Kissed (8 page)

“Thank
you.”

He
glanced down at her.
 
“For
what?”

“Not
being too busy to spend time with me.”
 
Her hand was still in his.
 
Her
palm started to sweat.

He
lifted her chin with his finger.
 
“Hey,
there’s always room for my Bethie.”

His Bethie.
 
God, I
loved the sound of that
.
 
She got
caught in his eyes and the room fell away.

“Next!”

He
stepped up to the counter to order, dropping her hand.
 
He’d touched her more today than she could
remember before.
 
What did she do with
that?
 
Was this how he was with women in
general now, or did it
mean
something?
 
She wished she had more experience in the
boy-girl thing to figure it out—wouldn’t know a guy like-liked her unless he
came out and said it or kissed her.
 
Anything
more subtle was over her nerdy head.

“Beth.”

“Hmm?”

“Food, love.”

Caught
spacing out, she blushed.
 
“Oh.”

“Where
do you want to eat?”

She
shrugged.
 
“It’s your town.”

He
thought for a second,
then
led her to a small
park.
 
They picked a bench.
 
Pigeons waddled over for fries.

“Huh.
Not only in the movies.”

“What
isn’t?” he asked around a mouthful.

“Pigeons everywhere.”
 
Mmm, fried fish.
 
Something about traveling always increased
her appetite.

“Ah.
Yeah, like winged rats. Breed like bunnies.”

“Pretty feathers, though.”

“I s’pose.”

A
nice park on a not-too-hot summer day, good company, yummy food…she could get
used to this leaving the house thing.
 
Temporary, though.
 
Just a vacation.
 
He’d
be on his side, she’d be on her side, and another year would pass before they
could possibly do it again.
 

Pessimist?
 
Beth?
 
Nah
.

They
went back to his apartment after lunch.

Fortunately,
she did have a change of clothes in her bag, a tank top and knee-length skirt
that didn’t wrinkle.
 
Normally didn’t
wear skirts often, but coming to a different country, she didn’t know when she
might come upon a dressier occasion.
 
The
tank she had in case the temp spiked, but it also worked better for a club than
her preppy shirt.

She
braided the sides of her hair off her face and added another coat of mascara
and gloss.

“Beth!
I need my bathroom!” he yelled through the door.

“Okay!”
 
She grabbed her stuff and opened the
door.
 
“I was only in here ten minutes,
geesh
.”

He
looked her up and down.
 
“Nice.”

Chewing
her lip, she asked, “Really? Not gonna stand out like a sore thumb?”

“Beth,
you can never go wrong with black.”
 
He
kissed her cheek as they passed in the doorway.
 
“Now get out.”

“Yeah,
yeah…”

The
door shut and she heard the shower turn on.
 

Naked, sudsy Jacob…

Whoa, thought train.

“Let’s
see what’s on TV,” she muttered.

A
short time later, he walked out in only his jeans to finish dressing in his
bedroom, hair still wet and drops of water clinging to his torso.
 
Even hotter than she
remembered.
 
This vacation was not
going to go well if she couldn’t get her hormones under control.

They
took a cab to his venue since he had to carry his guitar.

“Pick
a table where you want,” he said, and hopped on stage to start the sound check.

Beth
hadn’t watched him perform since the talent show his senior year.
 
Tingles raced down her spine and they
wouldn’t start the concert for close to an hour.

The
club wasn’t well-lit, and painted in dark tones.
 
Tables sat along the sides, leaving a dance
floor in the middle.
 
The bar was in the
back.
 
The floor was sticky.
 
They’d come down a short stairwell from the
street, so she guessed you could consider this the basement.
 
Looking around, the place would maybe fit
two-hundred people standing.

Jacob
was on lead guitar and vocals.
 
He had a
bassist, a drummer, and a guy that bounced between rhythm guitar and the
keyboard.
 
She winced at the volume when
they started to play for real.
 
Would it
be that loud for the concert?

The
sound check wasn’t the same as a rehearsal—they started and stopped a lot of
songs, playing,
then
calling out to the sound guy some
musically-technical instruction she didn’t understand.
 
She’d get into the groove of a melody, then
poof—no more song.
 
Like watching her
father flip
channels on a Sunday.

She
ordered a soda and adjusted the light settings on her camera.

Chapter Six

Beth
must’ve been a good luck charm, ‘
cause
they
kicked ass
.
 

The
lights went down on the stage so they could carry their equipment off before
the next band.
 
Jacob zipped his guitar
into its soft case and went in search of her.
 
She was still at the table, sipping from a glass.
 
She smiled when she saw him.

“You
were great!”
 
She stood to hug him and
swayed on her feet.
 
“
Whoo
,
head rush.”

“Love,
what are you drinking?”

She
held the glass up.
 
“Coke.”

“May
I?” he asked, holding his hand out.

She
placed it in his palm.
 
“Sure.”

He
took a swallow.
 
Rum
and Coke
.
 
“How many of these have you had?”

“I
don’t know. The waitress said they were on the band’s tab.”

Shit,
he’d forgotten anyone linked with an act got free booze.
 
Place filled up most nights just because they
didn’t card.
 
“Someone gave you the wrong
drink, Beth. Let’s get you home.”

She
shrugged.
 
“Okay. It’s hot in here.”

They
hit the outside air; she shivered.
 
He
moved to the curb to hail a cab.
 
She
pressed into his side.
 
“Cold?”

“No.”
 
She sniffed his neck.
 
“You smell good.”

“Thanks.”

She
nuzzled the skin above his collar.
 
“Yummy.”

He
grinned down at her, trying not to laugh.
 
Girl was an adorable drunk.
 
A cab
pulled to a stop in front of them.
 
“In
you go, love.”
 
He climbed in after Beth
and gave the cabbie his address.
 
She
slid closer to lean her head on his shoulder.
 
“Tired?”

“No…”

A
warm hand snuck under his shirt,
then
she nuzzled his
neck again.
 
“Uh, Beth, what are you
doing?”

She
straddled his leg and nibbled his throat.
 
“What does it feel like?”
 
Two
hands explored his abs.

He
felt his body responding to her attentions and grabbed her shoulders to push
her back.
 
“Sweetheart, you’re drunk.”

She
smiled.
 
“Feel fine.”
 
Her fingers tickled his sides.
 
“Feel good, actually.”

“Beth—”

She
kissed him,
then
put her finger on his lips.
 
“You talk too much.”

Trapped
between her and the guitar, he couldn’t really move, and she was persistent in
being naughty.
 
She trailed hot, wet
kisses up to his ear, then flicked the lobe with her tongue and sucked it into
her mouth, her teeth applying light pressure.
 
His hips arched off the seat as a jolt of electricity and blood went
straight to his groin.

“Playin’ with fire, love.”
 

He
felt her grin.

“Good.”
 
One of those sneaky hands slipped under his
shirt again.
 
“Can’t
tell me you don’t like it.”

True
enough, but it wasn’t right.
 
He put his
hands on her hips to push her away,
then
clenched his
fingers when she bit his ear again.

“Beth—”

She
cut off his complaint with another kiss, plunging her tongue in his mouth.
 

The
cab stopped and the cabbie announced the fare owed.
 

Beth
pulled away, grinning while Jacob fumbled for his wallet.
 
He shoved a few bills at the man and opened
the car door, grateful for the cooler summer air to calm his hormones.
 
She wrapped her arms around his waist as he
slung his guitar case on his shoulder.

One
of her hands slid in his back pocket.
 
He
jumped.
 
She smirked up at him, mischief
in her eyes.
 
“Quit that. I need to
unlock the door.”
 
The door to the street
was locked after dark except to residents.

“Hurry
up, then.”

He
turned his key in the lock and opened the door for her.
 
It locked automatically again once they were
inside.
 
He slammed her against the wall
and kissed her hard enough to bruise, hoping to scare her into backing off.
 
“That what you want?” he spat.

She
stared at him, then grabbed his head and kissed him back, wrapping her long
arms around his neck and curling her leg around his hip.
 
Part of him thought
you’re resisting this, why?
 
She kissed like he was her favorite treat and she was going to gorge
herself on him.

Sod
it—he picked her up, her legs wrapping around his waist, and carried her into
the stairwell to press her against the wall.
 
He let the guitar case slide carefully to the floor.
 
Snogging
his best friend was the last thing he expected to do tonight, but he couldn’t
deny it was a bloody good time.
 
The
cock-stand in his jeans was hard enough to hurt.
 
Couldn’t remember the last time he’d been
this turned on.

Or wanted this much.
 

She
clung to him like to a life preserver, one hand grasping the back of his shirt,
the other tugging on the hair at the base of his skull each time he did
something she liked.
 
He pressed his hips
into her center, seeking pressure for some relief.
 
She squeaked and pressed back.

Oh god
…

His
southern brain took over, dry-humping moans out of his girl that echoed up the
stairwell.
 
He slid his hands under her
ass to support her weight and give him greater leverage.
 
She sucked his tongue numb, but he didn’t
care.
 

“Jacob…”
 
Shiny eyes and lips swollen
from kisses.
 
Gorgeous.

“Upstairs?”
he asked.

She
nodded.
 
He let her down, picked up the
guitar, and grabbed her hand.
 
They ran
up to his flat.
 
Keys in the lock, knob
twisted, and they were inside.
 
He
pressed her against the door, unable to resist her lips.

She
walked him backward to the futon and pushed him down, straddling his lap.
 
His hands slid under the back of her
top.
 
God, her skin was soft.
 
They parted for air and he hiked the tank
over her head and dropped it on the floor, then kissed and nibbled her neck,
making a path over her collarbone and—

A charm on a delicate chain.
 

Beth’s graduation gift.
 

His best friend, barely out of high school and barely eighteen.

God, what am I doing?

Any
other girl, and they’d be racing to
his bedroom to get naked right now, but this was
Bethie
.
 
Sure, they’d have a
night of fun, but then would come the sober harsh light of day and things would
never be the same.
 

Jacob
needed to regain control.

He
gently moved her off his lap and handed her top to her.
 
“I’m sorry, love.”
 
He went to the kitchen for water, and
distance.
 

“For what?”

“I
shouldn’t’ve
kissed you back. You’re drunk.”

“That
occurs to you
now
?”

He
turned to her, surprised she was pissed off.
 
“Hey, tryin’ to be a gentleman, here.”

She
started to argue,
then
grabbed her belly.
 
“I’m going to throw up.”
 
She walked quickly to his bathroom.

He
heard the seat lifted up, then the sound of her emptying her stomach.
 
Poor thing.
 
He dampened a cloth and walked into the
bathroom.
 
“Here.”
 
He pulled her hair back and placed the cool
cloth on her neck.

“Thank
you.”
 
She had her head over the basin.

“Empty?”

“Maybe.”
 
She
straightened and flushed the toilet, then plopped down with her back against
the tub.
 
“Ugh.”

He
smiled.
 
“Been there.”

She
frowned.
 
“You’re under twenty-one.”

“
Drinkin
’ age here is less, love.”

“Oh.
All I ordered was a soda…”
 
She leaned
over the bowl and wretched again.
 

He
held her hair back again.
 
“I know. You
can’t trust the bartender there.”

Once
she stopped, he got up for a bottle of water.
 
He brought it back with aspirin, set the pills on the sink and handed
her the water.

“Here.
Rinse your mouth.”

She
did so, spat, and flushed the toilet again.
 
“Yeah, that was sexy.”

“Done?”

“Think
so.”
 
She dropped her head back on the
rim of the tub and closed her eyes.
 
He
touched the cloth to her flushed cheeks.
 
She sighed.
 
“Don’t have to take
care of me.”

“Rubbish.”

She
opened one eye.
 
“Mean it. Not a kid
anymore.”

“Got the message on that, yeah.”
 
He still felt her kiss.

“You
can go away now.”

“It’s
my bathroom, love.”

She
groaned.
 
“Don’t call me that. Please.”

He
tilted her chin up.
 
“What?”

“Don’t.”
 
She jerked her head away.

“What
do you mean by that?”

“By what?”

“Not
calling you ‘love’.
Never seemed to mind before.
I
don’t understand.”

“You
wouldn’t.”

“Bethie…”

“You
don’t mean it.”
 
She dropped her face on
her folded knees.
 
“Forget it.”

“Can’t.
It’s going to bug me now.”

She
lifted her head.
 
“Life is full of
disappointments.
Deal.”

“Hey,
don’t take your hangover out on me.”

“
Forget it
.”
 
She wobbled to her feet.
 
“I just wanna lie down.”
 
She started for the futon.

“Take
my bed. It’s more comfortable.”

She
shook her head, one hand on the wall.
 
“Not throwing you out of your bed.”

He
walked around her to face her.
 
“I’m
offering. You only have to take it.”

“Jacob…”

Tired
of bickering, he picked her up and carried her to his room.
 
She didn’t protest when he set her on the
mattress and started removing her shoes.
 
He pulled the covers over her, turned off the light, and began to leave.

“Don’t
go,” she whispered.
 
“I just…I feel like
crap and I don’t sleep well in strange places.”

He
sighed.
 
“Yeah,
alright.
Let me shut off the lights.”
 
Once done, he grabbed the water and aspirin and set them on the bedside
table.

She’d
already rolled to her side, facing the wall.
 
He took off his boots and belt and lay down next to her on his back.

What a night
…

Her
breathing slowed.
 
He rolled over to
check she was asleep and gently removed her glasses, setting them on the table
next to her.
 

You don’t mean it
echoed through his
mind.
 
Don’t mean
what?
 

He
couldn’t sleep in his clothes and quietly rolled off the bed.
 
The post-gig shower and pig-out
awaited
.
 
An
exceptional set always amped him up.
 
Normally, he’d party with the boys, but with Beth along, he’d
declined.
 

And
why
was
that?
 
He said no before he found her sipping on a
doctored drink.
 
His mates had no problem
meeting a new friend, so that couldn’t have been it.
 
His mother already knew he’d bring her back
tomorrow, so that wasn’t it, either.

Because she’s Bethie,
his mind
whispered,
and you didn’t want any of
them to hit on her.

Well, yeah…but I wouldn’t recommend them to
any female friend.

Tell us another one.

Hey, brain.
 
You’re s’posed to be on my side.

I am, idiot, if you’d open your eyes.

He
turned the faucet knob and cut off the shower, toweled dry, then slipped into a
pair of sweats and padded to the kitchen for munchies.
 
Carrying a piled-high sandwich and a beer to
the futon, he turned on his
Playstation
, keeping the
volume low.