Helios Awakened (The Helios Chronicles #1) (8 page)

“Then the graham cracker and this is important, you need to use Hershey’s but NOT the king size bars because they don’t melt right,” she said as she placed the marshmallow on top of the chocolate and added the top graham cracker.

“Here, try it!” she said, all smiles.

Andrew looked at it and then her, thinking that Jayden was right. It looked really messy. Andrew shrugged and took a bite and, sure enough, it was delicious, but utterly messy. He now had chocolate and marshmallow running down his chin and when the chocolate started dripping all over his fingers he started laughing uncontrollably. Madison grinned and stood on her tip toes, kissing him softly on the chin until all the chocolate and marshmallow was gone and then placed her mouth close to his lips but not touching them.

“This is the best part,” she said running her tongue along his lips.

Andrew immediately felt himself stir, which had been nothing new today. That seemed to happen any time he was near her. He knew he needed her desperately. He started to drop the s’more but Madison placed her hand on his.

“Don’t you dare drop my perfect S’more,” she said, licking her lips of the chocolate and marshmallow she had just tasted from Andrew’s lips.

Andrew’s mouth opened but no words came out.

“I’m gonna grab the blanket so we can sit by the fire. Is that okay?” she asked while Andrew nodded.

As he watched her go back to the table, he quickly shoved the chocolaty goodness into his mouth, not wanting anything to hinder his desire to kiss her. As Madison approached him, she had to stop and take a deep breath as Andrew was now licking the chocolate off of his fingers. Madison swallowed and tried to maintain her poise as she laid the blanket down for them. Andrew motioned for her to sit and then he sat down next to her as they watched the flicker of the fire. Madison turned to him and was taken aback by just how stunning he really was. As the fire cast a soft hue around him, she felt drawn to him, like that old saying... a moth to a flame, burned by the fire. 

“Please don’t let him burn me,” Madison whispered causing Andrew to turn to her.

“Did you say something?” he asked, concerned he had missed something important.

Madison shook her head and brought her lips to his, kissing him with a passion that she knew could lead somewhere else. She leaned back on the blanket pulling him to her. Andrew hesitated for only a moment as his lips crashed against hers, once again desire devouring the two of them. He allowed his hand to slowly move over her breast, feeling her nipple harden at his touch. His hand slipped hesitantly under the hem of her blouse, his fingers running along her flat stomach.

“It's okay,” she muttered against his mouth, trying to encourage him to continue.

Madison’s body was on fire. She needed him to go further, to really touch her. She felt as if she would explode at any moment if he didn’t. He gently traced his fingers over her stomach and worked his hand slowly up and over her breast. He was breathing heavily now. It had been a long time since he had touched a woman and he didn’t quite remember the experience that well. Madison felt so perfect. He found himself slowly removing her breast from her bikini top. She moaned into his mouth fueling his fire and making his heart race.

“Oh God!” he muttered unable to breathe.

“Andrew, touch me, please.”

His breath was coming out ragged and he looked torn, he swallowed and slowly moved his hand to cup her soft breast. He brought his mouth back to hers and started kissing her again, feeling the heat emanating from her core. His hand was drawn down lower. He unfastened her shorts and paused, wanting to make sure. When her hand moved over his, guiding it inside her shorts, he had his answer. His long fingers touched her, feeling how much she wanted him.

Madison moaned again as pleasure coursed through her. She automatically arched her hips slightly. Andrew couldn’t believe that he was actually doing what he was doing and he prayed that no one was watching them. He needed to feel her though and his fingers found their way underneath her bikini bottoms as the warmth of her set his hand on fire. Madison kissed him even harder; she needed him with a desperation that felt embarrassing. As her tongue pierced his mouth, her hand worked its way down and over his jeans, hearing him almost cry out as her hand maneuvered over him.

Andrew was unable to contain his desire for her. It had been eight years since he had felt a woman’s touch, eight years since he had caressed a woman’s body and eight years since he had felt this level of intimacy. He knew that what he was experiencing was unlike anything he had with anyone else. He was completely drug free, he wasn’t trying to 'get' anything, and he was not looking for a place to stay for the night. What he was experiencing right now was what it always should have felt like but never did. He immediately moved himself between her legs and pressed his hardness against her.

Madison moved her hand and gripped his hair once again. He felt so good. She knew they needed to leave. To find a place they could make love. She wanted to feel him inside of her, she wanted to touch him and kiss every part of his body. Their kiss intensified yet again and she wondered if she would have to break free again just so she could catch her breath. The way he was moving against her was sending delicious waves of excitement and euphoria through her and she realized just how dangerously close she was to making love to him right there by the fire.

“Hey Madison, you need any help there?” She heard drunk laughter approaching.

“Yeah, he ain’t raping you or anything is he?” Another drunken voice said laughing.

“Don’t forget no means no, Harrison.” That voice they both recognized as Jimmy's.

And just like that Andrew stopped, frozen above her. The harsh reality of where they were, coming to the forefront. Madison was trying to pull him back to her but she knew that the drunken ramblings of those idiots had taken Andrew away again. And just like that, he rolled off of her, leaving her breathless and aroused. She turned to him and could see the anguish on his face. She brought her hand to him in an attempt to touch him but he flinched away.

What the hell is wrong with me?
He realized that he had been so turned on that he had once again paid no attention to his surroundings and was about to do something he never should have done. He couldn’t look at her and needed some distance to calm his raging hormones that were desperate to find peace within her.

“Andrew, it’s okay, they’re being jerks, and they’re drunk. You weren’t doing anything I didn’t want you to do,” Madison pleaded with him.

He glanced at her and could see her confusion but he felt unable to articulate what he was feeling at the moment. Without saying a word, he stood up, pulling his cigarettes out and lighting one quickly as he walked away from the fire. Madison saw his free hand go to his hair and then, after a few paces, he bent slightly, resting his palms against his knees. Madison glanced at Jimmy and his idiot friends and jumped up quickly, marching over there.

“You asshole!” she said as she slapped Jimmy hard across the face.

In Jimmy’s drunken state he pushed her out of the way, causing her to stumble to the ground. “Don’t touch me, bitch.”

Before Jimmy could say or do anything else, Andrew was on him. Andrew hadn’t heard what had been said but he certainly saw what had happened. He wasn’t quick enough to stop Jimmy from pushing Madison down but he was quick enough to clock Jimmy across the face several times. Soon his friends jumped in and tried to hold Andrew back but they were all too drunk to do any significant damage. Andrew had spent so much of his life fighting that it became natural, and once he started, he wasn’t able to stop. In fact, he never did until he was pulled off. It was as if he entered some alternate reality with just him and that person or people and all he could see was them and where he wanted his fists to land. By the time he was pulled off of Jimmy, Jimmy’s face was a bloody mess. And when Andrew looked up, he was face to face with the county sheriff.

Andrew looked down at his hands, which were now coated in blood, and then looked over at Madison who had her hand over her mouth. He could see the fear in her eyes and he glanced back at Jimmy who was being huddled around. Before anyone had been questioned, the sheriff turned him around and put the handcuffs on him, the cold steel a stark reminder of what would happen next. Madison screamed in protest and ran up to them.

“He was defending me. That asshole pushed me and has been starting trouble since we got here,” she pleaded desperately to the sheriff. “Please, it wasn’t his fault,” she said with tears in her eyes.

“Ma’am, step back please.”

“I want to press charges,” Jimmy said meekly from the ground.

Madison’s heart sank, knowing that this was her fault. If she hadn’t said anything to Jimmy, if she had just gone to Andrew, they could have left. She started crying uncontrollably and then felt Callie’s arms wrap around her. Andrew’s heart sank at the tears that Madison was shedding for him. He stared dumbly at the sheriff as his partner started going around taking statements. Unfortunately, a lot of people didn’t see what preceded Andrew kicking the living shit out of Jimmy. Only that Andrew didn’t stop when it was clear that Jimmy was no longer fighting back. The sheriff brought Andrew to the cruiser and set him in the back while he talked with the station.

“This is bullshit,” Jayden said to the sheriff standing before him.

“Your name?”

“Jayden Bennett.”

The sheriff stopped writing and looked up at him. “You related to Elias Bennett?”

“Yes, I’m his son,” Jayden said with a smile.

Jayden knew his father’s reputation. He had a take no prisoner’s attitude. Of course, he had to have one in order to be respected in his field. And respected he was. The mere mention of his name meant that people would treat Jayden differently. In this case, he hoped that it would help Andrew.

Andrew watched from the back of the sheriff’s car as one officer was talking to people while the one with him was running his record. His eyes locked on Madison who was staring at him, tears streaming down her face. Andrew wanted to cry but he didn’t. He was already remembering what it was like when he was in prison before and tried to harden himself in preparation for what would happen next. His heart was breaking watching her though. He sighed deeply when the energy shifted in the vehicle and he knew without a doubt that the sheriff had pulled up his record. Andrew broke his gaze from Madison and turned to look at him just as the sheriff turned to him. There was no more sympathy in his eyes.

“Well, it looks like someone just broke parole.”

Andrew didn’t say anything; he just closed his eyes, preparing for what would surely happen next. He messed up yet again. But as he opened his eyes and glanced back at Madison, he realized that this time he lost something so much more than his freedom, he lost the possibility of ... love.

Madison rested her head on Callie’s shoulder, crying. She couldn’t stop the endless flow of tears. She was vaguely aware of movement around her and of Jayden talking nearby. She glanced around and saw Andrew sitting in the back of the sheriff’s car. His eyes locked with hers and she could see that he was hurting. He then turned to the sheriff who said something to him. She saw his eyes close and when he turned back to her, his eyes held such pain that she immediately started walking towards him.

“Please step away from the vehicle,” the sheriff said forcefully.

Madison hadn’t even heard him exit the car. She didn’t stop though, not until she was standing in front of Andrew, her eyes pleading for forgiveness. Andrew’s heart was pounding in his chest when he saw her approaching. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. But when the sheriff muttered before slamming his car door Andrew felt an overwhelming fear that something would happen to her. He wanted to hold her, to tell her it would be okay but he wasn’t so sure that it would be.

“I’m sorry.”

He couldn’t hear her but he recognized the words she was saying. She raised her hand to touch the window but the sheriff swiftly moved her and started directing her towards the crowd. Madison turned her head and looked at Andrew over her shoulder and could see that he had his head down. As Madison approached Callie and Jayden, the sheriff moved away from them and began talking intently to his partner. A few moments later they were in the cruiser taking Andrew away.

“Madison, it’s going to be okay,” Callie said as she held her and gently stroked her back.

“This is such B.S.,” Jayden said angrily as he pulled out his cell phone.

“Hello… Jayden?” Liam asked; confused as to why he would be calling so late.

“Dad, I need to talk to both of you. Can you put me on speaker?” Jayden asked with urgency in his voice.

“Sure, Son, hold on.”

Liam glanced at the clock and saw that it was past midnight. He looked at the sleeping figure beside him and tapped his shoulder. Elias rolled over and continued sleeping as Liam rolled his eyes. They had been asleep for a little over an hour so he knew he couldn’t be that deep in his sleep cycle yet. He shook his head and knew that he needed to wake him. He didn’t like the sound of Jayden’s voice and instinctually felt that something was wrong. He pushed Elias’s shoulder even harder.

“El, get up,” Liam whisper shouted.

“Baby, I’m tired. You know I’m not as young as I used to be.”

Liam laughed and kissed his shoulder. “Behave, old man,” Liam replied before tugging on Elias’s hair to get his attention.

“Did you just call me an old man?” Elias asked playfully into his pillow.

“El, come on, wake up. Jayden’s on the phone and he sounds upset.”

That got Elias’s attention as he rolled over and looked at Liam with a concerned expression, all previous playfulness gone. They had known that Jayden was at the lake with Callie. Many thoughts crossed Elias’s mind as he tried to figure out why Jayden would be calling them so late. His heart sank. Elias had been so happy not that long ago. His mind flashed with their evening’s festivities but he quickly closed his eyes as he shifted his brain so that he could focus on what was going on right now.

“He wants to be put on speaker,” Liam said, looking worried.

Elias sat up quickly and grabbed his glasses from the nightstand. Why, he wasn’t sure, but he always wore his glasses when he needed to concentrate. He nodded at Liam who brought the phone between them and hit speaker.

“Son, what’s going on? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Is Callie alright?” Elias began quickly.

“Dad, I’m fine and so is Callie but a friend of mine isn’t. He’s in trouble and I think he will need your help,” Jayden said and his parents could hear the desperation in his voice.

“What friend?” Liam asked, running through a mental list of possible people in his head.

Jayden had few people in his life that he would call friends. He did not adjust to the move as well as Liam and Elias had hoped he would. They both knew that the events of the past hindered his ability to trust people but they had hoped that a new place, new school, new home, might encourage him to let people in. Jayden had never given the community much of a chance. When they first moved, they had all received the typical stares and snickers and Jayden had been in several fights because of this hate. He said it was like Texas all over again even though they had reassured him it would be different. Of course there were elements that were similar but on the whole it was different. Jayden spent most of his time with Callie so Liam struggled to think who he would care enough about that he would call in the middle of the night to ask for assistance.

“You got in a fight?” Elias said loudly, which brought Liam out of his thoughts.

“Jimmy started it, Dad, but that’s not the issue,” Jayden replied frustrated.

“Jayden, we’re not upset with you,” Liam interjected, looking at Elias and begging him with his eyes to calm down. “Just take a breath, Son, and tell us what’s happening.”

Jayden knew that his frustration was high and that when that happened he had a hard time explaining things. He took a deep breath and started talking to his parents about what had happened at the lake today. He told them how Jimmy had treated Andrew and that he was really a great guy and that Andrew had stopped Jimmy when he had tried to fight him. He went on to tell them about the jet skis and the fun they had today and how Andrew had been honest with him about why he had been in prison. He finally told them about Jimmy and how he had pushed Madison and that Andrew fought him and because Andrew had a record he was arrested.

“What was he in prison for, Jayden?” Elias asked trying to decide what needed to happen.

“Statutory Rape and Aggravated Assault.”

Jayden’s parents didn’t say anything right away but looked at one another.

“Dad, please. He needs help. No one has ever stood up for him. And, well, you know I don’t like anyone, especially around here, but I like him. He is a good person. I can feel that. Please, he had a shitty attorney back then." Jayden could hear his dad let out a chuckle. “You know you would have gotten him off all together or at least gotten him less time. Jimmy started all this shit, Dad, Andrew didn’t," Jayden pleaded in hopes that his dad would consider helping.

“I can’t make any promises, Son, but I will look into it.”

“YES!” Jayden shouted and nodded at Callie who smiled brightly. Madison looked at her confused.

“Jayden’s dad is one of the best defense attorneys in California. He said that he will help Andrew,” Callie said excitedly.

“Son, listen, I can’t do anything tonight and I am not sure I can even get him out but if I can it won’t be until Monday. I will go see him in the morning. I am not making any guarantees but I will meet with him and make my decision afterwards. Do you understand?” Elias said but he already knew that if Jayden cared about this Andrew person then he would help him. There wasn’t anything he would deny his son.

“Thank you, Dad. I’m sorry I woke you guys. I’ll be home a little later,” Jayden said feeling better already.

“Please do not say anything to Jimmy,” Elias inserted quickly, knowing his son’s propensity for speaking his mind.

“I won’t,” Jayden said the words but he wasn’t sure he could actually follow them.

“You and Callie should leave and advise this Madison person as well. If you guys make any statements to any of Jimmy’s people it could be used against Andrew. Just head home now, alright?” Elias stated firmly. He didn’t want them ruining his chances of getting Andrew released.

“Alright, Dad. We will leave now,” Jayden answered with a sigh.

Jayden had already planned on saying something to Jimmy but he could see his dad’s perspective and knew that he needed to follow whatever he said. His parents said goodbye and Jayden walked closer to Callie and Madison. He leaned down so he could look directly in Madison’s eyes.

“My dad is going to see Andrew tomorrow. He can’t make any promises but at least he will talk to him,” he said intensely.

“But Andrew can’t afford an attorney.” Madison could feel a panic within her. She knew she had just enough money to get her through her leave of absence but if Andrew needed it she would do her best to help him.

“My father will do it for free if he needs to.”

Madison could feel the tears coming again as she threw her arms around Jayden. Maybe this could work and Andrew would not be sent away. It still shocked her greatly that after only spending a day with him she knew, without a doubt, that if he were sent to prison she would be devastated. She realized at that very moment that she was already falling in love with him and instead of being frightened by the prospect she felt exhilarated by it.