“You’re not going to answer me?”
I looked in his eyes and shook my head slowly. “No,” I whispered. Tears overflowed from my eyes.
He let go of my chin and nodded once. “Okay. Then answer this. When’s the last time you’ve seen Jaden?”
I sighed. Afraid Brody would hear from someone else that Jaden was over Friday night, I decided to tell him. I thought it would be better for him to hear it from me. Maybe I could do some damage control. Yeah, right. “He came over after the football game Friday night. His cousin Karen saw me in your Jeep. He wanted to know who I was out with. I guess she didn’t see you.”
“Son of a bitch. And you’re asking me to look the other way and do nothing?” He flung his hand toward my eye.
“Yes. I’m asking you, as a friend, to overlook it.”
Brody glared at me. His jaw worked back and forth as his eyes roamed over the bruises and swelling covering my eye. “You’re scared of him.”
“Yes.” My answer was mostly the truth.
“Willow, you don’t have to be—”
“Please, just do this for me.” Grabbing Brody’s hand and threaded my fingers with his, I skimmed my lips over his knuckles. “Please.” I hated how my voice trembled, the desperation I could hear in it.
“Fine,” he said through clenched teeth. He grabbed my book bag, slung it over his shoulder, and stalked toward the school.
“Brody, wait. Give me my bag.” I hurried after him, taking two steps to every one of his long strides.
He stopped abruptly and turned. “Why? Because he’ll get angry that I’m carrying it?”
I took a step back at how hard his voice sounded. “Yes.”
He let the bag slide from his shoulder. It hung from his flattened palm. “Here.”
“Don’t be mad at me,” I called when he turned and walked away.
“I’m not,” he said over his shoulder.
“You’re acting like it.” I hated the tremor in my voice, but I couldn’t stand him mad at me. His opinion, our relationship, was important to me.
He stopped, and I nearly ran into his back. “I’m disappointed, Willow. I didn’t figure you would let someone treat you this way without fighting back.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. It felt like he’d physically knocked the air from my lungs. Disappointment was so much worse than anger. “That’s not fair! There’s more to it than you know.”
“Then tell me,” he shouted. Turning to look at me, he held his arms out from his sides. “Tell me, what’s not fair? What don’t I know?”
“I can’t,” I whispered.
“Whatever.” His arms dropped with a smack against his thighs. He walked away and left me standing alone in the middle of the parking lot.
Walking slowly into the building, I made my way to my locker. I focused on the tiles on the floor and putting one foot in front of the other, so I didn’t have to look at everyone staring at me. It was bad enough I could hear their whispers.
“Yoga pants? Really, Willow?” Jenna asked, looking at me. Then I raised my head. “Oh, shit.”
As soon as I saw Jenna, the tears started. I hadn’t cried when it happened. I hadn’t cried all weekend. But there, standing in the middle of the school’s hallway, in front of my locker, I started blubbering like a damn fool. Like I hadn’t given people enough to talk about already, I had to give them more ammunition.
“Let’s go to the bathroom. C’mon.” Jenna put her arm around my shoulder and held me tight against her, guiding me to the restroom. When we got inside, I slid down the wall and sat down on the dingy, tiled floor with my knees pressed against my chest, my arms wrapped around them. I laid my head down on my knees. “You wanna talk?” Jenna asked softly.
I shook my head. “Nothing to talk about.” Jenna handed me some tissue. I wiped my face and cursed. “All the makeup I put on to cover it up, and I’m crying it all off.” I half laughed and half sobbed. I heard the warning bell ring. Three minutes until classes started. “You should go. I don’t want you to be late.”
“No freakin’ way.” She shook her head. “I’m not leaving you like this.”
“I’m fine, Jenna. Go. I don’t want you to be late. You get detention enough on your own. You don’t need me helping you by making you late for class.” I smiled, wiping my tears on the back of my hand. “I’m just going to splash cold water on my face, and then I’ll go to class.”
“You’re sure? ’Cuz I don’t want to leave if you need me—”
“I’m sure.”
She gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Text me if you need me. It doesn’t matter what class I’m in. If you need me, just text and I’ll be there.” She hesitated in front of the door. “Promise me you’ll text me, Willow. I hate leaving you like this.” A tear slid down the side of her face.
I went to her and hugged her tight. “I promise I’m okay, but if I need you, I will text. No matter what. I’ll see you in history.”
With one last hug, Jenna wiped her tears and slipped out the door. Alone in the bathroom, I sat down on the floor again. I had no intention of getting up and going to class.
Sometime later, I don’t know how long, the door squeaked open, and I turned my face from it. I wasn’t in the mood to answer any questions, and I damn sure didn’t want to see pity in anyone’s eyes. I just wanted to sit on the dingy, pea-green tiled floor for the rest of the day. Maybe for the rest of my life… or at least the rest of the class period.
“You gonna sit here all day or what? ’Cuz if you are, I can make a Chinese run for lunch.” He eased himself on the floor next to me.
“What are you doing here, Brody?” I asked, trying to wipe away my tears before he saw. Because, although the tears were because of the circumstances that led up to my majorly black eye, I was also crying because of him. His reaction to me in the parking lot. I was hoping for a little more empathy, rather than disappointment. That stung. And maybe hit a little close to home, too, because, if I faced the truth, I was disappointed in myself.
“Jenna told me you were in here. She said if you weren’t in class in five minutes, I was supposed to text her so she could check on you.”
“Of course she did. So why are you here instead of her?” I turned my head to look at him, but kept my arms in front of my face to block his view.
He shrugged a shoulder and wrapped the hem of my shirt around his finger. “I wanted to be the one to check on you.”
“You do realize you’re sitting on the floor of the girls’ bathroom?”
“So are you,” he pointed out.
I sighed. “Yes, but I am a girl. You most definitely are not.”
“Thanks for noticing.” He gave me a lopsided grin, and I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
“Believe me. I’ve noticed, along with the rest of the female, and some of the male, student body.”
“Well, it goes both ways. I’ve definitely noticed the fact that you’re a girl. A very beautiful one at that.” He slipped a finger under a lock of my hair and twirled it around his fingers as he looked around the room. “So, what’s it gonna be? Are we staying in here all day or are we going to brave biology?”
I shrugged and dropped my arms, forgetting that not only was my eye totaled, but I’d also been crying so my face was undoubtedly red and splotchy too. Yeah, America’s Top Model, here I come. No need to vote. I’ll just accept my winnings now. Sure.
I heard Brody suck in a breath when he looked at me, and his fingers stilled.
“Yeah, I guess I look busted, huh?” I said, wrapping my arms around my legs, pulling them tighter to my chest.
Brody shook his head. “Nope.” He swallowed and cleared his throat. “Not unless the term busted means something different to you than it does to me, because I think you look effin’ gorgeous.”
I rolled my eyes—the good one, anyway. “Whatever. What happened to your vow to always tell the truth?”
“It’s still in place,” he murmured, sliding a lock of h
air behind my ear. He let his fingers glide gently along my jaw and down my neck, following it with his eyes. I shivered under his touch and watched him roll his full bottom lip between his teeth. I nearly groaned out loud.
I’m losing it. I have a mangled eye, a splotchy face, no makeup, I’m sitting in a dirty school bathroom, and I’m getting turned on.
“You deserve so much better than this,” Brody whispered, cupping the side of my face. He ran his thumb over my bottom lip, eyes following. I let the tip of my tongue touch the pad of his thumb, and he groaned deep in his chest.
He moved in front of me so fast, I gasped. Grabbing my upper arms, he slid me across the tiled floor until I was sitting between his legs with my legs over his, wrapped around his waist. His hand traveled up my back, sliding under my T-shirt. I hummed at the feel of his skin against mine. His other hand cupped the side of my face, his fingers delving into the hair falling in front of my eyes, holding it back.
His eyes roamed from mine to my lips and back again. My breath was trapped in my chest. His touch made it impossible for me to breathe, and my chest burned. My heart pounded as though it were trying to breakthrough and hand itself it Brody, because at that moment, he surely held my heart in his hands.
I wasn’t sure how much time passed. Brody’s hand ran up and down my spine. My hands moved up his arms to his shoulders, and then my fingers sifted through his silky dark hair like I’d wanted to do so many times. Time and place melted away. We were no longer in a school bathroom, but encased in a solitary cocoon where we were the only two people alive.
Brody’s hand left my cheek and moved to cup the back of my neck, nudging me forward. He leaned his cheek to mine. I could feel his warm breath moving wisps of my hair. Turning slightly, he kissed my cheek, moving along my jaw to my ear, kissing the sensitive spot just behind my earlobe. My head started to swim, and a tremor ran through me.
“Brody,” I whispered so low I wasn’t sure if he heard me.
He pulled back and rested his forehead against mine. His breathing came in short gasps, his eyes closed. His fingers opened and closed around the hair at the back of my neck, gripping it tighter and tighter.
I knew the moment he decided. His breathing changed. His grip on my hair loosened. He splayed his hand between my shoulder blades. He groaned a curse, moving his mouth to mine. Pressing his lips to the corner of my mouth, he hesitated, giving me time to stop him, but my mind had been made up before that day. I knew if Brody Victor ever tried to kiss me again, I wouldn’t stop him. My body craved the taste of him and wouldn’t be satisfied until it had him—and even then, I knew one taste wouldn’t be enough.
He pulled back just far enough to move his blue eyes, dark with desire, to mine. Seeing his desire mirrored in my gaze, he leaned forward just as the bathroom door flew open, hitting the wall beside it with a crack before bouncing off.
“Oh, sorry,” a girl dressed all in black with blue hair said, looking down at us. “You know, there are better places to make out than the slimy bathroom.”
Scooting away, I stood, keeping my back to the girl. I didn’t need any reports getting back to Jaden of my bathroom tryst with Brody.
“Thanks,” Brody murmured, rolling off the floor. He placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me out the door.
I made it through the rest of the day without hiding in the bathroom. Brody and I never mentioned the best damn kiss that almost was.
When I left school that afternoon, Jenna, Tim, and Brody waited at my car. “What’s this? An intervention?” I asked, only half kidding.
“Today’s football practice,” Tim said, as if that explained everything.
“Yeah, and we’re taking you out,” Jenna chimed in.
“Where?” I eyed the three of them.
Jenna cringed. “It pains me to do this. I want that noted for the record. I’m only doing it because I’m awesome like that.”
“That goes without saying,” I said, pursing my lips to keep from smiling. Jenna was a diva of the highest form.
She gave an exaggerated sigh. “We’re taking you to the mall and buying you one of your damn T-shirts.”
“Really? I have the best besties in the world!”
“Yeah, yeah, it wasn’t my idea so don’t get your mush all over me. I still despise your shirts.”
I looked at Brody and smiled. “Thank you.”
“What?” he feigned innocence.
“I know it was your idea. Jenna hates the shirts. Tim has probably never paid enough attention to even realize I wear them—”
“Not true!” Tim said.
“That leaves you, Ace. The one person who’s told me they fit my personality. So, thank you.” I glanced around the parking lot to make sure we were alone and then stood on my tiptoes and kissed Brody’s cheek.
His hand glided over my hair when I kissed him. “Yeah, well, don’t go getting all girlie or anything.”
“I have some things I have to do first, so let’s meet in the food court in about an hour?” Jenna suggested.
We all agreed, and Jenna and Tim left for their cars. Brody held back. “What’s up?” I asked.
“Um, I was wondering if your parents would be home this afternoon?”
“My stepdad won’t be, but my mom probably will be home. Why?”
“Oh. I was thinking we could ride to the mall together. I could follow you home so you could drop your car off and we could take mine, but if your mom’s gonna be there it wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“No, it wouldn’t. Sorry. I would’ve liked riding with you.”
“Yeah?” He looked at me with a grin.
“Sure. Mall traffic is horrible this time of day.”
“Ha. Nice. Here I thought you wanted to spend time with me because of my charming personality, but you just want me for my superior driving skills.”
I laughed. “I’m a sucker for a guy who follows all the traffic laws.”
If you’ve ever seen yourself drive, you’d know why I want to ride with you. You ooze sexiness when you drive. I’m in so deep with you it’s pathetic, and you don’t have a friggin’ clue.
“Well, if you want, we can drop your car off at my house and leave for the mall from there. My mom won’t be home and even if she were, she wouldn’t care,” Brody said, leaning his back against my car door.
Alone. With Brody. At an empty house. With beds. No parental guidance whatsoever. What could go wrong? Yeah. I hope he has an unlimited supply of condoms. Jeez, Willow, get your mind out of the gutter… or the bedroom—whichever. It’s no different from being alone with him in a parked car in the middle of a field after dark. Except this time, there’ll be beds. Nice, soft, beds. I should tell him no.
“Sure. That sounds great.” I smiled.
I’m so going to Hell for sexual immorality.
I followed Brody to his house. When we pulled into the drive, I got out of my car and went to Brody’s Jeep. He got out, and I thought he was just coming around to open my door for me like always. No such luck. Ugh.
“You want to go in and get something to drink? We have time before we need to meet Tim and Jenna.”
“Um.” I looked at the door and then back to the jeep, twisting my fingers in front of me. “Okay.”
Oh, no. This is so bad. We should leave now and get something to drink at the mall… where there aren’t any beds and there are lots of people around. Not here, where we are alone, with beds in the house. Why can’t I stop thinking about the damn beds? I’m starting to sound like a hussy scoping out the beds.
“You’re sure your mom won’t mind us being here alone?”
Brody inserted the key into the house’s door and unlocked it. “I don’t remember saying that exactly. It’s not like I’m going to call her up and tell her I have a girl alone in the house. I just said she wouldn’t mind you parking your car here while we went to the mall. Slight difference.”
“Then we should leave.” I started to get in the Jeep when he grabbed my w
rist and pulled me gently away from it.
“She’s out of town. It’s fine. Let’s get a Coke.” He threaded his fingers with mine and led me into the house. “Besides, I need to change clothes before we go. Someone squirted mustard on my jeans at lunch, remember?”
She’s out of town. Oh, well, that makes it so much better.
“Huh? Oh, that was an accident,” I said absently. My mind was still focused on the fact that Brody’s mother was out of town.
We’re on the friendship train. Nothing more. Just friends. Yeah. That’s why we were practically mauling each other this morning in the girls’ bathroom. If Brody can make the girls’ bathroom a sensual, seductive place, just think what he could do in a bedroom. I’m thinking about those damn beds again! I need a distraction.
“This is a really nice house. Just you and your mom live here?”
“I guess. It isn’t ours. We’re just renting until we find a place of our own. My mom likes this side of town. I kinda like it here, too.” He glanced at me and grinned. I was sure something melted inside me—a vital organ, no doubt, because my body started doing all kinds of weird things in response. My hands started shaking, my breathing was shallow, and my heart was skipping every other beat. My mind tried to stay immune to Brody Victor—even though it was failing miserably—but my body had completely lost control. Wherever he was, my body was like a homing beacon, picking up his signal. Missiles locked and loaded. I was ready… for what, I had no idea. But I assumed it had something to do with the beds.
Yup, I’m a lost cause. Just give me a gallon of chocolate chip ice cream and a spoon now. I’m going need them. No need for a bowl. This heartbreak will call for eating it right out of the carton.
We walked into to a huge two-story foyer with a curved staircase on one side and a formal living and dining room on the other. Brody led me to the back of the house where there was a great room with a family media room, and a huge kitchen with an attached sunroom. A second staircase was located off the kitchen.
“Wow.” I looked around. “I didn’t know this subdivision was this upscale compared to mine.”
“It’s just a house. I’ve lived in more houses over the years than I can count. None of them ours, so they’ve never really been homes, you know?”
Unspeakable (Freedom Series Book 1) Page 15