Kissed (11 page)

“Secret hideout, eh?”

He
grinned in the dark and nudged the door open.
 
“Exactly.
Let me find the lights…”

She
heard the flick of a lighter, then light spread from a lantern.
 
The cottage was one open room, save for a
door that might lead to a bathroom.
 
A
stone fireplace sat center in the back wall.
 
He had set up an inflatable mattress, an older TV, and a writing desk by
the window.

“No
electricity wired back here, so I use a portable battery.
 
Lanterns or candles are enough to see by.
Don’t have much to trip over.”

“Yeah.
This is…unexpected, but pretty cool. I thought you
liked your creature comforts.”

He
got the TV and DVD player running.
 
“I
do…but every so often, it’s nice to have the quiet. Sit. I’ve got snacks and a
box of movies.”

“Why
do I feel like there should be a ‘Boys Only’ sign on the door?” she teased.

He
plopped down on the mattress next to her.
 
“Because you’re a dork.
Pick something.”

Looking
at the titles, she gasped.
 
“Someone has
a thing for ‘80s flicks…”

“What
of it?”

“Oh
my God,
The
Breakfast Club
…my mom loves this movie.
Aww,
Superman
one-through-four… I
haven’t watched any of those since my brother left.”

“Then
pick one.”

“It’s
your secret hideout.”

“And
I’m bein’ a good host. Pick a bloody movie, Beth.”

“I
don’t know. Recommend something.”

He
rolled his eyes and lay back on the bed.
 
“Wake me when you decide.”

“Okay,
okay… Well…out of the movies I recognize…here.”
 
She handed him the case.

“
Goonies
?
Somehow that does not surprise me.”

She play-shoved him.
 
“It’s hilarious.”

“No
question, but it’s also almost two hours long.”

“Most
movies are two hours long. If you’re worried I’ll fall asleep, I’ll just go
back inside. We can watch something another time.”
 
She started to get to her feet.

He
tugged her back down.
 
“Don’t think I
said you could leave, love.”
 
He held her
wrist.

“Gonna
hold me prisoner?
Very mature.”

He
slowly shook his head.
 
“Temper,
temper…”
 
And kissed
her.

Thoughts
of running away fled her mind.
 
His lips
were soft against hers, yet they demanded she join in, coaxing her to yield to
his dominance.
 

Jacob
was always naturally confident in the time she’d known him, but Adult-Jacob had
a mastery of his life.
 
He was one of
those lucky people things just worked out for, but more than that, he’d figured
out how to get what he wanted and
knew
he’d have it.
 
He kissed in the same way,
overwhelming her senses with his touch and his scent.
 
She needed more…
something
.

Not close enough
…

He’d
tugged her to sit sideways on his lap, but twisting to kiss him was
uncomfortable.
 
She straddled his
hips—much better.

“Want
you,” he
said,
his voice rough with passion.

She
shook her head.
 
“Not yet.”

He
nodded, and the next kiss was slower.
 
The rhythm he intended to cool things down with backfired on her,
though.
 
Her heart pounded in her chest
and heat suffused her body, focusing deep in her belly.

He
broke away.
 
“Beth, you keep
rubbin
’ on me like that and I’m not going to be responsible
for the consequences.”

“Huh?”
 
This must be what they meant by “lust-addled
brain”.
 
He placed one of her hands on
his fly.
 
Whoa.
 
That was, um
…

“I’m
hard enough to hammer nails, love, to borrow a phrase.”

There’s no way that’s fitting in
—
 
“
Oh, um…sorry. I
should go, um…”
 
She gestured toward the
house.

“Maybe.
Yeah.”

It’d work better if you got off the boy’s
lap, Beth
.
 
They stared at each
other, breathing in unison.
 
“I’m gonna
leave.
Any second now.”

“Uh-huh.”
 
He leaned closer, his reply touching her lips
as well as her ears.

“Yep.”
 
Speaking with
their mouths touching might’ve been the most erotic thing she’d experienced
this weekend.

Sighing,
she made full contact again, a junkie for his kisses.
 
He moaned and pressed her closer with a hand
on her low back.
 
If she could crawl
inside him, maybe she could satisfy this ache…

She
sucked in a breath.
 
He dipped his head
to bite her neck where it met her shoulder.
 
“I need…”

“Tell
me, baby.”

Baby…I liked that
.
 
“Unh… I can’t think with you this close.”

He
rolled her onto her back.
 
“Thinking’s
overrated.”

Okay…wait, I was going to do something…I
needed to
…
 
“Go. I mean, I should
go.”

He
lifted his head to stare at her.
 
“
Now?
”

She
nodded.
 
This was about to go where she
couldn’t come back from.

Rolling
onto the mattress, he said, “Better run, then.”

Scrambling
to her feet, she glanced at him.
 
His
blue eyes were dilated black and naked longing was written on his gorgeous
face.
 
Part of her wanted to throw sense
to the wind and learn what he could teach her.

She
ran out, not slowing down until she reached the other side of the maze.

When
she woke up the next morning, his motorcycle was gone.
 
She and Vivian had a light breakfast,
then
set out for more sightseeing.
 
They took the tour of the Tower, Beth shot
photos of the Bridge,
then
they explored the British Museum.

“Tomorrow,
we can drive over to Stratford-upon-Avon, and
perhaps Jacob can take you on one of those ghost tours this week.”

“I’m
all for the Shakespeare. Not so much with the scary stuff.”

Vivian
shrugged.
 
“Merely a
thought.
Really, there’s more to do around London than you’ll have time for, so I’m sure
we can keep you entertained.”

“That’s
why I packed a guidebook.”

She
put a hand on Beth’s arm.
 
“Would you
rather go off alone? I don’t want to…crimp your style?”

“You’re
not,” she assured his mother.
 
“I might
take a day before I leave, but I love spending time with you. My mother would
be wandering the parks taking pictures of strangers, Dad would drag me to every
war museum, and Jacob would be bored to tears looking at old books. You like
what I like.”

She
smiled.
 
“Lucky for us, then, isn’t it.”

“Absolutely.”

As
the day went on and she was so nice, Beth felt guilty about kissing her son
behind her back.
 
“Can I ask you a
hypothetical question?” she asked at lunch.

Vivian
set her fork on her plate.
 
“Of course.”

“Say
you had feelings, and even kissed someone, but you’re not sure if it can work.
How do you know?”

“Hmm,
does the hypothetical object of that affection share those feelings?”

Stirring
the straw in her soda, she watched the ice float in circles.
 
“I don’t know.
Maybe.”

“Well,
you would only know if you tried, but the effort would have to be equal from
both sides. If you want different things, that’s something that has to be
settled.”

Figured as much.
 
“
Hypothetically
,
is it okay to put off a relationship for a while, then? Can a person be asked
to wait?”

“Elizabeth, is there
something you want to tell me?”
 
Her right
eyebrow arched just like Jacob’s did when he had a hunch.

She
shook her head, maybe a little too hard.
 
“No, no. Only thinking...”

Vivian
smirked.
 
“Hypothetically.”

“Yeah.”
 
She felt the
blood rushing to her cheeks and tried to relax before she blushed like a beet.

“Well…”
 
Vivian picked up her fork to resume eating
her salad.
 
“It’s merely my opinion, but
I think Jacob should court you properly, or not at all.”

“J-Jacob?
What— I mean, there’s…there’s no Jacob,” she
sputtered.

“Mm-hm.”

“I
didn’t say anything about—”

“Elizabeth. I’m not blind.
Only the incredibly oblivious would miss the flirtation between you two since
we arrived.”

This
time, she did blush.
 
“Oh.”
 
What
all had she seen?
 
“What do you
think?”

Vivian
reached across the table and took Beth’s hand.
 
“I’m quite fond of you, I hope you know that. I’d be happy to welcome
you as a daughter…when you’re ready. However, I promised your parents a
wholesome and educational trip, and I’m pretty sure a summer fling doesn’t fall
under those guidelines.”

“I
don’t want a
fling
.”
 
She pulled her hand away.

“Forgive
the way that sounded. That was not my intent. You’re a good girl, dear. I worry
more about my son’s intentions more than yours.”

Hey.
 
“Jacob is a good man.”

She
nodded.
 
“He is. He has a good heart.
He’s also young, and usually gets his way, and I don’t think he’s mature enough
to be what you hope, Elizabeth.”

“What
does that mean?”

She
smiled kindly.
 
“That I don’t think it’s
the right time for you, dear.
Maybe in a few years.
Maybe ten—who knows? But, I’d hate to see you hurt unnecessarily when the
distance wasn’t realistic in the first place.”

Logic
sucked
.
 
“Maybe I won’t like UCLA.”

She
sighed, but the smile was still in place.
 
“Maybe you won’t.”

Chapter Nine

Jacob
stayed away Monday.
 
When he called the
house on Tuesday, he discovered they were already gone and would be out the
whole day.
 
Now, it was Wednesday, and
Beth hadn’t called, either.
 
He knew—he
made sure his voicemail worked.

Maybe
he’d scared her into avoiding him.
 
Be
easier, perhaps, if they could put the weekend behind them and be best friends
again.
 
Easier…but
lacking, maybe.
 
He didn’t know
what it was that made the two of them a combustible entity when in the same
room alone, but he’d never felt something so powerful.
 
So amazingly sexy.

If they could just…

Well,
there he went, thinking with his dick again.
 
Beth, because she was
Bethie
,
deserved better.
 

She
deserved a guy in a time zone less than eight hours ahead, frankly.
 
Someone who could take her to movies and dinner
and that sci-fi convention she secretly wanted to attend.
 
A guy who would carry her
books to class and rub her neck when she got stiff from studying for finals.
 
Someone that remembered the
chocolate sprinkles on her hot chocolate.
 
A bloke who was friggin’
there
.

And
that wouldn’t be him for years, if ever.

Could
he tell her that?
 
Could he be selfless
enough to let her go?

Question of the bloody year,
mate.

****

Thursday
morning, and Beth hadn’t seen or heard from Jacob since Sunday night.
 
Guess that was it, then…no sex, no
interest.
 
Of course, he could be busy
with the band or whatever, but still…couldn’t a girl get one phone call?
 

Ooo,
maybe his mother got to him!
 
That could
be it.
 
It was a nicer thought than him
only wanting her for her body, so yeah…sticking with that one for now.
 
She’d blame Vivian!

Then
again, that might be unfair to her good friend and he really was an asshole
when it came to women.
 
See how my brain works?
 
Help me!
 
She groaned and dropped her head on the table.

“Miss
Elizabeth?”
 
One of the
servants.

“I’m
fine. Sorry for the noise.”

She
smiled.
 
She was young, maybe only a
couple years older.
 
“I find a nice walk
or bicycle ride helps when my mind is overburdened.”

“Probably a good idea.
Thank you.”

She
nodded and left Beth to finish breakfast.
 

She’d
slept in today, so Mrs. Lindsey was already out of the house.
 
After leaving a note on the refrigerator
saying she’d be back by dark, she set out alone.
 
A dusty bike from the garage was her
getaway.
 
Didn’t know how far she’d go,
but the scenery of manicured gardens and stately mansions was worth
wandering.
 
The scent of roses carried on
the warm breeze.

She
rode for a half hour or so when a familiar motorcycle passed going the opposite
direction.
 
Hoping he hadn’t spotted her,
she kept going.
 
Got about five minutes
further, and the red bike pulled up next to her.

“
Whatcha
doin’, love?”
Jacob
asked.

“What
does it look like?”

“Okay…serves
me right for
askin
’ an obvious question. Where are
you going?”

“Nowhere.
Anywhere.
What’s it to
you?”
 
Couldn’t I get one afternoon of peace to myself?

He
accelerated the bike to cut off her path.
 
“Why are you biting my head off?”
 
He removed his helmet.

“I’m
not.”

“Uh,
beg to differ, love.”

She
rolled her eyes and sighed.
 
“Fine, think
what you like. Can I continue now?”

“Can
I get a clue why you’re mad at me?”

She
crossed her arms over her chest.
 
“Haven’t heard from you in four days.
It’s a bit rude.”

“You
didn’t call me, either.”

“Been busy.
Try leaving a message.”

“I
called on Tuesday.”

He did?
 
“I didn’t hear about it.”

“Not
my fault.”

“
Fine
.”

He
shut the bike off.
 
“I missed you.”

“Huh.”
 
Don’t
give in, don’t give in
…

He
dismounted and walked the few steps to her.
 
“I see you, and I don’t want to let you go.”

Gulp
.
 
“You didn’t feel for me at all before Saturday.”

“So
you say.”
 
He placed his hand on hers.
 
“You know how I am—once I decide to do
something, I jump head first.”

“That
doesn’t change the fact that I’m going back to L.A. and you aren’t.”

“Don’t
have
to be back until September.”

She
pulled her hand away.
 
“I can’t stay that
long. My parents would never allow it.”

“You’re
an adult, Beth. What can they do?”

Grasping
for straws, she said, “My Dad could threaten to pull the plug on my tuition.”

He
shook his head.
 
“He wouldn’t do that.”

“You
don’t know. My dad can hold a grudge a long time. My brother left when I was
eight, Jacob. He hasn’t been back because Dad didn’t approve of what he wanted
to do with his life. Mom couldn’t bear losing both of her kids. I won’t do that
to her, not even for you.”

“Does
that mean you’d never leave L.A.?”

“I…”
 
She glanced away.
 
“I don’t know. I don’t know what’s beyond
college.”

He
touched her cheek.
 
“With your grades,
you could go anywhere, you know.”

“What
are you asking?”

“I’m
not…I’m only saying you shouldn’t be afraid to explore your options. You’d
survive your father’s disapproval, Beth.”

“Maybe.”
 
A headache
blossomed in the center of her forehead.
 
“God, you really can complicate things, Jacob.”

His
kissed her head and hugged her, rubbing her back.
 
“I don’t mean to.”

She
chuckled, because it was better than crying.
 
“I know.”

Thankfully,
this wasn’t a busy street in the middle of a work day.
 
They would have been an odd sight hugging on
a bicycle.
  

His
shirt was damp under the jacket, the July weather too hot for leather if he
wasn’t at speed.
 
She sat there resting
her chin on his shoulder until her butt started to go to sleep on the
seat.
 
He released her when she loosened
her arms.

“Where
would you like to go?” he asked, tucking her hair behind her left ear.

She
shrugged.
 
“I could use a laugh.”

He
nodded his head to the motorcycle.
 
“Hop
on. We’ll find a theater.”

“What
about this?” she asked, patting the handlebar.

“Stow
it behind a bush. It’ll be fine.”

“That’s
not right. I’m not ditching someone else’s property.”

“Love,
do you really want to ride all the way back to the house first?”

“It’s
your
mom’s
bike.”

He
held his hands up in surrender.
 
“Okay,
okay… I’ll go get the car so I can pick you up.”

She
nodded.
 
“That’s fair.”

People
and things were treated like Beth wanted to be treated, which tended to be
better than how most people she met acted in return.
 
Had a cousin she wouldn’t let touch her
Barbies
after she saw what she did to hers.
 
The memory
still
made her shudder, seeing all those poor dolls with missing
heads or their hair in tangles.
 
Mom
thought she had a problem with sharing, but that wasn’t it—she had a problem
with
chaos
, which any bit of childish
destruction was to her.
 
She was the only
kid she knew that didn’t need to be told to clean her room, because it was
never messy.

He
was a clutter slob—never filthy, but stuff was just tossed anywhere.
 
Hence the suggestion for
the bicycle.

Beth
pedaled faster this time, but he was still there and back to her in around ten
minutes.
 
Boy had a lead foot.
 
They put the bicycle in the trunk, dropped it
off at the house, and parked the Jag.

“Do
we have to take the bike?” she asked.

“What’s
wrong with it?”

“The
car has air-conditioning and leather seats that don’t hurt my butt.”

“Easier to find a
parkin
’ space with the
bike.”

She
pouted.
 
“So?”

“Fine,”
he sighed.
 
He rolled the motorcycle into
the garage.
 
“But if we have to pay for a
spot, it’s out of your pocket.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

She
knew he secretly didn’t mind much.
 
He
only rode the bike here for the cheap mileage and ability to get through
traffic.

“Whatever
happened to your car when you moved, anyway?”

“Sold it.
Mum only let me live at the house until I had
stable work that summer.”

“Lucky
for you it was only two years old.”

He
pulled out of the driveway.
 
“Yeah.
What do you drive?”

“Dad’s
car when he’s away.”

“You’re
going to university without a car?”

“Yup.
Living in the dorms was cheaper than buying one. We
aren’t made of money like some people.”

“Mum
has the dosh, not me. Don’t even get my trust fund ‘til I graduate.”

“You
have a
trust fund
?”
 
She shifted on the seat to face him.
 
“What else don’t I know?

He
threw her a look.
 
“It’s not a big deal,
alright? Just somethin’ my grandparents set up.”

“Wow.
What were they like?”

“Very traditional and very kind.
They’ve been gone a while.”

She
laid her hand on his knee.
 
“I’m sorry.”

“It
was ten years ago, love.
Didn’t know them very well.
As people.”

Understandable.
 
She only
knew certain things about her grandparents from stories.
 
“What about your dad’s side?”

His
smile faded.
 
“Never
met anybody.”

“Oh.”
 
How sad
.
 
They’d missed out, wherever they were.
 
“So, when’s your next gig?”

“Saturday.
And another on Sunday.”

“Same
place?”

“Nope.”

“Oh.
Break a leg.”

He
grinned, keeping his eyes on the road.
 
“Thanks.”

She
faced forward again and watched the scenery go by.
 
It was so weird to be on the left side of the
car and not driving.
 
They soon got into
the metro part of London,
heading in the same direction as his apartment.

“Do
you always drive toward home?” she teased.

“I
know the neighborhood.”

“I’m
sure there’s a theater closer to your mother’s place.”

He
smiled.
 
“Probably is.”

She
shook her head.
 
“And you called
me
a creature of habit.”

“Bethie,
someone could set a clock by you in high school.”

“Hello,
it’s a regimented schedule
every
body
was on.”

“But
you stuck to it with supreme efficiency.”
 
He parked the car.
 
“Bet you
couldn’t go
one day
without checking
the time.”

“Just
point me to my movie.”

They
bickered over who would pay for the tickets, then the snacks, then what
row
to sit in.
 
Beth liked the middle of the theater.
 
He wanted the front or the very back.

“
You
can sit there. I’m not gonna.”

“Maybe
I
will
,” Jacob said, and sauntered
down to the second row.
 
That lasted
until the end of the previews when he got lonely.
 

She
grinned in triumph and gave him her “told you so” look.
 
He stuck his tongue out at her and stole the
popcorn.
 
“Hey, give that back! You said
you didn’t want any.”

He
popped a kernel in his mouth.
 
“Changed my mind.”

She
grabbed the box.
 
“Then get your own!”

“But
the movie’s starting.”
 
He stole a
handful this time.

She
moved it to the empty seat next to her.
 
“Not my problem.”

“Brat.”