My stomach roiled and I gagged as I backed out the stall and pulled the door shut. A man came in. So they did have more than one key.
“I wouldn’t go in there,” I said and darted out of the room.
The Asian man, tall and trim, didn’t look like he was from around here. The Fed wasn’t in the store when I went inside long enough to leave the key where I found it. I all but ran to find a pudgy boy getting on my bike.
“Hey,” I yelled.
He glanced back only for a second before he took off. I used whatever speed I had to catch him before he really got going. I leaped for him and we both went down on the asphalt. I’d have some scrapes, but there was no time to worry about that.
The guy wasn’t giving up, but Dad had taught me how to box. The boy, a few years older than me, didn’t know how to fight. He left his middle open and I got in a good gut shot. When he bent to protect his middle, I hit him in the face. He went limp. Though I felt bad, I had no time to worry about what I’d done. He was breathing and that would have to be good enough.
I got my bike up and took off. I was sure a car started to follow. But once I went across the road and into the woods, I was alone again.
The house was too quiet when I entered.
“Dad?”
Nothing. I hadn’t cried in years, but tears pricked the back of my eyes. “Dad,” I called out again, louder this time.
That was when I spotted Bear. He was out back. He’d seen me so I didn’t rush to him. I was afraid of what I’d find.
I pushed open the squeaky door that would have announced my presence. Dad refused to oil it, saying it was a cheap alarm system.
Dad’s face was a mask of calm as he stood to the right of a plastic tarp, the kind he used when we painted the house last year.
“Good boy. You passed. You had a minute left.” Bear clamped a hand on my shoulder and I didn’t flinch. But I was good and tired of him putting his hands on me. “Welcome to the family.”
Those words would haunt me. They were also the reason why I hadn’t gone to Ashley’s house or called her. Based on everything, I knew I was being watched closely.
The next day, when Ashley brought me my birthday cupcakes in a decorated box, I’d taken them but brushed her off. Her lips trembled and she asked me why I was being a jerk. I died a little inside when I told her I’d only used her.
What she didn’t know was that it was for her own good that she stayed away from me. So I watched from afar as we grew up and some other guy put a smile on her face.
12
megan
Home. He’d said something about taking me home before we got in the truck.
“Take me to your place.”
I snuggled next to him in the cab and angled my head to nip and kiss at his neck. I let my hand slide down his chest, only he caught me before I could get at his dick.
“Megan, you’re going to have to stop. You’re making things hard.”
“Isn’t that the point?” I purred.
Yes, that was most definitely a purr. My voice had never sounded so sultry in my life.
He put my hand in my lap, which put his so very close to the ache between my legs. I let out a moan.
“Come on, Angel. I have to drive.”
My world blurred at the same time my body turned to fire. I was so hot, I wanted badly to take off my dress for relief.
The air from the window helped some, but with Gavin so close, it was impossible to keep my mind off sex with him. I leaned my head on his shoulder as my thoughts swirled into nothingness.
“Cops,” Gavin muttered before pushing me down to his lap.
I moved my head, trying to find comfort, but something hard worked against me. Was that his dick? Nothing made sense in my head. I tried to think, but my brain was on a loop. He adjusted my head and all was well in the world, especially when he stroked a hand through my hair. I loved when someone played with my hair, and I drifted off into dreamland.
The sound of yelling woke me up. I lifted up and met Gavin’s eyes. I was draped over him like a blanket. I glanced around to see I wasn’t in my room. A door slammed and I rolled over to get to my feet. I opened the door in time to hear the front one closing.
A warm body heated my back as I stared Tade in the face.
“What was that?” I asked.
Tade glared at me. “That was your friend Hurricane Ungrateful. Tell her I said she was welcome for throwing up on me and making me clean up after her. And tell her she can keep the shirt. It can be replaced.”
He turned and I sighed, feeling the dull pain grow in my head from too much alcohol the night before. “I’m sorry. I’ll talk to her.”
But the door had closed and I was talking to air.
Gavin pulled me inside and closed the door. “Are you okay?”
Besides the fact that my stomach was starting to do flips, I was freaking fantastic.
“Yeah. I should go check on Reagan.” I pushed at my hair, nervous from his scrutiny.
“Or you could stay.” His eyes dropped to skim over my body before meeting my gaze again.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
He stepped forward and planted a hand on my arm. He drew his finger over my skin and across my collarbone until he tipped my chin up to meet his gaze dead-on. “You were on board last night.”
I moved back only to have the door hinder me from putting more distance between us. “Last night I was plastered.”
“That seems to be your thing.”
I snapped my head up and out of his hand.
“I know it looks bad, but I honestly don’t drink that much.”
His brow shifted up and I turned to leave. I was mid-spin when he caught me.
“Wait,” he said.
Those baby blues of his were as bright as a cloudless sky. He licked his lips as his gaze drifted to mine. “If you stay, I could help you with your problem.”
I pursed my lips, unsure what he was talking about. “Problem?”
His brow quirked. “You told me how you’ve never had an orgasm.”
Surely my face was fire hydrant red as my jaw dropped. The corner of his mouth lifted in a sexy smirk.
“I was drunk.” I hadn’t remembered telling him that. I pushed at my hair again, not sure what to do with my hands.
“And honest.”
“Well, no thank you. Besides, who says you could get me there?”
He braced his hand next to the side of my head and leaned in. “Trust me, I’ll get you there.”
As tempting as he was, his certainty only reminded me that his door was probably a revolving one. I glanced at his bed and wondered how many other girls had woken up there. “Maybe you could, but I’m going to pass.”
He gave me space and I hated myself for missing his closeness.
He shrugged. “Your loss.”
My gain, I thought.
“Thanks for helping us last night. We appreciate it.”
“Your friend doesn’t.”
I blew out a breath. “She hasn’t exactly had a lot of practice with guys. Speaking of which, I really need to go and check on her.”
He extended a hand, briefly skimming a finger across my side. When he only opened the door, disappointment bloomed. I berated myself for stupid thoughts about him and me that still wreaked havoc in my head.
“Okay,” I said awkwardly.
I shifted slowly on my heels. What was I waiting for?
“Do you want me to walk you home?”
Over my shoulder, I said, “No, I’m good.”
I shifted my feet into gear. I left him and his tempting offer. Though, it would replay in my thoughts for days to come for sure.
When I entered our dorm, Reagan was pacing the hall, intermittently staring at the floor then the ceiling. Her eyes were filled with distress once she noticed me.
“Hey,” I said, giving her a hug. She shook in my hold. “Rae, it’s okay.”
Her head practically rattled on her neck. “I can�
��t believe how irresponsible we were last night.”
I pulled back. “But we’re okay, thanks to the guys.”
You would have thought I’d broken the girl code judging by the horrified expression she gave me.
“What? It’s true.”
She stepped back and my arms fell from her shoulders.
“Did you honestly have to be such a bitch to him? They were only trying to help,” I said.
I braced a hand on the sofa that now separated us. She tugged at the pink ends of her blonde hair as she laid into me.
“Help? Are you honestly okay that anything could have happened to us last night?”
I stared at her, wondering how much I really knew about her. Her reactions were over the top. Sure, we’d been reckless but everything was fine. We were fine. But she was right—it could have been worse.
I sighed. “No. But I’m glad it was them that picked us up and not someone else. I’m not sure I would have turned down any ride.”
“Look—” she began, but her phone rang.
No doubt it was her crazy mom. I went into the kitchen for water and coffee. We would need it when she got off the phone.
While I brewed us some, I thought about my upcoming conversation with my mother. Would I know my father when she told me his name? Would I contact him? I finished a bottle of water and was halfway done with my first cup of coffee when she finally got off the phone.
We talked briefly about her mom until she went back to talking about Tade—no, obsessing over him. I put it out there that she liked him. She tried to deny it even when I made the case about him basically taking care of her when she’d gotten sick last night.
“I still don’t like him,” she claimed.
I grinned hard. “Yes, you do.”
“And what about Gavin?”
That was the question of the day. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the cocky guy. He’d been so sure of himself, and sadly based on our makeout session, I was certain he could back up his claims.
“Honestly, he scares me.”
Her mouth opened to agree. “Exactly. It’s what I’ve been saying.”
“Not like that,” I said quickly. I sipped from my cooling mug. “I can see myself falling for him and that wouldn’t be a good thing.”
I spent the rest of the day trying not to obsess over that; I had my senior project to work on. My advisor had approved my idea, and now I had to put it in action. I would need help and had posted an ad on the school’s website for what I was looking for and a time and place for people who were interested to meet up.
A few days later, I was on my way to class when I ran into Noah, a guy I met through Derrick.
“Megan, looking good.”
I wore yoga pants and an oversized McClain sweatshirt. My hair was on the top of my head in a messy bun, but I’d take the compliment.
“You too.”
He was, with his shoulder-length blond hair and hazel eyes, not to mention super cute dimples. Only in a long-sleeve shirt and chino pants, he had that California surfer vibe when all I could think about was Gavin, who happened to be standing in profile not too far away.
His ripped jeans didn’t look like they’d been bought that way. The worn pockets on his ass and the frayed edges that covered his boots suggested he’d worn them a lot. And the girl he was talking to appreciated the look.
“Megan.” My attention was drawn back to Noah. “I heard about you and Derrick.”
I shrugged. It didn’t bother me like it used to. “That’s old news.”
He looked shocked. “Seriously? To hear him talk, you guys only recently broke up.”
“No,” I said slowly, wondering where he’d gotten that impression. “That happened early last semester.”
He nodded. “We should hang out.”
Was that a lame attempt at asking me out? When I glanced around nervously, not sure what to say, I found Gavin staring at me and had my answer.
Only when I turned back, Noah waved and lopped off. He disappeared through doors at the end of the hall.
That was weird. He was there one minute and gone the next. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. But then I didn’t have time as Gavin sauntered over, looking supremely sure of himself.
“Turned him down?” he asked.
“No” almost popped out of my mouth along with an explanation, but I owed him neither.
“That’s really none of your business.”
He smirked. “So maybe he turned you down.”
My jaw dropped. “You are super annoying.”
“And you want me. You’re just not bold enough to say it.”
I pointed at him, at a loss for words. “You know what? You’re not worth it.”
“So said no girl ever.”
That damn smirk of his had me rolling my eyes.
“This girl did. Besides, I have a date.” Big lie. When his eyes sparked with heat, I added, “Jealous?”
Surprise, surprise, he actually admitted, “Maybe.”
I walked away with a huge grin and wondered how I would survive playing this game with him. He knew I wanted him and I was pretty sure he wanted me, too. The only problem was: Would I be strong enough to survive a one-nighter with him? Because he’d made it clear that was all he had to offer.
13
gavin
I stretched as I got out of my seat of my last class for the day. Professor Gaines, who was also my adviser, called out.
“Gavin.”
I went to the front to meet him. “Yes?”
“I’ve been really impressed with your project and talked to a buddy of mine who works for Boeing.”
That perked me up.
“I told him about a promising student. And he mentioned that he’s looking to bring someone he could mentor. Boeing has several large government projects, so the job would require high-level security clearance. They’ll bring someone in to talk to your family and friends. That wouldn’t be a problem?”
I wanted to close my eyes and mutter several curses. Instead, I shrugged. “Shouldn’t be.”
He clapped me on the back. “Good. He’s looking for someone with forward thinking on design of engines. He’s extremely interested in your rebuild of the Mustang’s engine and your focus on the sustainable use of natural resources.”
“I haven’t completed it yet.”
He patted my shoulder. “I have every confidence in you.”
I didn’t, and not about the engine. How could I go for a security clearance when my life was far from squeaky clean?
I left the class and seemed to drift as I walked across campus to the dorms, trying to figure out how to get out of the job opportunity. The thing was it was something I wanted. Boeing was a huge company with global reach. I could work with the best minds in the mechanical engineering industry. And I couldn’t take it because my dad had made a bad decision a long time ago.
Speaking of something else I couldn’t have, Megan stood with a growing crowd around her. She wore a long-sleeve shirt with the sleeves pushed up to her elbows. Sunglasses held her long hair away from her face. But it was those damn stretchy pants clinging to her ass that captured all my attention.
I made my way over to the crowd. The guy nearest me barely glanced in my direction—all his attention was on her. I ground my teeth and forced myself to resist telling him not to even think about her the way he probably was. Instead, I asked him what was going on.
“There was a flyer looking for models for a shoot,” he said.
I arched a brow as a few guys started to take off their shirts. Apparently, she was looking for a certain type of model. Though clearly, these dudes hadn’t seen sun. A grin began to form on my face as Megan hadn’t noticed me yet. She was busy taking photos with her phone.
“Here’s the form.”
I glanced down at a girl with a cheesy grin on her face. The guy I’d talked to muttered thanks when she handed him one, but her eyes hadn’t left me. She held out her clipboard to me.
/> “Are you interested?” she asked.
Megan stole my attention when she made some ooh and ahh noises as she took a few more pictures. It was time to have a little fun. I took the form. The idea of making Megan squirm was too much to resist.
“We’re going to need your shirt off,” the tiny girl said.
The poor guy next to me tried to get her attention.
“I have mine filled out,” he said.
“Thanks,” she offered, but again she was staring at me. I gave the paper a once-over and signed my name at the bottom of the release.
The quick scan said Megan would be using the photos she’d taken to make a decision for the models she’ll use in an ad campaign for her senior project.
I filled in my cell number and wondered if she’d use it for other reasons.
“Thanks,” I said, handing the clipboard back.
The girl giggled, but she wasn’t who I wanted to impress. She walked over to Megan and announced me.
“We have Gavin next,” the girl said.
Megan’s hair flew around her face as she spun to face me. Her eyes narrowed and I shrugged.
“These ladies are next. Gavin has to wait,” Megan said to her.
The two girls waved at me. So she was looking for more than guys. The girls posed, but didn’t take off their shirts. I wanted to point out the sexist aspect to this test shoot to rile her. But I was also curious about her project. And when had I ever cared?
She took a few pictures and after she was done, she faced me. “Shirt?”
“They didn’t take theirs off—that doesn’t seem fair,” I teased.
The other guys added their agreements.
“We can take ours off,” the girls said as one.
“That won’t be necessary,” Megan said.
She rolled her eyes and they landed on me. “Either take off your shirt or keep moving.”
As her eyebrow lifted in challenge, I cranked up a smile and took it off. Girls giggled and muttered to themselves. Megan did neither. She just lifted her phone and snapped a few shots.
“Thanks,” she said, not giving me the slightest hint of what she thought.
Two could play that game.
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