“It’s good to see you hanging out with you friends again.”
Again. It’s hard to hear that my parents have been worried about me. Hanging out with anyone but Alyssa usually spelled trouble. Even though Brendan and I are still friends, sometimes hanging out with him caused problems of their own.
“Yeah. It was a lot of fun.”
“I mean, we love Alyssa, but you need to spend time with more than just her,” Mom says with a smile.
“Speaking of spending time with other people, I did promise to take Seona out to the park before the game today.”
Her eyes light up. “Oh, I really like her, Jayceon.”
I want to roll my eyes at her excitement, but I keep myself in check. “Me too. I’m going to go get ready.”
Grabbing a cinnamon bun, I get up and head towards the hall. Mom’s voice stops me before I reach the door.
“There’s a painting seminar this afternoon before the game if you want to go.”
“Oh man Mom, I’d love to, but I don’t want to wait until after to pick her up.”
I needed to start groveling now.
Mom gave me the same smile as Dad. “What were your plans?”
“I was going to take her to lunch and then maybe to the park before the game.”
Mom’s mischievous smirk lit up her face. “It’s live subject painting today.”
“Live subject?” My brain must still be tired because I have no idea what she’s hinting at.
Mom gives me an eye roll. ‘Too much like you father. Yes, live subject. You could bring Seona along as your model and paint her.”
Wow, that would be the perfect surprise to start making things up to her.
“Ah. I think she’d like that. Thanks Mom.”
She bumped my shoulder with hers. “It starts at one o’clock. Now go get ready and don’t forget your brushes, I know you don’t like theirs.”
She hands me money, for lunch and a little extra. “Thanks Mom.” I kiss her on the cheek.
“I’ll see you there. And Dad, good luck today. We’ll see you after the game.”
“Thanks Jayceon. Have fun today.”
Running up the stairs, I stuff the cinnamon roll in my mouth and head into my room to grab my clothes. After a quick shower, I’m in my truck on my way back to Seona’s. When I pull up, Travis is outside putting a bag into the back seat of his car. He waves me over the minute I step out of the car.
“Hey man, I’m glad you and Seona worked everything out. Don’t pull shit like that again.” Travis says.
“Don’t worry I won’t.”
“That’s good to hear, because I don’t want to kick your ass and that’s not even considering what your dad would do if he caught you..”
I run a hand through my hair. “Thanks man. After last night, I’m not sure I deserve your understanding.”
Travis shakes his head. “Trust me, you did. I think you’ll understand after you talk to Seona.” The way his brow draws down makes me a little nervous he’s pissed, but with his words, whatever he’s mad at it isn’t me.
I hear the screen door open and turn to look at Seona standing on the porch. The way her tank top fits her perfectly curved body, makes me hard in seconds. It’s the last thing I want her brother to see, especially considering that he’s already pissed off.
“Hey,” I say the minute she walks up to me. That’s when I notice that she’s scowling and now I’m really starting to wonder what the hell I might have done to piss everyone off since I left this morning.
“What do you remember about last night?”
Shit, shit, shit. What else did I do last night? Watching her stare at me, makes me wish I could remember something that would give me a clue as to what happened? “I thought we went through everything this morning. I don’t remember anything.”
Seona plops her hands on her hips and she looks wicked pissed. “That bastard confessed to drugging you.”
“You went over there?”
“Hell yeah! Chaz put Zantac in your beer.”
“Dammit. I knew it.” I knew Chaz was a bastard, why didn’t I listen to my gut last night?
Travis steps up next to his sister. “The only reason I haven’t driven over there to beat the living shit out of him is because of the game today.” His hands clench at his side.
Seona places her hand on his shoulder. “We talked about this. No one’s doing anything right now. We will deal with his ass later. Right now, I’m going to enjoy the rest of my weekend by going on a date with my boyfriend,” she says, giving me a wide smile.
I can tell she’s trying to fight her feelings, because I feel the same thing. Anger. After all that happened in the past he would try and pull that shit with me? It’s something I’m going to have to deal with eventually, but Seona’s right, today is about our first official date.
Returning her smile, I say, “Well, let’s go enjoy our day.”
Travis looks between the two of us. His eyebrows are as high as his hairline. “Are you telling me that neither of you are pissed about what happened?”
Seona looks at me, then back at Travis. “Oh, I think we are both really pissed, but we’re not going to let that douchcanoe ruin our first date.”
Looking into Seona’s eyes, I agree. “We’ll deal with him later. Right now we’re going to lunch, then I have a surprise for you.” I take her hand and turn to Travis. “We’ll see you at the game.”
“Alright. Enjoy your day.”
We start towards my car when Travis calls out. “I’ll teach him a lesson if you need me to.” And he sounds more than happy at that prospect.
Once we’re in the car, she looks over at me. “You have a surprise for me?”
Having not kissed her since that morning, I feel the need to taste her before I answer the question. Leaning across the console, I capture her lips with mine. They taste like strawberry and I don’t think I’ll ever get enough. When I finally pull away, it’s only because I know our time is limited to get lunch if I want to make it to the seminar in time.
“I do have a surprise for you, but you’ll have to wait and see. What do you want for lunch?”
“Let’s grab a pizza. I’m dying to see what you have planned and I know I don’t have the patience to wait.”
“Can do.” I back out of the drive and head into town.
Lunch goes quickly and my nerves about taking her to the seminar start to settle in. What if she thinks it’s dumb? What if the painting sucks? Eventually our check comes and I know that time is up. Mom’s expecting us; my guess is she already has everything set up.
We step outside the pizza place. “Do I get to see my surprise now?”
“You do. We’ll be there soon.”
The trip to campus takes no time at all. When we pull into the parking lot, she looks absolutely confused. “What are we doing here? The game doesn’t start for another few hours.”
Getting out of the truck, I walk around to her side and help her out. “I know. We’re here for something else. Come on.” Taking her hand, I lead her to the art building. Finding my way to the studio, I walk in and start looking for Mom.
“Jayceon, this is an art studio.”
“Umm…yeah it is.”
“I can’t draw stick figures,” she says so fast her words tumble over each other.
Taking her shoulders, I turn her towards me. “That’s okay. I thought I’d paint you today.”
Her eyes open wide. “You want to paint me?”
Caressing her cheek with my thumb, I say, “I would like to, if that’s okay with you?”
She smiles. “I’d love for you to paint me.” She leans up and gives me a quick kiss. “This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
Finally I spot my mom and she points to a canvas a few rows back. Nodding, I head in that direction and see she has everything set up for me, exactly like I knew she would. Seona looks nervous, but I direct her to the stool facing me. When the option is live models, you can eit
her bring one of your own or they have models on stage you can use. I move the brushes and paints around the way I like them and wait for the session to begin.
After a few minutes, the instructor begins her brief directions and which types of brush strokes are the focus. Thanks to my mom, I’ve mastered all of the strokes, but practicing with them never hurt anyone.
Selecting my first brush, I look up at Seona’s face and noticed the slight blush to her cheeks, but I turn my attention to the unique color of her hazel eyes. Lifting my brush to the canvas, I attempt to replicate the color and depth in her eyes. Once I finish with her eyes, I slowly work my way through the rest of her features. We talk and spend more time getting to know each other, as I concentrate on each part of her face, trying to make it perfect. A few hours later and I finish highlighting the area around one of her eyes. With great care, I lay my brush down and look at what I’ve created. While you are painting, it is hard to see it as a whole. You’re so focused on the one section you are working on, that you don’t see it all until you’re done.
Seona’s bouncing in her seat, in excitement. With shaking hands, I slowly pick up the canvas and brace myself for her reaction as I turn the painting around.
“What do you think?”
I hold my breath and wait.
Chapter 18
Seona
When he shows me the canvas, tears instantly come to my eyes. I can’t describe the painting, but it takes my breath away. The gray background and the expression on my face tells a story of the girl I want to be. Staring at the painting makes it seem like I’m looking in a mirror and seeing myself for the first time. There are no bags or dark circles under my eyes. There’s no sadness and I’m smiling. The way he’s incorporated all the colors makes the picture come alive.
“This is what I see when I look at you. Your beauty and smile.” He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me back. “Ever since we met you’ve put a permanent smile on my face.” I lean into his hold and feel safe. For the first time in seventeen years I’m safe and no one can hurt me. The moment I feel his chin resting on my head I smile. I love when tall guys hug their tiny girlfriends from behind. It’s such a simple act, but means so much more. He kisses the top of my head and holds me tighter. “I want to be the one who makes you smile. I want all your smiles.”
I turn around and look into his eyes. The way we’re staring at one another causes me to grip onto his hands tighter. He’s taking my breath away and I don’t know what to say anymore. This is the feeling I’ve been trying to figure out. With Jayceon I don’t have to do things I don’t want to do. I don’t have to put up an act and I can let him in. For the first time I’m letting down my walls and I’m okay with it.
“You can have all my smiles.” I lean into him, bringing his lips to mine. “When you first met me I was a mess, and I still am. But now I don’t know. You’re doing something to me and I know you really care about me and like me. When we’re standing here, me in your arms, I feel safe and like my life now has meaning. I know it’s crazy, but I really like you.”
“I feel the same way.” He bends down and brushes his lips against mine. My whole body melts into his. I’ve never felt a kiss that made me feel like this before and I don’t ever want the feeling to go away.
I help Jayceon put the painting away in a safe place and we head to the field for the game. Since his dad’s the coach, we have the best seats and I’m so excited to see Travis play. Throughout the game, he holds my hand and stays by my side. His mom is with us as we cheer for the team and watch our boys win.
At halftime, we’re up by a touchdown and Jayceon’s dad is thrilled along with the team. I tried getting into the locker room, but security stopped me and made me go back. I guess being the star quarterback’s sister doesn’t mean anything to them.
I pout when I sit back down next to Jayceon. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
“They wouldn’t let me through to see Travis.”
“It’s the men’s locker room. It makes sense.”
I turn and lower my glare at him. “Still. Not fair.” I cross my arms over my chest while Jayceon laughs and kisses the side of my head.
“Even when you’re a brat, you’re still adorable.” I groan and soon the team’s coming back on the field. I look at the scoreboard, holding my breath.
It’s not over until it’s over.
At the end of the game, we win and the crowd is going crazy! I’ve never seen so many people cheering and whooping. I want to go down and congratulate Travis, but there are so many people. Instead, we wait in the parking lot for the guys to come out.
“Did you have fun?” Jayceon asks, handing me a bottle of water.
“Yeah! I love watching Travis play.” I’ve never been able to make it down to Texas to see Travis, but now that I’m here I vow to be at every game, supporting my brother and boyfriend’s dad. “I like that we did this together.”
He quickly kisses me. “Me too.”
When Travis comes into view, I run into his arms congratulating him as we both laugh. “Thanks for cheering for me.”
“Duh! Always here to support you. I have years of cheering inside me just ready to burst.”
“Good.” Travis puts his arm around me and tells me to head home. “I probably won’t be back until tomorrow, but be good.”
I smirk. “Duh.”
Travis talks to Coach, Mrs. Ashworth and Jayceon before saying bye. I wonder if he’ll come over tonight and hang out with me. My eyes find his and I give him a playful smirk, hoping he knows what I’m thinking.
“Dad, I’m gonna hang out with Seona for tonight.”
“Okay you two, have fun.”
“Thanks! And good game today!” Hugging Coach and Mrs. Ashworth, we make our way to his car and I hop in, so ready for tonight.
When I press the power button on the stereo, Jayceon’s CD plays Every Breath by Boyce Avenue. The words hit me as I relax in the passenger seat. Softly singing the words, Jayceon joins me. Neither of us stops singing as he looks at me and I look at him.
When the song is over, his hand finds mine and lightly squeezes. “Should that be our song?”
Our song? He wants to have a song! I press repeat and really listen to the words. It’s only been a few weeks since we met, but there’s this undeniable pull and neither of us are fighting it anymore.
“Yeah. This is our song.”
Before, I would laugh and never see the guy again if he acted like Romeo and started to be sweet. Not this time. I’m really falling for Jayceon and I’m falling hard. When we’re together, it feels like the beginning of a fairy tale. He makes me smile and there’s no need to act and be cute. I can walk around in sweats with no makeup and my hair up on top of my head and he’ll still think I’m pretty.
Sitting in a quiet silence, he brings my hand to his, gently kissing it, as he continues driving. Looking out the window, I realize that everything feels right when we’re together.
When he pulls into his driveway, I give him a sideways glance. He holds up his phone, “I forgot my charger and wanted to charge it before we went out to get something to eat.”
“Why don’t we have something at your house?”
“Okay, that sounds fine.” He opens the door, exiting his car and comes to open my door. I could get used to this.
Jayceon and I walk into his house and he leads me to his kitchen. He picks me up and puts me on the counter. I let out a shriek, holding his arms for support, with the biggest grin on my face. I don’t care how goofy I look. My heart’s pumping in my chest as he touches my arm, moving his fingers up and down. Jayceon’s lips brush past my cheek and move down to my neck.
“You smell good,” he mutters, kissing me softly.
“That tickles,” I giggle.
“I love hearing you laugh.”
“I love when you make me laugh.” He lifts his head to face me. My heart is still beating fast in my chest. Each time we’re about to kiss he makes my body weak and my he
art jumps with happiness.
His sweet lips brush mine. I slightly open my lips and he deepens the kiss, pulling me closer to his hard body. Shivers move up and down my spine, throughout my body. I love his kiss. I love the emotions running through me when we’re kissing.
The kiss consumes me and I want more. So much more.
“Wanna go for a quick swim?” He winks at me.
I nod. “Okay.”
He helps me down from the counter and we head outside to the pool house. Jayceon hands me the bikini I had on before and leaves the room to change in the other room. Quickly getting out of my clothes, I put on the bikini and head outside.
Jumping in the pool, I swim under, pushing myself up. I tip my head back and stretch, feeling the water around me.
“You’re so beautiful,” he tells me, before jumping in. The water splashes me and before I can do anything, I’m back in Jayceon’s arms. Wrapping my legs around his waist, he holds me like this. We kiss again and my hands roam his strong back and into his hair. The kiss is sensual, slow and passionate, making me let out little moans.
“You can’t make those noises,” he breathlessly says.
“I know,” I blush, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” He kisses me again and backs up so his back is against the pool wall. “Sometimes I wish I was more experienced.”
“Why do you say that?”
He shrugs, “I don’t want to bore you.
I cannot believe he thinks I’m bored and he needs to know it all. “We’re both learning and I love that you’re not experienced. There have been so many firsts between us and so much more. I’m having so much fun being your girlfriend. Trust me okay?”
“Okay, but promise that if I’m boring you’ll talk to me.”
I laugh, “Promise.” I lean down and kiss him again. A warm sensation overtakes me as Jayceon’s hands roam my back, finally resting just above my ass. Our kiss intensifies, our tongues entwined as we passionately embrace. He presses his erection into me and I want to scream. I cling to him, moving my hip against him. “Seona,” he lets out my name.
“Jayceon.” My voice is soft, almost a whisper. “We should stop before your parents come home.”
Beautiful Lessons Page 13