The Keeping Score Box Set

by Tawdra Kandle

  I half-groaned, half-laughed at our old joke about the twenty-one days that separated our birth dates. “You think I don’t know that? You think I haven’t noticed that you’re grown up?” With just the tip of my index finger, I traced the line of her cheekbone. Her eyelids fell shut and she shivered, and God, I wanted to make her look like that again. And again. My dick was so hard under the zipper of my jeans that it ached.

  “Leo.” She breathed out my name, opening her eyes just a little as she drew closer to me. Her tits pushed against my chest, softness sinking into my hard planes, and instinctively my arms went around her. I angled my body so that my pulsing erection lined up to the heat between her legs. I expected her to pull back, but she didn’t. If anything, she plastered herself closer to me.

  Looking down into her face, where I expected to see doubt and fear and confusion, I only saw trust and eagerness and desire. Her lips parted slightly, and I couldn’t help myself. I dipped my mouth down, taking once again what had been tempting me for weeks.

  Quinn opened for me right away, and then my tongue was in her mouth, exploring, teasing and tasting. She was an intoxicating mix of mint and pure Quinn, and I wanted to lap her up. She moaned deep in her throat, and some frantic, insane part of my mind began scrambling, trying to come up with an idea of where we could go. A place where no one would find us and I could keep touching her, possibly forever.

  “Mia.” I slid my fingers through her hair. “God, you’re so beautiful. I’ve been dying to touch you.” I ran my hands down her back, gripping her firm, round ass. She made a small noise of surprise, but she didn’t squirm away, so I lifted her up. Her legs wound around me, and she rested her arms on my shoulders, never breaking her mouth away from mine. I realized with surprise that she’d taken control of the kiss. Her tongue stroked the inside of my cheek before circling my tongue, sparring with me in an erotic dance I never dreamed she knew.

  I moved my hips against her, and she arched her back, grinding into me. I wondered if she knew quite what she was doing. Maybe she didn’t; maybe she was just as innocent as I suspected, but damn if her body didn’t know what it wanted. And it wanted me. I thought about breaking away from the kiss, just to watch her face, but I was afraid that might distract her. That wouldn’t be a good thing, because when she moved, her center was stroking against my dick, and holy fuck, it felt good.

  Growling low, I dug my fingers into her ass, just as Quinn canted her hips, changing her position enough that I was pretty sure the head of my cock, straining against denim, was hitting her clit through her jeans. She sucked in a breath, ripped her mouth away from me, and dropped her head back, pushing into me with everything she had.

  “Leeeeeo.” My name was almost a wail on her lips, and then her mouth dropped open and she panted. Her hands were vices on my arms, but I didn’t care if I ended up with ten bruises in the shape of Quinn’s fingers. I’d happily carry those marks, because as I watched her expression morph from surprise to absolute, mind-blown pleasure, it was the sexiest, most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I wanted to make her come every day for the rest of our lives, just to see her face when it happened.

  Eventually she sagged against me, her breathing still fast, and I held her tight.

  “Mia.” I covered her cheeks with kisses. “God, Mia. That was the most incredible thing.”

  She dropped her forehead onto my shoulder, burying her face into the crook of my neck. Her breath fanned over my damp skin. “I can’t believe—oh, my God, Leo. I’m so embarrassed.”

  “Why would you be embarrassed?” I pulled back, gently nudging her head up. “Mia, I’m not kidding. I am so fucking turned on right now.” I managed a laugh. “Well, I was turned on before, but damn, that was hot.” I brushed her hair back so I could see her eyes. “Hey. Mia, it’s just us. You and me. When have you ever worried about doing something in front of me?”

  She flushed pink, and I cupped her face in my hand. “No matter what, this is you and me, and I don’t want you to ever be embarrassed. Okay? Having you rub against me and find out what feels good was like . . .” I cast my eyes up to the black and starry sky. “I don’t know the words to tell you. Better than anything I ever dreamed.” I kissed her, fast and hard, and then murmured against her lips. “And believe me, Mia, I’ve had plenty of dreams about you.” I glanced around us. “Only they don’t happen outside on a playground.”

  She swallowed hard, blinking. “Oh, really? So where do we . . . in your dreams, where are we?”

  I pretended to think, though I knew the answers right away. “In one we were on the beach, and you were wearing that bathing suit—the one with the fringe on the boobs?”

  A smile curved her lips, although I knew she was fighting it. “God, Leo. It was like two years ago when I wore that one.”

  I managed a shrug. “Well, it was so sexy, it stuck in my subconscious. It tied in the back with strings, and I wanted to untie them. In my dream, I did.”

  “I can’t believe you really dreamed about us on the beach.” She shook her head.

  “And in my bed. The ones in my bed, those were fucking hot.” My dick swelled a little more, reminding me that even though Quinn had come, I hadn’t. If she’d been any other girl, I might’ve been tempted to ask her to give me a hand there—literally—but I had a feeling that suggesting she help me to orgasm here at the playground might be a little too much for tonight. I did my best to focus on something else.

  “If you were dreaming about me . . . why didn’t you do anything about it? Why didn’t you tell me, Leo?”

  I blew out a sigh and loosened my hold on her, letting her body slide down mine until her feet hit the soft ground below. “Mia, I was trying to protect you. What I said before . . . it’s still true. I am a mess. I’m not who I used to be, and I’m scared shitless of disappointing you. Again.”

  “Again?” Her eyebrows knit together.

  “Every time I don’t stand up for Nate, every time you see me hanging out with the guys on the football team, every time I flirt with a cheerleader, it’s so clear I’m disappointing you. It’s like you have this giant set of expectations for me, and when I let you down, it kills me a little. I couldn’t stand the thought of letting you get close enough to see what a fuck-up I really am.”

  “You’re not.” Her voice was fierce, a patented Quinn-the-protector tone. “Leo, you just—you’re popular. I get that. And when you play football, it’s amazing what you do out there. It’s only natural that you’d be friends with all the football team and the—the cheerleaders.” She barely managed to eek out the word without making a face, and I bit back a grin. “That doesn’t make you a mess.”

  “You don’t know everything about me, Mia.” I thought of the nights I’d drunk myself to oblivion and the nameless girls I’d hooked up with, not to mention the times I’d stood by, silent, when the other guys had ganged up on the less-popular, the weaker links. She wouldn’t like that. “What if you hate who I am? What if I can’t be good enough for you?”

  “Why would you think you couldn’t? I’ve always loved you for who you are, Leo.” She framed my face. “Don’t you trust me?”

  “With everything I have.” I skimmed my hands up her back, loving the solid warmth of her. “But I don’t know what I’d do if I let you down.”

  “You won’t.” She kissed my jaw and then ran her lips down my throat. I bent my face over her and growled.

  “Keep that up, and I’m going to drag you under the slide and act out some of those dreams. God, you drive me crazy.” I let my hands venture up her sides, my thumbs teasing the soft undersides of her tits. The curve there made my mouth water.

  “Are we horrible people, Leo? Making out on the playground right after—you know. Your mom.” She searched my eyes. “And am I even worse, because I’m happier right now than I’ve ever been?”

  I sucked in a breath. “I don’t think we’re horrible. I think I’m the moron who’s been fighting what I feel until now. So no. On both fronts.
No one’s going to be more excited to hear that we’re together than my mom, believe me. It’ll probably be good for her. Give her something positive to think about.”

  Quinn raised one eyebrow. “Are we together? Like, out in the open together?”

  “Did you think I was going to say we should hide? Sneak around?” I snaked my hands around to her back and cupped that firm ass again. “Nope. Sorry, babe. You’re stuck with me now, and I want—” An unexpected lump rose in my throat, and I swallowed it down. “I want everyone to know it.”

  She smiled and then right before my eyes, the glow on her face began to fade a little. “But you know, Leo, there’s going to be a ton of people who won’t understand why you’d want to be with me. What if the guys on the team give you a hard time?”

  A twinge of unease strummed through my chest, but I ignored it. “Won’t happen. We support each other. Anyway, if they did, it wouldn’t matter to me. They don’t control my life. I’m the one who gets to decide who I date.” I snugged her close to me again, just to watch her eyes go soft and hazy. “Who I kiss.” I touched my lips to hers. “And I’m finally getting smart and kissing the one I want. Nothing and no one’s going to change that.” I opened my mouth a little over hers before I came up for air, pressing my forehead against Quinn’s.

  “You’re mine. And I don’t want anyone to doubt that. Least of all you.”

  She sighed and laid her head against my chest. “If I’m dreaming right now, don’t wake me up. I like this dream. I could live here.”

  “Maybe real life is going to be better than dreams now.” I threaded my fingers through her thick hair. I was such a confusing mix of emotion right now. Worry about my mother battled with a heady kind of relief that I’d finally come clean with Quinn, that she was wholly and unequivocally mine. The only ripple interrupting my smooth sea of happy was the worry that I’d somehow fuck it up. But I wasn’t going to give up a chance to be with this girl because I was scared. I’d never been afraid to take chances in any other part of my life. Why should I let fear stop me now? Fuck that shit.

  “Leo . . .” The timber of her voice vibrated over my chest. “We have to talk to Nate.”

  “Yeah.” I rubbed her back. “Should we do it together?”

  Her forehead wrinkled, and she bit her lip. “Maybe I should talk to him first. He’s—he might be a little upset.”

  I gave a short laugh. “You think? The last conversation we had before he got hurt wasn’t exactly friendly. And . . .” I wasn’t sure if I should point this out or not. “He’s kind of got a thing for you, Mia.”

  She groaned. “I know. It’s just because we’ve been friends so long, and he feels like I’m . . . I don’t know. Safe? I think he’s talked himself into believing he wants me to be his girlfriend.”

  “Oh, baby, I think it’s more than that. He’s in love with you. This isn’t going to be easy for him.”

  “Thanks for pointing that out.” She pushed her hair out of her face. “Maybe it would be a good idea for me to tell him by myself. I can break it to him gently.”

  “Well, tell him fast.” I pulled her up for another kiss. “Because otherwise he’s going to figure it out when he sees you with me in school tomorrow. I don’t plan on a hands-off policy when it comes to you.”

  “How about I drive Nate to school tomorrow? I’ll text him tonight, and then I’ll pick him up in the morning and tell him on the way.” She was grim, as though talking about her own execution.

  “Hey, Mia.” I tilted up her chin. “It’s going to be okay. Nate might be unhappy at first, but he’ll come around. Come on, how could he not? Even though things have been a little rough lately, we’re still the trio, right? We can make this work.”

  “I hope so.” She blinked, sniffing. “I don’t want to lose my friends. Either of you.”

  “Baby, you’re not.” I spoke with more conviction than I felt. “Nate might need some time to get used to the idea, but you’re not going to lose him. And me—I’m not going anywhere.” I held her face between my hands and leaned down to kiss her lightly.

  “From now on, it’s you and me. Us.”

  Nate

  I knew something was wrong the minute I opened my eyes that Friday morning.

  Hot. Hurting. Can’t breathe.

  My eyes wouldn’t stay open, no matter how hard I fought. I’d just let them drift shut again when I heard my mother’s voice, coming as though she was a long way away. She was saying my name, the worry in her voice growing each time she spoke.

  Nate. Nate, come on, it’s time to . . . Nate? Baby? Oh, God . . . Nate, come on, honey, wake up.

  Just before I slid into oblivion, I remembered that I was supposed to ride to school with Quinn today. She’d texted me late last night, saying she had the car and asking if I wanted a lift.

  Quinn. Yes, I want . . . Quinn.

  The tightness in my chest was getting too much to bear, and I let go of my tentative grip on awareness. The last thread of consciousness that slipped through my fingers was her name.

  Quinn.

  Quinn

  “Well, someone looks bright-eyed this morning.” My mother poured her coffee and smiled at me. “I heard you come in last night. And thanks for texting us that you were okay.” She took a sip and hummed in appreciation. “So what was going on with Leo?”

  “Oh.” I lost my walking-on-air smile for a minute. “Oh, God, Mom. I can’t believe I almost forgot. It’s Lisa. She has leukemia.”

  “What?” Mom sank down into a kitchen chair. “What’re you talking about, Quinn?”

  “That’s why Leo asked me to meet him last night. I guess they told the boys, and Leo . . . he was pretty upset.”

  “Oh, my God. I need to call her.” My mother pulled out her phone. “Sheri texted. I wonder if she . . . oh, no.” I watched her eyes move down the screen. “Nate’s in the hospital. Again. Sheri said he had a high temp this morning, and then she couldn’t wake him up.”

  My heart sank. “I was supposed to pick him up for school today.” Which reminded me of why I’d set that up. “Um, Mom, I needed to talk to him because . . . Leo and I are together. Last night, he—” I could feel my face getting red. “Well, we talked.”

  “Together?” She blinked. “Like . . . you’re dating? What about Jake?”

  “Yeah, like we’re dating.” I didn’t know why it was so embarrassing to have this conversation with my mother. “Jake and I are just friends, Mom. We’d figured that out before I saw Leo last night.”

  She gave her head a little shake. “This is a lot of information to take in all at once, sweetie. Lisa’s sick. Nate’s in the hospital. And you and Leo are now an item.”

  I managed a wry smile. “I hope that last part is good news. But I guess it’s not that important, with everything else going on.” I stood up. “Should we go to the hospital?”

  “Sheri says not yet. They’re running tests, but Nate’s in the ICU and they’re limiting visitors until they know more.” She rubbed her forehead, as though a headache was brewing beneath. “They’ll keep us in the loop. I’m going to assume she doesn’t know about Lisa yet, and now’s not the time to share that news. But I think I’ll call Lisa and see if we can get together.”

  “Okay. I guess I should head out to school.” I hooked my bag over one shoulder, hesitating. “Mom, even with everything else, I’m still really happy about Leo and me. You think it’s okay, right? I mean, Nate’ll be all right with it, won’t he?”

  Uncertainty filled her eyes. “I want to say yes, Quinn. I’ve known how you feel about Leo for a long time, and I’ve just been waiting for the day he realizes how much you mean to him. But at the same time, I’ve worried—because you and Leo being together is going to change your dynamic. Even if you don’t mean it to, it will. Nate’s going to feel left out, no matter how hard you try to include him. And sweetie, although I know you wouldn’t intentionally hurt Nate for anything, your relationship with Leo is going to break Nate’s heart. He loves you. S
o while I’m so happy for you, honey, I’m a little worried, too. For a lot of different reasons, which we can talk about later. For now, you better scoot. I’ll see you tonight?”

  I nodded. “And you’ll text me if you hear anything about Nate?”

  My mom hugged me. “Of course I will. Try not to worry.”

  ***

  My stomach turned over as I drove into the school parking lot. Being alone with Leo last night, kissing him, being held by him, what he did to me . . . my whole body heated up, remembering. It was like I was a different person when he touched me. When his hands were on me, I couldn’t be close enough to him.

  But the thought of walking into the school as part of a couple was making me quake. I was still a little terrified that Leo had changed his mind overnight, that I’d see him today and he’d ignore me. But another part of me was just as nervous about what would happen if he didn’t ignore me. What were people going to say? I was sure most of Leo’s friends wouldn’t understand why he’d be with someone like me when he could have any girl in school.

  My phone vibrated, and I checked it quickly, thinking of Nate. But it wasn’t my mother or Sheri; Leo’s name was on the readout.

  I see you, Mia. Are you hiding? Where’s Nate?

  Craning my neck to see through the windshield, I spotted Leo a few rows in front of me, leaning against his car. His feet were crossed on the gravel, and his arms were folded over his chest.

  And his eyes, those gray and stormy eyes . . . they were on me.

  Slowly, I climbed out of the car, slamming the door behind me. As though Leo was a magnet and I was a helpless shard of iron, I moved toward him, my heart beating faster.

  When I was about a foot away, he smiled and reached out to pull me close. He didn’t kiss me at first, just stood with me in the circle of his arms.

  “Good morning, Mia.” He bent his head and brushed his lips over mine.