by Tay Marley
“Do you spend a lot of time there?”
“Christmas and my birthday. I stay here for Thanksgiving. The Laheys do Thanksgiving really well.”
I wanted to steer the conversation clear of any more Drayton. “It must be so cold over Christmas though?”
He laughed. “I hate it to be honest . . . Alberta is an ice land. But I guess I have to be glad that I don’t get hauled over there more often.”
“You aren’t close with your parents?”
“We’re close, I suppose. We talk on the phone once a week. I mean, there’s no tension. We just aren’t as close as some kids and their parents are. You know?”
I nodded and took another swig of my beer. He was blessed to have both of his parents at all. But I made a habit of not judging other people and their relationships with their moms and dads. It wasn’t fair.
“How come they chose Canada anyway?” I asked.
“Canada chose them. Mom was offered a job as a CEO at a hospital in Calgary. She’s a surgeon. Was working for that position her entire career and finally got her recognition. She took it.”
“Oh.” I smiled. “Good for her.”
After we were done with our beer, he offered me another but I declined—one was enough.
“Should we dance?” He set his bottle down on the concrete and stood up.
I’m not sure that I would call what was going on dancing, but I let him lead me into the pile of frenzied teenagers grinding to electronic pop. The stars above us blanketed the black night and the breeze was cool enough to prevent overheating. Josh pulled me in at the waist as a remix for “Dancing on My Own” pounded through the outdoor speaker set.
“You’re a great dancer,” he shouted beside me, competing with the girls giggling and screaming beside us.
I was tempted to tell him that I wasn’t dancing at all, just moving. But I smiled instead. “Thanks!”
His grip tightened, his fingers pinching me around the middle. I draped my hands around his neck and our bodies moved in time with the beat. It was intimate, no doubt about that. As the beat became heavier, faster, so did our movements. The rigid barrier of being unfamiliar dropped and we pressed against each other. He watched me with parted lips and a heated gaze.
The people around us increased in number and we became sandwiched between couples and groups of overexcited girls. It got hotter—both in temperature and in our demeanor. His hands traveled from my waist to my spine and up to the hair at the back of my neck.
I could feel I was being watched, the sensation of eyes on me. I was willing to bet I knew who it was, but I wouldn’t look. I wouldn’t give in to the desire to seek out his disapproving, stoic glare.
Josh’s forehead lowered, resting on mine as he lowered his hold to my hips and pulled me in tight. His breath was ragged. So was mine, and his parted lips grazed my skin. He leaned back, just enough to gaze down at my mouth, and I could tell what he wanted. But he didn’t move, so I did. I raised myself on my tiptoes and drew him into a kiss.
It didn’t begin slow. It was urgent and rough, the sort of kiss that should have had me reeling, desperate for more. But I didn’t feel more than just content that he was a great kisser.
We came up for air, still clutching one another. Josh let out a low laugh and exhaled. He wanted more. He bit his lip, then pulled me against him. I betrayed myself when I turned my head to the side and spotted Drayton watching me from where he sat. He stared at me, eyes full of storm.
“Do you want to get out of here?” I looked up at Josh.
His brow arched in surprise, but he nodded, eager. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
When I stepped out of Drayton’s house two hours later, the driveway had descended into total darkness. It was just past midnight, and home wasn’t that far. Still, walking down the forest-
enclosed drive scared me a bit; it was like something out of Friday the 13th.
Starting across the large stone parking space, I heard the familiar thrum of a rumbling engine. It was distant but it didn’t take long before it came closer. And then a bright glow illuminated the trees on the edge of the drive, and Drayton appeared on his motorcycle. I’d been concerned about this happening when Josh drove us here, but Drayton had hung back at the party, so I’d figured it was safe.
He stopped beside me, and I pretended that he didn’t look stupid-hot in his fitted leather jacket. He kicked his stand down, cut the engine, and pulled his helmet off. It amazed me that his hair didn’t end up looking awful from how often he wore headgear.
“Cheer.” He rested the helmet on his handlebar.
“Drayton.”
“Sneaking off, huh? All class.”
“Not quite. We didn’t have sex, so I wouldn’t call it sneaking off.”
He flinched, brows raised as he looked at the house. “Where is he? What are you doing out here alone?”
“He’s sleeping. I’m leaving.”
“How are you getting home? I swear, if you tell me that you’re walking, shit’s going to pop off.”
“I’m—flying?” I gave him a tight smile and winced.
He held the helmet out at arm’s length. “Get on.”
“You’re so demanding,” I said, taking the helmet with apprehension.
His hands rested on his thighs as he sighed. “Please get on. I’ll take you home.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
“I wouldn’t bother telling you to get on the bike if I was going to drag you back into the house again.”
I wasn’t sure where the hesitation came from, but I didn’t get on the bike. It might have had less to do with fear and more to do with the fact we’d be close, and it made my stomach flutter just thinking about it. He watched me as he kicked the stand up and held the handlebars.
“You scared, Bryan?”
It was a challenge if I ever heard one.
“I’m not scared.” I took a step closer. “I just value my brain function and prefer my skin on my body, and not stuck to asphalt.”
He rolled his eyes with amusement and gestured at the helmet. “Put that on.” He twisted the handlebars and kicked the starter. I flinched when the engine roared to life. “You’ll be safe with me. I promise.”
His words made more difference than I imagined they would. It was his tone. I could hear that he meant what he told me. He might have been hesitant to open up about some things, but when he was sincere, it was unmistakable.
I stepped on the foothold and swung a leg across the seat behind him.
“Hold on.”
I was glad that he couldn’t hear my heart when I wrapped my arms around his middle. Entwining my fingers in front of him, his leather jacket was cool against my arms and chest. He peered over his shoulder and I could see the side of his grin and chiseled jaw. I had never felt more betrayed, and my heart was the traitor—it pounded out of control for someone whom I was adamant not to feel anything for. It wasn’t fair. I had no control over it.
Chapter 8
As soon as we took off, my body jolted backward. My hesitation and uncertainty was left in the wind, replaced by the adrenaline pumping through my veins. I’d had no idea how intoxicating the feeling of flying through the night air on the back of a motorcycle could be. We tore through the quiet streets, the only ones on the road, and I kept my hold tight, but lifted my head to take in the sights rushing past.
The barriers and confines of viewing the road through a car window were gone. And instead of watching the passing scenes, I was a part of them. The sense of presence was so powerful that I didn’t feel the cold on my bare skin. I felt alive and free.
The engine revved and the bike lurched forward. My hold on Drayton’s waist became tighter, and I could feel him laughing. I couldn’t stop myself from laughing either. I wanted to throw my hands high. I wanted to shout and feel nothing between me and the wind. Endorph
ins took on a new meaning. Exuberance grew within me. I could feel it threatening to burst within my chest. We passed the turnoff to my house but it didn’t matter, I could have done this for hours.
We drove through the Meadows development zone. The diggers and trucks were sleeping for the night. Drayton ignored the Do Not Enter signs boarding the road. He wove his motorcycle through obstacles that a car couldn’t get past. We cleared the zone and the road turned to dust and gravel. He drove across the vast rolling land, leaving a cloud of dust in our wake. Eventually, we ended up back in town, passing the cemetery and the museum. It wasn’t long before we were at the bottom of Rock Park.
Drayton wasn’t deterred by the steel bar stretched across the parking lot entrance. There was a narrow gap between it and the hedge, just big enough for us to fit through. The tree branches and leaves whipped against us, but he was going slowly, so it didn’t hurt. He revved the engine again, and we tore up the foot trail.
Drayton killed the engine and kicked the stand down at a rest space bordered with shrubs and small trees. A wooden paling fence surrounded the cliff edge, and there were bench seats with small steel memorial dedications stuck to them.
“That was amazing,” I said, pulling off the helmet. I jumped off the machine and tucked the helmet under my arm as I stood beside Drayton, full of adrenaline and excitement.
He rested his hands on his thighs and said, “Come here.”
I stepped forward.
“Helmet hair.” He grinned, then lifted his hands and slid his fingers through the strands that weren’t woven into my braid. It sent a tingle straight down my spine. “There we go. Happens sometimes. Not that I’ve had a girl on the back of this thing before.” I handed him the helmet with a doubtful grin. “It’s true,” he told me, swinging his leg over the seat and placing the helmet where he’d sat. He wasn’t defensive. Just informative. “The two girls that I’ve briefly dated since I owned this refused to get on it.”
“It’s not for everyone.” I shrugged a shoulder and turned my attention to the view when he ran a hand through his disheveled hair, raising more of a reaction than it warranted. “This is gorgeous. I’ve never been up here at night.”
We wandered over to a bench in front of the fence and sat down. It was breathtaking—the infinite land, the hills in the distance that met the stars at the edge of the earth, the city that illuminated the dark with a multitone glow and headlights moving fast, like little fireflies.
“It’s not bad.” His tone was indifferent but the appreciation in his expression gave him away.
I was torn between wanting to admire the view and wanting to stare at his sharp jaw and soft smile. I wondered if he could sense that I was watching him, because he patted the front of his chest and then reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, refusing to look at me.
When he pulled out a packet of cigarettes, I bit down on pointing out the fact that he smelled perfect right now and he didn’t need to ruin that. I stared ahead and a moment or two passed before he slipped them back into his pocket.
“I wonder,” I mused, keeping my tone light, “how long your career will last before your lungs give out.”
He scoffed and gave me a light nudge. “I don’t smoke that often.”
“Why do you do it all?”
“Nerves,” he admitted with a small voice. “It’s a vice, I guess. Keeps me from fidgeting, stuttering. It gives me a focus for a moment. Sometimes, when I need it.”
He’d lit up around me on more than one occasion. I noticed that his fingers were wound tight, but I didn’t show him that I’d noticed.
“You don’t seem like someone who gets nervous.” I tried to seem cool rather than focused on the fact that he’d all but admitted that I made him nervous.
“Last I checked, I am a human being.”
“I don’t know about that. You do seem a little superhuman, throwing that football downfield.”
“It’s actually my good looks that has you questioning my species, right? You girls refer to us jocks as what, Greek gods?”
“Who’s been exposing us?”
He could no longer maintain a straight face. He burst into loud laughter; the sound was unexpected, but it surrounded me, and I sort of loved it. I laughed with him and could feel the smile at the top of my cheeks.
“How come we’ve never talked before?” he asked. “We’ve gone to school together for a long time. Not one conversation.”
“Well.” I shrugged. “There was one. It was brief. One sided even. You tried to sit beside me on the bus for an away game last year, and I had my headphones in. I could hear. I just pretended that I couldn’t.”
“I remember.” He twisted in the seat, his mouth agape. “You could hear me? You snob.”
“I wasn’t in the mood. You were loud enough from three rows back.”
“I thought you were hot. I was making an effort.”
My heart did a stupid flutter and I ignored it. As best that I could. “If your idea of effort is asking me if I’m wearing space pants because my ass is out of this world, then I’m embarrassed by your lack of game.”
“Come on, the worst pickup lines almost never fail. Girls laugh, and it gives me an opening to compliment their smile. You didn’t even flinch.”
“It was so lame, it hurt.”
“Tough crowd.” He nudged me and turned his frame again so that he faced the view. But when he did, he subtly scooted closer, and our thighs grazed.
“I love Colorado. The views and the beautiful mountains,” I sighed contentedly as he nodded. “You’re the only mountain that I want to climb, though.”
His mouth dropped open in disbelief and he hollered. “That was so fucking smooth, Cheer. Damn, girl.”
“That’s how it’s done, QB. That’s how it’s done.”
We burst into unfiltered, hysterical laughter that echoed, and as it settled, both of us were breathless.
“Just so we’re clear.” He grinned. “I would not oppose your offer of exploration. Climb me whenever.”
“You’re so much smoother without the pickup lines.” I nodded, not looking at his mischievous grin. It was too alluring. “Experience much.”
“Not as much as the kids at our school seem to think I have.”
“People will have an opinion regardless,” I said. I didn’t want him to shut down if I came on too strong. “It’s best to do whatever you want and let the real friends stick around.”
He peered up and fixed me with piercing puzzlement. “Are people real these days?”
“Yeah,” I smiled. “Once in a while.”
He held my gaze for a few long moments and then his attention fell to my lips. But it was fleeting, and he ducked his head as he ran a hand through his hair. “I didn’t mean to get so pissed off about Josh. It’s just, he’s a romantic kid. He does commitment and love, and I know that you don’t. I don’t want him to get hurt.”
The fact that he wasn’t just being a possessive bonehead made me swoon a bit. “That’s fair. I understand.”
“You were honest with him, though. And he said he was cool. I should have kept out of it.”
“I would do the same for Gabby. You don’t have to explain yourself. Anyway, I think we’re better as friends, Josh and me.”
Drayton seemed relieved. There was a drop in his shoulders and a contented smile on his lips. He was beautiful. We sat at the hilltop for a while longer, our bodies close and the atmosphere peaceful. Truthfully, I could have stayed there for hours. He drove me home and the ride back was just as magnificent as the ride up. I stood beside him on the sidewalk and handed his helmet over.
“I have an idea,” he said.
“Uh-oh.”
He chuckled. “Do you think that Gabby would be interested in meeting Josh?”
I was pleasantly surprised at his suggestion. “I doubt that s
he’d be uninterested.”
“I just thought that it might deter any lingering thoughts that he might have for you. It wouldn’t work for me, but he and I have different tastes.”
I watched him pull his helmet on as I processed his confusing compliment. “Wait, what?”
He revved his engine and grinned. “I’ll text in the morning. We’ll get them together for lunch.” He flicked the visor down and tore off up the road. Again, with more questions at the end of a conversation than I’d started with—still, I smiled as I walked toward the house.
In the morning, I rolled over in bed, smiled, and thought about how an unexpected evening had turned out to be remarkable.
My hand traveled over the top of my comforter to find my phone. It took a moment to adjust to the phone light, but when I did, I slid the unlock button and was not surprised in the slightest to see that it was nine and Gabby had sent me three texts.
How was the party. What does Maxon’s house look like in person? I’ve heard it’s AMAZING.
Can we please have a sleepover tonight?
Did you bone the hottie?
I began to tap out a response and then decided to call her instead. The phone rang twice while I stared at the ceiling.
“Hello!”
“Yes, the house was amazing. Yes, we can have a sleepover, and no, we did not bone. I wasn’t feeling it.”
“Hmm,” she hummed. “Interesting that your sex life has been dwindling since Drayton stepped onto the scene.”
“What, two weeks ago?” I absentmindedly pulled my hair into the air and let it drop. I did it again. “I had three dates over summer, Gabs. I’m not a nymphomaniac.”
“One might think that no one else can compare,” she continued as if I hadn’t spoken.
“I had a thought.” I ignored her as well. “Josh, the guy I was with last night, he’s super sweet. Tall. Handsome. Would you be interested in meeting him?”
“Oh!” Her shout was accusatory. “Just throw me the scraps like I’m a common street dog.”