As I make my way up my driveway, my forehead pinches.
Kellan is standing there, leaning against the beam of my front porch, so I park and make my way to him, finding his stare locked on my wet swimsuit.
“Hey, baby,” he rasps, his eyes slowly lifting to meet mine.
I swallow, suddenly feeling a little unsure. “Hey, I didn’t know you were coming.”
With a slight tilt of his head, he eyes me. “No? You told me your parents would be gone, remember?”
“Right. No, yeah.” I shake my head. “I just … thought I was meeting you somewhere.”
He nods, but then a easy smile finds his face, and I breathe a sigh of relief. “Come here, baby.”
He holds his arms out, so with a smile, I move to hug him.
When I pull back, he laces his hands through mine and kisses my knuckles, making me grin.
“Come on, let’s go inside. I need to take a quick shower, but then I’m all yours.”
He smiles and pulls me closer. “I have a surprise for you.”
“What?” I playfully narrow my eyes, and he smiles wide.
“Nope. Not telling. You take your gorgeous self into the shower, and I’ll see you when you get back downstairs.”
With that, I release his hand and make my way to my room. Perks of having a carpenter for a father, my brother and I each have our own bathroom.
It takes me about twenty minutes to get showered and changed, and then I’m making my way down the stairs, the smell of fresh marinara making my stomach growl.
He’s cooking for me?
I hurry into the kitchen. “Something smells good.”
He spins quickly, a bright smile on his face. “Baby! No peeking. Go relax on the couch. I prepped at home, so I only need a few more minutes.”
“You sure you don’t need help?” I lift onto my tippy-toes to try to see past him, and he laughs, rushing toward me.
He grins as he kisses my lips, forcing my steps backward. “Go, beautiful. Let me spoil you tonight.”
Placing my hands on his strong shoulders, I lift myself and softly kiss him.
“It’s spaghetti, isn’t it?” I whisper.
He laughs loudly before gently nudging me the rest of the way out of the kitchen.
With a smile, I turn on the TV to some random rerun of CSI.
Only a few minutes pass, as he promised, before he comes in to get me.
“Aw …” I gush when I see the table has been set for the two of us, two large plates of homemade meatballs and fresh bread waiting to be eaten. “Kellan, this looks amazing. Thank you.”
He pulls me in, brushing my wet hair over my shoulder. “I wanted to do something nice for you, show you how much I appreciate you. You’ve stuck by me through some really crappy things, Kenra, and I need you to know that I’m so grateful. So lucky to have you.”
I smile and lean in to kiss him before taking a seat at the table.
We talk a bit about what to expect over the summer and his schedule for next year.
Kellan took AP classes all through high school and early college courses since sophomore year, so he technically entered his first year of college with a junior’s credits. He’s insanely smart and business savvy.
Once we’ve settled into the living room, we cuddle beside each other on the couch, and I can’t help but enjoy the easiness of the night.
We’ve had many ups and downs, but over the last few months, Kellan has been great. He’s come home almost every weekend to see me, and always makes sure I feel included when we go places with his friends. He hasn’t pushed or pressured me in any way, like he used to. I was so young when we first started dating, so naturally, I was timid. But lately, I find myself being the one trying to get closer to him, and he always lets me lead.
So, when his fingers start to skim across the exposed flesh of my side and my core grows warm, I’m the one who shifts to face him, the one who moves to straddle him.
His eyes grow darker, lids heavier, as his hands slide higher.
I look from his eyes to his mouth. Then, I drop my lap against his and kiss him.
It only takes a moment for heat to build, and my hips start to rock against his.
His hands lift to cup my ass, and he breaks our kiss for a moment. “Tell me this is okay, baby.”
I grind against him as my answer, and he squeezes harder, lifting his hips to meet mine.
After a few minutes of heavy kissing, I need more, so with shaky hands, I lift my shirt over my head, and his mouth instantly comes down on my heated skin, making me whimper.
At the sound, he shifts us both, so he’s hovering over me, and I wrap my legs around him, bringing his hard-on back to rub against my clit.
We’ve messed around like this several times, and it’s always fun, but tonight, this friction isn’t enough, so I nudge him slightly and move to kick off my pajama pants and underwear.
He groans and looks from my naked body to his clothed one and back. In response, I bring my hands to his pants and undo his belt, slowly dragging his clothes from his body as nerves start to kick in.
He feels the tremble in my touch and brings his hand to my swollen clit to help distract me, and it works. I pant against him, bringing his face to mine to kiss him as he works me over.
“I have a condom,” he whispers. “If you think you’re ready.”
I freeze for a moment, but when I do, his finger slides inside me, and my back bows.
Kellan tosses the throw from the back of the couch to the floor and moves us onto it. He pulls a condom from his discarded jeans and quickly places it on.
I open my legs for him to settle between, and he kisses me slow, his tip now positioned at my entrance.
“It’s gonna hurt a little.”
I nod and open my legs wider.
He work his way in with gentle care, kissing and rubbing on my body to ease me as he does. It burns more than anything at first, but slowly, it goes away, and the stretch of my opening for him starts to feel more like a teasing pressure.
I lift to kiss him, running my palms across his warm skin, and he fiercely kisses me back. His movements speed up as my hands roam all over his heated skin. I can’t say for sure, but I think I finish as he gets ready to.
He brings his eyes to mine, softly running his fingers across my cheek as he rocks into me. Gently pushing my hair from my face, he skims his swollen lips against mine as he groans with his release.
I stare at him as he stares at me for a long moment afterward, and smile softly when his hand sinks into my hair.
“Kenra …” he whispers, his eyes searching mine, and I run my hands up his chest. “You have to know … he’ll never have you like this.”
My hands freeze against him.
“You will never be his,” he says, his tone measured and low, and the hand in my hair starts to tighten.
My eyes widen as realization sets in.
“You will stay away from Parker Baylor.” His grip deepens to the point of pain, and I whimper beneath him. “Or I will ruin everyone you care about.”
With that, he quickly pulls out, not caring how bad it hurts as he does so, and hops up. He tosses the dirty condom near my head and pulls on his clothes while I lie there, tears building in my eyes, my exposed body and still-open legs visibly shaking.
“Just a heads-up, you’ll be canceling your little trip to California tomorrow. Go to bed, Kenra. We’ll go over the rules and consequences in the morning.” He snatches my phone from the coffee table and heads for the kitchen. “Don’t think about sneaking off. You’ll regret it if you do. You’re eighteen now, and I’m done playing games.”
Afraid and unsure of what just happened or what to do, I run upstairs and climb into my bed without bothering to clean myself off.
I cry myself to sleep.
“I don’t know why Danny puts up a front. He’s obviously in love with Sandy. Why not just tell her?” Lolli squishes her lips to the side as she clicks off the TV, tossing the remo
te with a pout.
I laugh, jerking my knees that she’s sitting across, and she frowns my way. “Not everybody can swallow the honesty pill like you can, Lolli Bear.”
“But wouldn’t it make life so much easier if the world wasn’t full of such pussies?”
I laugh louder right as the front door swings open, and Nate’s and Kenra’s voices fill the room behind us.
They step around the couch, and Lolli smiles up at Nate, who bends to meet her with a frown.
“Baby,” he speaks against her lips, “love you, like Parker enough. I’d hate to have to kick his ass … so get yours off him.”
Giggling, she reaches up, and he sweeps his hands under her tiny frame, lifting her. She winks at me over his shoulder as he drags her off.
With a shake of my head, I look to Kenra, finding her downcast eyes on me.
“You have fun?” I ask, patting the spot on the floor beside me.
Smoothing her clothes down, she walks closer but chooses the space on the couch instead of at my side, so I shift to see her better.
“I did. We went and checked out my cousin’s cabin, visited with Ari for a bit, and then we walked along the beach a while.” She glances away, her eyes pinched at the edges. “He talked to me about everything that happened between him and Lolli last year, told me about graduation and his summer so far.”
She smiles softly, a true smile that comes from her heart. I find myself reaching out to touch the lines it leaves on her pale face.
I gently stroke her cheek, and she subconsciously leans into my touch.
“That’s good, Kens.”
She nods, her brown eyes bouncing between mine.
“I’m taking off tomorrow,” I whisper, and she freezes. “Just for a few days, work stuff for the Tomahawks.” She pulls away, so I let my hand drop to my lap. “I talked to Lolli. Payton will be good here while I’m gone.”
She nervously starts rubbing at her palms, and I squint. I lift myself onto the couch beside her.
“Have you talked to Payton about it yet?” she asks quietly, glancing off to the side.
My eyes drop to her palms. “Not yet. She went to lie down for a while. I will as soon as she’s up. Will you be here when I get back?”
Kenra looks to the ceiling with only her eyes, tears instantly filling them. “I don’t know,” she whispers.
My heart clenches, my head aching. “Kens—”
“Parker, please … stop.”
“Stop what?”
“Stop … trying.” Her voice cracks. “Stop looking at me like I’m everything.”
“I can’t, Kens.” I reach out, grabbing ahold of her closed fists. She tenses and tries to pull away, but my grip is firm. Gentle but firm. “Won’t ever.”
I run my hands over her closed knuckles. Slowly, her shaky fingers open, and I inhale deeply. Red and angry, her broken skin breaks another piece of me, steals another piece of her.
I bend to kiss her wounds, and a small sob escapes her, but she doesn’t pull away. If anything, her hands open further, her body craving a soft touch … or maybe it’s my touch she craves. Not that she’d ever admit to it.
I bring my eyes to hers, and she slightly shakes her head, begging me not to say it out loud.
This girl—this beautiful, big-hearted girl—is so lost inside herself and sees no way out.
She numbs her hurt with the break of her own skin.
“I—”
“No, Parker.” She pulls her hands from mine and shifts to stand. “Not right now.” With that, she disappears down the hall, and I’m left sitting in an empty room with a crushing heart and racing mind.
I watch Payton, laughing quietly to myself when her face scrunches in disgust as she slowly brings a frog leg to her mouth. Chase bends over, laughing, and she glares at him before taking a bite. I expect her to gag, but instead, she laughs lightly and takes another small bite.
Little things like this I hope she got back home—at least with her friends, if not from my mom. I thought this whole time they were best buds, tight as could be, but Payton’s comments over the last few days have me questioning everything I assumed she was getting at home when I agreed to leave her there without a fight. Dad would have taken her in a heartbeat, but my mom put a stop to that before it even began.
When she claps for herself, proud she tried it, I smile and glance away, finding Lolli’s eyes on me as Nate naps with his head in her lap.
She winks and looks to Payton. “She’ll be all right.”
I nod, hoping she’s right. My eyes slide to Kenra, hating the way she secludes herself and watches the others smile and laugh in their summer gear, all while she sits there in her jeans and cardigan, fresh hair and makeup, whereas the other girls have messy ponytails and ChapStick, if anything.
I look back to Lolli, as if to ask, What about her?
She sighs, her brows knitting at the center. “Maybe we should take a walk.”
“You know you could tell me to go away for a minute, so you two can talk, right?” Nate grumbles with his eyes still closed.
Lolli laughs, smiling at me. “Yeah, I know. But you’re not exactly known for taking orders. You’d say no and give me that sexy-ass don’t test me, baby frown you’ve perfected, and then I’d get distracted.”
Nate’s eyes pop open, and he grins up at her. “I’ll do anything you want, baby … for a price.”
“Mmhmm, always, handsome. Consider it done. Now, go play.”
Nate smirks and hops up, winking my way before snatching the football off the deck and throwing it at the back of Mason’s head.
“Hey, dick!” Mason laughs and then turns back to his conversation with some random beach girls.
Lolli laughs, bringing her blue eyes back to mine. “Ain’t it funny how that works? He thinks he won something when, in the end, it’s me who gets what I want.”
“Trust me”—I pop a brow—“he knows.”
She laughs loudly, pulling her knees up to rest her chin against them. “All right, Hero, talk to me. What the fuck do we gotta do here? I’m new at all this, so you’ve gotta help me out.”
“I’m not sure what I can do, Lolli Bear.”
“I might or might not have told her to figure out what she really wants before she leaves again.”
My eyes jerk to hers, and she covers her face, peeking between her fingers. I can only chuckle. “Always got my back, don’t you?”
“I’ve got your all, Hero. Always. What hurts you hurts me.”
I can feel the truth in her words. She’s the first person who has truly been in my corner—at least since a certain someone walked out of it.
“When are you leavin’ again?”
“Tomorrow—two, three days, max. Making a quick trip to San Francisco to meet with one of the owners before the season starts.”
“You’ll be gone for the Fourth?”
I nod, eyeing her.
“Take her.”
My brows dart up. “Take her? To San Francisco?” I shake my head. “She’d never go.”
Lolli narrows her eyes. “Ask her.”
“Lolli … there are so many things wrong with that. One being, do you realize the questions Nate would ask?”
She nods, glancing his way and then to me, meaning, when he asks, she’ll tell him all he wants to know.
“Look, let’s be real, all right?” Lolli gets serious, sitting forward on her seat. “You’ve literally got two options here, and one sucks.”
“I’m listening.” I can’t help but grin despite the shittiness of the situation at hand.
“One, everything stays how it is now.” She tips her head. “That’s the sucky one, obviously.”
“Agreed.”
“Second, you flip the fucking switch on her.”
My brows jump, and she smirks.
“Go balls out. She doesn’t think she needs you. Make her. She knows she wants you. Show her what having you feels like. Be her hero, Parker.”
I think it ov
er for a moment, my eyes cutting to the lonely brunette and back. “Go for it?”
“Fourth down, five seconds on the clock. Offense is down by a touchdown. No choice but to go for a pass. What’s the safety gonna do?”
I inhale deeply, feeling a flare of possibility light inside me. “Interception time.”
“Damn straight.”
“This is the bad choice.”
“It’s the only choice.”
When I hesitate, Lolli sits forward, her blue eyes determined and bright. “You have to try.”
My eyes flit between hers, soaking in some of the courage she’s fighting to give me. “All in?”
“Defense, baby.”
I sit back, my eyes once again finding the brown-eyed beauty alone at the edge of the water.
With a sigh, I look back to Lolli, and she tips her chin.
“If anyone could save her from herself, it would be you, but I can guarantee, it won’t be any kind of easy. I don’t know what’s happening or how bad it is, but I know those things for sure. And I know you. If you don’t do this, Parker, you’ll regret it. I can’t have that. I need you. She needs you.”
“How can you be so sure, Lolli Bear?” I whisper, swallowing past the lump threatening to clog my throat.
“Because I see you in her eyes, just like you saw Nate in mine.”
An unexpected, heavy chuckle leaves me, but for some reason, I stand, and her watery eyes shine with pride.
“Make her see, Hero.”
I don’t stop to think about it, afraid I’ll come to my senses, and I make my way to her.
There must be something in my strides that tells my intentions because Nate’s arm freezes midair as he and Mason both turn to watch me, but I keep going. It only takes a moment for her head to turn, for her brown eyes to lift and meet mine.
The breeze blows her golden-brown hair across her cheek, a few strands sticking to her lips, and they part with her gasp. She must see it, too.
I step right in front of her, and her hands drop to her sides. She holds her breath, begging me with her eyes not to do or say whatever it is she’s expecting.
Well, I’m done standing here, watching her crumble.
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