Without You

by Kelly Elliott

  Lauren looked between us. “Do you both promise not to go all big-brother crazy?”

  I nodded, but Colt remained silent.

  Lauren sniffed. “Paul Hines…he, um…he tried, um…”

  Oh, holy shit. I’m gonna kill that fucker.

  I quickly glanced over to Colt, and he looked like he was about to get sick.

  “Lauren, honey, take a deep breath. What did he do?” Colt said in a soft voice.

  “I told him no, and he got upset with me. He said I was a tease. I swear, y’all, I never did anything to make him think I would have sex with him. When I got out of his truck, he jumped out, grabbed my arm, and pushed me against his truck. He said…he said I really did want it and that I was just scared. I told him that even if he was the last guy on earth, I’d still rather get myself off than sleep with him. He…he…” She looked down and then looked up into Colt’s eyes. “He slapped me and called me a whore.”

  When I saw Colt’s body shaking, I quickly grabbed Lauren in for a hug. I pointed to Colt and mouthed, Calm down.

  Lauren started crying.

  “Shh…it’s okay, sweetie. Don’t listen to that bastard. Lauren, you didn’t do anything wrong, and if your dad ever found out that ass hit you, he would kill that guy.”

  Lauren pulled back and wiped her tears. “I know. It was just…scary, ya know? When he pinned me against his truck, I was really scared.”

  I looked up to see Luke, Grace, and Lex walking up.

  Grace and Lex both dropped their smiles as they walked up to Lauren. “Why are you crying?” they both asked at the same time.

  “What’s wrong? What’s going on?” Luke asked as he glanced at Colt and then me.

  Lauren looked at Colt and me with pleading eyes. “Nothing. I twisted my ankle, and I’m just crying like a baby,” she said.

  Lex looked at me, and I knew she wasn’t buying it.

  “You okay, baby girl?” Luke asked.

  Lauren nodded her head and attempted to smile.

  Luke slapped his hands together and said, “Then, let’s go.”

  “Where are Meg and Taylor?” Grace asked.

  Luke shrugged his shoulders. “Not sure. Maybe they’ll be at the party. Let’s get going. Colt, you’re driving, so nothing but soda.”

  Colt gave Luke a weak smile.

  Lex and I were sitting on the back of my tailgate, watching everyone at the party.

  She bumped me with her shoulder and smiled. “You’re so quiet tonight. What are you thinking about?”

  “I’m watching Colt.”

  She turned and scanned through everyone, looking for Colt. “Why?”

  “’Cause Paul Hines just showed up.”

  She looked at me. “So? Does Colt have something against Paul?”

  I raised my eyebrows. “You could say that he does.”

  “Will, what’s going on? Lauren was upset earlier, and now, you’re telling me that my brother is pissed at Paul. I know Lauren went out with Paul last week. So, what gives?”

  I glanced over at my girl. I love her so much. Nothing gets by her. I can’t wait to make her mine. I moved my hand and slid it across my front left pocket. It’s still there.

  “I promised Lauren I wouldn’t say anything,” I said.

  Lex nodded her head. “Then, I trust you and Colt know what you’re doing.”

  I grabbed her hand and jumped off the tailgate as Gloriana’s song “Best Night Ever” began playing. “Dance with me, Lex.”

  She smiled, and the next thing I knew, she was in my arms. I walked her out to where everyone was dancing. As I pulled her to me, her scent filled my senses and caused my dick to jump.

  I moved my lips up her neck and gently bit down on her earlobe. “Lex, I want you.”

  She sucked in a breath of air and whispered, “Yes, Will. I want you, too.”

  I pulled back and placed my hands on the sides of her face. I leaned down and kissed her. We both let out low moans as our tongues moved against each other. When we both pulled back for air, I smiled as I leaned my forehead against hers.

  “Lex, my parents are out of town. I want to make you mine…tonight.”

  Her eyes lit up with a fire I’d never seen before. “What about Libby?”

  The song changed, and Thomas Rhett’s “Get Me Some of That” began playing. I looked up and began searching for my sister. When I saw her dancing in the arms of Luke, I instantly got pissed.

  “That bastard,” I whispered.

  Lex turned to where I was looking. As Luke spun Libby around on the dance floor, I noticed the look on her face. I hadn’t seen my sister smile like that in a long time.

  Lex squeezed my arm and caused me to look down at her. “Will, it’s okay.”

  I chuckled and looked back at them. “That’s my sister…and Luke. Lex, it’s Luke.”

  She placed her hand on the side of my face. “All the more reason to trust them. He’s your best friend. We all grew up together, Will. Luke would be the last person to hurt Lib. They’re just dancing.”

  I nodded my head as I glanced back at Luke and Libby. I looked down into Lex’s beautiful blue eyes and gave her the sexiest smile I could manage. “When can we leave?”

  Lex bit down on her lower lip and then ran her tongue across it. I let out a whimper. I needed to adjust myself to accommodate my shrinking pants.

  “Now?”

  That was all I needed to hear. I grabbed her hand and began making our way back to my truck.

  “Should we tell the others that we’re leaving?” Lex asked.

  I held the passenger door open and helped her up into my truck. I shook my head. “No. They’ll just want to leave with us.” The flush that moved across her cheeks caused me to smile. I leaned in and kissed her nose. “Anytime it gets to be too much, Lex, just say stop, and we will.”

  She opened her mouth slightly. “I’m not going to want to stop, Will. I can promise you that.”

  Holy shit.

  I smiled and stepped back to shut the door. I walked around the back of the truck, so Lex couldn’t see me panicking.

  I’m actually going to make love to her.

  I knew I didn’t want to wait until the end of summer. I wanted to show Lex how much I loved her. I wanted her to know that what we shared was real, and even though we were going to be a few hundred miles apart, nothing would come between us.

  Opening the truck door, I was just about to get inside when I heard Lauren yell out. I quickly turned and saw Paul Hines trying to pull Lauren out onto the dance floor. She kept yelling for him to let her go.

  “Ah fuck.” I looked back at Lex. “Stay in the truck, Lex.”

  “Wait! What’s going on?” Lex called out.

  I shut my door.

  It didn’t take me long to find Colt. He was already heading toward Paul. I gave Luke one look, and he nodded. We both started running, but we didn’t make it there fast enough. Colt grabbed Paul and knocked the shit out of him. Lauren screamed and jumped back as Paul stood up and went after Colt.

  Luke grabbed my arm and shook his head. “It’s his battle. Let him go for a second.”

  Paul swung and missed as Colt landed another hit. Paul stumbled backward and fell to the ground.

  Colt walked up to him and said, “You ever lay a finger on her again, and I swear I’ll break every bone in your damn body. You hear me?”

  Paul wiped blood from his mouth and nodded his head. “Yeah, I got it.”

  Colt turned and walked up to Lauren. He grabbed her hand before leading her back to his truck, and he helped her in. He walked around, jumped in, and took off.

  I looked at Luke, and he was smiling.

  When Paul walked by us, Luke stepped in front of him. “Dude, what in the hell made you think you could touch her? Between Colt, Will, and me, you should have known better.”

  Paul looked at Luke and then at me. Then, he pushed Luke out of the way before leaving.

  Maegan came running up and threw herself into Luke�
�s arms as she let out a little scream. “Dance with me, cowboy.”

  Luke smiled at Meg before looking at me.

  I gave him a look and shook my head. “I need to talk to you, Luke.”

  He smiled and gave Meg a slight push back. “Not now, Meg. Maybe later, okay?”

  Her face dropped before her smile returned. “Okay. Later it is.”

  I turned and headed over toward my truck. Lex had gotten out, and she was standing next to it, but then she quickly got back in and shut the door.

  “What’s up?” Luke asked.

  “What’s going on with you and my sister?”

  Luke laughed. “Nothing. Why?”

  “Luke, cut the shit with me. I see the way you look at her, and I also see the lust in your eyes when you look at Meg. Don’t do this. You’re gonna end up hurting one, if not both, of them. I don’t want to see my sister get hurt by you again.”

  He opened his mouth like he was going to argue with me, but then he turned and scanned the area before stopping and staring at someone. I followed his eyes, and he was looking at Libby.

  “I promise you, I have no intentions of hurting either one of them.”

  He looked back at me, and his eyes were filled with something I’d never seen there before—sadness.

  He slapped me on the side of the arm. “I’m going to pretend I don’t see my cousin sitting in your truck, like y’all are getting ready to leave. I just happen to know your parents are out of town. I’m going to take Libby out for breakfast after the party, so she doesn’t walk in on anything. I don’t know how I really feel about this, Will, but I know you love Alex, so I’m gonna tell you the same thing. I don’t want to see her get hurt, so make sure this is something you both want.” He held out his hand.

  I shook it and said, “I will, Luke.”

  I watched as he walked back to Libby. I didn’t like the way she smiled at Luke when she saw him walking up. He leaned down and whispered something in her ear. She smiled bigger as she looked around him and at me.

  I pushed the uneasy feeling I had deep down inside as I made my way back to the driver’s side before climbing in.

  Lex looked at me. “Do I want to know?”

  I let out a breath of air. “Ask Lauren.”

  She nodded her head. “Where do you think Colt took Lauren?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m guessing home.”

  She turned in her seat, facing me, and gave me a sexy smile. “Will?”

  “Yeah, babe?”

  “I can’t wait for you to make love to me.”

  I swallowed hard as Gunner popped into my head. “I’m scared, Lex.”

  Her smile faded a bit before she smiled bigger. “My daddy?”

  I laughed. “Yes!”

  She reached for my hand and then looked down. “Is this going to be your, um…I mean, will I be…”

  I squeezed her hand and let out a chuckle. “Lex, I knew when I was ten years old that you were the one. I grew up dreaming of what it would be like to be with you. There was no way in hell I was going to sleep with any other girl. You’re it for me.”

  The tear sliding down her face caught the moonlight, and I reached up and brushed it away.

  “Will…”

  She leaned over and began kissing me. Our kiss was quickly turning more passionate, and I needed to stop.

  I pulled back. “Lex, I don’t want to do this in my truck.”

  She giggled as she sat back in her seat and pulled her seat belt on. I began to drive, and we headed the short distance to my house. My hands were sweating, and a million things were running through my head. I brushed my hand across the ring in my pocket and then had a brief moment of panic.

  Did I buy condoms?

  “Do we have to use one?”

  I snapped my head over and looked at Lex. “Huh? Do we have to use one what?”

  She tilted her head, and her cheeks turned a beautiful pink. “A condom. You just asked if you bought condoms.”

  “Did I say that out loud?”

  She nodded her head and laughed. “Yes, you did.”

  I looked back at the road and gripped the steering wheel tighter.

  Motherfucker. I can’t believe she asked if we have to use a condom.

  Yes!

  No.

  Yes!

  Oh fuck.

  We drove in silence as everything raced through my head. As I pulled down the driveway, I glanced over at Lex. She was staring out the window and rubbing her hands up and down her legs. She was just as nervous as I was.

  After I pulled up and parked, she turned to me and smiled. My heart dropped, and I knew what we were about to do was exactly what we both wanted—and needed.

  The way Will was staring at me caused me to smile bigger. I was nervous as hell, but I had no doubt in my mind what we were about to do was going to be perfect. And it was long overdue.

  Damn it. My hands wouldn’t stop sweating, and I had to keep rubbing them on my pants.

  Will turned his body to face me, so I did the same.

  He reached for my hands. “Lex, are you on the pill?”

  Oh God. This is getting real. I nodded my head. “Yes. I’ve been on it for the last year.”

  His face dropped. “Does your father know?”

  I laughed and shook my head. “No. My mother and I talked about it, and even though I told her that I wasn’t sexually active, we both agreed it would be best if I started it.”

  Will’s face turned white.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “Nothing. I just keep thinking back to your dad telling me he would break both my hands if I ever touched you the wrong way.”

  I giggled and rolled my eyes. I brought his hand up to my lips and kissed the back of it. “Well, my dad isn’t here, is he?”

  Will slowly licked his lips and whispered, “No.”

  “So, are we going to sit in the truck? Or are we going in?”

  “Um…Lex, I don’t think I have any condoms.”

  I frowned at the idea of having a barrier between us. “I’m on the pill. It’s okay.”

  He leaned back and dropped his head on the headrest. “I can’t, Lex.”

  I instantly felt sick. I turned and faced forward. “Why don’t you want me, Will?”

  He sat up and looked at me. “What?”

  I quickly wiped the tear away and whispered, “Can you just take me home?”

  Will grabbed my hand. “Lex, look at me.”

  I slowly turned and looked at him.

  “Lex, I want you so damn much that I can hardly breathe. What I can’t do is make love to you without a condom. I won’t do that to you or me or our future. I promised your dad that I would never hurt you and that I would always keep your best interests first.”

  He closed his eyes and then opened them again. I let out a small sigh as his eyes pierced mine.

  “Lex, I don’t want anything between us either, but I won’t be reckless about this.”

  I nodded my head and whispered, “Okay. I love you, Will. I just want to be with you.” I leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips. Then, I went to turn and get out of the truck.

  “Um, Lex?”

  I stopped and looked back at him. “Yeah?”

  “I think I left the condoms in Colt’s truck.”

  My mouth dropped open, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. “You bought condoms when you were with my brother? Oh my God! Will, how could you?”

  “We were in Austin, and we all bought them at the same time. Colt threw them in his toolbox, and I’m pretty sure they’re all still there.”

  His face turned to terror, and he pulled out his cell phone. He sent off a quick text and then looked back at me.

  “What? What’s wrong?”

  “Libby is with Luke.”

  “So?” I tried to figure out where his panic was coming from.

  “Libby. Is. With. Luke. What if he tries…oh God.”

  He pushed his hand through his
hair, and I instantly wished his hands were on my body.

  His phone went off, and he read the text message. Then, he looked at me and smiled. “They’re all heading to Luke’s house to watch movies. Colt and Lauren are going there, too.”

  I smiled and raised my eyebrows. “See? Nothing to worry about. Luke is not going to try anything with Libby. Will, we’re wasting time.”

  I turned and got out of his truck. I began walking around the front, only to see Will still sitting in the truck.

  I laughed and opened his door. “Now what?”

  He looked down at me. “We have to go buy condoms.”

  My smile vanished. Oh, holy hell.

  Will parked in front of the Script Shoppe Pharmacy. He looked at me as I looked at him.

  “Now what?” he asked as he glanced back at the pharmacy.

  “Well, you just walk in and buy some.”

  Will snapped his head over at me. “Me? Why do I have to be the one who buys them?”

  I glared at him. “You’re a guy. Guys buy condoms.”

  “A guy who wants to see the next day’s sunrise doesn’t buy condoms in his small-ass town where his girlfriend’s father has already threatened him in more than one way.”

  I laughed. “Will, what do you think is going to happen? They’re gonna call my dad and tell him you bought condoms? They probably don’t even know we are dating.” I moved my head down to look into the store’s window. “Look, Katy Polk is working. She isn’t going to say anything.”

  “Then, you go buy them if you are so confident.”

  I shook my head. “Fine. I’m gonna do my thing then.”

  “What? What does that mean, Lex? You’re gonna do your thing?”

  I smiled as I opened the truck door and jumped out. “Piece of cake.” I walked up to the entrance and pushed the door open.

  Katy looked up and smiled. “Hey, Alex!”

  I waved and said, “Hey, Katy!”

  I started to make my way to where the condoms were displayed. I walked up and looked at them. “Holy crap,” I whispered. “Why are there so many? What the heck?”

  “Why, hello there, Alex. Do you need some help this evening?”

  I closed my eyes and silently prayed to God that I was not hearing Mr. Bell’s voice. I opened them and turned to see the pharmacist standing next to me.