by A. J. Moran
“Princess, I didn’t know you’d be waiting.” Marcus broke away from the team and walked up to the side of his truck. “Couldn’t wait to see me again, huh?” He grinned. He leaned forward as if to give me a kiss and I bolted from the back of his truck like a startled deer.
“Yeah-uh-yeah, I just couldn’t wait.” I tried to explain my presence in his truck. I pushed my hair behind my ear a moment before he was pulling me in for a hug. His fresh lime smell teased my senses. He pulled back slightly and the butterflies in my stomach decided to wake up. Was he going to try and kiss me again like moments before? Would I let him after that morning? I had forgotten where I was and who I was at a touch of his freakin lips and I wasn’t sure if I would beg for that feeling again or if I would continue to dodge it.
He nuzzled my neck with his breath and then released me with a smirk. “Well I’m sorry to disappoint you but the boys and I have something planned already. We can catch up later.”
Great. I had walked right into that trap, hook, line, and sinker. I definitely looked like a clingy girlfriend. I felt myself flush as the heat raced from my chest to my cheeks.
“Uh, yeah, later.” I stammered the words.
Who was I and what did I do with my normally confident self? His teammates hooted and laughed but it was all background noise to me as I walked swiftly away from them all and climbed into my car on autopilot. I wasn’t used to being at a loss for words. I was not the shy type.
Later never came. Pacing my room waiting for the sound of the front door closing had gotten old a long time ago. My eyes grew heavy as I waited to hear his footsteps coming up the stairs in the empty house. They didn’t. My heavy lids pulled down and I drifted into sleep.
I stretched languidly the feel of arms circled my back holding me to a broad and muscled chest. The feel of a day old shave ran across the side of my neck and I arched to give better access. “Mmmmhhh,” I moaned. Kisses trailed along my jawline and I kept my eyes closed, enjoying the sensation.
He rolled me over onto my back and propped himself up on his elbow to look down at me. “Taylor.” He murmured and his face came into focus.
“Marcus!” I gasped and tried to sit up. “What are you doing here?”
He held me gently down and leaned forward. “Let’s not talk.” He whispered and then we were connected. His lips grazed softly across mine.
“No, wait.” I turned my head to the side. Something I hadn’t been able to do at school. He smiled down at me and I melted a little.
“I knew you would be worth it.” He kissed my jawline.
My thoughts grew hazy at the soft breath sending tingles down my spine. I was losing this battle. “Huh?”
“Taming you.”
I groaned as he dragged my ear lobe into his sinful mouth. I couldn’t concentrate on his words. My hands ran down his muscled chest feeling it for the first time.
“You are a bitch. It wasn’t easy.” He paused and I started to hear alarm bells in my head. “You are a real life 21st Century shrew, Shakespeare would be proud.” The ringing got louder as I tried to push him away.
The blaring of my phone's alarm jerked me out of sleep. I bolted up my eyes searching my room for Marcus. It was empty. I drew in a calming breath and tugged my hand through my knotted hair. It was just a dream.
No, nightmare.
My heart beat in an unsteady rhythm as I allowed myself to relive his touches for a moment. He was bad for my sanity.
Finally pulling myself back together I silently made my way over to the bathroom across from my room. I gave a light knock on the door and swung it open when there was no answer. Too late I realized the light was on and the shower was running. In shock I stood staring through the blurred glass at Marcus. I could see the outline of him as he washed his hair and my mouth went dry. He was my dream come to life. My feet were stuck to the floor like they had been the night of the party. The voyeur in me couldn’t seem to get enough when it came to him. I had to get out of here. The results would not be good.
Backing up I knocked the hand soap off of the sink in an attempt to leave unheard from the bathroom. I watched in horror as his head swung in my direction after the container clattered to the floor. As if his ego wasn’t large enough this was going to make it impossible for him to leave the house. He’d be stuck in the bathroom from his head being so huge. I almost laughed. Almost.
“Taylor? What are you doing?” He asked confused from the crack in the shower door. It was revealing just enough skin to make my imagination run wild but not enough to truly fill in the blanks.
The flush that spread across my cheeks burned its way down my neck. I was going to die of embarrassment. “I- uh – I knocked. You didn’t answer. So-” Brilliant. I was officially the lamest person ever.
“Okay.” He drew out the word and one side of his mouth lifted in a half smile and I knew I was in trouble before the rest left his mouth. “Don’t be shy, if you wanted to join me all you had to do was ask. Sharing is caring.” I watched as he held back his laughter and slid the door a little wider in invitation. I turned away from him without another word, my face burning in embarrassment. I would not admit to him that his offer no matter how fake was tempting.
Chapter 33
Taylor
It wasn’t a hard decision to stay locked in my room. Go to school and deal with Marcus’s huge ego all day where I couldn’t do anything but grin and bear it or stay home in the safety of my own room. Not really a choice.
Where are you girl? The whole school is saying you had a little too much fun last night with a certain Frost brother. Quentin’s text came in a little after lunch would have been over.
I groaned and covered my face. Maybe not going to school was a bad idea. The only ‘fun’ I had with him had been in my dream and even that had turned into a nightmare. I was going to kill him.
Tossing my phone down on my bed I picked up the book I was trying to read and went over to my window seat so I’d have a good view of when the boys got home. The sun was bright and brought out the beautiful hues of the fall leaves that still clung to the trees in silent defiance of the weather change. The cold had started to spread to the area and it wouldn’t be long before the sun would be blinding everyone off of the snow that would cover the ground. But even the brightness of the fall day couldn’t pull me out of my mood.
My phone went off again and I ignored it. I didn’t want to talk to anyone and if that rumor was going around the school I’m sure everyone would be blowing up my phone. Instead I opened the book in my lap and fell into a different world. At least tried to. Each little sound outside my window had my eyes traveling to the still closed gate. It was past the time for them to come home, practice had been over for an hour.
Chapter 34
Marcus
I knew I was avoiding going home. Wade knew it too. But he was letting me for some strange reason. Our fight from the other day had been brushed under the rug with all the other things that kept being swept there. He was right about it all. It was a stupid game. I had to end it. The feelings I was feeling for her were going to get me hurt. But I was dragging my feet about it.
“I’m going to do it.” I looked over to my brother-riding shotgun.
“You mean pick a place to eat? You are starving me man.” He complained, pretending like he didn’t know what I was talking about. He was going to make me say it.
“No.” I paused, my eyes on the stoplight in front of us. I swallowed hard, “I’m going to end it.” I couldn’t look at him.
“Why?”
“What do you mean why?” I glanced over at him, shock filling me with his question. “You told me it was wrong.”
“No, I told you messing with her was wrong. That breaking her heart would be wrong.” He clarified with an arched look at me. “You have it bad, just admit it to her and you guys can move on from there.”
“It’s not that easy.” I pulled my hand through my hair tugging on it. She didn’t want someone that had been w
ith a million girls. She said so herself. Not that I had really slept with a million girls. Not even close. But in my quest to forget about her I had made sure she’d never really want me. I had guaranteed her disgust.
“It is that easy. Just. Tell. Her. How. You. Feel.” He replied slowly.
Taylor would laugh in my face. She’d already done as much. When she had her ‘lapse in judgment’.
I shook my head in denial and kept my eyes on the stoplight that was taking forever to change.
“Just give it a try. How about you tell me how you feel about her?” He suggested, I glanced sharply in his direction and he just looked at me calmly. “Well?”
“I-“ my words dried up and the honking of a car behind me released my foot from the break. “Forget it.”
“Dude, you’re an idiot.” For once in my life he was right. I was an idiot. It was one huge mess that I needed to figure out how to get out of.
◆◆◆
I couldn’t do it. Not when I got home last night, not this morning, not in Chemistry, not at lunch, and especially not now. I just couldn’t tell her how I felt or end it.
I watched, as she seemed to give herself a pep talk at her locker. She shook her head slightly at something she told herself and then sighed closing her locker. She jumped slightly as she turned around and spotted me across the hall from her. A determined look came over her face and she made a beeline for me.
“Hey princess.” I let the smile I was feeling cover my face. I couldn’t help it. The memory of her bright red face the other morning was still fresh in my mind. What could I say, I was still a guy and it wasn’t often girls walked in on me in the shower.
Grabbing onto my arm she tugged me down the hall and into one of the rarely used stairwells. “Don’t ‘hey princess’ me.” She turned on me, her finger poking into my chest.
My fingers wrapped around hers and I laughed. “What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” She echoed back at me. “Do you know what people are saying about me? About us?”
I wasn’t sure what she was talking about so I just shrugged. It couldn’t be that big of a deal.
“I’ll tell you what they are saying, they are saying that I’m sleeping with you!” She poked me with her other finger.
“Ouch.” I grumbled. For someone so tiny she had some punch to her finger. Geez. I rubbed the spot she poked and then linked my fingers with the hand I wasn’t currently holding. At least then she couldn’t poke me again. I smiled down at her. Was that all she was mad about? “And?” I cocked an eyebrow at her, my smile lifting the corners of my lips.
“And?!” She shrieked. “It’s a big deal!”
“Not really.” I shrugged again.
“Well for me it is. I don’t just go around sleeping with guys. I’ve only been with two guys. I’m not like you.” She tried to tug her hands back from mine.
“What is that supposed to mean?” I absently brought her hand up to my mouth and kissed her knuckles. Well, there went ending things. What the hell was I doing? It was like I didn’t care. I kissed her knuckles again and paused to look at her. Her eyes flew to my lips currently on her fingers and I swear I felt her shiver. “Well?” I whispered when she just continued to stare at my mouth.
With a shake of her head she looked back to my eyes, “You have lots of experience. Lots of girls.” She swallowed and snapped her mouth shut like she was going to say more.
A door opened above us and we both looked up at the sound of sneakers coming down the stairs. Within moments she had pushed me back against the wall and pressed her lips to mine. Her arms snaked around my neck to pull me closer to her.
A groan came from my chest as her tongue dipped out and licked my lips lightly. It was all the coaxing I needed before I kissed her back. The guys coming down the stairs were all but forgotten for the moment.
“Break it up, love birds.” Wade’s voice broke into the kiss and I groaned for a brand new reason.
I pulled back, resting my forehead against Taylor's, my eyes still closed as I got my breath back. “Wade.” I acknowledged my pain in the ass brother before pulling completely away from Taylor. “What do you want?” It was hard not to growl the words at him.
“Coach is going to kill you if you are late for practice again. Maybe save the make out session for after?” Miller laughed answering for Wade.
I turned towards them and tugged Taylor next to me, my arm securely wrapped around her. “Some things are more important.” I winked at Miller and looked down at Taylor. A blush spread across her cheeks and I smiled.
“I bet they are.” He replied with a sly look at Taylor. I felt my temper rise to his bait and had him against the wall behind him in seconds.
“What is that?” I hissed into his face. “I am not sure I heard you correctly?”
“Marcus, calm down.” Wade scolded me but I kept my focus on Miller.
“I didn’t mean anything by it.” Miller denied his words from a moment ago. “It was just a joke.”
“It didn’t sound like a joke.” I gripped his shirt tighter and pushed him back again.
“It’s okay.” Taylor’s hand landed on my wrist a second after her words. She tugged gently and then moved me back away from Miller. All the anger left me. “No harm done.” She glanced at Wade and then at Miller and they both took the hint and made a quick exit. “What the hell Marcus? Taking this a little too far don’t you think?” She pushed a hand through her hair and looked back to me.
“Did you even hear what he was saying?” I gestured to the closed door they went out. “I can’t let someone talk about my girlfriend like that.”
“That’s sweet, but this isn’t real remember? And he isn’t the only one saying stuff like that. We should just end this whole charade.” She threw the words at me and even though I knew it was the right thing to do, they still felt like a bucket of cold water being tossed in my face.
I swallowed back what I really wanted to say and looked away. “Of course.” I spit the vile words out. Of course I knew. I knew that it wasn’t real. I also knew we should end it. How could I forget? “But he doesn’t know that. He should have more respect.” I looked back at her ignoring the fact that she said we should end it. That was my chance and I ignored it. “I thought you’d be happy? Weren’t you the one that kissed me? Wasn’t that part of it too?”
“You’re right.” She deflated. “You should go. Don’t want you to be late.”
“This isn’t done.” I assured her as I backed towards the door.
We weren’t done with this conversation. The one that was interrupted by the kiss, I needed to know what she meant by not being like me. I may have kissed a lot of girls but sleeping with them wasn’t something I did often. I wasn’t a virgin, but I wasn’t a guy that slept around either. I needed to make sure she knew that. And I needed to admit that it was becoming real to me, that we couldn’t just end things. Be a man like Wade suggested.
“Whatever.” She shook her head in denial. “It’s already forgotten.”
◆◆◆
“Did you actually tell her?” Wade whispered next to me as I pulled my shoulder pads over my head and started to clasp them around my chest. I closed my eyes trying to block him out but when I opened them and looked over at him he was still waiting for my answer.
“No.”
“Dude. You were making out with her where literally no one would see you two. If you didn't, what the hell was that?” He pulled his practice jersey on over his pads giving me a moment to answer.
“A distraction. We were talking about people thinking we are sleeping together.”
“Well that isn’t a way to convince anyone that you aren’t.” He laughed, his humor shining from his eyes.
“Shut up.” I growled. Pulling my helmet down and clasping the chin guard I pushed past him while throwing in my mouth guard so I wouldn’t have to talk anymore.
“You are doing this all wrong!” He called after me. Like he knew the right way, he has nev
er had a serious committed relationship in his whole life. He was walking home. I couldn’t deal with him today.
Adam caught up to me as I burst out of the doors and headed to the field. "I see you won the little bet we had."
"What bet?" I was so preoccupied with thoughts of Taylor I couldn't even understand the words coming out of his mouth.
"You know getting with Taylor. The guys were talking about seeing you two together. I hadn't believed it until now."
"Dude, I don't want anything for it."
"Right, just bragging rights." He chuckled and sprinted ahead of me to the field. If only it was that simple.
Chapter 35
Taylor
The cold wall supported me after the door closed behind Marcus as he left. I don’t know what I was thinking. Talking to him about what everyone was saying like he would actually care about it. He was doing this to torture me. It was probably just one more thing to add to the list of successful torture.
And did I really need to top off that conversation by kissing him? Ugh. I knocked my head back against the wall. Maybe it would knock some sense into me. At least he thought it was part of the act. If he knew I just used the footsteps as an excuse he would never let it go.
I was serious. We needed to just end this all.
I needed to talk to someone about this. It was too much. Picking up my forgotten bag from the ground I fished my phone out of the front pocket and sent a text to Vee. Maybe she would be free and forgiving.
Hey u up for hanging out?
I watched as the screen switched from read, to the … indicating she was responding.
Sure. What’s up?
Just need my bff, retail therapy?
I thought you’d never ask. ;) meet at ur house, c u soon. <3
With a sigh I put my phone back in my bag and swung it up onto my shoulder. I was finally going to tell my best friend the truth. I hoped she took it okay.