by J. B. McGee
“Mom, it’s about Vi.” That’s all I can muster.
All the tension in her face dissipates, being replaced with worry and fear as the skin between her eyebrows pinches together. “Okay. I’m sorry. This is…” She throws her hands around in front of her like she’s trying to swat a fly or something. “You being here. It just threw me off. So out of character.”
A crooked grin finally escapes. “You’re one to talk about being out of character right now. You look like my mother, but you’ve taken the helicopter parenting a bit too far in the last couple of minutes.”
“Holden Jaxon, watch your mouth, Son.”
“Ah, the Jaxon.” I wink, hoping to lighten the mood at least a little bit. It doesn’t do much for my heart. It’s still as heavy as it was when the words spilled out of Charity’s mouth about Vi. “There you are.”
She gives me a small smile before clasping her hands on the table. I’ve learned that’s her way of avoiding fidgeting when she’s nervous. Inhaling and slowly exhaling, she becomes the cool, calm, and collected Magnolia Grove socialite. “What do you need to talk about, Holden?”
“I…” Staring down into my lap, all my words seem to flee. “Uh…” I blow out all the oxygen in my lungs, hoping that will relieve the suffocation. “Um…I don’t know how to say this.”
“Dammit, Holden, just spit it out.” Her exterior cracks.
“Mom, I saw Violet making herself sick a couple of weeks ago,” I blurt out at her command, but never looking up at her, not wanting to see the disappointment or whatever is probably consuming her at this moment. When I don’t hear any kind of reaction, my eyes slowly peek up. “And Charity Winthrop said she did it again yesterday at school when she thought she was alone. The time I saw her was after breakfast, and the second time was after lunch.” My voice is barely a whisper. “I’m worried about her.”
Much to my surprise, Mom looks exactly like she did when I glanced at her. Completely neutral, no signs of emotion. “Why are you just now telling me about the incident from two weeks ago?”
I close my eyes and shake my head. “She begged me not to tell you. Said she wasn’t feeling well, that it wasn’t a big deal, that she had a test and couldn’t miss school.”
She huffs, gets up, and starts to pace the kitchen with her arms crossed. Silently. Her heels clink against the hardwood floors, but other than that noise, the house is silent aside from a few creaks here and there, sounds of settling, or the wind hitting against the windows. And I’m not going to break that silence for anything. I’ve done my part. “Go back to school, Holden.”
“But I signed out, told the nurse I was sick.”
“Tell her you feel better. Go back to school. Act like this never happened, and come straight home.”
I nod. “Yes, ma’am.” Raking my keys across the table, I snatch them up and stand to walk out of the house when her arms pull me into a hug. “Thank you for telling me, Son. You did the right thing.”
“Okay.” If I did the right thing, then why does it feel so wrong? Like this is one of those impactful moments in my life that will change everything, one that will shape who I become, not Violet. What the heck is that all about?
The rest of the school day passes by in a haze. Mom instructed me to forget about the conversation we had, but that proved absolutely impossible. Reverse psychology at its finest because the only thing I’ve been able to focus on is exactly what we discussed and Violet. And Mom. About whether she’s going to tell Violet I told her, which will ignite World War III in the Masters house after exposing me as a snitch. Most of all, I’ve been wondering what she meant about me forgetting about it. Does that mean she’s not going to do anything at all?
“Loser, where have you been?” Violet asks as I walk toward my car in the nearly empty parking lot. Arching an eyebrow, I shake my head, contemplating whether to even answer her question. “I’ve been waiting out here for thirty minutes.”
“I had to do some stuff.” I shrug. “If you didn’t want to wait, you could have walked home and spared me from listening to your whining.”
She stares daggers at me. Her mouth moves like she’s going to say something, then closes, and then repeats the gesture before she finally huffs. Grasping the door handle, she tries to open it, but I have yet to hit unlock. I grin and wink at her as I hold the keys in the air. “Do you want a ride home, Violet?”
She grumbles something and rolls her eyes. “Yes, please.”
With that, I hit the button a couple of times, and she pulls the door open, climbs in, and forcefully slams it closed. “Careful, princess. You never know what I might do to your toothbrush when you’re not looking.”
Silent treatment. Violet is giving me the silent treatment. Something’s off, and I don’t know what it is. “Whatever. Just shut up and take me home, Holden.”
“I can’t wait until you can drive your car.”
“That makes two of us.”
I was hoping the Uber would come before Holden made his way outside so I could be even more of a coward and leave before I had to look him in the eyes and tell him I needed some space, but he’s taking large strides toward the car while running a hand through his hair. “Cam. I’m so sorry.”
“What are you sorry about?” I ask, looking past him for my father. Did he do something to him? Punch him like he did Brody that day at the pool? He had to have done something to him because Holden has pretty much been unapologetic about his pursuit of me, so I’m not sure why he’d suddenly profess this to me after finally having the chance to claim what he’s said he’s wanted all along. Father doesn’t seem to be behind Holden, and that just makes me a little more worried about Holden’s current demeanor. I shouldn’t have left them alone together. Of course, if Holden did do something, I would think I’d be hearing sirens by now. The lack of them is somewhat comforting.
It’s easy to say I’m going to stand up to people who don’t really care about me, to say the hell with what they think. But when I heard his voice as we were in that silly, yet intimate moment, I totally realized how difficult that is when the person is your father, when he’s threatening to basically disown me so easily without even having all the facts.
I glance down and fidget with my phone. So much for thinking I’d get out of here before either of them came outside. The other thing I just realized is being at the cabana with him, being in the car, even being in Rind ‘N Grind all made sense to me. It seemed easy because he makes me think I can do anything. I swallow the lump in my throat. If it were just the two of us, I think we’d be okay. But how is this going to work? How do I pick between him and my family when I don’t even know if we’re compatible long-term?
Holden lifts my chin. “I shouldn’t have touched you in public until we’d taken care of everything we talked about. I’m sorry for my part in him seeing us like that.” He gives me a slow, lopsided smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.
“I called an Uber.” I crinkle my nose and cringe at myself. Who am I? What am I doing? I look away because I don’t want to see his regret, but I also can’t resist that lazy grin, the stare in those gorgeous blue eyes, and trust myself to maintain any self-control.
“You what?” The pitch of his voice reaches a level that makes him sound like a pre-pubescent boy.
“I appreciate you being willing to be my taxi, to go with me to do all this stuff.” I look back into his blue eyes, and the pull between us is so strong it’s confusing me. No regret. Confusion, maybe. An unspoken plead. A tinge of anger. “I think it’s best if I do all this alone.”
He nods. His chin juts out a bit, and his jaw ticks. “This is us, isn’t it? Hot and cold. On and off. Confusing the hell out of each other.”
I purse my lips. “I am really great at confusing myself. I don’t need help from you.”
He rubs his hand over his stubble and glances away. “I know what you’re doing with your smart-ass mouth.”
“Really? What am I doing?”
He steps into my spa
ce, boxing me in against his car. His lips dip down, but don’t touch mine. “Your heart’s beating so fast I can count the beats from looking at your neck.”
“So? Just so you know, that doesn’t mean I’m turned on. Because I’m not.” I wonder if he’s going to call me on my bullshit. Because he’s sexy, and he’s too close, and the only thing I can think about is his cock beneath me when we were in the cabana, and how much I want him to owe me something else. I’m definitely beyond turned on.
He grins. “No?”
I shake my head. “Nope.”
“You’re scared, Cam.”
I crinkle my forehead and shake my head.
“You’re scared your father is going to toss you out like a day old newspaper. You’re scared of what you feel for me, what you’ve always felt for me. And you said you were fine with being the talk of the town, but you’re not. A lizard—”
“Ewww. Pick a different…” I scrunch my nose. “A different animal. No reptiles or—”
“Or amphibians. Fine.” He chuckles, but then his smile vanishes. His breaths come a bit more rapidly than before. He brushes a piece of hair behind my ear. “A tiger can’t change its stripes, tigress.”
“Is that why you call me that?”
He shakes his head and backs away.
Her Uber is going to be here any minute. Except, I don’t want her to go. Nor am I ready to answer some of her questions. It blows my mind that all it’s going to take for her to take off running like a cat that’s been spooked is a threat from her father. In fact, I thought she was stronger than that—that by each other’s sides, we could stand up to anyone—especially him.
It’s not that he’s a bad guy. It’s just me he hates, really. And my father.
Shoving my hands in my pockets, I shrug. “So, this is it. You really want to do this alone? Or are you just trying to appease him? And did you ever decide where you’re going to stay?” If I’m honest, there’s a part of me that’s terrified she’s going to get sucked into staying with Oliver, that she won’t be able to stand up for herself. She’s already caving.
Maybe it’s me who shouldn’t let my hopes get too high, because right now it feels like they’re free falling with no chance of being salvaged.
“I don’t know.” A tear slips down her cheek, but she quickly swipes it away. Fuck. Seeing her upset makes it hard to breathe.
Pulling her into my arms, I hold her close. “Fuck Uber. You have a ride already. Cancel it.”
She laughs into my chest, squeezing me tight, and inhales. “You really don’t wear cologne?”
“Random. No. Your Uber’s here. Tell me to wave him off, Cam.”
“You know you’re not supposed to do that,” she whispers.
“Is that a yes?”
“It’s not a no.”
I kiss her hair as I wave off the car. The driver throws his hands up and glares at me. Hopefully, neither of us will ever need a ride from him. “It’s all going to be okay. You don’t have to do this alone. And your parents aren’t going to disown you.”
“You heard him. And he’s going to disown me if he sees me in your arms.”
“Nah.” I shake my head. “Your mother won’t let him.”
“I don’t know about that. All I do know is that as much as my brain tells me this is a bad idea, that I should push you away, I can’t seem to make my body listen.”
My lips curve up as I plant another kiss in the same place as last time. I can relate to that sentiment. I don’t want to let her go. Not that my body will listen, either. “Let’s get out of here before your dad comes back out.” Reaching in my pocket, I unlock the car and open the door for her. She releases me and slides into the red, leather bucket seat. Shit. The only vision I can see right now is her sprawled out and me eating her pussy while she screamed my name and threaded her hand in my hair. I’m fucking ruined. I’ll have to get rid of the car if this doesn’t work out for us.
Once she’s situated, I close the door and practically run to the other side and get in. I hit the ignition and the engine roars to life. She’s steady looking around, her hands in her lap, her fingers fidgeting. “If you’re scared he’s going to see you, just duck down. The windows are pretty tinted, you know.”
She shakes her head. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For being wishy-washy. I am not following through with what we agreed to in the cabana. That’s not fair to you. Let’s do this.” She reaches over and grabs my hand. “All or nothing.”
“That should just be all in. Nothing’s not an option, Cam. I’ve had enough of that to last me a lifetime.”
She smiles. God, have I missed it. “Will you call your mom and ask what she’ll charge me for rent? I don’t feel right staying there for free.”
“Now?” I ask as I put the car in reverse, back out of the parking place, and head toward her place with Oliver. I’m anxious to get this part out of the way. Not sure how she feels about it, though.
“I didn’t want to tell anyone before I told my parents, but since Father knows now…” She shrugs. “Yeah.”
“I have never been much of a fan of the phrase everything happens for a reason.” Mainly because I can’t believe there could possibly be a reason to justify or rationalize what happened to my family. “But maybe it was fate you saw him when you did.”
“Go ahead and call her.” Her voice trails at the end.
“You sure?”
“Uh huh. At some point, I’ll get my own apartment. But this way, I won’t have to settle for the first thing I can find. This way will give me more time. Maybe I’ll buy a house.”
The only house I hope she buys is mine. And then invites me to live in it with her, to wake up next to her. I press a button and talk to my car. “Call Mom.”
“Do you want to call Mom?” it replies.
“Yep.”
“Calling Mom.”
The phone starts to ring. “Holden. I’m sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye last night. How long did you actually manage to stay?”
Glancing over at Cammie, I smile. “Longer than I anticipated, actually. Listen, I don’t have much time to chat right now. I have a favor to ask.”
“Okay.”
“Well, it’s not really a favor. A favor would imply you aren’t going to be compensated.”
“Holden, just spit it out. Do you need money to pay for your auction? What is it?”
I let out a boisterous laugh. “Um, no, I’m totally good. That was chump change, Mom. I could’ve and would’ve paid a lot more if I’d needed to.” Cammie places her hand on my leg, her fingers wandering up toward my crotch. Shit. I give her the side eye. I’m on the phone with my mother, for Christ’s sake. “Can Cammie rent the guest house from you?”
“Why do Cammie and Oliver need to rent the guest house?”
At the mere mention of his name, my blood starts to boil. “They don’t. She does.”
“I’m missing something, Holden.” She sighs into the phone.
It feels shitty to be the one answering for Cammie even though she knew all this was likely to come up. I’m not sure why, but as I’m about to part my lips to form the words, I can’t do it. Fuck. “It’s a simple question, Mom.”
“Did they break up?”
I swallow, not sure how to answer. “Would it make a difference if you knew the answer to that question?” The more I think about it, Cammie needs to be doing more directing in regards to how things happen right now. I know this is my mom, my idea, but the truth is I’ve probably already been too involved. But hell, we’ve all but fucked. I have a reason to be involved at this point. Right?
“Holden? Are you still here?”
“Yeah.” I glance at Cammie and nod, mouthing permission for her to speak if she wants.
“Ms. Masters, it’s Cammie.”
“Oh. Oh.” If I could see my mother right now, I’d imagine her eyes would be saucers and her mouth agape. “Hi, Cammie, dear.”
“I found o
ut last night Oliver has been cheating on me. Holden was…” Her hand moves up higher, grasping my cock. “Kind enough to help pick me up from the cabana where I spent the night last night and giving me a…ride.”
Fuuuck.
Her lips twitch. “He brought me some clothes to change into, took me to breakfast. We ran into my father. I can’t stay at their place. There’s just something forbidden about going home after you leave the nest. And Wells’ place is an hour away. That makes for a long commute. I want to know I have a place before I move out of Oliver’s apartment. Holden mentioned this.”
She glides her hand up and down my jeans covered shaft. I can barely keep my eyes open. All I want to do is throw my head back and picture her sitting on me, riding me, like she did earlier. I’m tempted to pull over on the side of the fucking road, but that wouldn’t be obvious or garner any attention. No. And hell, it’s hard to keep from panting while my mother can hear me. I need to get her off the damn phone, but I can’t speak. I know if I do, it’s going to come out all kinds of hot and bothered. There’s no way in hell I’m stopping Cammie, though.
“I’m so sorry to hear that about Oliver.” My mother pauses. “I’m so glad you realized before the wedding.”
“Me too, Ms. Masters. I’m just a little overwhelmed with everything I need to do. Officially break things off, move, return gifts…really explain to my parents.”
“It will all be okay. I’m glad you and Holden have reconnected.”
Oh, she has no idea how we much we’ve reconnected.
“Yes, ma’am,” Cammie says. “Me too. I’ve missed him.”
“He went through a rough time, but his heart has always been golden.”
Fuck this shit. Cammie’s driving me out of my damn mind. Despite being about to come apart at the seams, I chime in, “I’m right here, ya know.”
“So? Your point is what, Son?”
“Can she stay, Mom?” What I want to also say is, “We have some other things we need to do.” But I don’t because Mom always taught me honey gets more bees than vinegar.