Breathless (166 page)

“Because Ally brought a guy with her, and Andy is flipping out.

According to her, I’m the only one who can control him.”

He grabbed a rubber band off his dresser and pulled his hair back from his face. It was the first time I’d ever seen him pull it back, and I was surprised by how much more attractive he was without his blond curls surrounding his face. He was hot with them, but they made him look kind of innocent. With his hair tied back and no shirt on to hide his tattoos, he looked lethal.

“Dear God,” I muttered under my breath.

He looked up. “What?”

“You look dangerous when you pull your hair back. It makes me want to jump on you and do dirty things.” My face flushed with heat.
What possessed me to say that?

He was in the process of pulling on a pair of trunks, but he stopped.

“That’s the hottest thing I’ve ever heard. I’m going to kill Ally for calling.” I grinned. “We always have after the party.”

“I’m holding you to that. Let’s make sure that we get you to school on time tomorrow though.”

“Good plan.”

***

This time, we took his Jeep instead of my car. We turned down a dirt path that I would have missed if I were driving. We followed it for a few minutes until we came to a clearing where several cars were already parked.

“We have to walk the rest of the way.”

I raised an eyebrow, but I said nothing as we got out and started up a foot trail. We walked for several minutes until we came to another clearing surrounded by huge boulders.

“Where do we go from here?”

“Up.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” There was no way I was going to be able to climb these rocks.

“There’s a trick to it. Come on, I’ll help you.”

I was still skeptical as I took his hand and followed him to one of the smaller rocks. He scooped me up and set me on top of it. I waited as he climbed up beside me. When I turned to look behind me, I saw the beach. There were tons of people already on it. I had no clue how they’d found this place. It was that well-hidden.

“How do you guys manage to get out of here when you’re drunk?” I asked.

“We don’t. We usually stay on the beach all night.”

He jumped off the rock and held his arms up to help me down. I jumped into them, never once worrying about him dropping me. I trusted him with everything in me. He held my hand as we walked down the beach to where everyone was hanging out. There was a large group of people shouting and cheering close to where someone had built a fire.

“Oh shit,” Jesse growled as we approached.

He dropped my hand, and then he pushed through the crowd, right into the middle of whatever was happening. I pushed through, too, but I wasn’t as big or as strong as he was, so it took me longer. When I finally made it through the crowd, I saw Jesse holding Andy back as Andy was trying to break free. Ally was crouched down next to some guy who was lying in the sand, holding his nose.

“Andy, you’re a fucking asshole!” Ally shouted.

“He was kissing you!” Andy shouted back as he again tried to break Jesse’s grip.

“So what? I’m not a baby!” Ally shouted back. “You’re my sister!”

“Both of you, chill the fuck out!” Jesse yelled.

“I will not chill the fuck out! Andy just hit him for no reason!” Ally yelled at Jesse. “If you would have shown up sooner, none of this would have happened.”

“Don’t even try to blame me for this shit! It’s between you and Andy!” Jesse shouted back.

He was pissed. There was no question about it. I’d seen him mad before, but this was taking it to a whole new level. If looks could kill, Ally would be dead in the sand.

When her gaze found mine, she screamed, “Bullshit! You’ve always been part of our family until you met her. Now, you couldn’t care less! You’re too worried about getting your dick in her to care about who really matters.”

The crowd was silent as their eyes traveled between Ally, Jesse, and me. I wanted to crawl back over the rocks and go home. I had hoped to make a good impression on his friends, but I didn’t see that happening now after Ally’s little show.

“Shut the fuck up, or I swear to God—” Jesse yelled.

Ally cut him off. “Or you’ll what? Hit a girl? We both know you won’t.”

“Ally, shut up!” Andy shouted. He’d stopped struggling in Jesse’s arms, but he still looked ready to kill.

When the guy on the ground slowly stood up, all eyes went to him. I was thankful for the distraction as Ally helped him.

“You’re all fucking nuts! I’m out of here!” the guy said as he started walking down the beach.

Ally shot all three of us another glare before she started chasing the guy. The crowd stayed silent while Jesse let go of Andy. They were both still pissed as they turned to face everyone.

“Move it along, or I’ll beat someone else’s ass!” Andy yelled.

The crowd disappeared almost instantly. No one wanted to test Andy’s threat.

Jesse walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me. “You okay?”

“Fine. That was…awkward. Ally really doesn’t like me.”

“Ally needs to get over herself,” Jesse growled. “I’ll take care of her later.”

I hoped that I wasn’t anywhere near them when that conversation took place. Both of them had a temper, and I knew it wouldn’t end well.

“Just don’t fight with her over me. I don’t want to get between you guys.” “You won’t. Ally needs to accept the fact that you’re not going anywhere.”

Andy appeared out of nowhere with three beers in his hands. “I need to get drunk.”

Jesse laughed as he took two of them, and then he passed one to me.

“Why the hell did you punch the guy?”

“He had his tongue down my sister’s throat. He’s lucky that his head is still attached to his body.”

Jesse shook his head as he pulled me down to sit on the sand with him. “She’s not a baby, Andy. You have to let her go sometime. It’s not like you don’t go out and screw girls all the time.”

My eyes widened at how casually Jesse had said that.

He noticed my expression and frowned. “Andy screws girls all the time, not me.”

Andy laughed as he opened his beer and sat down next to Jesse. “Don’t worry, Emma. Jesse is the good guy. Me, on the other hand…I like sex.” “I’ll keep that in mind,” I mumbled. I opened my beer and sipped it.

“Be sure to do that. If you two ever need any help, I’ll be glad to offer my assistance.”

“Dude. Shut up
.
”

Andy laughed. “What? I just want her to know she has options out there besides you.”

I grinned as I leaned across Jesse. He was going to kill me for what I was about to do.

“Is that so?” I asked in what I hoped was a flirty voice.

He grinned as he leaned closer. “It is. Give me five minutes, and I’ll make you forget all about Jesse.”

This guy was a total flirt.

I reached out and ran my hand across his arm. “I’ll have to keep that in mind.”

“You do that. And I’m sure Jesse would be up for a threesome if you wanted to take us both on.”

I stood up and walked to stand in front of Andy. I crouched down in front of him, trying not to bust out laughing. “You know what I’d like to do with you right now?”

“What?” he asked with a cocky smirk.

I stood up and tipped my beer so that it flowed over him. “That.” “What the hell?” Andy shouted as Jesse fell back into the sand laughing.

“That is the best thing I’ve seen all day,” Jesse said.

I raised an eyebrow.

“Actually, the second best with you being naked as the first.” “Good save.” I laughed.

Andy looked back and forth between both of us as beer ran down the side of his face. “You’re both crazy, but I have to admit that I like Emma a little better now.”

“I didn’t know I needed your approval, but I’m glad I have it.” I stuck my tongue out at him.

“Fuck you, both. I’m going to go swim to get the beer off of me.”

“Have fun!” I called after him as he ran down the beach to the water.

“You had me worried there for a minute,” Jesse said as he reached up and then pulled me into his lap.

“That was fun.”

“It was. Don’t do it again.” He rolled me into the sand and pinned me with his body. “Maybe I should worry about you and Andy being alone together.”

“No way. I only want you.”

He ran his nose across mine before kissing me hard on the lips. “Glad to hear it. Come on, I’ll introduce you to the ones I know.”

We spent the rest of the evening going from group to group. I couldn’t help but smile each time Jesse introduced me as his girlfriend. He was staking his claim on me.

It was close to midnight when he finally decided that we should head home. After all, I had to be in school the next day. Jesse went to find Andy while I waited next to the rocks.

One minute, I was standing there, waiting for him, and the next, I was knocked down to the ground. I shrieked as a body pinned me against the ground.

“Shut up!” a voice growled out as a hand clamped over my mouth.

Ally.
I was so screwed.

I tried to push her off of me, but it was no use. For as tiny as she was, she was strong.

“You think you’re so badass, walking around with Jesse like you own him. Well, I’ve got news for you. He’s
mine
,
and you need to stay the fuck away from him.”

“Emma! Where are you?” Jesse called from close-by.

Thank God.

Ally cursed under her breath. “You tell him about this, and I’ll beat the ever-loving shit out of you. Remember what I said—he’s mine.”

She was gone as silently as she’d appeared. I was still lying on the ground in shock when Jesse walked up to me.

“There you are. Why are you on the ground?” he asked as he helped me up.

“Uh, I tried to climb the rock, and I fell off. It knocked the wind out of me.”

“Just wait for me next time. Come on, let’s get you home.”

I was silent as we climbed over the rocks and made our way back to his car. The silence continued as he drove us back to his house.

“Hey, you okay?” he asked when he pulled into his driveway.

“I’m fine. Just tired.”

“Oh, okay. Do you want me to take you home, so you don’t have to drive? I don’t want you to fall asleep.”

“No, I’ll be fine. I’ll see you tomorrow after school.”

“I can come home with you if you want.”

He grinned suggestively, but sex was the last thing on my mind right now.

“I’m really tired, so I’m just going to go home and go to bed. I’ll call you tomorrow though.”

He seemed disappointed, but he only nodded. “That’s fine. Just text me when you get home.”

“I will.” I kissed him good night and drove home.

***

My mind was still reeling from my encounter with Ally when I parked my car inside the garage. Now, I understood why she had been so hostile toward me. She wanted Jesse for herself. I had to admit that it was kind of shocking.
Didn’t Jesse just pull Andy off a guy because he was kissing Ally?
Besides, Jesse had never mentioned anything romantic between them. I was sure that he wouldn’t be with me if there were anything going on. I could tell that he thought a lot of her, and he would never hurt her like that.

Maybe he doesn’t know,
a voice whispered inside my head.

That had to be it.
But should I tell him? What if he secretly feels the same way, and that’s all it takes to push him to her?
I didn’t want to lose him.
Then again, do I really have him if I’m worried that he’ll run to Ally?

By the time I made it up to my room, my head was throbbing. After a quick shower, I collapsed onto my bed. I tossed and turned, but sleep wouldn’t come. All I could think about was Ally and Jesse. I knew I had to tell him, but I just didn’t know how.

Sixteen-Jesse

The rest of the week flew by, and before I knew it, we were on our way to the airport. I’d never flown before, and I was nervous as fuck. Emma found this little fact hilarious, but me, not so much. We were flying via private plane from LAX to London with one short stop in New York City to fuel the plane back up. Just thinking about it turned my stomach.

My passport had arrived at her house yesterday morning, cutting it way too close in my opinion. She hadn’t been concerned though. She said her dad’s contact had never failed them yet.

My mom had hugged me tightly this morning when Emma pulled up to drive us to the airport. We hadn’t discussed her move to West Virginia since that first day she’d brought it up, and I didn’t want to. I knew I couldn’t avoid it forever, but for now, that was exactly what I wanted to do.

After checking in and boarding the plane, Emma relaxed in her seat as I fidgeted nervously. She giggled as she watched my knuckles turn white when we taxied down the runway and took off. After a few minutes, the seatbelt light went off, and we were free to move around the cabin.

I had to admit that the setup was pretty kick-ass. There were no more than ten seats on the plane, but that was only so there was enough room for a full-size couch and television in the back. A stewardess told us to let her know if we needed anything. It was an eleven-hour flight total, and she informed us that they would serve us both lunch and dinner. I wasn’t sure that I would ever survive flying in a regular plane after the way I was treated on this one.

The stop in New York went off without a hitch, and we were quickly back in the air. Our lunch came soon after, and we ate in silence. Emma had been quiet since the night we went to the beach party, and I wasn’t sure why. I had asked on more than one occasion, but she always said she was just tired. I knew something was up. I just wasn’t sure how to get her to tell me what it was.

My mind drifted back to that night.

After Emma had suddenly wanted to go home by herself, I walked straight to Ally and Andy’s house. I sat on their porch and waited for Ally to come home, so I could let her have it for the way she’d treated Emma on the beach.

After nearly an hour, headlights appeared down the street. She didn’t see me until she was out of her car and walking to their house.

“We need to talk,” I said as I stood up.