Pride (7 page)

“I’m waiting for a thank-you,” he answered, unruffled. “But if you’re in a swooning mood …”

“Thank you,” she said grudgingly, turning to stare out the dusty window and watch the shadowy scenery fly by.

“You’re welcome.” There was a pause, and then, “So, I’ve got a sexy smile?”

Damn.

“Forget it,” Kaia snapped. “I guess you desert cowboys are as unfamiliar with sarcasm as you are with personal hygiene.”

She didn’t turn back to face him, and he didn’t say anything, but she could imagine the superior look on his face, the mocking smile.

And, for the record, it was sexier than ever.

Adam pulled into the lot and hopped out of his car. He was late. He’d wanted to greet Harper as soon as she’d finished her first shift. But the coach had kept him after practice to work on his free throws.

“You seem off today,” the coach had observed.

Wonder why.

Now he jogged toward the entrance—he hated making her wait.

But the figure standing in the entryway anxiously scanning the parking lot wasn’t Harper, it was Beth. A fact that he registered only moments before sweeping her into his arms.

Instead, he stopped short, and gave a halfhearted wave.

She offered him a weak smile.

“Picking up Harper?” she asked, and he wondered whether she, too, was suddenly remembering all the moments they’d shared in this doorway, Adam rescuing her from a long night of work.

He nodded.

“She’s getting changed,” Beth told him, refusing to meet his eyes.

“Thanks. And … I guess you’re waiting for …”

“Kane. Yeah.” She looked over his shoulder into the parking lot again, as if willing the Camaro to appear. It didn’t.

“So anyway, how’s—”

“Adam, I wanted to—”

They spoke at once, then stopped abruptly and laughed.

“Well, this is awkward,” Beth admitted.

“Tell me about it.” Adam idly rubbed the back of his neck. Where was Harper? “Maybe I should just go inside and—”

“Adam, wait.” She put her hand on his arm to stop him, then snatched it back—they both froze. It was the first time she’d touched him since … since the last time he’d pushed her away. He’d forgotten how soft her hands were. “Adam, there’s something I’ve been really wanting to say to you. I know you think that—”

She broke off, and he waited, wondering. It was the first time in a long time he’d been able to look at her without flinching, without needing to turn away or worse, to hurt her. Did this mean he was finally getting over her? It certainly felt like he was getting over … something.

“Well …,” she began again hesitantly, “I want you to know that, even after everything that’s—”

“Adam!” Pushing past Beth, Harper came flying into his arms. “So sorry I’m late. You have no idea what kind of a day I had.”

He gently extricated himself from her embrace and took her hand. “You can tell me all about it in the car, Harper. I’m sure you did great in there today.”

Harper gave him a kiss on the cheek and then put a possessive arm around his shoulders.

“Oh, I couldn’t have done it without Beth,” she gushed, smiling at Beth, whose face had begun to pale. “I can’t wait to tell you what a wonderful
help
she was today.”

Adam glanced quickly over at Harper, unable to tell whether she was sincere. It wasn’t like her to have anything so nice to say about anyone, much less Beth.

I never give her enough credit,
he chided himself. He’d have to make sure that tonight, at least, he told her how proud he was of her. Not just for the job, but for everything.

Feeling a sudden rush of warmth and gratitude that he had someone like Harper in his life, Adam pulled her into a hug and gave her a long kiss.

“What was that for?” she asked when they finally broke apart.

“Just because,” he said sheepishly, keeping his arms around her.

“He does that
all
the time,” Harper explained to Beth, who couldn’t even muster a smile. “Oh, but I guess you, of all people, know that!”

“Hey, were you about to say something?” Adam asked, remembering they’d been interrupted. For a moment, he’d almost forgotten Beth was there.

“No, it was nothing,” Beth mumbled. “You guys have a good night.”

Harper and Adam walked off toward the car together, hand in hand. Halfway there, he turned back. Beth’s solitary figure seemed suddenly frail and lonely, standing in the shadows.

“You sure you’ll be okay here?” he called back. “You don’t need a ride or anything?”

“I’m fine,” she shouted, with just a hint of a quaver in her voice. “Kane will be here any minute.”

That’s right—Kane. Beth was his problem now, Adam reminded himself. He knew that. It was just that looking at her there, her blond hair billowing around her head like a golden halo, it was a little too easy to forget.

It had been one of the worst days of her life—which made the night that much sweeter. After driving home, they’d come out back to lie together under the stars, on the large, flat rock between the border of their two backyards. It had been a long and painful day, and all she wanted to do was lie in his arms and breathe him in. Unfortunately, Adam had other ideas.

“Can you believe Kane? Grinning at me like that? As if nothing had ever happened?”

Harper sighed and rolled toward Adam, wrapping her arms around him.

“Maybe you should try not to think about it so much,” she suggested. “I hate to see you like this.”

“I can’t stand it!” Adam raged. “I mean, what does she even see in him?”

Harper just clung to him tighter and tried to ignore his words and their meaning. They had never really talked about what had happened between Adam and Beth, and Harper liked it that way. Because that way she could pretend that he’d forgotten. Moved on. That he only cared about Harper and what she wanted.

“He’s been with so many women,” Adam continued. “He’s a slut, you know? Can a guy be a slut? Because he is—and she just fell for it. Like he’ll treat her any better than the rest of them.” He snorted. “Someone like that will never change.”

Almost unnoticeably, Harper stiffened and pulled away. It was that word.
Slut
. Not that she thought she—or that Adam—saw her as—

The thing was, Harper was no vestal virgin. She didn’t regret any of the things she’d done—even if she had, she could never take them back. She’d never be Beth—and if that’s what he wanted …

“Hey, where are you going?” Adam asked, finally noticing that she was slowly easing away from him. He placed a warm hand on her cheek and grazed his fingers down her neck. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be talking about this. It’s not fair to you.”

“No.” She sat up, pulling him up next to her, and took both of his hands in hers. “I want you to talk about whatever you need to. You can say anything to me. You know that.”

He gave her a mischievous smile. “Does that mean I’m allowed to call you ‘Gracie’ as much as I want?” he asked, knowing how much she hated the childhood nickname.

“Only if I’m allowed to tickle you as much as
I
want!” she shot back, and launched herself at him, wrestling him onto his back as he shook with laughter. Finally, she took pity on him and quieted him with a long, deep kiss. It went on and on—and though she’d promised herself that she would wait just a bit longer, until they were up in the mountains, away, alone, and everything was perfect, she didn’t want to pull away. His lips were so soft, his kiss so firm, and their bodies felt so right together, as if each had been designed with the other in mind.

So, after several long minutes, it was Adam who pulled away first, breathless. He brushed a lock of hair away from her face and kissed her lightly on the forehead. It was a cold, clear night, and as she lay against the cool granite, she could see her dark bedroom window. How many nights had she come home alone and gazed out at the backyard, at the rock where she and Adam used to play as children, wishing she were out there with him again? And how many of those nights had he been in his own room, only a few yards away—with Beth?

“Harper, I just want you to know,” Adam murmured softly in her ear, “I love—”

Her heart stopped beating.

“—being here with you,” he concluded.

She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them slowly, gazing into his clear, trusting eyes. So he loved … being with her.

It wasn’t everything—but it was a beginning.

chapter
4

Adam had been waiting desperately for the chance to get away from everything, to clear his head. It had been such a confusing autumn, everything falling apart so suddenly, the world he thought he knew turning upside down. He just wanted to get away from it all: the classes, the pressure, the people. He was hoping he and Harper could have a long, quiet, romantic weekend to figure everything out, to be together, leave school and all that baggage behind.

But that’s the thing about school trips: the rest of the school has a nasty habit of coming along.

“Dude, I am going to
tear
up those slopes!”

Which is, Adam supposed, how he’d ended up stuffed in the back of a school bus with a bunch of his basketball “buddies” listening to them vie for the title of BMOC (Big Moron Off Campus).

“There better be some hot honeys up there!”

“Yeah, because I’m looking for a ski bunny who knows all about going down—and I
don’t
mean down the mountain!”

“Good one, man.”

It’s not that he didn’t like hanging out with the guys—even now, as they were bragging about their nonexistent ski skills and carving their initials into the cracked leather bus seats—but he just wasn’t in the mood.

“What’s the matter, Morgan?” his seatmate asked, elbowing him in the ribs. “All this guy talk too rough for you? You’d rather be up front with the ladies?”

Uh—yes?

“This dude is so whipped,” his first-string point guard confided to the rest of the team. They roared in approval.

“Like you’d be talking about the honeys if Nikki was back here,” Adam shot back, and the point guard shut up, fast. He could intimidate 6′4″ guys on the court—but 5′3″ Nikki left him quivering in his Nikes, and they all knew it. When the girls were around, everyone clammed up, like perfect gentlemen.