Misty Reigenborn Romance Boxed Set (146 page)

There was a smile on her face when she went outside.

Tony was leaning against his car, smoking a cigarette.  "What's the big smile for?"

She took a cigarette from the open pack sitting on the hood of his car and lit it with the lighter that he handed her.  "I'm free Tony.  Never again will I have to deal with another stepfather who wishes I didn't exist."

“I thought you'd gotten things worked out with your mom, well at least sort of, after all that mean stuff you two said to each other last night."

"I don't know.  Maybe we can deal with our differences better now.  She said you too when I told her I loved her last night which is a hell of a lot more than she usually does.  But at least I won't have to deal with living with her anymore."

He raised an eyebrow.  "So where are you gonna live when you graduate?"

She smacked him in the arm as hard as she could.  He faked a wince.  "I'm gonna live with Jude of course."

He made a face.  "Don't joke about that.  I'm sure that he'd be thrilled to steal you away from me."

"He wasn’t even any good in bed." 

"Is that the only reason?" 

She smacked him again.  "Yes Tony, of course it is."

"Someone's going to call the cops if you don't stop beating me in your stepdad's driveway."

"You know you like it."

"Just don't throw an ashtray at my head okay?"

"Ha ha, Tony.  Are we gonna get out of here?" 

"Yep." He threw her her car keys.  "You going first so that I don't get lost."

"You wouldn't get lost."

"Ya never know.  I'm gonna miss you."

She laughed.  "Yep, those three hours when I'm a few feet away from you in another car are gonna be hell."

"They are."

She put her arms around him.  "We'll make up for it when we get back to your place.  Hey, we still need to stop by and check out of that motel don't we?"

"Nope.  Already did it while you were busy sleeping in.  You know Tor; with the way you sleep we're going to have to get a really noisy alarm system or a big dog when we move in together.  I don't like thinking that someone could break in while you were alone.  You'd never hear a thing."

"Thought you were going to leave me high and dry when I graduated."

"I like it when you're high, but I like to think that I never leave you dry."

"Perv.  Hey, I wonder if my mom's wedding ring is still in the middle of the street or if someone already ran over it."

"I didn't notice anything when I left earlier.  Let me call Aunt Lori; tell her that we're heading out."

"Okay."  She lit another cigarette as he dialed, knowing that she wouldn't be able to have another for a while.  Maybe eventually she'd smoke in the mustang, but she doubted it. 

He clicked his phone shut when he had finished and then turned to her.  "I guess Carl and Andi already had their first fight.  Must have been all that frustration from going two whole days without sex." 

"Wow.  And they're still fighting?"

"Yeah.  They'll be back together by the time we get back to town though, wanting to borrow my spare bedroom to screw." He grinned. 

"Well, I guess we'd better get out of here.  It's almost noon."

"Yeah.  You still think you're dragging me out today to buy a new bed?"

"Hell yes.  We're gonna put your new sheets to good use tonight.  There’s no point in wasting them on your crappy old bed."

"Yes darling."  He leaned over and gave her a kiss.  “Are we stopping for gas on the way out of town?"

"Might as well.  Goodbye, too big for two people house.  I won't miss you." 

"Okay babe.  We're outta here." He opened his door and got in his car. 

She noticed that he'd put on his steering wheel cover and his new seat covers.  "So you liked your present?"

"Yep.  Thanks baby." 

"Thank me when we've broken in your new sheets."

"Can't wait." He gave her a wink as he shut the door. 

She got into the mustang and repositioned the seat.  She strapped her seatbelt on and started the engine, backing slowly out of the driveway.  She waved at Tony.  He pulled out behind her and they were on their way. 

They stopped at a gas station on the edge of town a few minutes later.  When he pulled up behind her at the gas pumps, he came around the car and pulled her into his arms.  "I miss you already baby."

Removing his hand from her ass, ignoring the dirty look that a middle aged mother toting a toddler gave them, she said "I'm gonna go pay for the gas.  Do you want something to drink?"

"Get me a couple of those energy drinks with the coffee flavor will you?"

"Sure.  Is twenty-five good for gas?  How full is your tank?"

"A little under half.  That should be fine.  Do you want to stop for lunch somewhere along the way?" 

"Sounds good.  I'll be right back."

She went in the store, picking out his energy drinks and a soda for herself.  She paid for the drinks and the gas and went back outside.  She gave Tony a quick kiss and then pulled away.  "I think there's an exit with some restaurants about an hour down the road.  Does that sound okay?"

"Sure.  Lead the way my love."

They both returned to their respective cars, pulling back out onto the road.  She turned the radio up loud to a rock station and let herself enjoy her new car.  It really was nice she thought.  It still had the new car smell, though it did have about 10,000 miles on it. 

She kept checking her rear view to make sure that Tony was behind her.  She was still worried about him and didn't like him being alone when she suspected that he was feeling worse than he'd ever let on.  But he kept up with her and his blinker came on immediately when she pulled off at the exit. 

There wasn't many choices of food.  She pulled into a pizza place which boasted an all you can eat lunch buffet until 3 pm, pulling to a stop in the mostly empty parking lot. 

Tony got out of his car, stretched and handed her a cigarette, giving her a quick kiss.  "Figured you'd probably want one by now, nicotine addict."

"Thanks." She lit up and leaned against the mustang.  "So we'll probably get back to town about five or so.  Do you think there's going to be anywhere open to buy a new bed after you get back from buying your drugs?"

"Maybe.  I have to go three different places.  The guy who I get my weed from is totally anti-drug so there's no way in hell he'd be selling crack or meth."

"That's so funny.  A pot dealer anti-drug."

"Do you want me to make Aunt Lori explain to you all the reasons that pot isn't a drug?"

"Even when it's used for recreational purposes?"

"Even then.  Well, sort of.  Aunt Lori's a lot better at explaining all of it than me.  She’s into the whole legalization thing, always telling me about some new article she read that proves it can cure cancer."

"Wow."

"So there's got to be some intelligent stoners out there, huh?"

"Never said you weren't intelligent.  And not your aunt either.  But your aunt doesn't really think of herself as a pothead does she?"

Tony laughed.  "She does.  She'd smoke it if she didn't have killer migraines.  It's Carl that it bothers so much.  Not that it makes any sense because he wants to get stoned with her but he's sixteen.  Nothing you think at sixteen makes sense."

"What about seventeen?"  She raised an eyebrow. 

"Nope, nothing makes a damn bit of sense until you're at least nineteen." He winked at her. 

“I guess you'd better not ask me to marry you until I'm at least nineteen then huh?  If I say yes, it wouldn't make any sense."

"Quit teasing me or I'll get down on one knee right here in this dirty parking lot in the middle of nowhere." 

“That wouldn't be romantic at all now would it?"

"You're probably planning on asking me to marry you when you've just blown my mind with really hot sex so there's no way I'll say no."

"That's an idea." He took her hand as they walked toward the restaurant. 

He insisted on paying.  They ended up in a small booth at the back of the restaurant away from the family with six unhappy kids ranging in ages from toddler to teenager and the elderly married couple who did not look amused by the antics of any of the children which led Tory to believe that they'd never had any children of their own, let alone grandchildren; who were the only other patrons of the restaurant. 

She couldn't help but find the toddler in the high chair who had managed to dump a bowl of pasta on the floor after getting the rest of it on, instead of in, her chubby cheeked adorable face which was framed by gorgeous dark ringlets, as anything but precious.  And the little boy who looked about six who was pouting for some reason looked almost unbearably cute with his big hazel eyes that she could see clearly from across the room.  She wasn't getting baby fever was she,
she thought?  Like Andi, who she thought was probably determined to make sure she was pregnant before graduation?  No, she couldn't be, she thought sneaking a glance at Tony, who for once seemed unmoved by the cute kids across the room. 

"What?"  He’d caught her looking at him as he glanced up from his salad. 

"Nothing."

"You were giving me a look like you were trying to dissect what's in my head Tor.  So don't give me that.  What is it?"

"Nothing, I swear."  Her eyes have drifted back to the little boy across the room who was now helping his mother feed his little sister. 

The dark hair of the little girl came from the mother she thought, who was a natural beauty.  There was no way you could tell she'd given birth to her brood by looking at her.  She was slim and ever patient as her son spooned a bite of pasta into his little sister's waiting mouth.  The blonde hair of the little boy had been inherited from the father who was having a heated conversation with the oldest child, a teenager who was the spitting image of his father.  She'd been thinking that the little boy with his dark blonde hair and hazel eyes looked a bit like Tony. 

The teenage boy; who she noticed had a nose ring when he met her eyes from across the room, gave her a cocky grin before he turned back to his father.  She thought that he had that same walking sex appeal quality that Tony had. 

"Quit having sex with him with your eyes Tor," Tony said.  "He's too young for you."

"He's not too young for me.  He's gotta be at least sixteen.  I think I heard him bugging his dad to let him drive on the way home when we first came in."

"Is that how you like your men?  Pierced and tattooed?"

She made a face.  "Tattoos can be sexy, depending on what they are I guess.  And piercings can be hot on the right guy."

"And he's the right guy?"  Tony gave her a disgusted look. 

"I was looking at his little brother first.  He kind of looks like you.  You can see his eyes from across the room."

"But then you decided it was a good idea to have mind sex with big brother?"

"Tony quit it.  I looked at him for like thirty seconds.  I was only looking at him because he's got that same kind of sex appeal thing going on that you do.  Like you haven't turned many a woman into a pile of hormones in her chair."

"Bet if I wasn't here you'd be over there getting his number."

"You want me to get up and go do it?" 

"Go right ahead."

"Damn Tony, is the caffeine getting to you?  Why are you so damn crabby?  It's not like you didn't give the mother a second look.  You were telling me to quit getting so jealous.  Now you're freaking out because some hot guy in a restaurant that's two hours away from home smiled at me."

"It wasn't just a smile.  It was an 'I wouldn't mind having you in my bed and I don't give a shit if you're sitting there with your boyfriend' smile."

"So what if it was?  He's a teenage boy.  Teenage boys are cocky.  You're cocky.  Hell, good looking forty year old men tend to be cocky.  I'm sure as hell not going to go chasing after some good looking guy who's eating lunch with his parents and five little brothers and sisters for goodness’ sake."

"I know." He ran a hand through his hair. 

She noticed he was shaking slightly and wondered if it was from caffeine or some kind of withdrawal. 

"I'm sorry.  I'm just stressed Tor.  How am I going to get my shit together in the time that it takes them to decide my mother's finally sane enough to let out of the hospital?"

"I don't know babe." She reached over and squeezed his hand.  "But it's not helpful for you to want to start a fight with some guy who looked at me.  I was getting sentimental about that gorgeous little girl with her curly hair and the little boy with your eyes and wondering what our kids would look like and you're getting jealous."

"I'm sorry Tor.  I'm just so afraid of fucking up again and losing you forever.  It drives me nuts when a guy like that or Johnny is busy picturing you naked."

"What about that waitress?  I wanted to take her out back and beat the crap out of her.  She had to know we were together because I don't think that I look young enough or mental enough to be still holding my big brother's hand do I?"