All the Wrong Reasons (11 page)

He laughed heartily and quickly kissed me on the top of my head. “Patience, love.”

Plopping into the seat, I pouted all the way to his apartment. We were the first to arrive and I followed him into his bedroom where he dropped his guitar case. He snaked his arms around my waist from behind, resting his head on the top of mine.

“I want you, Lucas,” I said huskily as I closed my eyes. He squeezed my middle and kissed my neck awakening my dozing desire. I turned in his arms to press my lips firmly against his, my tongue outlining his mouth.

He groaned, jerking me closer to his body, his arousal very evident. I clawed at his shirt, eager to get it off, when his hands closed over mine. He ripped his lips away and smiled sadly.

“Sorry, Irelyn, but everyone will be here soon.”

“Whose stupid idea was this party, anyway?” I grumbled.

Chuckling, he pecked my lips. Taking my hand in his, he led me to the kitchen where he opened the refrigerator and grabbed a beer, offering it to me. I took it and twisted off the cap while he grabbed another one and leaned against the counter.

“Lucas, how old are you?” I asked.

He sucked on his beer, his eyes on me. When he pulled the bottle from his mouth, he managed a smile. “Twenty-two. And you?” He raised a brow as if the thought just occurred to him.

“Eighteen. I’ll be nineteen in January.”

He nodded as his lust-filled eyes traveled up and down my body. I wanted him. Badly.

The others arrived, breaking the sexual tension – temporarily at least. Amber rushed to the kitchen to claim a spot next to Lucas, eager to engage him in conversation. I drained my beer as Collin draped an arm over my shoulders.

“We’ll get rid of her soon, just wait,” he whispered in my ear. “I have a plan.”

Bailey and Morgan showed up and joined us in the kitchen. Morgan stuck to water while Bailey matched Spencer beer for beer.

My body was extremely aware of Lucas all night and it ached for him. Amber pawed at him, stroking his arm and laughing at everything he said. I kept waiting for Collin’s brilliant plan to kick in so I could cut my poor lip a break and quit chomping on it.

Around two-thirty, a pounding on the door moved the party to the living room. Morgan gripped my hand as Collin opened the door to admit a young woman with dark hair and a dark glower to match.

“All right, guys, time to break up the party. I need some sleep,” she said.

“Gotcha, Tori, darling,” Collin grinned. “We’ll wrap it up.” He turned to the rest of us with glee in his eyes. “Okay, party’s over – everyone out.”

“Aw,” Amber said with a fake pout. She clutched Lucas’s arm, fluttering her eyelashes at him. “Do we really have to go?”

“Tori is sort of our landlord. Sorry,” he said as he pried her fingers off his arm. “Thanks for coming.”

“Are you guys playing anywhere tomorrow night?”

“Not this weekend,” Lucas said. He took the coat that Collin offered him and helped Amber to put it on. “Guess I’ll see you at Rusty’s next week?”

“Sure,” she smiled. She kissed his cheek, grabbed Holly, and marched out the door.

I fumed through the entire exchange, wanting to yank every single hair out of her head, one at a time. Bailey distracted me when she appeared in front of my eyes, her fingers entwined with Spencer’s. “I’ll see you two ladies tomorrow.” She waved and left with Spencer. I glanced, wide-eyed at Morgan, and laughed.

Morgan sighed. “Guess I get the room to myself tonight.” She pecked my cheek. “See you in the morning”

I walked out with her in time to see Amber’s car speed off into the night, Spencer and Bailey not far behind. Morgan backed out of the drive, honked, and disappeared.

“Tori - Irelyn,” Collin said.

With a bright smile, the other girl shook my hand. “Nice to meet you. I’ve already heard about you.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” I said. “Um, do you live upstairs?”

“Yeah. My dad owns the house. He rents the upstairs to me and the downstairs to the boys.” She grinned at me. “Collin asked me to play irritated landlord and get rid of all the people.”

“I owe you, bro,” Lucas said as he bumped fists with Collin.

“Yeah, you’re racking up quite the tab,” he jested. He tossed an arm around Tori. “I’m crashing in your spare room, darling. I don’t want to be front row to that,” he said, pointing at us.

My heart lifted and I laughed as they headed up the stairs. Lucas guided me into the apartment and straight to his bedroom.

Chapter 8

I helped my mother clean the house and perform chores to avoid the boredom that was settling in around me. I was officially on Thanksgiving break and had a week free from school. Morgan and Bailey had returned to their families but had each called me several times.

Dustin was home, too, and had taken me out every night. We’d attended the theater, ate at expensive restaurants, and gone to the movies. The pensive mood that had haunted him the last time we’d been together was gone only to be replaced with giddiness. I finally found out the source the night before Thanksgiving as we left a party at his parents’ house.

“So, Irelyn,” he said, practically bursting.

“Yes?” I asked as I slipped my hand in his. “What?”

Kissing the back of my hand, he winked at me. “I booked us a room at The Tranquil Inn this weekend. I thought we needed a little alone time.”

I sucked in a breath that drew his attention from the road. “Oh.”

“Oh?” he said. “I thought you’d be thrilled.”

“I am, but, what am I going to tell my mother?” I asked.

Laughing, he squeezed my hand as he raced through the streets toward my house. “You know your mother won’t care. She can hardly forbid you to go when she was having sex when she was sixteen,” he said. I didn’t really care for the way he spoke about her even if it was true. “Besides, we’re both adults.”

“I know,” I said as I slipped my hand out of his to rub my forehead. “I’ll talk to her. You’re right, we do need some alone time.”

His already good mood was buoyed by my words and when he dropped me off, he kissed me with such fervor that I was still gasping for breath when I entered the house. Who knew Dustin could be so passionate?

Mom was sitting at the kitchen table going over bills so I sat across from her, hoping to bring the subject up right away before I chickened out. True, I was an adult and perfectly able to spend a weekend with my boyfriend if I wanted, but it would make my life that much easier if my mother didn’t freak out about it.

“Did you and Dustin have a nice time?” she asked as her eyes skimmed the bill in her hand.

“Yes,” I said. I cleared my throat signaling that I needed to talk.

She removed her glasses and carefully set them on top of her bills. I smiled feebly.

“Mom, Dustin wants to take me away for the weekend. What do you think?”

“Well,” she started, and I could see the parent emerging in her eyes. “Honey, you are eighteen and you and Dustin have been dating for a long time.” Taking a deep breath, she pinched the bridge of her nose. “I suppose I should be happy that you’re being honest with me, huh?”

“Mom,” I said, averting my eyes. “Um, I’ve already had…um…sex with him. Um, a few times.”

A pregnant pause filled the room and I was too ashamed to look in her eyes. If only she knew what else I’d been up to…

She laughed which caused me to furrow my brow as I considered her carefully. I didn’t see what was so funny to a mother whose daughter had just admitted to having sex.

“I don’t mean to laugh, honey,” she said as she stretched her hand out to pat mine. “It’s just, not a conversation I expected to have with you. I mean, we did have the sex talk and everything but I never expected you to come straight out and tell me that. I guess I should have known better – you always share things with me.”

Guilt, my constant companion lately, grinned at me. “Um, so, do you think I should go?”

“Do you want to go?” she asked.

That’s the million dollar question, I wanted to shout. “Yeah, I do,” I decided. I scooted up in my chair. “We haven’t spent a lot of time together lately and things are just sort of weird with us going to different schools.” I bit my lip. “And, Grandfather mentioned something to me about Dustin wanting to propose soon…”

Her eyes grew as she grinned. “Seriously? Dustin is going to ask you to marry him?”

I held up a hand before she could start ranting and raving. “I don’t know if he is or not but I sort of would like to be with him this weekend and make sure the feelings I have for him are real. That way, if he does ask me, then I’ll be able to give him an honest answer.”

Maybe I’d intended that statement to be some sort of excuse to my mother, but it ended up ringing true in my heart. Perhaps this weekend would boost our relationship and help me banish Lucas.

“Honey, if you love Dustin and you want to be with him, then do it,” she said. “I don’t like giving my daughter permission to have sex – and I’m certainly no role model – but you are an adult and I appreciate that you discussed this with me.”

With a big smile, I walked around the table to hug her. “I love you, Mom.”

“Oh, honey, I love you, too,” she said. “Oh, and, let’s keep this from your grandparents. I don’t need the headache.”

I giggled and kissed her cheek. “It’s a deal.”

***

I counted the days in my datebook for the third time and sighed, trying to keep from hyperventilating. I hadn’t counted wrong at all – I was supposed to have started on Friday. Stomping down the panic, I closed my eyes as I fell on my bed. I needed to stay calm and relax. Stress would only delay my monthly visitor longer. Besides, it would be quite inconvenient for it to show up this weekend.

But a little voice inside my head was prodding me – antagonizing my fears. Condoms weren’t one hundred percent. And the time in the shower…well, even if he didn’t …finish…inside me until the condom was on didn’t really mean anything. Did it?

Groaning, I sat up. “I took Biology – I know how these things work.”

I pursed my lips in concentration. True, I was usually right on time with my period but it had been late in the past - though never late enough to cause me concern. And a couple of days didn’t automatically make me pregnant. I’d just have to relax and not think about it. If it didn’t come by next week – then I’d worry.

Confident that I had a plan, after I finished dressing, I joined my mother and my cousin downstairs so we could drive to my grandparents’ house.

***

Dinner was wonderful – a verifiable feast – and once I’d eaten twice my normal calorie intake, I joined my family in the den. The kitchen staff served coffee and a warm fire crackled in the fireplace. It was such a warm, lovely scene - something normally I would enjoy - but my head was full of my recent predicament that I just couldn’t banish.

Excusing myself to use the restroom, I fled up the stairs. I shut and locked the door before withdrawing my cell phone. I hit his number before I could chicken out and paced the spacious bathroom.

“Hey, happy Thanksgiving, love,” Lucas cooed in my ear, sending shudders up my spine.

“Same to you,” I said, inserting a little pep in my voice. “Where are you?”

“My parents’ place,” he said. “And where are you?”

“Um, I’m at the grandparents’ house,” I whispered.

He chuckled. “Irelyn? Are you … in a bathroom?”

“Yes,” I said curtly. “And I can hang up if you’re going to make fun of me.”

He laughed. “I’m not making fun of you. I’m rather touched that you would go to all that effort just to talk to me.”

I smiled despite the situation. “I really do need to talk to you,” I said.

“What’s up?”

I gnawed on the inside of my cheek. “Well, it’s just…” I groaned. “Okay, here it is. I’m, um, late.”

“Okay,” he said slowly. “Late for wh…ohh – that late.”

“Yeah, that late,” I repeated. “I’m a little scared.”

“How late is late?”

“Not terribly but enough to worry me.”

“Well, shit,” he said. “Shit. We’ve been careful – hell, I have an empty condom box in my bedroom to prove it.”

“They’re not always a hundred percent,” I whispered, tears climbing up my throat.

He released a very heavy sigh. “Listen to me. Are you going to Rusty’s tomorrow night?”

I closed my eyes. “No. I have a family thing,” I lied. “All weekend.”

“Oh,” he said, bereft. “Okay. Um, you go back to school Monday, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then come by my place after class,” he suggested. “I get off work at four. We’ll talk then.”

“Okay.”

“Hey, Irelyn,” he said, his voice soft. “If you are…you know…then we’ll figure it out. I wouldn’t leave you high and dry. I swear.”

“Thanks, Luke,” I gushed.

“No problem, love. Now get back to your family before your grandmother fires her cook.”

My forehead crinkled as I contemplated what he said, wondering if I heard him right. “What? Why?”

He laughed but it sounded forced. “They’ll think the cook didn’t prepare the turkey properly and it made you sick.”

“Oh,” I said and giggled. “I guess. Okay, then, um, I’ll see you Monday.”