Love Unclaimed (2 page)

“Come on, guys. Knock it off,” Audree said from behind Gavin, delighted that Gavin was defending her and willing to get his butt kicked. She held back a dreamy sigh for the boy she loved.

“Guys, come on. Let’s just go swimming and knock this stuff off. Clint was just playing with Audree, and it is done now.” Travis came over and pulled Audree’s arm away from behind Gavin, but kept her out of Clint’s reach. He knew Gavin liked Audree, but he would never speak out against his older brother, his idol. 

“Gavin, tell me you are not thinking about…”

“I just want you to stop…”

“She is off limits …”

“Yeah, so you’ve told me,” Gavin said with a sigh and glanced over his shoulder at Audree, who was now standing with Travis.

“And I mean it.”

“What if some day she wants…”

“Don’t…”

“Okay, please stop fighting.” Audree walked over between them. “Clint, I’m sorry for what I said; it won’t happen again.” She looked her brother in the eye and moved her fingers over her lips as if she was sealing and locking them, then throwing away the key.

“You are such a pain in my….” Clint paused when Audree threw her arms around his neck.

“I love you, too, big brother.” She laughed.

“Yeah, yeah, come on. Let’s go swimming,” Clint said before turning back toward the water.

“Thanks for protecting me, Gavin.” Audree turned, threw her arms around Gavin’s waist, giggled, and turned around, right into Clint.

“What was that? You are so dead, man.” Clint charged at Gavin, knocking him to the ground.

“Here we go again,” Travis said, trudging out of the water and toward the two boys who were now rolling around in the dirt at Audree’s feet while she screamed for them to stop fighting.

***

Clint and Gavin each ended up with a black eye and a fat lip, along with some pretty bad bruises. They also stopped talking to each other for almost a week before Audree didn’t like it; she missed hanging out with all of
her boys
. Her mother told her a sure fire plan to get them talking again. Audree got them together in the barn under the pretense that the other wanted to apologize; they both turned on Audree when they learned it wasn’t true. They finally got them to apologize to each other and shake hands. Clint tried to get Gavin to say he would stay away from Audree, but Gavin simply told him that he would protect her the same way Clint would. If someone had been treating Audree wrong, Clint would put a stop to it. That is what Gavin had been doing and nothing more. At least, that is what he told Clint.

This, of course, crushed Audree, until they both turned to her and thanked her for forcing them to talk it out, in a ‘stay-the-hell out of our business’ kind of way. Clint hugged her and apologized again for taking things too far at the lake. Gavin held back, after Clint invited him to go in and play video games until dinner. Once Clint was out of sight, he turned back to Audree.

“Pip, I’ll always protect you from anyone and everyone, including your brother. I’ll never let anyone hurt you, Audree.” He stepped closer to her. “Just like your brother.” He kissed her cheek, then turned and ran out of the barn after Clint, leaving Audree, once again feeling like a stupid little girl with a crush on her big brother’s best friend.

Eleven years ago…

“Clint, why can’t I stay?” Audree pleaded with her older brother as he wrapped his hand around her upper arm.

“Are you kidding?! Mom and Dad would have my ass if they knew you’d even come out here tonight.” He glanced over his shoulder at the girl he just left on the couch. “Babe, I’ll be back as soon as I put this little one back to bed.” He started moving Audree toward the front of the barn.

“Back to bed! Clint, I’m not a baby!” She struggled to get her arm loose.

“Well, you sure as hell aren’t an adult either, and you are not staying down here.”

“What is so different about tonight? You’ve never thrown me out before.”

“You’re usually here with your friends or with Travis to keep you out of trouble. I don’t see any of them here tonight, and I’m not babysitting you at our last party before we leave,” he growled, looking back over his shoulder.

“Go back to your girl. I’ll go back to the house,” she said with puppy dog eyes, trying to make her brother feel some empathy toward her.

“Not going to work this time, little sis.” He pushed her arm again.

“I know you are really throwing me out because you want to get laid before you leave for college, but really, her?” Audree gestured to the girl her brother had left sitting on the couch, the girl who had already started talking to another guy.

“What the
hell
do you know about getting laid?” he growled again at the sight of ‘his’ girl throwing her head back, laughing.

“I’m sixteen! I’d be more worried about me if I didn’t know something about it.” She laughed sarcastically at her brother’s dismay at her knowledge of sex. If he only knew the things that went through her head when she thought about ….

“I’ll walk her back up to the house.” Audree froze when she heard the deep voice behind her.  She didn’t have to turn around to know who had spoken.  She would know that voice anywhere, anytime. She would recognize it in a room full of people. She had been in love with the owner of that voice since she was a young girl.

“Hey, Audree,” said a blonde girl dressed in a tight-fitted half shirt and cutoff denim shorts who waved and smiled as she walked past.

“Hey, Delilah,” she answered and smiled shyly at the older girl. She had grown up with most of the people in the barn tonight. They were all at least a year or two older, but because Clint was the social networker he was, everyone knew her, too. She suspected it was only so they could watch out for her and report back to Clint.

“You sure, man?” Clint looked over her head at the man standing behind his sister and then back over his shoulder at ‘couch girl’.

“Yeah, I got her. Your little sister is
always
safe with me, right Pip?” He placed his hand on her shoulder and she had to hold herself together, praying he couldn’t feel her body tremble.

“Thanks, man, I owe you.” They bumped fists and smacked each other on the shoulder.

“No problem. You just get the first shift of driving tomorrow morning.” He laughed, still standing behind Audree.

“It‘ll be worth it.” Clint looked over his shoulder again, then back as he wiggled his eyebrows.

“You are so gross.” Audree rolled her eyes at her brother.

“Hi, Audree.” A boy dressed in worn, fitted jeans, and a tightly fitted t-shirt moved past her.

“Hi, Dean, how ya doin’?” she asked and smiled when she felt Gavin’s body tense behind her.

“Not bad, not bad at all.” He looked her up and down until he noticed who was standing on both sides of her. “Catch you later, Audree.” He quickly made his escape to a girl across the room.

“You two are like guy repellent,” she sighed in defeat.

“Someday, little sister, a long, long, long time from now you will be able to play with the grown-ups.” Clint shook his head, laughed, and then kissed her on the forehead. “A long, long, time from now.  Goodnight, Sis.  And thanks again, Gavin,” he said, turned on his heel and headed back to the couch as yet another guy approached ‘his’ girl.

“Why would he even want to be with a girl like that?” she asked as she watched her brother take the girl’s hand and pull her from the couch toward the makeshift dance floor at the other end of the barn.

“‘Cause she’s hot.” Gavin chuckled at her side.

“Guys are gross.” She rolled her eyes again and turned in the opposite direction.

“Audree, come have a drink with us,” a couple of guys Audree knew from school said from the corner by the door.

“Wish I could, but …” she rolled her eyes again when she felt Gavin’s hand at her lower back nudge her toward the door.  “Night, guys.” She stomped off ahead of Gavin.

“Pip, you know we are just protecting you from guys like that.” He caught up to her in two strides and laughed when she looked at him. “What? We’re guys and we all think about the same thing when we come across a nice beautiful girl like you.” She thought she heard a slight quiver in his voice when he called her ‘beautiful’, but he quickly covered it with a laugh and smile. “Clint and I are simply looking out for your well-being, just like any good brother would.”

“You
are not
my brother!” She stomped away from him again. “And please stop calling me Pip.”

Thank goodness for that
, he thought, because the thoughts going through his head, as he watched her walk a few steps ahead of him, wearing cutoff shorts and a tiny ass t-shirt, were anything but brotherly. He’d known he was in trouble when it came to Audree when he was younger, because not only did he want to protect her from other boys, but he also wanted to protect her from the teasing and torment of her own brother. Not that Clint would ever physically hurt Audree, but he teased her as any good older brother would, making fun of her, calling her names and breaking the occasional toy.

Although Gavin couldn’t stop Clint from making fun of her and calling her names, he did his best to take care of the broken toys. As far as he knew, neither Clint nor Audree nor anyone else ever found out that when he and Clint, mostly Clint, broke something of Audree’s, he would sneak into her room at night and either fix it or replace it. He remembered one night after sneaking into her bedroom, he’d caught himself just staring at her and noticing how peaceful she was when she slept. He kissed her on the forehead that night before slipping out of her room with a headless doll that Audree had just gotten.

“So I guess I won’t be seeing you for a while after tonight,” Audree said as they reached the back door of the house, interrupting his thoughts.

“Yeah, Clint is supposed to be picking me up tomorrow morning at nine.” He stepped up behind her.

“Huh, good luck with that.” She laughed, looking back toward the barn. “Well then, you take care of yourself, keep an eye on the man whore and don’t knock anyone up while you are away.” She stepped forward to put her arms around his waist, but just to push her luck a little more, she put a hand on his chest. A smile spread across her face when she heard what sounded like a growl, come from deep within his chest, and she felt his body stiffen.

“I promise not to knock anyone up and to keep an eye on him.” He inhaled deeply when she moved her warm hand against his chest.

“Good, then we’ll see you guys back here for Thanksgiving.” She leaned up on her toes and kissed his cheek, hoping to memorize everything about him in that moment. “Bye, Gavin,” she whispered, then deliberately brushed her hands over his hips as she pulled way and slipped through the door into the dark kitchen. “Holy shit! Go me.” She chuckled to herself as she started through the swinging kitchen door.

“Audree,” he said as he took hold of her arm and spun her around to face him. “You didn’t give me a chance to say goodbye.” He slid his hand to the back of her head and pulled her face just inches from his own. Before she had a chance to respond, he pushed his body into hers, pressing her back against the wall next to the doorframe. Her mind couldn’t catch up to what was happening as he pressed his tongue against her lower lip. She had never been kissed, let alone kissed like this, and by Gavin of all people. She had dreamed about this kiss for years.

She told herself that she had to stop thinking and let Gavin control the kiss. Knowing all she needed to do was relax, she opened her mouth to him and he slipped his tongue between her lips.  As soon as Gavin’s tongue began to explore her mouth, she melted into him. A moan escaped her lips and he pushed against her harder, deepening the kiss. She moved her arms around his neck and curled her fingers through his short dark hair. Just as she was about to pull back and speak his name, the pressure of his body holding her against the wall was gone. She opened her eyes as he stepped back from her.

“Audree, I... I’m sorry... I…,” and then he was gone. Gavin disappeared through the back door, leaving her shocked and her body chilled from the loss of his body.

“What the fuck was that?” She ran her hand through her hair. “Well, here’s to a night of absolutely no sleep. Ugh.” She knocked her head against the wall and slid down to the floor.

“Oh, Audree, what are you doing down here? You weren’t sneaking down to the barn were you?” Talia’s voice broke the dark silence of the room as she stepped through the kitchen door and flipped on the kitchen light.

“Nope, I wasn’t sneaking down to the barn.” She lifted her head up to see her mother fill a mug with milk and pour it into a pot on the stove.

“You know that doesn’t work, right?”

“I know that and you know that, but it helps relax your father, so I just go with it.” She laughed. “Did you get a chance to say goodbye to your brother and Gavin?” She stirred the milk warming in the pot.

“Yeah, I saw them earlier.” She brushed her fingers over her lips, still feeling Gavin’s pressed again them. 

“Gavin kiss you goodbye?” Her mother turned to her with a raised eyebrow and a smile.

“Mom!”

“What? That boy has been crazy about you since he was little, chasing after you in the yard. Hell, I had to stop your father from shooting him one night when we saw him climbing out of your bedroom window.”

“You knew about that?”

“Your father wasn’t happy until I discovered what exactly was going on. He likes Gavin and Travis. They are like his own sons, but you aren’t ready for…”

“Stop.” Audree held up her hand.  “He is leaving tomorrow and has made it pretty clear that he has no intention of hanging around here and that I’m like a little sister to him.” She didn’t realize she was brushing her fingers over her lips again.

“That must have been one hell of a kiss.” Her mother kissed her on the top of the head as she made her way back to the kitchen door.  “Goodnight, dear.” She laughed at Audree’s shocked face.  “Make sure to turn the light off before you come upstairs.”