“Of losing you.” He frowned.
My eyes bore into his. As thrilled as I was to hear his words—my thoughts were too scattered. “So, what happened?”
He released his grip. “I spent two nights in detention. My folks were pissed and made me sit there.”
“Detention? Like jail?” Maybe he wasn’t the prince I’d made him out to be. “Why did you do it?”
“I was so screwed up. When I got pulled over…” his words trailed off. “There were drugs in the car.” I stared at him and knew he was measuring my responses. I lifted my chin a little higher. “When I got out of jail, my mom made a deal with the juvenile judge, that if I went into treatment, some of the charges would be dismissed.”
“And were they?”
“Yes. I spent ten days in an inpatient center for kids. Then the deal was…upon completion, I was sentenced eighteen months of probation. He allowed us to move and have a courtesy supervision here. Well…Medford. The judge knew my mom so I think that helped. He let me keep my driver’s license.”
“So…you’re on probation right now?” I couldn’t help my voice from squeaking.
He nodded. “Em. You have to believe me. I’d never even tried drugs before. It was a really bad time and it all happened in a short period. Things spiraled fast. Suddenly I was arrested, released, in treatment, out of treatment and in Ashland. I’d never felt so alone in my life.” He traced the steering wheel slowly then shifted his body toward me. “Then when I came by your house to pick up the football stuff, you were so nice to me. I’d never seen you at school. We laughed. We talked. You asked me about me and about San Francisco. And suddenly you made me remember how wonderful it was there and for a minute, I forgot about the shit. When you played that song for me, well, I just felt this incredible connection. When I decided to try and kiss you, I had no idea how you felt or if you felt what I did. I was so nervous that night. Then, when I felt the way you kissed me back.”
The way I kissed him back? Was that a good thing?
“The next thing I know, you’re gone, you left for Cannon Beach.” He smiled at me.
“Sorry.” Somehow with all of his honesty and sincerity, my one little word didn’t manage to cover it.
“It didn’t make sense to me. I spent four or five hours with you and you were all I thought about over the summer. I waited for you to get back to see if…I don’t know what.”
I thought about Estelle and the five times he spent with her.
He winced. “I know what you’re thinking and that was stupid of me. I will live with a planet of regret on my shoulders forever on that one. You know, she and I—we never even talked. We’d see each other out and…”
I plugged my ears. “OK…let’s not go there.”
“Sorry. I asked her about you.”
“You what?”
“I did. She blew it off because you were a freshman. And mentioned something about Ryan killing anyone who touched you.” He laughed at his words.
“So, explain to me…why am I a sophomore?”
He raised his brows. “Oh that. There’s this law, statute, something—that my mom knows about. It’s this Romeo and Juliet thing, seriously. Depending on the state, if you are more than two years older, in some states it’s three but you would have to be at least sixteen for us to—you know… or I’d get in trouble. So when I mentioned you to my mom, I knew you were fifteen but I told her what I thought she wanted to hear about your grade.”
“You can’t have sex with me because of a law?”
He nodded. “Kind of. I mean, I can, but with already being on probation…it’s risky. I was kind of unofficially diverted the first time through the court and I’d be officially charged if something happened.” He shook his head. “And as much as I know you hate hearing this…” He swallowed and hesitated. “You are young…er.”
I processed every word he spoke and hung onto the part of him not wanting to lose me. I knew the other parts were more important. My parents would find the words like arrested…drugs…probation much more relevant.
“So…sex is off limits?” I raised my brow as a part of me was relieved.
He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me over to his seat. “You know what, nothing is off limits. But, no matter what, I want it to be for the right reasons. Not because I did it with someone else or because you think you have to do it.”
I nodded. “I know. But.” I paused. “I’ll be sixteen May 20th.” I chewed on my cheek waiting for his response.
He grinned. “In March, I’m off probation.” He winked.
Blood rushed to my face as he started the Jeep.
TWENTY
I was grounded for skipping school and grounded from Zach for a week, which was a load of crap. I’d never ditched class a day in my life. To be honest, I’d never even faked being sick. Well…maybe once in sixth grade when Jennie Stewart wanted to beat me up for liking Wolf Belford. I’d held the thermometer under hot water to prove to my mom I had a fever, realizing later one-hundred-six was pretty dang high for a temperature.
This by far ranked up there with the worst week of my entire life. Zach was feeling guilty because he literally dragged me from the school. The brooding expressions he wore around the halls worried me. This was so not his fault. We were at least allowed to text and talk on the phone. The short two minutes before and after third hour was all we had.
Zach never said whether he got punished, but given his mom’s demeanor that day and her obvious disappointment, my guess was he had. He and Ryan seemed to be hanging out more, which made me a little nervous. I certainly didn’t want some mutual alliance with my brother to drive a wedge between me and Zach.
Ryan was getting ready for school, and I caught him in the bathroom gelling his hair.
“Ry?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m supposed to ask you something. I already know your response but I promised I’d ask.”
“What?” He rinsed his hands.
“Ali likes you. Apparently, you were too nice when you took her drunk butt home.”
“We went to Starbucks,” He explained like it wasn’t that big of deal.
I laughed. “Yeah. Well. I guess us freshmen are pretty easily entertained. You really swept her off her feet, bro.” I sat on the edge of the tub.
“Ali…little Ali?” he questioned, then added a, “hmm,” which confused me cause it was as if he was considering it. “Maybe Zach has the right idea. Maybe freshmen are easier to deal with than the catty, bitchy shit we deal with.” He slid his shirt over his head and smacked me on the shoulder nearly knocking me backward into the empty tub. “Come on. We gotta go. I’ll give it some thought.”
Paralyzed from shock, I gave no response.
The guys were decked out in their new football jerseys for the big game, and Zach, of course, looked incredibly handsome. We both knew I’d miss the game because I was grounded and he seemed more bummed than me. We walked quietly to Ryan’s truck after school; I spotted three guys leaning against the roll bar on his jeep, five stalls down from the truck. I pointed.
“Who’s that?”
He glanced up and a broad smile swept across his face. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
He abandoned my side and jogged to the Jeep. “What are you doing?” he yelled. The three guys jumped out of the Jeep and body bumped him.
“What’s up, Big O?” One of them hollered.
I slowed my pace. Ryan wasn’t there yet anyway. I watched Zach from the corner of my eye.
“Hey, Estelle.” The taller, thin guy said. “Where’s Jaycee?”
Estelle had passed me from behind and was closer to them than I.
“Hi, boys. Long time no see.” Her seductive little finger wave made my skin crawl.
The blood drained from my face. She knew them. I looked away as she joined their group.
“Em,” Zach shouted immediately.
Relieved, I glanced over as he motioned with his hand for me to joi
n them. I walked toward them, purposefully standing away from Estelle.
“What’s up?” I asked casually.
“Em. These are my boys from San Francisco.” He laughed. “Will. Jackson. Travon. This is Em.” Finally, when his arm wrapped around my shoulders, I breathed.
“M…like the letter M?” Will asked confused.
Jackson shoved him against the Jeep. “You dumbass. He told us before her name was Emma. Hi, Emma.” Jackson smiled, a perfectly beautiful smile with dimples at the corners of his mouth. I didn’t miss that Zach had told them my name.
Travon acknowledged me with a simple nod. He was by far the hottest black guy I’d ever seen. His velvety skin, short cut hair and a small goatee covering his chin beneath his full bottom lip were sexy. He had a Michael Jordan smile.
Will was the thinnest and the tallest of the three and I wondered where they grew these boys. California, obviously. They looked like city boys. Metros.
“You all coming to the game tonight?” Zach asked.
“Hell, yeah!”
Jackson nodded at Estelle. “You all gonna be there?”
“Of course.” She smiled, fluttering her eyes and twisting from side to side in her cheerleading skirt.
Zach’s palm rested against my back.
“Meet me at my house,” he called over his shoulder as we started walking to the truck where Ryan waited.
“Call me after the game?” I hoped.
“You know I will. I gotta go though. We have to be back here in just a little bit.” Bile rose up the back of my throat as he jogged to the Jeep.
Folding laundry, I listened to AHS win the game on the radio. Knowing Ryan had a good game, I hoped for good moods. I wasn’t disappointed. Mom and Dad ungrounded me early. I flew ecstatically off my chair and hoped I wasn’t too late. I texted Zach immediately.
When his soft tap graced our door, I shoved my Dad out of the way to get there first.
I flipped on the porch light and opened the door. “I’m free!” I shouted and threw my arms around his neck. His wet hair was cold from his shower and he smelled like soap. He kissed my forehead and allowed my feet to touch the floor.
“Hi. Mr. Hendricks.”
“Zach…it’s Matt remember.”
“Yes, sir.” He responded. I knew he’d never call him Matt. “May I take Em out to get some air?”
Dad looked at Mom who shrugged in approval. “Have her home in an hour. Oh, and Zach, no more skipping.”
“Yes, sir.” He tugged my arm. “Let’s go.”
“No. Wait. Look at me. I can’t go anywhere.” I wore baggy sweat shorts and an old tank. My hair tied in a ponytail.
“You look fine and we have less than an hour. Just come on.” He nearly yanked my arm out of its socket on the way to the car.
He reversed the Jeep and tore down the street.
“Zach, slow down!”
He hit his brakes at the end of our street. My heart thudded against my chest.
“I haven’t kissed you for a week and I couldn’t kiss you the way I wanted in your driveway, so…” He grabbed the back of my head shoving his lips to mine. His breath hit my face exciting me. My lips parted when suddenly headlights shined brightly on us and he pulled back. Ryan’s truck idled next to the Jeep.
He stared at us and didn’t say anything. I was suddenly nervous. “Did you escape or were you freed?”
“Freed.” I smiled.
“That never happens to me, you know.” His truck revved as he began pulling away.
“You aren’t as good of a kid as I am. They like me better,” I joked. He spun his tires.
Zach’s eyes closed and I rubbed across his forehead. “You OK?”
“It’s been a long week and I just got my fix.”
I lowered my head not liking his analogy.
“Bad choice of words.” He turned right at the stop sign. “Are you worried about that?”
“About you using drugs again?”
“Yes.”
I knew it would bother him if I said yes. “Do you miss them?”
He took a left turn. “I wish I never would have done ‘em.”
“That wasn’t an answer.”
He watched the road ahead of us. “Do I miss them?” he repeated…stalling? “No. They brought me nothing but trouble.” He rubbed his forehead.
“Aside from trouble…did it feel good?”
He squirmed and I could tell my inquisitiveness troubled him.
“What do you mean?”
“I wonder what it’s like.”
His foot came off the accelerator and he scowled. “Em. Don’t ever, ever go near them.”
“Well now, that’s a double standard isn’t it?” I winked at him
The anger didn’t leave his eyes. “I’m serious.”
“I won’t. I was kidding. Where are we going?”
“The top was already off the Jeep when I got your text, I thought we’d just drive around.”
“What happened to your friends?”
There was a slight hesitation prior to his answer. “Oh, they hooked up with some other people. I’ll catch up later.”
I knew what he was hiding. “You’ll catch up with just the guys?” I rolled my eyes the moment the words came out. Could I have sounded more insecure?
His eyes flickered away from Main Street and found mine. I had to do something to prove I wasn’t insecure. Brett and Josh went honking by in Brett’s truck. When he waved, I waved too then brought my hand down resting it on his thigh, not looking his way. His muscle tensed under my hand.
My brain did somersaults trying to determine what to do next. As he turned on Oak Street and drove by the brewery where adults drank liquid courage, I saw this as a sign and found some of my own. In one swift move, my hand moved off the khaki colored cotton, skimmed over his knee then back up his thigh under the material.
This time, I dared glancing at him and his eyes were dark and held a warning. My upper teeth came down on my lower lip. With my fingertips, I began to lightly graze his thigh. I closed my eyes, forcing myself not to look at him, but my eyes bulged open when he reciprocated the touch to my upper thigh. Every nerve ending above my knees sprang to life.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nu…nothing.”
The corners of his mouth twitched upward and the Jeep suddenly came to a stop in a parking lot. He unbuckled and leaned into me forcing his hand upward another inch. In all the truth or dare games, this was as far as a guy’s hand had been up my thigh. I wondered what underwear I had on.
“How about we make a deal?”
I nodded. “Kay.”
With his other hand, he fingered strands of my hair. “I believe turnabout is fair play. You touch me, I touch you. Sounds fair. Yes?”
I nodded again, and, testing his theory, I inched up a wee bit further on his thigh. He reciprocated. My mouth fell slightly open and his sexy lopsided grin appeared.
“I don’t think this is a game you’ll win, Emma.”
A little woozy in the head from the barrage of hormones flying through my body, I took the challenge.
“It’s a deal,” I said short of breath. Having him touching me, I’d already won.
He pecked my lips softly at first then his mouth parted and he kissed me fully. His tongue was warm and soft, and slowly reacquainted itself with my tongue. After the kiss he buckled his seat belt again. “Let’s get you home on time.”
This challenge and newly found courage made me smile. I touched his knee. He touched mine. I touched his fingertips to my lips and traced the tips with my tongue. He groaned. I smiled when he jerked my hand toward his mouth performing the same. Except it was obvious his touch was WAY more effective on me.
“Zach,” my voice was barely a rough whisper with a slight warning attached.
He lowered my hand but held it, and I realized we were back in my driveway.
He jumped up and over his door and came to mine. “This is going to be fun.”
I was already sitting sideways thru the open Jeep door. He backed up to me and I got on his back. He sat me on the hood of the Jeep. It was warm. I leaned in and kissed his neck before he turned toward me with a cocky grin.
I shrugged my shoulders up to my neck and kept them there as I giggled protecting my neck from an oncoming assault. He leaned in, and then with his fingers tickled my sides until I lowered my shoulders in an attempt to stop the tickling. As soon as my neck was fair game, he swooped in and showered it with kisses.
“I’m gonna win,” he nearly sang. “If your noises don’t kill me first.”
My noises? “Good luck with that.” I grinned and moved in for a kiss.
TWENTY-ONE
It was Saturday and time to make the call. I was a bundle of nerves but had procrastinated long enough. This half made me the most nervous.
“Hello?”
“Mrs. Owens?” I heard anxiety in my voice.
“Yes.”
“This is Emma Hendricks.”
“Hi Emma. How are you?” Zach’s mom was always kind.
“I’m fine.”
“Sweetheart, Zach’s not here.”
“Yes ma’am. He’s with Ryan. I kind of planned this out. I’m wondering if we could meet later this morning, if you have time. I have a favor to ask of you.” I got that much out and breathed.
“Is something wrong?”
“No. It’s about Zach’s birthday. I would just need maybe a half hour.”
She didn’t hesitate. “That would be lovely. Where would you like to meet?”
“My mom and I could meet you at Greenleaf.”
“That’s fine. I can be there in a half hour.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Owens.”
“You’re welcome Emma. I look forward to seeing you.” Half over.
Greenleaf was a quaint little eatery downtown. It was quiet when we got there, and Mrs. Owens smiled at us from a wrought iron table in the corner. Her eyes were warm and inviting; I wanted to hug her.
“Hi Emma, and you must be Mrs. Hendricks.” She nodded.
“Please. Call me Kate. It’s nice to finally meet you. We have come to adore your son.” My mom shook her hand.
Old Enough to Love... (Just One of the Guys) Page 11