Her hands clutched onto the sides of my bare upper arms, which quickly caught my attention. "Look, I won't say anything about this, as long as you do. I think you and Kayla need to just sit down and have a very long conversation with one another."
I pulled Cami into my damp chest from the now falling rain before squeezing her tight. "Thank you, Cami."
As I pulled back, I noticed Cami's eyes go wide. Now, I hadn't known Cami that long, but I knew girls, and that look was one of pure intent to rip someone apart. I glanced behind me where she was starin' and caught sight of Korena sauntering out of the dorm. Everything happened so fast, I could've sworn we were in some kind of a movie. I wrapped my arms around Cami's chest and squeezed her to me as tight as I could. Her legs were flailing about and her arms were fighting to break free, but there was no way her little five foot, ninety-two pound body was getting out of my grasp.
"You dirty little whore. He has a fucking girlfriend. How dare you. I don't know how they do things around here, but that usually means back the fuck off. I swear if I ever see you around again, I will fuck you up. You stupid ass skank!"
As Cami finished her tirade, Korena was off and running in the direction of her car. As her car turned out of the lot, that's when I decided to let Cami go. "She's not worth it." I whispered.
"You bet your sorry ass she's not. Either you tell Kayla, or I will. You have until Monday."
As she started walking away, I had no choice but to yell in her direction or she wouldn't have heard me. "Cami, I'm goin' home. I'm leavin' tonight. Don't tell her."
"I won't. Good luck cowboy, you're gonna need it."
I couldn't help but smile. Challenge accepted!
Chapter 10
Kayla
The once sunny day had quickly turned to thunder clouds and rain. I was makin' my way out to my truck to leave campus for the day, when I heard a loud thunderous voice behind me.
"Hey Kayla, wait up." I turned just in time to accept a quick hug from Joey.
Joey turned out to be the same guy I had literally bumped into outside of the grocery the other day. He also turned out to be Glenn's little brother. When I had made my way into homeroom that first day of school, in walked Joey. We shared a quiet inside joke and a smile, and then we became fast friends, literally. I mean that was three days ago and now, we practically spent every free minute together.
Things were different with Joey than they were with Madison. It was easy. Joey had a presence about him that made me feel safe and confident. He rarely left my side and we had every class but one together. I'm not gonna lie and say he wasn't good looking, because he totally was. But knowing he was Glenn's little brother and how I felt about Madison, I never felt like I had to worry when I was around Joey.
He was a spitting image of Glenn in every aspect, okay minus all the tattoos that Glenn had. His hair was bright blond and just as short as Glenn's. Although Joey wore his in more of a faux hawk, as where Glenn wore his spiked all over and kind of in a disarray. They both had amazingly blue eyes and strong prominent facial features. The big difference in these two was that Glenn was taller but a little bit more lean, Joey was about six one and built like the football player he was. It was somewhat scary, but comforting all at the same time.
"What do ya want Joey? I'm headed to work."
"I know, but can I get a ride over to the football field?" He stood back with that sly smile he liked to plaster across his face when he didn't really need anything, but definitely wanted something. I had seen him use it one too many times around all the girls that followed him endlessly around school.
"Are you serious? The field is five hundred feet, that way. Maybe you should run over there. Get some exercise to work off all that crap you ate at lunch today." I let out a small giggle before jumping up into the cab.
"Fine then. See you tomorrow morning?"
"Of course." He gave a quick wave and took off running in the direction of the football field. Men, I swear they were always needing someone to take care of them.
I drove to work in a daze. Things had been progressively getting better, and my newfound friendship with Joey was a huge help. I hadn't spoken to Madison since the other day and I had instantly regretted the snide remarks I had made towards him. As much as I wanted to be with him, part of me knew better than to get involved with someone like Madison Raine.
I wasn't looking forward to work like I usually did. I had felt a little bit off all day today and I couldn't quite pinpoint what the issue was. I walked into the boutique just as the clock hit three thirty.
"Well aren't we cutting it rather close?" My boss was nice most days, but lately she had just been shitty.
"Sorry my last class ran late, and then I hit a bit of traffic coming into town." Part of it wasn't a lie, but most of it was. I hadn't realized just how slow I had been driving until it was too late to make up for it.
"Well, I need to leave for the rest of the day. Make sure the fitting rooms are cleaned up and the front counter gets wiped down. Other than that, it's been pretty slow, so you should have plenty of time to study."
"Thanks." My boss knew that when it was slow I used that time to study, and for the most part she was okay with it. This definitely made it easier on me, given the fact that I rarely had time to study while working everyday after school.
The door chimed once as my boss left and I made my way back to the dressing rooms to clear those out first. My boss wasn't lazy but she rarely cleaned out the dressing rooms, claiming it was grunt work and not the owner's job. Just as I had the ginormous stack of clothing in hand, I heard the bell chime above the door.
"Damn it," I whispered to myself, just before hauling the pile to the front counter so I could put away and keep on eye on the current customer.
I had just stepped out from the back area when his emerald green eyes seared straight through mine and into my soul. My mouth along with the handful of clothes dropped to the ground. I stood back in shock, not knowing what to say or do. I hadn't expected to hear from him, let alone see him, anytime soon. A cool smile spread wide across his beautiful face, and I couldn't stop my feet from carrying me closer to him.
"That's the hello I get after almost two months?" He smiled that sexy smile, which sent me running into his open arms.
My feet left the ground with the strength of his arms pulling me up and into him. My arms instinctively wrapped tightly around his neck with the strength of a thousand men. I breathed in his scent and my lips grazed the base of his heated neck. He was here. He was actually here, in front of me and he was touching me with those unbelievable hands. My eyes fluttered shut as his grip on my waist tightened enough for me to feel his excitement against my belly. I let a small knowing smile creep across my face with the knowledge that I still affected him. When I could finally find the words to speak, he beat me to the punch, like always.
"Now that's more like it, pretty girl."
"What are you doing here? You can't have had a break yet?" I stood back in confusion, waiting for some semblance of an answer. Instead, he just stood there with a blank expression fixed on his mesmerizing face.
God how I had missed that face. My eyes traced every facet of him, committing it to memory yet again. As my gaze made its way down to his torso, I couldn't help but notice how much bigger and broader he had gotten. Man, baseball camp had done him some good.
"You're lookin' good cowboy." I whispered in my sexy voice, just loud enough to send goose bumps across his flesh.
"You ain't lookin' so bad there yourself, little lady. You look good enough to eat." He winked and my insides melted as I stood staring into the deepest caverns of his eyes.
"Maybe, a little taste later if you're a good cowboy." I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him as close as I could. I had missed the feel of him, his touch, and his all-consuming presence. Honestly, I had just missed him.
His arms wrapped around my head pulling me deep into the crook of his arm. He gently pressed his lips against
the top of my head and I went to pull away, thinking that was the end of our embrace. I couldn't have been more wrong.
His deft finger slipped under my chin, lifting it up enough that I was now looking into those captivating green eyes. Everything seemed to slip away from me as his lips pushed against mine. Our mouths began moving in unison and when he traced my lower lip with the tip of his tongue, I instantly opened to accept him. He tasted sweet and tangy, almost as if he had just eaten a lemonhead. Our kissing began to become more rampant and I found myself pushing my hands into his hair, knocking off his trademark ball cap at the same time.
He wasted no time before leaning down and grabbing my ass, lifting me up enough to wrap my legs around his waist. As I pressed my heat against his now more prominent length, I couldn't help but let out a loud sigh. My eyes caught sight of his and I smiled against his lips just before he started lowering them to the base of my neck. My eyes slid shut as I bathed in his sensual touch.
Within seconds, I was all but pushing him off me with all my might. I dropped my legs down and pushed against his chest. My breathing had become rapid and my breaths were getting shorter with every passing second. I could feel the panic attack consuming me, and there wasn't anything he or I could do to stop it.
He took a step towards me and all I could do was hold him back at arms length. My fingernails dug into his chest as my limbs began to retreat and react defensively. I clutched at my chest with my free hand, willing my breathing to even out. After what felt like an eternity, I was slowly regaining my composure. I slowly lowered my hand from his chest, but still made it clear to stay back.
"Kayla, are you okay?" His voice was barely above a whisper, but it was enough to bring me back to now, to him.
"I'm so sorry. I...I..it was nothing."
"That sure as hell didn't look like nothin'? What is goin' on with you? Is this why you haven't been returning my calls? Kayla talk to me, please."
I knew I was going to have to tell him the truth eventually, but now just didn't seem like the right time. "I promise I will explain everything, soon. Just give me a minute to catch my breath." I hoped he would. I needed this from him.
"I'm always here pretty girl. You know that, right?"
"Yes, I know."
He reached his hand out for mine and for the first time since I had met Madison, I hesitated to take it.
Chapter 11
Madison
I had made the trip in less than ten hours, due mainly in part to the fact that the anticipation of seein' her was impossible to ignore. I barely said hi and bye before runnin' out of my grandparent's house and headin' straight to the school. My goal was to make it there in time to surprise her before she left, but when I got there, almost the entire lot was empty except for the football team.
I hauled my ass down through town quicker than I ever thought was possible. When I pulled up outside the boutique, I sat in the cab of my truck contemplating whether or not to even go inside. I wasn't sure if me surprisin' her at work like that was such a good idea.
Once I finally made it out of the truck, I proceeded to pace back and forth, willing myself to go inside, but changing my mind at least twenty times before I finally opened the door. The minute I walked over the threshold and into that shop, I knew without a doubt, it was the right thing to do.
I could feel her presence before I even saw her. Although it took me a minute, because she looked quite different from when I had left. Her hair was lighter and it had some bright blonde streaks going through it. And when her blazin' blue eyes met with mine, my heart stopped, right there in my chest. I swear I felt as though I had just died and gone to heaven, but all that changed the minute I saw the look on her face. She didn't seem pleased and I could feel her hesitation in wanting to come to me. When she did, my heart literally picked up pace and all but took flight in my chest.
That moment only lasted for a short while before she broke down. I honestly didn't know if it was me that caused her reaction, a panic attack, or whatever it was that happened to her, but I knew that it wasn't the best time to be honest with her. I knew I needed to be honest if this relationship ever stood a chance, but right now it felt as though it would do more harm than good. Even if Cami hadn't found me and Korena in my room, I still would've told Kayla. She meant more to me than I ever thought possible and there was no way I was goin' to let some one night stand get in the way of that.
I led her over to a small velvet covered chair in the far corner, before I even tried to ask what was goin' on. I tried to pull my hand from hers once she was in a somewhat comfortable position, but she had a vice grip on it and I was quickly coming to the conclusion that whatever it was, she needed me. I pulled the other chair next to her's and took a seat. Her hand was tremblin' and it took everything in me not to pull her into my lap and comfort her. So I pulled her hand slowly up to my lips and pressed them against the back of her hand.
"Pretty girl, are you okay? Is there anything I can do?" I was just prayin' that she would let me in. Something wasn't right with her, I could feel it in my bones.
She shook her head no, but didn't say a word. I felt helpless and hopeless all at once. There was obviously nothin' I could do to soothe her pain away and it made me question everything I had ever thought I could be capable of giving her.
Obviously picking up on my self-doubt, she finally spoke. "It's not you, Madison. I promise. You have to believe me."
I pulled her hands into mine and buried them in my lap. "I do believe you darlin', but you gotta help me here. I don't know what to do for you. I feel so useless."
She slipped one of her hands out of my tight grasp and pulled it to her heart. "You will never be useless to me Madison. You do more for me than I think you may ever know. Things are just, different now."
My heart jumped and fear raced through my veins. "What do you mean, different?"
"I don't mean different between us, I just mean I am different."
I pushed my fingers back through my unkempt hair, letting out a loud sigh. Something was different, now all I needed was for her to tell me what it was.
"Can someone fill in for you for the rest of the day?" I was hopin' for a yes, but that wasn't what I was goin' to get.
"I can't Madison. My boss is already being a freakin' terror today and the other girl who is our other closer has dance practice tonight, so it's just me. I'm sorry. Can we get together later?"
Within seconds, she was up and back to hanging clothes up behind the counter. I shook my head in disbelief that this was how she was treating me. It had been almost two months since we had seen each other and almost a week since we had spoken. If time was what she needed though, I guess I had no other choice than to give it to her.
I pushed myself up off the chair and placed it back in its rightful place. When I approached her to give her a kiss good-bye, she stood tall and placed a chaste kiss to my cheek.
"I'll call you when I get off."
I nodded and headed out to my truck. Once inside the cab, I punched the steering wheel a few times before turning over the ignition. I sped out of the parking space and hauled ass in the direction of my house. I was at a loss for words. There was only one person that could talk me down from this ledge, and I was just praying he wasn't too busy with Cami to talk.
"Hey man, what's up? How'd it go?"
"Not like I expected, to say the least."
"Seriously? I would've thought that she would've thrown you down right there and given you a nice welcome home." He started laughing, but I was just getting angrier by the minute.
"She went from shocked, to happy, to having a panic attack in all of about ten minutes, bro. Something just isn't right with her. I need a favor Glenn."
"Anything, dude. You know that."
"I need you to ask Cami if anything happened while I was gone to make her this way. I need a little insight. She refused to talk to me. She barely said all of three words to me. Man, I am goin' fuckin' crazy right now."
"Okay first off, calm down dude. Did she say she would talk to you later or anything?"
"She said that we could meet up later."
"Well that's a good thing. I'll talk to Cam and see what she says. But I'll warn you now bro, those two are as thick as thieves. I'd be down right shocked if she doesn't tell me to mind my own fucking business. I'll try though. Go spend some time with your grandparents, maybe go by and say hi to her grandma. Just relax, at least until you know more. Okay?"
I rubbed my forehead knowing that relaxing wasn't what was goin' to happen. "Alright, yeah. Text or call me later when you hear somethin'. Talk to ya soon."
As I hung up with Glenn, I found myself parked at the end of the James' drive. I could tell her granddad wasn't home because his truck was gone, so it was almost guaranteed that Mrs. James was here. I wasn't quite sure how Kayla was going to feel about me comin' to see her grandma, but at this point, I really didn't care.
I knocked on the door twice and then stood back with my hands in my front pockets, waiting for her to answer. After a few minutes I almost gave up, but then I heard the latch of the lock and the door opening.
"Well Madison Raine, do my eyes deceive me? What are you doin' here, boy?"
She sounded happy to see me, so I took that as a good sign that she might let me into what's been goin' on around here as of late. "No ma'am, I am really here. I actually just got back into town. I came back to go to school closer to home. Do you have a minute to chat with me? I don't want to interrupt you."
"Oh honey, you are never interrupting me. Come, take a seat by me." She pointed at the two old rocking chairs on the porch and I was quick to follow.
"So how are things?"
"I wish I could say better, but as of right now, things are just okay. I went by to surprise Kayla at work. She seemed happy to see me at first, but then she practically had a panic attack after I kissed her. I just don't know what's goin' on with her."
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