Then it dawned on me. Kenny. Delilah was trying not to see Kenny.
Gently, I said, “You don’t have to do this.”
A single tear slid from her, and I felt it had come from her very soul. Slowly, I wiped at the tear falling down her cheek and whispered, “It’s okay.” Even though no one was around, Delilah and I were not alone. The ghost of Kenny was haunting her, haunting us.
“I’m sorry,” she almost cried out.
I refused to tell her how she should feel. Delilah had every right to be scared, hurt, sad, and pissed, or whatever she was experiencing, so I spoke of my own feelings. “I’m not.”
She looked surprised. “Why not?”
“Because this is not forever.”
When she started to retreat, I suddenly realized what my words had sounded like. I unbuckled myself and grabbed her arm. “Will you hear me out?”
She stopped pulling away.
“I didn’t mean you and I are not forever. I meant, what you’re going through is not forever. A day is going to come when Kenny is not in your every thought. Look, I never knew him, but I’m guessing he was a huge part of your world.”
She nervously nodded.
“I won’t try and compete with that. I won’t try to be him. I’m my own man, baby, so know that’s all I’ll be for you. I will be me, and I will leave your past behind you. And if that past is something you want to talk about, or if it’s sneaking up on you, I’ll stand by your side till that shadow of a memory fades again, because… it won’t be forever.” I reached out and touched her soft cheek. “Someday, Lilah, you’re gonna be free of what’s trying to keep a strong hold on your future.”
Delilah looked stunned, staring at me.
With compassion, I asked, “Now, where are you?”
Her head tilted.
I tried to tread carefully. “Do you want to talk about him?”
She looked away, saying nothing, so I said, “Or… maybe you’re in the mood to create a new memory?”
Delilah quickly looked back at me. I waited for her decision. She finally said, “New.”
“Okay. One more question. Have you been here with Kenny?”
She looked out my windshield. “I’ve been here but not with him.”
There had been enough talk of Kenny, so I abruptly shouted, “Let’s play!”
She jumped in reaction.
I didn’t apologize for purposely shocking her into another thought direction. I got out and ran around the front of the truck, watching her watch me through the windshield. A smile crept across her face, and I knew I was pulling her back into Maverick’s world, away from Kenny’s. I swung open the passenger door, grabbed her hand, and yanked her out. When her chest slammed into mine, I blurted, “I’m crazy about you.”
Her smiling lips were so close to mine. “How crazy?”
I walked us backward to make room to shut the door. “The craziest kind.”
Delilah pulled away from me with a flirty expression, daring me to follow.
To the ends of the earth.
As she walked toward the water, Lilah looked back at me. “Coming?”
My feet tripped over themselves as I hurried after her. “Oh, I’m coming for you, girl.”
Her laughter stopped me in my tracks. I was realizing I had found my new addiction. I begged, “Do it again.”
Delilah’s hair whipped over her shoulder as she looked back. “Do what again?”
“Laugh. Laugh for me, Lilah.”
A giggle escaped her as she took off running. Like a boy with no sense, I took off after her. Her running only revved up my hunger. I wanted to taste the girl just out of my reach.
At the water’s edge was the beginning of a big tree that lay on its side, stretching out across the spring. I had seen it with Bailey but wouldn’t let her walk on it, worried that it could roll or break. It was far too big to do either, but fear tends to own you after you’ve experienced loss.
Delilah was headed straight for the same sturdy log that had scared me with Bailey. As she took her first step onto the log, I yelled out, “No!”
She turned to face me but didn’t stop. Delilah continued walking, now backward. A smirk crossed her face. “You worried for me?” I could only grab my chest and nod, motioning her, with my other hand, to come back to me. She shook her head, smiling and crooking a finger, beckoning me to follow as she continued backward.
I looked at the water on each side of her and took my first step. “Delilah, please stop.”
She didn’t. “Why?”
I was watching where I was placing my foot. “I need to be near you if you fall.”
She never looked down, just at me. “You want to rescue me, Maverick?”
This flirty side of her was giving me an insatiable appetite. I’m gonna eat you alive.
Stopping, I looked at her. My voice lowered as I gave out a stern command. “Wait for me.”
Delilah’s eyelids went heavy as she nodded, stopping on the log at the center of the spring. I was shocked at how easy it was to get her to listen to me. It was almost as if she was relieved that someone was taking charge. But taking charge of what?
Her eyes filled with tears. “Help me.”
I instantly realized she needed me to carry us past Kenny. I’d been so willing to let her lead the way that I’d missed the fact there were some places she couldn’t approach on her own. My work boots raced across the distance between us to get me to the one who’d been waiting for me to take us higher.
“Help me,” she cried, her shoulders getting heavier. Delilah’s whole body began to look as if the weight of the world was finally taking its toll.
I felt physical pain for her torturous state of mind. “I’m coming, baby.”
As I got closer, weak, shaky arms opened for me. “Steal me, Maverick.”
Ripped. My heart was ripped from my chest with her consuming desperation. Lilah was asking me to steal her back from the grip of loss, from Kenny.
I wasn’t sure exactly what to do once I reached her until Lilah nervously licked her lips, telling me I had to deliver the most important kiss of her lifetime. My last step put me right where I needed to be, and I pulled her to me with no hesitation. I was willing to cross any barrier for her and crashed my lips to hers. She grunted at the force of our kiss, the force of my possession.
Then Lilah’s body melted and blended with mine…
I stole Lilah with a vengeance that day, and with her surrendering to me, all past sexual and emotional tension between us was released at once, quickly spinning into a needy frenzy. Our arms suddenly fought so hard to get around each other that the motion threw off our balance. Even as we became unsteady and tumbled from the log, our kiss never stopped. Being the heavier of us, I had my weight pulling us toward the water first. I fell backward, my mouth open, with Lilah against my chest. Water splashed around our bodies as her tongue slipped in, greeting mine.
It was completely erotic to make out uncontrollably while trying not to drown. We were fighting the water and our aching desire, gasping and devouring one another. We both kicked our feet and propelled ourselves through the water, trying to find ground yet never releasing each other from our intense embrace.
As we crawled up the embankment on our hands and knees, our lips and tongues kept searching for more caresses. Not making it completely out of the water, Delilah pushed me to my back and crawled on top of me, keeping our kiss going. She was acting as if she was having her first taste of such excitement and was starving for the attention. My hungry hands pulled her hips to mine as I willingly became possessed with her aggression. She moaned then tugged on the bottom of my T-shirt, and I quickly broke our kiss and raised my arms so she could undress me. Mud was flung through the air as my shirt forcefully sailed away from me. Lilah grabbed the hem of her soaking-wet shirt and ripped it off.
I groaned at the girl with healthy thighs who was straddling my hips, undressing herself. Then she laid her naked breasts on my bare chest. I mutt
ered, “Goddam,” as I searched for my missing gentlemanly manners. Her lips found mine again; they fit fucking perfectly.
More. One of my hands slid to the back of her head, pulling her mouth closer. My other arm covered her back, smashing her body to mine. I was claiming her like a caveman and couldn’t stop. My erection was pronounced between us, but I didn’t want her to think I planned on using it. “Lilah—”
“I trust you. I love trusting you like this, Maverick. You won’t push me for sex today.” Her pelvis ground down on me. “But feeling you like this is making me shameless. I’ve never had this. Can we just feel each other through our clothes?”
Her body was so responsive to mine, but her heart and mind had not caught up. I said, “Yes” then rolled us and got on top of her. Delilah’s legs fell open and welcomed my weight. “You okay with this?”
Her eyes closed as her hands grabbed my ass and pulled me to her. “Yes, let me feel you. I want to feel you.” My mouth opened, and I moved to suck the soft skin on her neck while my erection shamefully humped her willing pelvis. Delilah arched her chest to mine in response and moaned, “Yes, just like that.”
Never had I wanted inside a girl like that hot day, on the embankment of a spring that was witnessing our heady, clothed sex. After kissing and rubbing on each other for so long, my body was so wound up that I was positive I was going to come in my pants. “Delilah.”
“I know, and I don’t care. Don’t stop, Maverick.” Her nails dug into my back, refusing to let me go. I growled into her mouth as I dove in for more, letting my orgasm rip through me.
Out of breath, our kissing eventually slowed to a relaxed pace. She knew what had happened and seemed comfortable with coming down from some insane moments. I asked, “Can I touch you? So you can release, too?”
Her long fingers brushed through my hair as she adoringly smiled at me. “Not this time.”
I grinned. “I don’t want this over just because I just lost my shit.”
Still under me, she chuckled at my wording. “Lost your shit?”
In embarrassment, my eyes closed as I rested my forehead on her chest. I had just gizzed in my trousers like an inexperienced twelve-year-old.
Then I opened my eyes to see bare skin. My face was directly between her naked, plump breasts. I grinned, not moving of course. “Lilah?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I motorboat you?”
She burst out laughing, pushing me off her. “No!” Then she hopped up and ran back into the water. I chased her, saying, “I should’ve just done it, damn it! Come here!”
She screamed and swam away from me.
I didn’t get my motorboat but had swollen lips by the end of our first kissing day in the sun.
Score!
The next day, I found myself literally running Bailey into school just so I could get to Lilah sooner. “Mavowick, I dropped my bear!” Not stopping, I wrapped my arm around Bailey’s waist, picked her up, and ran back to the stuffed animal that was eyeballing me from the ground. Hanging over my arm, looking awkward and possibly uncomfortable, Bailey asked, “Why are we running?”
With a rescued bear in hand, I quickly lied. “Umm, I don’t want you to miss any fun?”
“Oh, okay. Fasto!”
“Atta girl.”
Visions of Delilah danced in my head as I raced my truck down the road, not slowing the old truck down as I took corners on two wheels. Those same wheels might have screeched as I pulled into the high school parking lot, and they might have locked up as I slammed on the brakes. It may sound weird, but I wanted to smell her. I wanted her in my lungs, where her scent belonged. Once in park, I was out of the truck in a blurry kind of speed, my eyes scanning the grounds for one brown-eyed beauty.
I found that one, and she was grinning at me as I rushed to her.
“Are you always going to be running to me?”
I answered, “I’m afraid so.” Finally, I was wrapping her in my arms. “Mmmm, I’ve been waiting for this.” I squeezed harder as I lifted her off the ground.
She whispered in my ear, “I missed your smell.”
My face buried into her neck. “You read my mind.”
“Hot damn!”
Recognizing that voice, I swung around to see Viola smiling ear to ear. “’Bout fucking time!”
Lilah’s feet swung freely as I kept her in my left arm. My right arm was pulling Viola into a group hug. As I manhandled them both, Viola laughed, falling into me. “Oh shit! Excited much, Mavy?”
“Sooo fucking happy,” I proudly stated. I was already completely under Lilah’s spell. And anyone looking could see it.
Lilah bashfully hid her face, correcting me. “So crazy happy.”
“That too.” I kissed her, then Viola, on the cheek.
“Oh, hell no,” Bryce yelled as he pounced on my back.
With him on my back and a girl in each arm, we were a clump of laughing teenagers.
Then I heard, “I want some!”
I told Jazebelle, “Come and get it, girl.”
Bam! Another joined our mess.
Bam! Bam! Cole and Hu joined in.
Then we were stumbling and screaming, overwhelmed by the weight compounding on us. Delilah never let my neck go, staying safe in my arms as we found our way to the school’s front door. Everyone seemed so happy for Delilah and me, and I realized the change they must be witnessing in her. That change allowed them to celebrate with their friend. It allowed them to be young and worry free again. Watching Lilah suffer had made this whole group suffer, unable to move on, after Kenny.
Chapter Eleven
Sure enough, Delilah’s dad had purchased a ’69 Chevy SS Camaro for six grand. I thought we could’ve done better price wise, since it had to be towed to her house, but when that tow truck backed the blue car with black stripes up to her garage, I instantly understood her father’s purchase. The glow in her eyes would have had me willing to spend way more cash for the nonrunning vehicle.
Diesel rode up on his black rumbling Harley, eyeing the car. Delilah ran up to him as he cut his engine. “What do you think?”
He got off his bike and hugged her, looking more proud of her smile than her new car. “I think it’s a beauty. Did real good, girl.”
Lilah was jumping up and down. “This is so cool!”
Tuck paid the tow-truck driver in cash. From the corner of his eye, he watched his sister come to life. Then he looked at me, grinning and shaking his head. “God is good.”
After that, Tuck, Diesel, and I got together nightly in Delilah’s four-car—heavily tooled—garage and worked under the hood. Lilah’s full-time job seemed to be keeping Bailey clean. “Oh, Bailey, you have grease on your dress,” she said one day.
“Uncle Diesel says it’s better when it’s wet.”
The quiet air crackled with Lilah’s gasp.
Apparently, our garage talk was not as subtle as we thought and was being overheard by little, innocent ears then repeated to Lilah and, unfortunately, getting us in trouble.
“He did, huh?” Lilah mean mugged us men as she took dirty Bailey back inside. “Well, I think better conversations should be taking place in front of a little girl.”
Bailey held her hand, walking and asking, “Delilah, why do they say ‘f—crazy, shi—crazy’ and ‘son of a b—crazy’ all the time?” The garage door slammed shut, and we all busted out laughing.
John was always unloading from his truck the new parts we requested—a carburetor, new cam, new headers, new pistons and rings, fuel filter, tires, spark plugs, wires… you name it; Delilah’s car needed it.
Lilah’s smile was reward enough for working hard for her, but she insisted on feeding us as payment. Bailey was ecstatic, yelling, “I helped! I helped cook, Mavowick!”
The Wards’ kitchen was something you would expect in a beach house. There were cabinets stained white, with glass on some of them to show pretty green glasses inside, and sea-foam tiles with a silver backsplash. There was an L islan
d with many stools. The area was extensive and designed for entertaining.
I picked up my sister. “You? My little Peanut cooked?”
Tiny hands grasped my face as she leaned her forehead to mine. “Can you believe it?”
“Amazing.”
“I know!” she squealed.
Sitting at the dining table with everyone, I tasted some scrumptious food. The walls were a warm beige, the furniture was white, and some weird nature music was playing. Licking my fingers, I asked, “Lilah, Jesus, how’d you learn how to cook like this?”
She grinned. “I have many talents that you have yet to see, Maverick.”
John, her father, started choking on his dinner while Tuck and I stared at her, completely stunned. Diesel roared with laughter, exclaiming, “And you bitch about my topic of conversation, Delilah?” as little bird chirps echoed in the background.
Lilah looked baffled. “What did I say? Dad, are you all right?” She started patting his back.
Jaz answered our knock on her front door and yelled, “Bailey!” when she saw my sister in my arms. We had just left the speech therapist, and Bailey was excited that Jaz was babysitting her.
Jaz’s home was much older and rundown, like mine, and there were yelping little poor excuses for dogs—poodles—jumping at our feet. Bailey reached for Jaz with a huge smile. “I brought licorice for me and Hailey.”
Jaz took Bailey from my arms and squeezed her. “Oh, how I love this little girl.” Then she put her down. “Hailey is playing a game in the kitchen.” Bailey squealed and took off running, dogs excitedly barking and following. Jaz smirked at me. “So, big date night, huh?”
“Don’t start with me, Jaz.” I headed to my truck. “Wish me luck!”
Walking to Delilah’s front door felt awkward. I had already been to her home many times, to work on her car, but this was different: I was there to take Lilah out for an official date. Knowing the male jokesters inside the house, I knew I was going to be treated like a predator that was chasing their baby girl.
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