had been a college athlete. He used to run all the time. I wanted to see if he’d follow me, let me win, or try to beat me there.
“Where’s the fire?” he yanked one of his earbuds out as he elbowed me in the side.
“No fire,” I grinned as I sped up a little more. We were almost there, and I still had enough gas left in the tank to go full out.
“Why are you speeding up?” he panted as he matched my stride.
“Afraid you’ll get beaten by a girl?” I teased. “I could go on for miles like this.” The truth was I could run several miles, but not at this pace. We were running closer to the pace my mom usually set, and even though I had no intention of telling Brock this, I was nearing my limit.
“You think you can beat me to the pier, is that it?” he laughed before shaking his head. We still had about a quarter mile based on where I thought we were. Things always look closer than they really are on the beach.
“If I win, you have meet me on the beach tonight for dinner,” he smirked before increasing our pace.
“What do I get if I win?” I panted as I caught up to him.
“What do you want?” he sped up a little more.
“I’ll let you know!” I shouted as I kicked it up to high gear and raced toward the pilings. I yanked the earbuds from my ears so I could hear him better, but he was rather light on his feet. I’d thought I had him beat, and was just getting ready to celebrate when he breezed by me.
Catching Raindrops (The Sutter Family #1) Page 4