Blackout (22 page)

“Oh, honey,” Lulu starts, “she gave this to me before she left and said this was for your eighteenth birthday.”

Disappointment sinks into my stomach like stones. I open the box and find a heavy gold chain with the Eiffel Tower dangling from it. A paintbrush and palette charm hangs next to the gold tower. “I love it.” Yet I don’t.

With fingers knotted by arthritis, Jarod helps me clasp the necklace. “Thank you.” I touch the pendant and think of Mama in Paris, painting and blowing glass into beautiful vases without Daddy and me.

Did I love her? I want to think that I did or that I still do.

After a huge slice of the tart, Lulu says, “I know you have a busy day. I do too.” She grins. “Jarod’s taking me to dinner after we play at the center.”

“Thank you so much,” I say to Lulu’s friends. “This was really an unexpected surprise.”

“I should’ve warned you to put on clothes,” Lulu says. “Call me to check in later today. I know you have to work tonight.”

I kiss her forehead. “I will.”

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she calls after me.

“And what would that be?” Jarod asks, winking at me.

Lulu cozies up to Jarod. “Use your imagination, Snuggle Bear.”

As I walk by my dad’s office, I notice a fax sitting in the tray. I pick it up and read that it came late Friday.

It states my motion was denied to access the court records. Kirkland didn’t even hear my request. He simply states that he reviewed the records and sees no reason the old case should be reopened. I’m not sure his immediate refusal is even legal. I plop into the desk chair, frustration welling inside me.

Appellate court requires a lot more paperwork, and I need my dad for that. I doubt he’ll be interested in helping Dare, but Daddy will help me. If I find out the truth, then the blackouts might vanish.

In my room, I debate on what to wear. Ella leant me a pair of Daisy Dukes when she heard I was going to the races. The shorts sit on my bed. I’d feel more comfortable in the walking shorts I wore all over Paris.

Kami knocks on my opened door. “Hey. Happy Birthday.” She hops onto my bed in a pair of American Eagle cutoffs and a sheer sleeveless top. “Today is my treat.”

I stare at my long shorts and the really short ones. “Thanks, but your gift is too much.”

“Not when Mom’s buying.”

I tug on my walking shorts.

“No. Absolutely not.” She picks up the Daisy Dukes lying on the bed. “Put these on. They’re really cute.”

I wiggle into them. When I see my backside in the mirror, my shoulders slouch. “I can’t wear these. My butt hangs out.”

“Oh yes you can. Though I don’t understand you shooting for Dare when that Graham is all over you. You need to up your game on him.” She digs through my drawers and pulls out a push-up bra from Victoria Secrets and a snug t-shirt. “Put this on.”

I begrudgingly squish my boobs into the bra and squeeze into the tee. “It’s too tight.”

Kami twists my V-neck tee at the bottom until she can knot it, showing my belly button and pulling down the V of the tee so that the lace of my bra peeks out.

I assess myself in the mirror. “If I showed any more skin, I’d be naked. I don’t think I can wear this.” Dare and Shannon aren’t modest in the least.

“Every guy will be doing a double take today.” She releases my hair and brushes out the copper waves. “It stays down today.”

“It’s too hot. I’ll be all sweaty.”

“For the boys, it will be too hot, and a nice sheen wouldn’t hurt.”

I quickly paint my toes a bright teal to match my bra that shows. The tips of my ears burn, thinking about being in public dressed like most of the girls I know. They don’t care. Why should I?

Kami twirls me in front of the mirror. “A little gloss will highlight the sun we’ve been getting. You’ll have boys strung out behind you.”

Images of Dare in a towel flash through my mind. It’s hard not to think about him. The kiss. Can I be so bold? He was naked in my house, and I couldn’t bring myself to kiss him then. In public will be so much harder.

I add a bit of coral gloss, pack my work clothes, and I’m ready. We head out to the Mercedes because her mom took Kami’s car to accommodate the several clients she’s showing beach houses to. The top is down, so I wrap my hair into a ponytail.

She smacks my arm. “No, leave your hair down.”

“When we get there,” I say. “Otherwise, it’ll be a rat’s nest by the time we get to the track.”

She pulls out on Highway 12 that runs the length of the Outer Banks. As we turn onto Sixty-four, red and blue lights flash behind us, and I can’t imagine what for.

“Gosh, I wasn’t even speeding,” Kami says.

“Is it Remy? Maybe he wants to check where your mom’s going.”

From the side mirror, I see Sheriff Tate ramble out of the car and up to the driver’s side.

“Who’s car are you driving little Missy?” he asks while I dig the registration and insurance card out of the glove box.

Kami’s lips quirk at his odd question. “My mom’s.”

“Are you sure, girl? This car looks stolen.”

As anger boils on her tongue, I put my hand on her arm. “Tate, is there a problem?”

“I didn’t see you there, Miss Covington. Nice to see you’re doing well.” He glances at Kami’s license for a moment and passes it back. “You ladies have a nice day, ya hear now?”

“Yes, sir,” I say.

He plods back to his car, and Kami says, “Did he really just do that? Harass me because I’m black?”

“It doesn’t make sense. Everyone in town knows your mom.”

“Except Sheriff Tate. You should’ve let me give it to him.”

“There’s no sense. Cops can haul you in for no reason. Tate’s just an ass.”

“Oh, that’s right.” She grins at me. “We can’t possibly have any delays. You have a man to catch.” She pulls onto the road and within no time we’re flying through Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. I squeeze my eyes shut, but it’s of no use. Images clog my mind and the blood. There’s so much that it paints the swamp in its gore.

I smell not just the cigarette but also the burn of gasoline. Everything goes black until I feel Kami nudging me.

“We’re out of the swamp.” She throws me a concerned look. “It wasn’t long.”

“Well, it’s mostly happening around the swamp.” Unless I count creepy guys manhandling me.

“The swamp’s hard to avoid,” she says. It’s the easiest way off the beach.

Given the way Kami drives, we pull into the parking lot for the oval racetrack in no time. We arrive after the qualifying runs. I wonder what position Dare has earned while he’s suffering from a hangover and getting up in the middle of the night.

Kami threads through the crowd to the pits. The high-octane fuel and rubber hitting the pavement permeates the air. A few guys whistle at us, and Kami smiles back.

“Aren’t we going to sit in the stands?” I ask, hurrying to catch up to her.

“Hell no,” she says. “We’re going to where the action is.”

I spot Ryan before Kami does. He’s not with another girl but a couple friends. When he sees her, his mouth gapes open.

“Hey,” he squeaks out. Like Graham, he’s good-looking, clean cut, and in college.

His friends must smell trouble because they back away. “We’re going to get a beer.”

Kami knuckles her hips. “I thought you had to work.”

“I thought you hated the races.” Ryan pulls her into him. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to get out to see the cars. You know I’d take you. You never want to go.”

“You lied to me.” Anger flares in her blue eyes. “If you lie about this, what else have you lied about?”

Ryan reaches for her, desperation shining in his eyes. “Nothing, I swear. Please, baby.”

“Don’t baby me.” She pushes him and stalks off. “Are you coming, Teal?”

I slide in close to her. “He seems really sorry, and you told him you hate the races.”

She giggles. “I know, but he needs to suffer for being dishonest.”

I laugh and follow her to the gates in front of the pits. A big guy with his arms folded in front of his massive chest guards the entrance of the pits.

“Ladies, you are not getting in here,” he says sternly.

“We’re with the Tucker pit team,” Kami says in her most authoritative voice.

His face is expressionless. He’s not impressed with the show of cleavage we’ve given him. “Half the women in this crowd think their part of his crew, but his whole crew is already in there.”

“Hey, Randy,” I call as he jogs past several modified sports cars.

He glances up and nods to the gatekeeper. “Let them in.”

The man begrudgingly lets us pass.

The rev of powerful engines deafens me as we walk by a string of cars preparing for the race. A few crew guys grin at us.

“How did Dare place?” I ask.

“Good,” Randy says. “Better than I thought after drinking so hard last night. It’s not like him to do that before a race.”

Dare has his head under the hood of his car. Unlike any normal streetcar, the engine is sparkling clean.

When Shannon puts her hands on his shoulder and peers into the car alongside him, I suck in a trembling breath. Nan and her friends drink beer while standing off on the sidelines. She gives me a dirty look, which I give right back.

Dare’s fire resistant suit is zipped all the way down to his navel and the trail of dark hair leading to…I gulp in a half breath. The arms of the suit are tied around his waist. Sweat glistens on his chest. My
moule
between my thighs tightens as I think about him without a stitch of clothing.

He glances up, two days worth of stubble darkening his strong jaw. He grimaces, sinking my heart into the hot pavement.

“Looks good,” Dare says, closing the hood. He walks away from me. Shannon’s hand loops around his waist and dips into his suit. He doesn’t stop her.

“I dare you to kiss me,” I say in an emotionally flat voice, even though squirrels are chasing one another in my stomach.

He glances at his heavily tattooed girlfriend snorting her disapproval like an enraged bull, then his head swivels back to me. It’s as if he’s thinking. I don’t know if that’s good or bad. He chews on his lower lip, stares hard at me, and mouths, “We shouldn’t go there,” and continues walking away.

“You slept in my bed,” I mutter.

Shannon punches Dare in the jaw but doesn’t let go of him.

He rubs it while Sam whoops, “That little girl put baby bro in a tailspin.”

“I double dare you.” My voice rises. I’m about to look like a complete fool. Kami pushes me forward in encouragement. That’s what friends are for, making you look stupid.

Dare stops. He doesn’t turn around, but he unhooks Shannon from his waist.

“What are you doing?” When she goes to hit him again, he stops her.

“I’m tired of your shit, Shannon,” Dare says, holding onto her wrists.

His brothers stand around Dare’s racecar, unusually silent now.

Jackson glares at me. “Keep walking, Darius.”

“She double-dared you,” Sam mocks. “Are you going to take that, little bro?”

Randy glances between Sam and Jackson, looking unsure what side to pick.

Dare’s fists clench at his side, and I take a step backward. This was a bad idea. I should go now, but Kami latches onto me to wait.

He spins around and marches over to me.

“What the hell are you doing, Darius?” Shannon snaps. “You get back here right now.”

Nan has stopped drinking. All her friends watch Dare with interest.

His gaze locks onto me, scraping the skin off my body so that I feel completely exposed. The intensity burns me from the inside out. My stomach revolts, tossing and turning while my heart winds up like a baseball pitch. I swallow hard, not knowing what will happen next.

He walks up to me so that his body is crushed against mine. I can’t breathe I’m so nervous.

“You better deliver, Teal.”

His hands cup my cheeks, and his lips slam so hard against mine that his beard burns my chin. He latches onto me, his solid chest pressing against my breasts. One hand lets go of my cheek and reaches around to my back to force my body into his. His groin molds into my hips, his penis stiffening between us. My body arcs toward his.

The pungent sweat on his skin indecently soaks my shirt, yet my body craves to feel his heat, his desire, and his eager kiss.

The kiss deepens, his tongue sliding into my mouth. His hand slips from my cheek to the back of my head. His mouth claims mine. My thighs tighten. The panties between my legs moisten. No guy has ever made me this hot to the point I want him to take me. If he threw me onto the hood of his car, I wouldn’t stop him.

Several of the boys whistle and catcall. “Hey, take that behind the bleachers,” one guy calls.

Dare’s lips twist on my mouth and his tongue intertwines with mine. I’m melting into him, the world dissolving around me. My fingers hitch in his suit rolled around his taut abs. His breath stops momentarily. He sighs into my mouth but doesn’t stop assaulting it with his tongue. His lips don’t move from mine. It’s the best kiss I’ve ever had.

My knees wobble, but Dare’s strong arms stabilize me, like he did that day in the swamp until he saw what I saw. He remembers something that I don’t.

His tongue reaches for mine. I want him inside me right now. My hands have moved to his well-muscled shoulders where they clutch onto him. I don’t want this to end. His heart races alongside mine, tearing up the tracks. I pant and it’s hard to catch my breath.

“Hey Darius,” Jackson says. “We have a race here. Get your head in the game, and put your dick back in your pants.”

Dare pulls his lips away, his breathing hard, and his forehead bumps into mine. “Happy Birthday, Teal.”

He remembered. “You’re not the one.” There was no hesitation in my body or heart to give him everything. I trust him, and that kiss held all the trust I’ve always felt, even as childhood friends.

Disappointment shadows his handsome face. That was the wrong thing to say.

“Dare, that’s not what I meant.” My hand swipes at him, but he’s quickly out of reach, providing me with a great view of his butt and his bare back.

Shannon lags after him. “What the hell was that? You’re supposed to be with me.”