by Gia Riley
She runs her hands up and down my arms, nodding her head. “You’re my first, Rhett.”
I blink slowly, absorbing her words. “God, I love the way that sounds.” I’m so drunk on Kinsley, I can’t even wrap my head around the fact that she’s all mine.
“You do?”
“Sunny, I want to be all your firsts.”
“I don’t want to take you home,” I whisper against the smooth skin of her neck. “I wish we could stay like this until morning.” My Sunny’s lying on top of me. We’ve been cuddling on the living room couch for almost an hour, alternating between kissing and talking.
All of this may be new to her, but the way she’s looking at me right now isn’t the way she was looking at me when we left school today. For the first time, I feel like she truly trusts me—that’s she not holding back, or keeping any secrets from me.
We’re finally on the same page.
I kiss the top of her head and she holds onto me a little tighter like she doesn’t want to let go either. “I wish we could stay here, too. I like when you hold me.”
“You’ll see me after the game, and be right back in my arms. I promise.”
She lifts her head from my chest, staring at me. Twice she blinks before she says a word. “Have you guys watched a lot of film on this team? They’re going to play dirty like they always do, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I love it when you talk sports, Sunny.”
She laughs and nips at my lips, “Wyatt taught me a lot over the years.”
“We probably shouldn’t talk about him while you’re lying on top of me.”
“We probably shouldn’t talk at all.” She leans forward, finding my lips again, sucking on the bottom one to the point I can barely stand it. More than anything, I want to show her how much I want her, but there’s no way we can do anything other than kiss.
“Sunny, I want you so bad.”
She nods her head, but jumps away from me when her phone buzzes in her front pocket. “I should see who that is.”
I give her one last kiss before she pushes off of me, and sits up, straddling my hips. After swiping her finger across the screen, she reads the message and types one back. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. It’s Carson.”
I sit up as soon as his name leaves her lips. “What does he want?”
She shows me the screen on her phone.
Carson: Where are you? I ordered pizza.
Kinsley: At Rhett’s. I’ll be home in fifteen minutes.
“Not going to lie, Sunny. I don’t like you going home to him. It seems like a date.”
“I promise you have nothing to worry about. He’s just looking out for me. That’s all.”
I want to believe her. In fact, I do. It’s him I don’t trust. I saw the way he was looking at her when I was taking her to school this morning. He wants her. “If you say so.”
“I want you, Rhett. Nobody else.”
I press a kiss to her forehead, holding onto the fact that we’re new. We have a long way to go, and neither of us plan on going anywhere anytime soon. “Come on, I’ll take you home on my way back to school.”
“But you didn’t eat any dinner.”
He chuckles at the mention of food. “You’re all I was worried about.”
“I’m sorry. We can stop and pick something up, or you can have some pizza at my house.”
“You’re cute when you ramble, Sunny, but don’t worry about it. I don’t think Carson wants me intruding on his dinner plans. I’ll grab something on my way to school. Plus, there’s always food in the locker room.”
“You wouldn’t be intruding because I invited you, but it’s your call.” She has a wicked gleam in her eyes again. One that’s going to get her in a lot of trouble if she doesn’t cut it out.
“I’m positive, but we’re going to end up back on the couch if you don’t stop looking at me like that, Sunny-girl.”
She giggles, letting me pull her out the front door, and into my truck. The ride to her house isn’t long enough, and before I know it, we’re in her driveway.
She turns toward me, “Good luck tonight, Rhett. Watch out for number ninety. He likes to take cheap shots.”
“I won’t need any luck with you wearing my jersey. Meet me outside the locker room after the game.”
She runs up the stairs to her apartment door, and just as she’s putting her hand on the knob, the door opens. Carson’s standing in front of her, without a shirt on. It takes all I have not to put my truck in park to tell him what I really think of him. He needs to learn to respect my girl and what we have.
But there’s no use causing trouble for no reason. Until I have something to worry about, I’ll let it slide. Tonight, all I’m worried about is impressing Kinsley on the field. I’m already confident in what we have off of it.
THE STANDS ARE practically shaking as the student section goes crazy. Rhett just scored his fourth touchdown of the night. Each time he crosses the line into the end zone, where a good portion of the entire student body is sitting, my classmates high five me, like I’m responsible.
“Kinsley, he’s never played this good! This is all you, I know it,” Becca gushes from her spot on the hard, metal bleachers. If my ass wasn’t already numb, I’d think it fell off.
“He’s having a good night, that’s all.”
“Pfft. Whatever. They’re all playing well, but this is something special.”
It’s been awesome watching Rhett play, even if I’ve cringed every time he’s taken a hit. When dirty number ninety gets near him, I can’t even look at the field. But after three more plays, our defense intercepts the ball, ending the game with a bang.
My eyes are glued to Rhett as I watch him celebrate the 42–7 blowout win. He hoists his helmet in the air, thanking the crowd for their support, but what he does next, surprises me. He faces the end zone where I’m sitting and points directly toward me, publically acknowledging that I’m his and he’s mine.
Becca sighs next to me with a wistful gleam in her eyes. “What I wouldn’t give for someone like him.”
“Um, hello? You have Jake.”
“No, you’re right. I do have him, but Jake doesn’t do that. Look at him.”
I snort, realizing the night and day differences between our guys. Jake’s running around half naked like the Incredible Hulk, his shoulder pads and helmet lying on the ground near the forty yard line, in a heap. “He’s excited, that’s all.”
“If we weren’t at a football game, everyone would think he was on drugs, Kins.”
“Then why are you into him if you don’t like the way he acts?”
She shies away from the question which isn’t like her at all. “What is it?” Staring at the bleachers in front of her, she’s hesitant. It makes no sense considering we’ve never kept anything from the other—especially where guys were concerned. She’s known my crushes for as long as I can remember. Even if none of them ever amounted to anything.
“Because he’s here. He likes me. And he’s really hot.”
“There are so many things wrong with that statement, Becca.”
“Oh, who really cares. Come on, Kins. Lets go see the guys!” Becca grabs my hand and tugs me toward the fifty yard line. Most of the student section is already crowded around the team like they’re a bunch of celebrities—and they are. That’s how big football is in this town.
Swallowed up in a sea of maroon and gray bodies, the stench of sweat mixes with the mild September air. It’s not my favorite combination, that’s for sure. It’s like being stuck in the locker room surrounded by smelly socks.
Becca finds Jake first, and he hugs her, sweat and all. Germaphobe Becca suddenly couldn’t care less about all the dirt on Jake’s body. That’s how I know she’s crushing on him—hard.
“Great game, Jake.” I stand on my tip toes to give him a hug, too. Just as I’m letting go, strong arms are around my middle, pulling me away from him.
“Get your own, Jake. T
his one’s mine,” Rhett says, playfully.
I turn around in his arms, and take him in. His shaggy brown hair is drenched with sweat. His jersey’s covered in grass stains with paint from the end zone covering his shoulders. The helmet he’s holding is dinged up, reminding me of all the painful shots he took tonight. Still, he’s six feet of athletic perfection.
“What’d ya think, Sunny?”
“You were awesome, Rhett! Seriously awesome.”
“You’re definitely my good luck charm. That was fuckin’ insane!”
He picks me up and spins me around—my laughter the only sound I hear despite being surrounded by hundreds of people. Being in his arms is my favorite place to be. “You’re huge with all this equipment on.”
Rhett leans down to peck my lips just as his parents make their way through the crowd. Rhett’s dad smiles warmly at the two of us, but his mom is giving me a once over, thoroughly.
“Mom, Dad, this is Kinsley West—my girlfriend.”
I reach out to shake their hands, his mom accepting with a half-smile on her face. But his dad bypasses my hand entirely, hugging me instead. “So, this is the girl that’s been making my son so happy.”
“This is the one,” Rhett adds.
His mom kisses Rhett’s cheek, doting on him like a proud mother hen. She checks each one of his scratches, making sure he’s not injured. “I’m good Mom, don’t worry so much.”
Rhett wraps his arm around me again and I look up at him, into the glare of the lights. “Ready Sunny? We have some celebrating to do.”
“Yes, but go shower. You stink!”
“I smell like victory, baby,” he replies, with the cocky tone he earned tonight. “Meet me at the locker room.”
Before I have a chance to respond, he’s jogging toward the school, already pulling his shoulder pads up and over his head.
“Focus Kinsley,” Becca whispers in my ear, after she catches me ogling my boyfriend.
Finally, I blink away the image of a naked Rhett, turning my attention to my best friend. “I thought I lost you.”
“Sorry. Jake wants me to go to the football party with him. Do you care?”
“Why would I care?”
She looks down at the sidewalk, kicking at the weeds popping up between the cracks. “Because he’s not your brother. And I don’t want you to tell him about Jake.”
Something is definitely bothering her. This isn’t the first time she’s brought up Wyatt today. “Have you talked to my brother since he’s been at college?”
Becca nods her head, still not looking me in the eye. “I have.”
“More than once?”
Again, a simple nod of her head. “We’ve talked a couple times. He’s called me and I called him once.”
“Really?” Wyatt calling to check on her doesn’t surprise me, especially after they spent so much time together when she was tutoring him, but her calling him is unexpected. “I don’t get it, Becca. If you care about him, why don’t you give it a try? Why bother with Jake?”
Finally, she gives me an honest answer. “Because it’s too hard being in different places. I want to trust Wyatt, but I’m not sure I could. Even if he promised he wouldn’t touch a single girl on campus, I’d always wonder if he was being faithful to me.”
“So, you’re going to call each other and torture yourselves instead of having a little faith?”
“It’s not torture. It’s like talking to a friend—that’s all. No different than when I call you.”
I laugh at the way she’s trying to convince both of us at the same time. She doesn’t believe her own words, I can tell. “It’s totally different and you know it. Just be careful with Jake. Don’t be with him because he’s the fall back guy. Be with him because you care about him. If you don’t, then you know you’re supposed to be with my brother.”
Becca nods her head. “I do have one confession.”
Now that she’s told me she’s been talking to my brother, I already know what she’s going to say. “You told my brother about me and Rhett, didn’t you?”
“I did. I’m sorry, Kins. I didn’t mean to cause trouble, but I couldn’t lie to him when he asked about you. Being in the middle isn’t very fun.”
I’m not mad at her. I can’t be. I would never lie to my brother either if he straight up asked me. It wouldn’t be easy to talk to him about Rhett, but I couldn’t keep it from him. “Until tonight I thought it had to be Carson.”
“Pfft. He wants you too much to break your trust. I still can’t believe you two share a wall and you manage to control yourself every night.”
“He’s not making it easy, that’s for sure. When Rhett dropped me off earlier, Carson was at the door half naked, with a pizza box in his hand. I’m almost positive Rhett saw him.”
Becca’s eyes nearly pop out of her head. “What I wouldn’t give for a welcome home like that. It’s not fair you have Wyatt for a brother, you’re dating Rhett, and you live with Carson. How do you concentrate on anything?”
“You can remove my brother from that equation, Becca. That’s gross.”
“Sorry, anyway, did Carson say anything?”
“Oh he said plenty.”
Plenty. . . .
I slide by Carson, wondering why he’s opening the door for me half naked, with a pizza in his hand. “Sorry I’m a few minutes late.”
I reach into the fridge for a drink, wishing Kate was home to act as a buffer. Carson hasn’t come right out and told me how he feels, but he’s making himself known with little effort. His moves are subtle, like the missing shirt, and they’re noticed—mostly because he’s making it hard for me to look anywhere else.
“Want some pizza?”
“Sure, Becca’s picking me up in a little bit. We’re going to the game.”
“Really?” he asks, with a sad smile. “I got a movie to watch. The new one you wanted to see with the guy who rides the bulls. What time will you be home?”
I shrug my shoulders, hating how guilty I suddenly feel for having plans. Why isn’t he going out with his friends like everyone else? “Not sure. There’s a party afterward, Rhett’s taking me to it.”
Grabbling a slice of pizza from the box, I set it on my plate, and sit on the couch in the living room.
“Sounds cool.”
“I’ve never been to one, so I’m not sure what to expect.”
“Just be careful, Kinsley. And don’t take drinks from anyone—even Rhett.”
“Rhett wouldn’t make me drink, or try to drug me, Carson. He’s not a bad guy.”
He pauses for a minute, mulling over his next move before tossing his plate of pizza on the coffee table. “Of all people, why him?”
His sudden mood change catches me off guard. “Why not? It’s not like I’ve ever had any other offers.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to take the first offer you get, Kins.”
“He’s interested. I’m interested. It makes sense.”
“What if I’m interested, too?”
I swallow the bite of pizza in my mouth, taken aback by his sudden confession. For so long, I’ve watched him, wanting a guy like him to sweep me off my feet—one with manners, a conscious, and values. And now here he is, telling me he wants me. Only his timing couldn’t be worse. I already have all the things I was searching for—with Rhett.
Carson moves from the recliner toward the sofa. I scoot back on the couch, needing the distance between us. I’m not prepared for this conversation. Not now. He can’t mess up what I have because he’s suddenly jealous.
“Kinsley,” he begins.
But I stop him before he can get a word out. “Don’t, Carson. Please. We have to live together. Don’t make it awkward.”
“I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable, but I can’t sit here and pretend I don’t have feelings for you. I do—constantly. You’re all I can think about most nights. Do you know how hard it is to go to sleep when you’re only a room away?”
“Yes,” I whi
sper. Our headboards are back-to-back with only a thin piece of drywall separating the two of us. Sometimes, I can hear him talking on his phone, or signing along to music while I’m trying to fall asleep. He’s been a distraction since the day he moved in.
“We grew up together, Kinsley. Maybe we don’t know everything about each other yet, but you know me. You know we’d be good together.”
I don’t know what we would be. I don’t. There’s no way to tell who I’d be a better match with. I have no experience when it comes to dating. All I have is what’s in my heart. And right now, my heart is telling me I need Rhett. Still, there’s one thing I need to know before this conversation goes any farther. “Am I the reason you agreed to move in here when Wyatt had to leave?”
“Shit, Kins.”
“Just tell me. I need to know.”
“Will it change your mind about me?”
“You haven’t told me yet.”
Carson reaches for my hand, and I let him have it. He pulls the bright yellow twisty tie, that was once wrapped around a loaf of bread, from his pocket. “Do you remember this?”
I try to cover my face with both hands, but he doesn’t let me. “Look at me, Kinsley.”
When I do, he slides the tie on my ring finger. The same way I did to him when I was nine-years-old—a lovesick little puppy with eyes for Carson.
“Do you remember what you said to me when you gave me this?”
I smile, still embarrassed. “Most of it.” There’s no way I’d ever forget that day. I was positive giving him a meaningless piece of wire meant something. It had to.
“Well, I remember every word you said. It was the summer before I was starting middle school. You were nervous because you were still stuck in the elementary school with the little kids. But even at nine, you were already more mature than I was at eleven.”
“I thought I had it all figured out,” I whisper.
“Maybe you did, Kins. You slid this ring on my finger, the same way I’m doing now, and told me not to forget you. That even though we’d start riding different buses, and go to different schools, that we wouldn’t always be in two different places. That someday, we’d be in the same place—together.”