Breathless (156 page)

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

I grabbed my purse and threw a few bills on the table to cover our dinner. Jesse didn’t look happy about the fact that I had paid for dinner, but I ignored the evil glare he was shooting in my direction as I grabbed his hand and led him from the diner.

“Why don’t we take my car, and I’ll just drop you off here when we’re done?”

He nodded as we walked to my car. “Works for me.”

The ride to the beach was the quietest five minutes of my life. Neither of us knew what to say after our little heart-to-heart. We both seemed afraid to

say the wrong thing. The silence continued as I parked my car and grabbed two towels out of my trunk.

We walked side-by-side down the beach until I found a spot I was happy with. I handed Jesse his towel, and we put them on the sand next to each other. I felt an awkwardness around us that I wasn’t used to, and I didn’t like it.

“Okay, this silence sucks. Neither of us should ever be this quiet when we’re together,” I blurted out.

He laughed. “I like to think of myself as the strong, silent type.”

I rolled my eyes. “No one goes for guys like that, regardless of how many romance novels they write about them. At least, I don’t. I like someone who actually talks to me.”

“You’ll never find a guy like that. You’d talk too much for him to get a word in.”

I elbowed him as I lay down on my towel. “Shut up, asshat.”

He elbowed me back. “Make me.”

I knew when I was being challenged, and I
never
backed down from a challenge. Before he knew what I was doing, I sprung off my towel and tackled him to the ground.

I straddled him as I raised my arms in triumph. “I think I just did.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yes, why?”

In one swift move, he flipped me onto my back. I struggled as he pinned my arms above my head and held my legs down with his own.

“That’s why.”

“You don’t play fair,” I grumbled as I continued to struggle.

I was getting nowhere fast. Jesse was a lot stronger than I was.

“And what was fair about you tackling me with no warning?”

“But I’m a girl. I needed the upper hand.”

He laughed. “Don’t try to play the girl card. It doesn’t work with me. Ally used to use it all the time when we were kids, and I learned not to fall for it. She can kick ass, and so can you.” “Who’s Ally?” I asked.

“Andy’s twin sister. She’s like my sister, too. We all grew up together.”

“That’s cool that you have them. I only had Lucy growing up. Everybody else was always too stuck-up to be any fun.”

“Then, I’m glad you had Lucy.”

I stopped struggling. He’d won, and we both knew it.

“Okay, you win. Will you let me up?”

He kept one hand on both of mine to hold them in place as he ran his other hand down my arm. I shivered at his touch, and he smiled.

“I kind of like you like this.”

“Why’s that?” I whispered as he ran his fingertips over my arm.

“You look good underneath me.”

I would have thought he was kidding, except a look in his eyes told me he wasn’t. There was an emotion in them that was lust mixed with something else I couldn’t put my finger on.

“I kind of like it here,” I whispered.

He leaned in closer, so his weight was fully on me. It felt good, too good, to have our bodies pressed together like this. I needed him to move before I did something stupid, like kiss him again. There was no way that I would be the one to instigate another kiss.

“That’s good to know.” He leaned down farther until our lips were almost touching. “I really want to kiss you right now.”

“What’s stopping you?”

“That little conversation we had earlier. I don’t want to kiss you if you don’t want me to.”

“I never said I didn’t want you to kiss me.”

I held my breath as he searched my eyes, looking for any doubt or uncertainty. He would find none. I wanted this more than anything in the world. He smiled briefly before his lips touched mine.

When we connected, I saw stars and rainbows and all those other things people in the movies claim to see. Jesse released my arms, and I wrapped them around his neck, pulling him tighter against me, as I deepened the kiss. He ran his tongue along my bottom lip, and I parted them as he slipped his tongue inside.

The sensations running through my body were new to me, and I wasn’t sure how to react. Sure, I’d kissed boys before, but those times had been nothing like this. There was an ache between my legs, and I rubbed them together to help ease it. He moaned as my movement caused my lower body to press up into his.
Oh dear God.
I could
feel
him through his pants, and he was hard. That alone caused the ache to become unbearable, and I pushed my pelvis up tighter against him without even realizing what I was doing.

He pulled away, his body coiled tight with tension. “Whoa, we need to stop for a minute.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.” I took a deep breath, trying to get my control back. My body was humming, and it took everything in me not to pull him back down on top of me.

“I think we got a little out of hand.”

“A little?”

“Yeah, a little. Not that I minded, but I don’t think you want to get naked on a beach full of people.”

I looked around to see that several people surrounded us. No one was paying attention to us, but I was still embarrassed. “Oh my god, I’ve lost my mind.”

“Nah, you just got a little…excited.”

I sighed. “New rule—we stay at least ten feet apart in public.”

He gave me an evil grin. “What about when we’re alone?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. I think I’d better go home now before that bridge is even within sight.”

“Are you scared of me?”

“Truthfully? A little. I’m not scared of
you,
just of what I feel and do when I’m around you.”

“I can work with that,” he teased as we stood up and grabbed our towels.

“I’m sure you can.”

We walked back to my car with several feet between us. I knew I was being silly, but I didn’t want to take a chance with him. The things he made me feel weren’t normal, and I didn’t want to embarrass myself—again.

***

When I dropped Jesse off by his car, a pretty brunette was standing next to it. I knew instantly that this must be Ally, Andy’s twin. Obviously, they couldn’t be identical twins, but the resemblance between the two of them was uncanny. She had a slim figure, more soft than toned, unlike mine, but it made her look feminine. Something told me that growing up with Jesse and Andy had made her anything but.

She eyed me suspiciously as I stepped out of the car and followed Jesse to his car. She had nothing to be suspicious of. I just wanted to meet his friend and say hello. I had a feeling that if things kept going in the direction they were with Jesse, then Ally and I would be spending a lot of time together.

“Hey, Ally. What’s up?” Jesse asked.

“Your mom sent me to look for you. She said you two got in a fight, and then you wouldn’t answer your phone. She was worried.”

“I left my phone in the car when we went to the beach. She doesn’t need to worry about me. I’m fine.”

“You shouldn’t make her worry. She was having a full-blown spaz attack.”

“I just needed some time to cool off. I’m headed back home now.”

“You needed time to cool off, so you called
her
? Did you forget that

Andy and I are within walking distance?” Ally sneered as she glanced at me.

It was obvious that she didn’t like me already, but I wasn’t sure why. I hadn’t even said a word to her yet.

“Let it go, Ally,” Jesse warned.

“Whatever.”

I held out a hand. I was determined not to be bothered by her attitude. “I’m Emma.”

“I know who you are. I just don’t care.” “Ally, just leave. Now,” Jesse growled.

His face had a pink hue to it, and I could tell that he was at his limit. I’d never seen him snap, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to.

“What exactly did I do to make you hate me so much?” I asked.

I’d never met the girl in my life, but she obviously couldn’t stand me.

“You haven’t done a thing to me yet, rich girl. But let me give you a little warning—you hurt Jesse, and you’d better hope Mommy and Daddy have enough money for a plastic surgeon. You’re going to need one after I’m done with you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Is that why you don’t like me? Because you think I’m going to hurt him? I wouldn’t do that to him, so you have nothing to worry about.”

“Your kind is all the same. You’re selfish and spoiled. You don’t give a damn about anyone else, and I thought Jesse knew that but apparently not.”

This girl was really starting to piss me off. I never judged anyone based on whether or not they had money or their living situation.

I stepped forward until I was standing inches away from her. “You know what? Screw you. I don’t give a damn about what you think. Jesse
knows
what kind of person I am, and that’s all that matters. So, you can take your opinions and shove them up your ass.”

Ally looked like she was going to claw my eyes out, but Jesse pushed in between us, so she couldn’t reach me. I wasn’t sure whether I should appreciate the fact that he was trying to protect me or be offended that he thought I needed the protection.

“Okay, why don’t we all call it a night before someone loses a limb?” he asked as he looked between the two of us. “Go home, Ally.”

“Are you really going to let her talk to me like that?” Ally yelled.

“Go. Home.”

She shot me one last glare before turning and getting into her car. She spun her tires as she pulled out of the parking lot.

“Were you trying to get a concussion or what?” Jesse asked as he looked at me with concern.

“What do you mean?

“I love Ally like a sister, but the girl has a mean streak, and she can back it up. I’ve seen her take down guys my size.”

“I can handle myself.”

“Not against her. Trust me on this. Just stay away from her, okay?”

“Sure.” It wasn’t like she went to our school. I could avoid her if I needed to.

“I’m serious.”

“I know you are, and I promise not to cross her path any more than I have to.”

“Good. I have to say that it was kind of hot that you were willing to get in a girl fight over me.”

I rolled my eyes. “Sure it was.”

“I’m not kidding.”

He stepped closer to me, and I held my breath as he leaned down.

“You’re hot when the claws come out.”

I opened my mouth to reply, but his lips were on mine before I could say a word. I wasn’t complaining though. Kissing Jesse was quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do. He continued to kiss me until I felt breathless.

When he finally pulled away, I clung to him to keep from falling.

“Wow. I need to be mean more often.”

“Nah, but the occasional outbursts are hot.”

I stuck out my tongue. “Gee, thanks. I guess I should probably go home, and I’m sure your mom is waiting for you.”

“Joy,” he grumbled. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I smiled as I walked to my car. Despite the showdown with Ally, things were looking up.

***

“Where have you been?” my mother asked as soon as I walked through the door.

“I went out to grab something to eat. Why?”

“You’ve been gone for hours. You could at least let me know where you are.”

“Sorry.”

“I’m sure you are. Your dad called while you were out. You need to call him back.”

“Okay, I’ll go do that right now,” I replied.

I’d do just about anything to get away from her suspicious stare. I was horrible at lying, and I wasn’t sure how many questions I could answer before I gave myself away.

I walked past her and went up the stairs to my room. I made sure the door was shut before I pulled my phone from my purse and called my dad’s number.

“Hey, Emma.”

“Hi, Daddy. Mom said you called while I was out.”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Why didn’t you just call my cell phone? You know I try not to stay here anymore than possible.”

“Well, I needed to talk to your mother before I talked to you.”

That set warning bells off in my head. My mom and dad
never
talked unless they had to.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I promise. It’s actually something good.”

“Okay…”

“It’s been too long since we were together. I asked your mother if you could come out for a weekend, so we could spend time together.”

“Seriously? That would be amazing!”

He laughed at the enthusiasm in my voice. “I was hoping you would say that. Your mother said that you have a three-day weekend coming up and that she was fine with you flying over to see me. You can even bring a friend if you want.”

Instead of thinking of Lucy like I normally did, my mind went straight to Jesse. I knew my dad would like him and that he would keep him a secret from my mother.

“That sounds great.”

“I have to go now, but I’ll email you with the details. The label has a private plane you can use to get over here. As soon as I have everything finalized, I’ll let you know.”

“Thanks. This means a lot to me.” And it did.

My dad had been right. It had been far too long since we last saw each other, and I missed him. If I’d had any say in the matter, I would have gone to live with him instead of staying with my mom—even if that meant that I would have to live on a tour bus with a bunch of rock stars and their groupies. I loved my dad
that
much.

“I’ll talk to you later, Emma.”

“Bye,” I said before the call ended.

Things were definitely looking up. Now, all I had to do was get Jesse to agree to go with me.

Nine-Jesse

After listening to my mother yell at me for the better part of an hour, I walked to my room and closed the door behind me. If I had to hear her tell me how rude and immature I was one more time, I was going to throw something. I loved her, but she knew how to lay on the guilt trip pretty heavy.

I was on my bed, staring at the ceiling, when my phone dinged with an incoming text. I grabbed it off the nightstand and unlocked it to see Emma’s name flashing across my screen. I smiled as I clicked on the text.