When Its Least Expected

by Heather Van Fleet

  He licked his lips. She could study away, just as long as he could return the favor,

  especially when she wore tight skinny jeans and white tank tops that left so little to the

  imagination. She was slender in all the right spots, and perfectly curvy in others. Her body was killer.

  The funny part was she thought she was being smooth about it too; he was almost

  positive of that. The moment her eyes refocused back to his face though, her cheeks turned a crimson shade of red. Ah-ha, so she was easily embarrassed, huh? He grinned harder. He’d have to remember that.

  “I’m doing great now that I’m with you.” Her brown eyes seemed to darken to black at

  his words. God, he had to keep going, he had to keep her talking. “Ya wanna walk with me to fifth period?” It was amazing he still managed to keep his swagger going. The reaction to this girl was not normal, at least for him it wasn’t.

  She didn’t answer right away, and letterman boy took to opportunity to sidle up next to

  her. She looked over at him with a dropped jaw as he wrapped his arm around her waist. Mason gripped his hands into tight balls. He was instinctively ready draw blood.

  “Um, yeah. Sure,” Harley nodded quickly looking down at the floor, maneuvering out of

  the douche’s arms to stand next to him this time. Mason raised his brows in challenge at the freak, the guy did the same back, but Harley interrupted the silent, territorial moment, before it got too ugly.

  He was so pissed that he didn’t even have time to enjoy the feeling of her hand in his.

  “First though, I want you to meet some of my friends.” She pointed to the little blonde from Friday night first, and Mason immediately remembered her name.

  Abigail. She seemed friendly enough, and she smiled at him too, only to wink a second

  later at Harley. There went Harley’s cheeks again. So pink, so cute. Mason knew right then and there that the best friend was cool as hell. The best part was, for once, a girl wasn’t into him.

  Harley moved down the line with her introductions, but Mason found her soft voice and

  her lithe movements too distracting to pay much attention to anything beyond those two things.

  “And this … is Toby,” she interrupted his mental examination, just as they landed in front of letterman boy again. He grunted. Talk about a cold shower. Why was she even introducing them in the first place? Blah, blah, blah, that’s all he heard. This was the first time since they’d met that he wasn’t listening to her. But the words homeschooled and twin brother did catch his

  attention.

  Finally they broke away from the group and wandered down the hall. Thankfully they

  were still side by side. She was quiet, and Mason found himself missing her feisty voice. He cleared his throat, and the first words he could think of fell from his mouth.

  “So uh, Harley, you have a brother? What’s his name?”

  Her lips tighten into a sealed line, her shoulders tensed too. Her eyes hooded over, and

  she all but shut down on an emotional front as she stared at the floor. Dammit.

  “I do,” she finally replied, her eyes wistful and clear when she finally stared back at him.

  Good, she was already coming back, “His name is David, and we’re twins.”

  She didn’t offer up any more information. She just looked away, eyes still shadowed as

  she wrapped her thumbs through the bottom of her book bag straps. Her face was unreadable,

  placid even, but the secrets were there, buried underneath all that hair.

  Mason sighed. He knew firsthand how to keep secrets; that was his God given gift. For

  once though, as the image of her face flashing with sadness reappeared in his head, he found himself wanting to share his own secrets, just so she’d confess hers. He bit his tongue. That’d never happen, he wasn’t about to play a game of you show me yours I’ll show you mine ... well, at least not in the emotional sense that is.

  There was one question that did sit on the tip of his tongue though, one that he couldn’t

  resist asking. “Harley and David are your names, huh? So … do you have a dog or guinea pig

  named Son?” Mason grinned, nudging her with his shoulder.

  The sweet pink coloring on her cheeks reappeared, and he swallowed a groan of

  appreciation in his throat. She was gorgeous, and her eye rolls accompanied by her long, sexy sigh, was enough of an ingredient for some serious palm sweating … and other things he

  shouldn’t be feeling in the middle of a school as well.

  Dude, it’s just breathing and blinking, all natural reflexes. Get the hell over it!

  He shook his head, holding in any further comments until they made their way to the

  classroom door. He was dying to hear her talk again; the sound of her voice was a soon to be addiction, he was sure of it. The white walled classroom appeared before them, and he panicked, instinctively pulling her to the right of the door. He leaned over to whisper in her ear

  immediately inhaling what smelled like warm chocolate chip cookies … strawberries. He smiled into her hair, it was the perfect combination. And he was suddenly ravished, and it wasn’t just for chocolate…

  She gasped, he smiled even harder, his face was still tucked into her hair by her ear, “So

  … you got an answer for me, little beast? Or do I have to beg for it?” He leaned back, and gave her a gentle shove until they stood face to face against the locker. Each of them had a shoulder pressed against the cold metal. He lifted his hand to grasp the side of her neck. He brushed her hair away from her skin, admiring the softness of her curls. He’d been dying to touch those waves, to run his fingers through them, but he stiffened as she her eyes stared up at him. They were filled with wonderment … and questions.

  Shit, he was waist deep, and would be swimming soon if he didn’t watch out.

  He dropped his hand, she shivered. Goose bumps appeared on her bare shoulders and

  arms. He should step away completely, give her some space, but the closer she got to him, the more his body demanded her nearness.

  “If you must know, smart ass, then I’ll tell you,” she swallowed. Her neck was

  fascinating as hell to watch. She stepped back even further. It was obvious he was coming on too strong. “Yes, my brother and I were named after the motorcycle. And no, I don’t have a pet, nor does my brother.” She licked her lips, and averted her eyes. “And furthermore, you need to know that I never want to ride one with you, ever.”

  “Whoa, slow your roll there, little beast. It was just a question not a wedding proposal.

  Besides, I have a Chrysler, not a bike,” his lips twitched. The truth was, he hated bikes, but riding on one with her strapped to his backside might have changed his opinion. “But if you’d like to ride me, then I’m sure that can be arranged…”

  Ah shit Mason! What the hell are you doing?

  She gasped, Mason flinched. She was obviously shocked … and that was putting it

  mildly. But was that a twinkle of excitement in her eyes too? He had to wonder; he had to hope.

  Her brows narrowed seconds later, a look that threatened murder passed over her face.

  Damn, the girl was sexy when she went all bi-polar mad on him. She crossed her arms over her chest, and moved past him. Her lips were sealed shut, and her shoulder was beyond cold. Mason followed her in anyways still grinning as he took the spot next to her.

  She was ready for a fight ... he was ready to kiss and make up.

  “Please go. Like … now.” She faced the front of the room, her knee bobbed up and down

  as she gnawed on her lip. The other kids piled in a few seconds later, but all Mason could do was focus on the stubborn little beast seated next to him.

  Her chocolate covered gaze never wavered as she stared ahead, but her body was tense.

  She was definitely uneasy … or maybe she was just affected by him.
He’d let her get away this time. Hell, for his own good, he should just walk away.

  But Harley Anderson was a birthday present in the making, and he sure as hell wanted to

  unwrap her.

  Chapter Four

  Throughout the rest of the day, Harley was bombarded with thoughts of Mason Daniel.

  The boy had done a number on her in the hall this afternoon. His wanting stare, those sexy

  promising words. She shivered at the thought, rubbing her hands over her arms as she made her way towards the parking lot.

  The boy was so arrogant and so full of himself too, yet a snippet of vulnerability seemed

  to lay hidden underneath all of that that egotism. He intrigued her, but he ticked her off even more.

  She threw her head back to catch the warm, October rays of sun. Thoughts of sandy

  blond, brown hair and sky blue eyes were not going away anytime soon. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn’t see Toby leaning casually up against the hood of her car until he was literally right in her face; the Toby who couldn’t obviously take a hint, the Toby who annoyed her in a league way beyond Mason Daniel.

  “Hey babe, haven’t seen you since lunch today. Where’ve you been?” He wrapped one of

  his steroid induced arms around her waist, and she cringed, managing to quickly maneuver out of it as she whipped her keys from her pocket. She had to be careful with her responses. Toby had a temper that rivaled an ax murderer at times.

  “I’ve been trying to get to class on time,” she lied, unlocking the door. She jumped as his hand landed over her shoulder, his palm flat against the window. She was trapped.

  “Ah, I see.” He paused. His hot, nasty breath passed over her cheek from behind. She

  ground her teeth together but didn’t say anything as her hand hovered over the handle. “So you haven’t been trying to avoid me then, right?” His cute, innocent tone wasn’t jiving with her, and then when his left hand traveled to her side, skimming the underside of her tank, she had to swallow the bile rising in her throat. The boy with the black hair and green eyes was not cute and innocent. He was the evil incarnate.

  The Devil himself should have been afraid.

  She shrugged him off swallowing her angry retort. Maybe, just maybe, if she didn’t

  respond to his touch, then he’d get the hint and back the hell up. She knew who Toby was, she definitely knew his game. The sad part was she used to like that game. Now though, after everything he did, after the way he’d abandoned her brother, she hated herself for ever finding him at all attractive.

  “Well then, you won’t care then if I ride home with you tonight, do you? I want to hang

  with Dave.” Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. Why the hell after almost thirteen months did he want to see David?

  “Um … I don’t know. I’m not even sure if he’ll be home. He’s got therapy until five and

  all…” She stalled, nervously flicking the key chain between her fingers, but instead of taking the hint, he moved closer placing his chin on her shoulder as he stalker-like smelled her hair. Toby had officially entered the creepy zone.

  Breathe, breathe, breathe…. She chanted her favorite mantra over and over again, until she was blue in the face. Then his lips found the pulse on her neck, his slimy words slipped from his even slimier mouth. “I think I’m okay hanging with just you for a while, Har. Come on, what do you say?”

  What I should say is back the hell up before I dismember your three un-manly parts …

  Her breath caught in her throat. She was border line hyperventilating. No guy had ever

  pissed her off as much as this one had. He should have been terrified.

  Just as she turned to unleash her fury, an all too memory consuming voice, called out her

  name. “Is there a problem here, little beast?” She exhaled. Toby finally backed away with an angry growl. She’d never been more thankful for a nickname in her life.

  “Yep, everything is fine, surfer boy,” she grinned, her smile forced. Toby had done a

  number on her nerves today. “I was just leaving here, and so was Toby. I’ll see you both

  tomorrow.”

  She flicked her finger out in a wave, before slipping into her car. Toby’s growl would

  have been hilarious, if she wasn’t so pissed. But when she went to nod at Mason, she stilled, his expression appeared to hold nothing but contempt … and concern. And a little bit of fear too.

  She tried not to think about it as her trembling fingers fumbled around with her seatbelt.

  “What the hell, dude? Stay out my business!” Toby’s voice echoed, even though the

  window was sealed shut.

  Mason though, was calm … scary calm, as he dug his finger into his legs. Now that was a

  face of a man who knew how to kick some big, beefy football player ass. He was her hero, even though she totally didn’t need one.

  No matter, Mason was earning some major points on her likability scale.

  ***

  “He said that to you, Mase? What a tool!” With his hands latched behind his head, lying

  flat on his oversized queen bed, he listened to the mundane sounds of his little sister typing away on his computer.

  He’d felt a need to tell her about Harley, at least to a point, and starting with scene from outside the school by Harley’s car seemed like the perfect spot. “Yep, he said that Harley was his, and that I needed to stay the hell away from her.”

  “Wow. What an ass!” Mason raised his brows at his sister’s non-typical cuss words, but

  closed them again as the light on his ceiling invaded his eyes, adding more pain to his knock-you-out, headache.

  It appeared the moment he saw Harley’s fierce face, battling against Toby. He was more

  than ready to rip into that ass-hat as he felt her up in the schools parking lot, but he also couldn’t stop his chuckle as he thought about Harley’s readied, karate chopping hand flying through the air. Still, he couldn’t let her handle that situation alone. He was too much like his father in that sense. He had to keep her safe. He had to take care of her. But he knew without a doubt, that she could sure as hell take care of herself if it had come down to that point. He shivered. He was sure as shit glad it hadn’t come down to anything.

  He’d been watching them from a far in a standby mode. The dude had some serious

  issues when it came to a lady’s personal space. Mason was more than ready to teach him a lesson

  … or maybe two.

  Maisy spun her chair in circles, tapping a finger along the plastic arm. She’d been extra

  quiet with her thoughts. Something major had to have been brewing in that pea brain of hers.

  “You like this girl, don’t you? Mason Daniel actually freaking likes a girl?” He could almost hear her smile. It was annoying as shit. She directed the last part of her question, most likely towards nobody in particular. Mason rolled to his side and groaned.

  Stupid little sisters.

  “Mason and Harley, sittin’ in a tree.” Oh hell no, she was not… “K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” She

  was. Damn her!

  “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll shut your mouth before I do it for you…”

  “First comes love,” she continued on, louder.

  “I’m warning you…”

  “Then comes marriage…”

  Girlfriends and Mason Daniel didn’t mix. His sister was crazy. Harley was just a fun way

  to pass the time, that’s all. He sat up fully and threw a pillow at her head. She shrieked and giggled, throwing it right back. He was never going to win because even behind the pillow, she continued to sing.

  “Fine. Whatever. Just turn the lights off when you leave.” He groaned, lying back down

  on his pillow, throwing an arm over his eyes as he did. Then her song turned into an all-out gasp followed by a fit of giggles.

  She was so … stupid!

  “Maso
n, you should totally ask her to the homecoming dance that’s coming up in a few

  weeks! I’m sure she’d go with you!” Mason didn’t answer. Maybe she’d just leave him to his

  headache misery if he stayed quiet enough. Unfortunately Maisy Daniel didn’t quit anything

  until she got what she wanted.

  “Do it! Do it! Do it!” she chanted, standing on his bed, her knees were bent. She started to jump. “Do it! Do it! Do it!”

  Damn little sisters.

  But then a light bulb switched on in his head. He knew what would shut her up. He was

  stealthy like that. “Alright, Mouse, I’ll ask her,” he sat up, leaning back on his elbows, “but only if you agree to make my bed for a month and you find a date for yourself.”

  Mason smiled, success was sweet. Sure, he probably shouldn’t encourage his baby sister

  to ask a guy out on a date, but the one positive thing was she the fact that she wouldn’t do it.

  She was terrified of boys.

  “Deal, Mase! In fact, I kind of already did ask someone today,” she sat down, her arms

  crossed. What? His eyes puckered together, his palms twitched with a need to smack …

  something. “Isn’t that awesome?”

  Mason coughed, choked was more like it. What the hell? His little sister actually asked a

  guy out? “Really, mouse?” he sat up completely. He squeezed the bridge of his nose trying to fight off the pain. Okay, yeah, he was nervous now.

  Her answering sigh was dreamy, and was that twinkle in her goddamned eye too?

  Shit no … she wasn’t dating anyone, not on his watch.

  “Well then, tell me who this poor sap is.” She giggled. He sighed heavily. The girl was

  so far gone already that there was no hope in bringing her back.

  Mason frowned. Apparently this was why she was enjoying Hillsdale so much.

  “His name is Aric. We’re partners in my biology class, and we just kind of hit it off.” A

  warm smile stretched across her face. Mason could only snarl at the thought of some boy’s hands all over his sister. He’d snap the freak in two. Wouldn’t be that hard. He was strong; he could definitely hold his own.

  “Well, did you ask Mom yet? You know how strict she is on the no dating till you’re