Riley's Pond (New Adult Romance) (10 page)

He hung his hands over his stomach. “And I’m not. Sorry. I lied.”

My neck snapped sideways. “Kaylee? You made it with a kid?”

His face came dangerously close when he turned. “No! And, she’s not a kid,” he defended a bit too strongly for my liking. “But I was.” He gazed at the stars watching over us from the blackness above.

Riley’s voice quieted. “It was my fourteenth birthday and my friend, Aimee, who’ve I known since my diaper days, decided we should try sex. No one ever paid attention to us because, like I said, we pretty much shared binkies. Our parents were friends in college. Anyway, we snuck into the playhouse under the stairs her dad had made when she was little. Nobody saw us go in and with the light off, we could sneak in the back and be hidden from the tiny windows cut out the side.”

Riley rolled onto his side, propping his head on his elbow. Even in the moonlight I could see his cheeks redden. He looked so innocent and I became mesmerized by the sweetness of his expression when he let his cocky guard down.

“It was awful,” he continued. “We didn’t know what we were doing. She still had mosquito bites for boobs, but she let me touch them anyway. My dick went rock hard instantly and it looked stupid. I was so scrawny it looked out of proportion.”

He flipped onto his back, pushing the heels of his hands against his eyes. “Ugh! Why the hell am I telling
you
this? I feel like such an idiot!”

I pulled one of his hands away and curled it against my throat, snuggling onto his shoulder. “Because I asked, and you owe me for lying in the first place.” I kissed the knuckles on the hand wrapped in mine. “And, in an odd, innocent way, it’s sweet. So? Did you?”

“Not really,” he laughed. “By the time she got her panties off and we tried to cram quietly into the space between the pint size table and chairs, I was out of my mind horny. The minute I climbed on top of her, I was done. Didn’t even get the ‘car in the garage.’ She squealed saying I was gross and when she grabbed the blanket out of the toy crib to wipe off her stomach, the doll cried out “Mamma.” She’d barely managed to pull her clothes on by the time her baby sister opened the door to see why the doll talked. I hid behind the plastic refrigerator, trying to zip my pants, which wasn’t working because I still…”

“Had a ‘hard on’!” we said together, laughing so hard we both started coughing.

“I’m sorry, Riley. Did you get caught?”

“Nah, she shooed her sister out and followed. I waited until the coast was clear, then climbed out and ran home. We never told anyone.”

“Did you ever try it again with her?”

“Oh, hell no. She thought the whole thing was disgusting. I wouldn’t be surprised if she never has sex. Poor schmuck who tries.”

“You’ve spoiled her for other guys,” I giggled. “And
technically
, you’re still a virgin.”

Riley’s free hand cradled my neck and pulled me to his lips. “Sorry if I was out of line, earlier.”

“It’s okay,” I whispered back.

Our lips were about to lock again when my cell phone chimed. “Crap! What time is it?” I dumped the contents of my purse onto the blanket, frantically trying to find my phone.

“12:30. Why?”

One missed call. Grammy. “I’m so dead!” I scooped everything back into my purse and scrambled to my feet, running for the Mini.

“Wait!” Riley yelled, balling the quilt into his arms and running after me.

“Sorry,” I called out my driver’s side window. Gravel spewed in a semi-circle behind me when the Mini skidded sideways.

“Taylor!”

No time to stop and explain. I needed to book it home before Grams decided to ship me back to Boston, or lock me in my room the rest of my summer vacation. Either one removed any more chances for steamy nights with Riley.

The tires squealed when the Mini launched from the dirt road onto the asphalt, leaving a perfect calligraphy “S” on the highway before I gained control of the steering. I felt horrible ditching Riley, but I couldn’t stop for him. However, I had all the time in the world to stop for the red and blue flashing lights, suddenly filling my rearview mirror.

Damn.

My window purred when it retreated into its hidden compartment. The flashlight aimed at my retinas was overkill and I covered my eyes to avoid permanent blindness.

“License and registration, Miss.” The voice sounded hard edged, void any inkling of compassion. I handed my documentation over and stewed while the officer went back to his car to see if I could be wanted for any mass murders or bank heists. Between the colored strobe lights and a spotlight that could light up a space station in another galaxy, I
glowed
inside my car.

A second set of headlights pulled behind the officer’s cruiser.
Great. Backup.
Dad probably put some alert out on me. It wouldn’t surprise me to be arrested for a stolen vehicle, seeing how I didn’t really obtain official permission to charge an insane amount of money on his credit card.

The officer reappeared at my window and I braced myself. “Taylor Wilson?”

“Yes.”

“Step out of the vehicle,” he commanded.

I complied, leaning against the driver door. The officer’s badge said “Sheriff Martin.” Wonderful. I couldn’t get a rookie I could bat my eyelashes at and flirt my way out of a ticket. No. I had to get
the
Sheriff.

“Miss Wilson, I’m afraid you’re under arrest.”

“
Under arrest
? What did I do? I’m eighteen. I can be out after curfew.”

“It’s not for curfew.” I swore I saw the corner of his lip twitch, but I couldn’t tell with the damn flashlight burning my eyeballs.

“It’s for not giving the Sheriff’s son a proper kiss goodbye. You’re looking at five to life, girl.” The reply came from a different voice,
behind
the Sheriff.

“
Riley?”

The flashlight clicked off, and between the spots dancing before my eyes and the disco lights surrounding us, I found the cocky,
sexy
lopsided grin attached to the boy who copped a feel from my chest earlier and stopped my heart from beating.

He hooked a thumb at the cop. “Taylor, this is my dad. Sheriff Martin.”

“Oh crap. You’re the
Sheriff’s
kid?”

“You make that sound like a bad thing. I just saved your ass Miss Taylor and that’s the ‘thanks’ I get? ‘Book ‘em Danno’. Take her away.”

“Riley
,
you’re pushing your luck.” The Sheriff handed me my license and registration. “Slow down. You could have rolled your car driving that way…and one more thing.”

“Yes Sir?”

“Kiss my boy so I can get back to work. He did save your pretty ass. Return the favor.”

Riley pushed me against the Mini, his hands framing my waist.

“You’re not seriously going to kiss me with your Dad watching, are you?”

His head bent, his hands braiding into my hair. Riley’s lips brushed mine, teasing. “You bet I am.”

A second hungrier kiss pressed, more possessive, the tongue full and in search of something deep in my throat. As soon as the light show ended and the cop car pulled away, Riley’s knee nudged between my thighs.

“Want to play ‘house’?”

Thirteen

FAMILY COUNSELING

Riley

Rummaging through my closet, yanking hangers sideways down the rod then back again, I pulled out T-shirt after T-shirt, disgusted with my wardrobe. I couldn’t believe I didn’t own a decent shirt, one nice enough for a
real
date. Later, I’d take Taylor for pizza as promised, then try to convince her to run the “bases” with me. Something I didn’t promise.

After last night, my mind wouldn’t shut off. I barely slept and when I woke, other parts of my body remained alert, as well. I wore my tightest jeans to breakfast for fear my usual morning attire of boxers and a T-shirt would scare the hell out of my mom. My body ached, thanks to last night’s events.

“You all right, Riley?” Mom asked.

I dropped onto the first chair and scooted tight against the table fast when Mom alerted the rest of the family I acted strange.

“I’m fine,” I squeaked an octave higher than normal.

My dad stopped drinking his coffee and peered over his cup at me, one brow arched in suspicion.

“What? I didn’t sleep good. That’s all”

Mom went back to scrambling eggs. Dad leaned closer. “
Dreams
keep you awake, son? Miss Wilson seemed to have your attention last night. I must say, she’s a pretty little thing.”

“Who’s pretty?” Dirk chirped in, taking a seat across the table from me. “
Kaylee
?” he crooned, doing annoying smacking sounds.

“That’s enough, Dirk,” Dad said firmly.

No one
ever
scolded Dirk. Dad’s reaction surprised Dirk as well as me. Mom sat the platter of eggs and sausage in the middle of the table, exchanging glances with Dad. I guessed she’d found out about Kaylee and Jaxson.

“Leave Riley alone,” my mother added, causing a pout to form on Dirk’s face. Two strikes against the baby angel? This was
huge
. I needed to save the little beggar before he started crying.

“Yeah, well thanks to
you, ‘
douche bag’, Kaylee dumped me.”

“
Riley!
” my parents chastised in unison. Dirk’s face lit up. He officially moved off the hot seat and back onto his pedestal.

“She finally smarten’ up?”

Silence impregnated the kitchen. The voice sounded out of place, like purple carpeting in an orange painted room. It had been so long since the timbre came without a snarl, I hardly recognized the tone.

“Well, this is a pleasant surprise,” my mother said, moving in jerky motions because she had no idea what to do next. Jaxson
never
came to breakfast. “Let me get you a plate.”

My dad folded his newspaper, sliding a sideways glance to me. “Dirk, do you want to take your breakfast downstairs and eat while you watch television?”

Whoa! Life passed through another dimension! Breakfast in front of the TV was considered sacrilege, not to mention food on a carpeted surface being a definite cardinal sin in our house. Unless Mom and Dad were gone. Then everywhere became up for grabs.

“Oh boy!” Dirk stopped to look at Mom. Apparently Dad wasn’t the “boss” as he proclaimed. Again with the weird glances between my parents.

“Sure, if your dad says it’s okay, go ahead.”

My little brother stopped halfway to the doorway, precariously balancing his plate of food and glass of juice. “At least you guys aren’t going to talk about sex. Otherwise I’d have to carry this across the street to the Hendersons.”

Dad’s coffee spurt through his nose onto the table cloth.

Mom followed Dirk, closing the basement door once he settled and became engrossed in some cartoon action flick. She sat at the other end of the table from Dad, leaving Jaxson and me in a glaring contest across from each other. I shoveled eggs in my mouth as fast as I could to keep from saying the disgusting words clamoring to get out.

“All right you two, listen up,” Dad commanded. “We’ve got six weeks until Jax ships out. I expect you both to suck it up and pretend you give a damn about each other. No more fighting or ugly language. We’re going to be a happy family until September, if it kills us.”

“What
-ever
,” Jax mumbled between bites of sausage—bites he had to take on one side of his mouth, thanks to Ally.

Dad slammed his fists on the table hard enough our silverware changed places. “Damnit Jaxson Charles Martin! I’ve had a gut full of your attitude and it stops now! You hurt your brother in the worst possible way, humiliated your mother and me, not to mention disgrace our family name.
Dirk
doesn’t need to pay the price, understand?”

Dad’s fork flung scrambled eggs in every direction as he shook it at Jax. “You and Riley will settle your differences here and now. Your mother and I will serve as mediators. That way we protect the furniture.

My mother’s voice actually trembled. “Oh, I don’t know Stan
.
”

“Why did you take Kaylee to the party?” I blared over her. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“You don’t want to know what I thought, bro.” Jax stopped eating. “Mom, Dad, I know what you’re trying to do, but this is really between me and Riley.” He lifted his coffee mug and rose out of the chair. “Let’s take this outside, Riley.”

“Bring it on.” I grabbed my mug and followed him out the sliding door, ignoring my mother’s plea to stay away from her prized rose garden.

Jaxson lugged two lawn chairs out to the farthest corner of the yard. “This should be far enough away they can’t hear us. Sit your ass down, Riley. We need to talk.”

I stood debating, looking over my shoulder at the house. Dad planted his body on the other side of the patio door inside the house, fists pushed into his sides. Mom’s head bobbed like a cork in water in the small window over the sink.

Taking necessary precautions, I pulled the chair away to give me room to bolt if Jaxson lunged at me. Between the gym and the loading docks, his arms had grown massive and any punch would be painful, if not bone crushing.

“Okay, I’m sitting,” I said, my tone curt.

Jax eased into the other chair. He took a long sip of his coffee, regarding me. “I’ve been thinking since the day you came to the hospital. There’s something I should tell you, but I need you to swear to keep this to yourself. If you spill it to Dad, you won’t hurt me. You’ll hurt Kaylee.”

“Like I give a damn about that little slut.”

“You do. Yeah, maybe what happened can never be fixed, but you’re decent, Riley. Despite how much you want to hate her, you can’t.”

He was right. Except about me being decent.

“Just tell me why you took her that night? Give me something. You owe me that much.”

“Kaylee wanted to come with me.” Jaxson leaned on his knees, fingering his cup. He faced me directly, not dropping his gaze. “Dude, seriously. Didn’t you notice the way she always threw herself at me whenever she came around? Riley, I’m sorry. Really I am. I was drunk and stupid, but I’m not responsible for Kaylee leaving you. She’d left you weeks ago, you just haven’t paid attention. Hell, Riley, she’s fucking your best friend, Cade.”