Infatuated (14 page)

F
or two hours, we watched meteor after meteor streak across the sky. Some were good, some were bad, and Kale got a kick out of the ones that broke apart and went their separate ways. His joy made my heart feel lighter than it had all day. He made me point out constellation after constellation, and I even pointed out a few galaxies that I knew about.

“Now this,” I said, “is my man Orion. The Hunter, though he looks like an archer to me.” I pointed out the stars, including Orion’s belt (which made him think of Men in Black), and the galaxy inside Orion.

“So this is your favorite one?”

I nodded against his chest. “Yeah. He’s…big. It was the first constellation I learned, that I could point out myself without help. I used to sneak outside really late at night just to see him.”

“You keep saying ‘him’ like he’s alive. Aren’t most stars already dead?”

“Yeah.” The thought made me sad, that we were seeing something that had probably died out long, long ago, before either of us had been born. “My dad showed him to me when I was eight,” I whispered. “He told me if I saw Orion, I’d be okay, because he’d look out for me. So I always feel better when I see him. Silly, huh?”

“No.” He ran his up my back and snuggled me closer. “It’s sweet. You should come out to see him more often.”

“I would, except he’s only out in the winter and winters here get cold.”

“Yes, they do. I guess I’ll have to keep you warm.”

I looked up. “I guess you will.”

“And when your man Orion can’t watch out for you, I’ll take over for a while.”

My stomach fluttered. “Yeah? Are you the man for the job?”

Carefully, he rolled over until he was laying on top of me. His smile was sexy as hell. “Definitely,” he said with a quick nod. His fingers trailed down my stomach.

“What are you doing, Kale?”

“Hm? Oh, nothing,” he said, now kissing my neck.

“That doesn’t feel like nothing.”

“Maybe you should focus on the stars more, then.”

“I’m trying to, but it’s hard—”

He rubbed against me suggestively. “Yeah, it is.”

I snorted. “That’s not what I meant.”

“But that’s what you said.” That fast mouth moved down my collarbone. “And you were definitely right.” One by one, he unbuttoned my shirt.

“We’re not having sex out here in the open where anyone can see. And in case you haven’t noticed, it’s freezing.”

“Rob’s parents own the property and the only house nearby is theirs, which is empty until spring.” His fingers danced over my skin. “As for it being cold…well, that’s why I brought blankets.” He kissed my neck again. “Besides, I’m pretty sure we can make our own heat for a while.”

“We came out here to watch the meteor shower and stars, Kale. Remember?” The last word came out sounding like a sigh. The more his hands and mouth moved, the harder time I had trying to remember what I was saying.

Cupping my breasts, he kissed along the tops of my bra. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you see the stars.”

CHAPTER 11

T
he meteor shower had been great, but reality came crashing back when Kale dropped me off at home and Earl’s truck was outside the bar. Kale stayed with me and ended up staying over almost every night after.

School became a chore. My classes were suffering because I couldn’t block thoughts of Earl from my mind. I may have been inside a building where he couldn’t see me, but I knew he’d be out there when class was over. Always watching. Always waiting. Even surrounded by people, I still felt utterly alone.

Kale had tried talking to his cop friend again, and I’d even tried calling the cops, but there wasn’t anything they could—or would—do. Earl hadn’t done anything wrong—at least nothing anyone could legally prove. They couldn’t prove he was at the bar to watch me, or that he’d been following me around. The phone calls were made from pre-paid cell phones, so they couldn’t be traced or tracked back to him.

I was stuck. Stuck knowing I was being stalked and couldn’t do anything about it. Stuck knowing that, wherever I went, Earl would follow.

The only place I felt remotely safe was at home, stuck inside, behind locked doors and curtained windows.

With Kale.

Who, at the moment, was laying on my couch and watching TV. He seemed perfectly content to be there, but I knew he wasn’t. Couldn’t be.

Kale was with me almost every day and night, and he never said a word about it. He never complained. But I knew it had to affect him. If he wasn’t at work or going home to get clothes, he was with me. He missed his life, his friends, time to himself. I knew he had to, because I did. I’d never been a big party girl or anything like that, but I enjoyed the freedom of going out when and where I wanted to. I enjoyed going out, not having to look over my shoulder constantly. I didn’t have that anymore.

But it didn’t mean he had to suffer the same fate.

“Okay,” I said, walking over to the couch and trying to yank him up, “you need to go.”

He looked up, a frown creasing his brows. “What?”

“You’ve been here day and night for almost two weeks because you’re scared to leave me alone. You need your life back.”

He sat up. “I told you, I don’t mind—”

“Yes, you keep saying that, and I know you mean it or think you do, but I can see it, Kale. This isn’t what you signed up for. I love when you’re here with me, but you need to live your life. Go out. See your friends. Have fun.”

“Ally—”

“We don’t both need to suffer through this. I’ll stay inside and text you every ten minutes so you don’t worry. But go. Somewhere. Anywhere.”

Eying me, he scratched the side of his face. “Actually…remember that friend I told you about who wrecked his car?”

“Rob?” I said after a second, hoping I got the name right.

“Yeah. Him and a bunch of our friends are having a friendly game of football at the park tonight and then a party afterward. I told him I probably wouldn’t make it, but…”

“Go. Have fun. Tell him I said good luck.”

“You can tell him yourself if you go with me. You can meet some of my friends, and we can both have some fun.” He grinned down at me. “Plus, I think my friends are half-convinced I’ve imagined you.”

“Ah, now I see.” I nodded. “You want to show me off.”

He scoffed. “Actually, I didn’t want to make you feel bad, but it’s more so you can show
me
off.” He pulled on my hand and yanked me forward. “I’m the prize, remember?”

“I guess this means I can’t bring my other boyfriend, huh?”

“No.”

“Well, I guess I can dump him. He doesn’t have a leather jacket.” I looked up. “Or sexy green flecks in his eyes.”

Those eyes flashed now. “I don’t share. And I’m not talking about with your friends. But with other men.” His hold around me became impossibly tight. “I don’t share what’s mine, and if you’re wondering why I’m still here night after night, that’s why. I don’t share and I protect what’s mine.”

I would have laughed, but the look in his eyes, the intensity, stopped me. We’d never made things between us official, or even touched on the subject. We’d both been careful not to. It made my heart skip a beat and my mouth went dry. “Is that what I am?” My voice shook.

His hand went to my hair and he pulled my head down, startling a gasp out of me. Soft lips pressed hard into mine. His tongue darted in and he took my mouth with his until I couldn’t breathe. Until I couldn’t think. Until I had my answer.

I was his.

He tore his mouth from mine. The fire in his eyes made them bright. Dangerous. Glorious. “Yes.” The word, said next to my ear, made me shiver.

“I’m yours.”

His chest heaved with a deep breath I hadn’t realized he’d been holding. What I saw in his eyes now nearly broke my heart.

Uncertainty.

Who hurt you?
I wanted to ask him that but I didn’t, not yet.

Running my fingers through his hair, I smiled at him and brushed my lips against his. Where his had taken, mine gave. Slowly, softly. “You’re mine.” The muscles of his back were tense beneath my other hand.

He let out rough breath. “Okay.”

“And I don’t share either,” I told him, nipping along his jaw, “so you’ll have to tell Rob to get in line.”

He threw his head back and laughed, like I’d hoped, and the tension melted away. “You’re something.”

“I’m a prize, too.”

Gently, he brushed my cheek. “Yes, yes you are.”

“But you know I hate sports, right?” When he shook his head sadly, I shrugged. “Too late for you, now you’re stuck with me.”

He smoothed his hand across my stomach, inching it toward my breasts. “There are worse people I could be stuck with.”

K
ale, it turned out, was a huge sports fan. His friend’s ‘friendly’ game of football seemed more violent than the ten minutes of the one NFL game I’d seen. The fact there’d been no bloodshed yet was a miracle. There was a lot of running (that made me tired just watching) and tackling (that made me wince in sympathy).

When the game was over—his friend’s team lost—Kale drove us to Rob’s. There were at least ten cars parked up and down the road out front.

“He lives in a mansion?” I said, ogling the house. It was a big, two-story mansion-sized house that was nearly bigger than my entire apartment building. It was beautiful. I’d driven by it my first week here, when I’d gotten myself lost trying to familiarize myself with the area. Kale pulled into the driveway and parked in the attached garage.

“It’s not a mansion. I don’t think.”

I turned in my seat to eye him. “And I thought you said it was a small party?”

“It is.” He eyed me.

I was actually nervous to meet his friends socially. We hadn’t really said anything at the game, because we’d gotten there late, and as soon as the game ended, everyone had headed here. What if I didn’t like his friends? Worse, what if they didn’t like me? I wasn’t big on partying—or crowds—so what if they—

“You’re looking kinda green, Ally. You okay?”

“Yeah. Just not a big party person,” I half-lied. The party thing was definitely the truth. I just left out the rest.

“You work at a bar.”

“I work in a bar because, a) a friend of the family owns it, b) it’s right across the street from me, and c) because there weren’t many places willing to work around my school schedule.”

He reached down to squeeze my hand. “It’ll be okay. We don’t have to stay long.”

“I can handle it. I’m just mentally preparing myself.” I smiled. “How’s that?”

“Adorable.” He leaned in to kiss me. “But faker than shit.”

“Hah. Thanks. Way to show your support, Romeo.”

“I won’t leave you alone, don’t worry.”

When he got out of the car, I took a deep breath. I could handle this. I did work in a bar, so dealing with drunks was a specialty of mine. I was fully equipped to deal with this. I was—

I flinched when he opened my door.
I’m going to make a complete and utter ass out of myself.

“Ready?”

“Yup.”

He grinned, letting me know he suspected I was lying. Taking my hand in his, he pulled me out and closed the door. “Before we go in…there’s something you should know.”

“If you tell me you’re married with two point five kids and a dog named Spot, I’ll hurt you, Kale. Bad.”

“It’s a cat. Her name is Fluffy.”

I felt my face pale, even though I knew—hoped—he was kidding.

His laugh echoed in the garage. “I meant what I said before. You’re mine. You’re it, okay?”

“You don’t start conversations with ‘there’s something you should know’. I’m supposed to be the dating-dumb one.”

“Sorry. It’s nothing bad.”

My eyes narrowed. “Then what is it?”

“I live here.”

“Are you loaded?” My tone came out high-pitched. “Do I have a sugar daddy? I’ve always wanted one.”

He laughed again. “No. Rob’s parents took me in when I was sixteen and let me rent out their pool house. They’re loaded. I’m not. But this is still my home, so you don’t have anything to worry about here.”

I frowned. “Took you in?”

“Yeah. Long story. Another time maybe.” His tone went harsh, and before I could question it, or him, he took my hand and pulled me to a door at the side of the garage. It led outside, where music blasted and voices rang out. The scent of barbecue drifted in the air.