Between Us

by Jen McLaughlin

  “Thanks.” She let out a half snort-half laugh. “But it’s hardly a tragedy. So people think I’m a little slutty while I’m really a virgin? There are worse things in the world. Poverty. Sickness. Death. I hardly have room to complain, ya know?”

  Well, she had a point. But it still sucked. “For what it’s worth…I’m glad you chose me for this, uh, thing.”

  “Why?” Her brow rose, and the solemnity left her eyes. She trailed her fingers over my chest, making me suck in a deep breath. Already, I wanted her again. What the fuck was up with that? “You got a thing for virgins, Austin?”

  I snorted. “I wouldn’t know. You were my first one.”

  “Not even your first time?”

  “Nope. She was my tutor, and a grade above me. Let’s just say…she taught me more than math.” I grinned. “Much more.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Why am I not surprised by this information?”

  “Hey, what can I say? I was irresistible even back then.”

  “Oh God.” She swatted my arm. “Get off me, you big oaf.”

  Laughing, I rolled to the side and watched her climb out of bed. She quickly wrapped herself in her silk robe, her cheeks pink. She was still embarrassed by her nudity. How refreshingly charming. Most of the women I spent time with walked around naked more than they did clothed.

  “Do you have security here?”

  She shook her head. “I didn’t let them come. I wanted to be normal for a little while.”

  “What about at school?”

  She scrunched her nose. “Yeah, but only one. It’s more of a precautionary measure. Most of the people there don’t give a damn who I am. There’s been a few pictures here and there of me, but not much. I keep to myself.” She paused. “Well, me, Quinn, and Cassie do.”

  I had the feeling they were very close, those three girls. Which made me wonder… “Why aren’t they in the same room as you?”

  “We all wanted to be free to bring guys home. It’s kinda hard to do if you’re sharing rooms.”

  I laughed. “You have a point. Are they up here, too?”

  “Nope, they’re a floor lower, in separate rooms. They wouldn’t let me book the penthouse for them. That’s where they drew the line when it came to me paying for them, but it worked out. There’s only one more up here as it is.”

  “Wait.” I sat up straight. “You paid for them to come here?”

  “Yeah, of course.” She looked at me, her forehead creased. “Why wouldn’t I? I can certainly afford it, and they’re my best friends.”

  Respect swept over me, even more so than before. She was so damn generous and didn’t even realize it. “Why did you come here, of all places, and not somewhere less crowded? Aren’t you worried you’ll be spotted?”

  “I was hoping to blend in with the crowd since it’s so crazy. It’s worked so far. Between the darker hair and no makeup, I’m just another girl.”

  When she turned back to me, her dark hair framing her face, I almost forgot to breathe. She was so fucking gorgeous. So fucking different. “Speaking of which, I love those freckles you hide in your videos. They’re adorable, like you. You’re beautiful.”

  Where had that sappy statement come from? Must be that damn knight again…

  “Uh, thanks.” Her wide eyes met mine, and her cheeks flushed even more. She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “So are you.”

  No one had ever called me beautiful before. It made something inside me shift or stop blocking the way to my heart. I didn’t like that. “Thanks, I think.”

  “Why do you think you thank me?”

  “I’ve never been called beautiful before. Hot. Sexy. Fuckable.” I shrugged. “Sure. Lots of times. But never beautiful. It doesn’t seem to fit me.”

  “Well…” She bit down on her lower lip. “I think it fits perfectly.”

  A fist punched my chest. I’d swear it had. I opened my mouth to scoff at her reply, or to retort I was scarred, broken, and ugly. But nothing came out. I didn’t want to argue with her. If she thought I was beautiful, maybe that was a good thing. So I didn’t say a word. Just stared at her, speechless for the first time in my fucking life.

  “So, uh, now what?” She shifted her weight and wrung her hands in front of her. “I’m obviously not accustomed to what happens next, since I never got this far before.”

  There it was again. That adorable innocence she had going on. It was irresistible to a messed-up guy like me. I smiled and stole a quick glance at the clock. I had another hour before I had to be home. “What do you want to happen?” I asked softly.

  “I…” She bit down harder on her lip. “If you’d like to, I’d like to spend the rest of my time here with you. When you’re free, of course. I know you have a job and everything. Unless you’re a one-time guy. That’s fine, too.”

  “You’re not going to be with your friends?”

  She shook her head. “They’re off having their own adventures. It’s all part of the plan—get laid and have fun. They need it as much as I do.”

  “Ah, gotcha,” I said, rubbing my jaw and hiding the grin that inexplicably formed. “You’re doing pretty good in your portion of the plan.”

  She blushed again. I fucking loved that blush. “I’d say so. I have you.” She rested her hands on my chest, raising those bright green eyes to mine. “So, are you interested in hanging out a bit more?”

  I did the math. Four more days with her? It wasn’t a hard decision to make. “I’m in. If I’m not working, I’m yours. How’s that sound?”

  “Perfect.” She let go of me and backed up. Then she wrapped her arms around herself and looked toward the window. Her profile was so fucking perfect it stole my breath away. “We need to set some ground rules, though.”

  I flopped down on the bed again and reclined against the headboard, crossing my arms behind my neck. Man, she liked her fucking rules almost as much as I liked her. “No pictures. No selling you out. No feelings. No attachments. Just fun, no-strings-attached sex?”

  She blinked at me. “Yeah. Pretty much. I’ll be leaving and—”

  “And I’ll be staying.” I raised a brow. “I am well aware of this fact, seeing as I, you know, live here and all. Has anyone ever told you that you have the tendency to point out the obvious?”

  She put her hands on her hips. “Yeah, maybe.”

  “Well, you should work on that. I thought you were flawless, now I find I’m wrong? It breaks my heart.”

  She shook her head, but her lips twitched into a small smile. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt. Is that so wrong?”

  I reached out and snatched her by the hips, pulling her back in to the bed with me. “What makes you so sure I’ll be the one who gets hurt? Maybe you’ll be the one who won’t want to leave me, and I’ll have to be all—” I held a hand to my heart and tried my best to look brokenhearted. I’d never suffered from that affliction before, so I might have failed. “‘Babe, you need to get on with your life. Do a few tours. Sing a few songs. Then you’ll forget all about me. I promise.’”

  She laughed. “Oh my God. Has anyone ever told you that you’re incorr—”

  I kissed her into silence. I’d always wanted to do that to a girl, but never stuck around long enough to get to that point. I was more of a take-em-and-leave-em type of guy, and I made sure the girls I took and left were the same way.

  Hell, Mackenzie was even one of those girls. She just wanted some no-strings-attached fun, and I was the perfect guy for that, since it’s all I did. I hugged her closer, my hands tightening on her without conscious thought. Her arms snaked around my neck, holding me tight. It felt like it was meant to be or some other corny-ass thought.

  I conveniently ignored my sappy side and smiled against her lips before breaking off the kiss. “It worked.”

  “What did?” she asked distractedly, her hands playing with my hair.

  “Kissing you into silence. I always see people do it in movies, and I thought it was pure bullshit.” I k
issed her again. Light. Fleeting. “Now I know it’s not.”

  “You’ve never kissed someone to shut them up before?” she asked, watching me with those intense green eyes. How many videos of hers had I seen where they zoomed in to her face and her heavily made-up eyes? I liked her better like this. Natural and real. “I’d have thought you did it to dozens of women already.”

  She thought I was a man-whore? I didn’t know how I felt about that. Sure, I didn’t take things seriously when it came to women, and I didn’t do relationships, but I wasn’t exactly fucking all the women in Florida. I shrugged. “I’m kind of like you in that respect. I never let anyone get too close.”

  “Hm.” She pressed a finger against my chin, then kissed my dimple. The sweet gesture did foreign things to my heart. “Why not?”

  She made me want to tell her, which was all the more reason for me not to. I shook my head, then bumped the tip of her nose with my finger. “If I told you, I’d be letting you close.”

  “Is that such a bad thing?”

  “Yep.” I rolled her underneath me, settling between her thighs. “We’re easy and light, right? No feelings. No whispered confessions. And for my part, I promise not to fuck you over.”

  The last time I’d uttered those words had been after I failed big time. I wouldn’t fail again. This time, I was sure of my success. I wouldn’t sell her out.

  “I know you won’t.” She pursed her lips. “It’s why I picked you.”

  “You thought I looked trustworthy?” I looked down at myself. First, she’d called me beautiful, and now she seemed to think she could believe in me. I was starting to wonder if she needed glasses. Had she even looked at me at all? I was beginning to doubt it. “It’s the tats, isn’t it? They just scream of reliability.”

  She shrugged. “You might try to look like a bad boy, but I don’t think you are.”

  I reared back. “Hold on a second—”

  “No.” She grabbed my arms, holding me in place. I could have broken the hold, but I didn’t. “You looked like the kind of guy who would understand me. I have a feeling you’ve been pushing people away since you were old enough to let someone in. Maybe something happened to you that changed you? Defined who you were. Whatever it was, it made you closed off. Maybe it was something to do with your parents…”

  My heart faltered. She was way too close to the truth with that one. “It’s spring break. You need to stop analyzing me like I’m an assignment.” I rolled her onto her back and pushed off the bed. “And with that? I gotta go.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to analyze you.”

  I pulled on my boxers. “It’s fine. And I’m not leaving because of your questions.” I stepped into my pants, not quite meeting her eyes. “I’ve got something I have to do, but I’m free all day tomorrow. Want to hang out? I can plan a day of fun and relaxation. Maybe some snorkeling?”

  “I’d love to spend the day with you, and snorkeling sounds perfect.” She hesitated. “We just have to keep it private. Nothing too public where people might recognize me.”

  I looked at her, regretting my decision to leave already. She looked so damn kissable laying there, freshly fucked. “I know. You trust me, right?”

  She looked down at her hands, which were clenched in her lap. “Yeah. Of course.”

  “Good.” Satisfaction hit me deep, and I tilted her chin up so I could drop a quick kiss on her lips. For some reason her trust was important to me. “I’ll come pick you up at nine in the morning. Wear a bathing suit with a dress or shorts. Okay?”

  “Yeah, that sounds—” She cut herself off and held up a hand. “Oh, wait. I have breakfast with the girls in the morning, so we can catch up on our escapades so far. Can we make it ten?”

  “Sure.”

  I kissed her one last time, grabbed my shirt off the floor, and walked out of the room. As I shoved my keys into my pocket, I took a steadying breath. Walking out into the hallway, I checked my texts.

  I had a few from my buddy Chris and one from Rachel. My role in her life was the thing I wasn’t willing to share with anyone…not even Mackenzie. Some things were better left unexplained. I dialed her number and lifted my phone to my ear. She picked up right away. “Austin? Where the heck are you?”

  “I’m on my way home.”

  “Can you bring pizza?” She turned the music down, then I heard her flop down on her bed. Ironically enough, she was listening to Mackenzie. Not a huge surprise there. She was always listening to Mackenzie. “I’m freaking starving.”

  “Depends. Did you clean your room like I asked you to?”

  She sighed. “Yep. I even folded my laundry without you asking.”

  “Hm.” I pushed the button on the elevator, smoothing my hand over my tousled hair. I swore I could still feel Mackenzie’s fingers running through it. “I guess that constitutes a reward. Pick your topping, sis.”

  She closed a book. She was almost always buried in a book. “I’ll call it in, and you can pick it up on the way home.”

  I smiled and stepped onto the elevator. She sounded so much older than her sixteen years sometimes. Of course, with a dad like ours, how could she not have grown up faster? The smile faded from my lips at the mere memory of that asshat. “Deal. I’ll be home in twenty.”

  “See you then, bro.”

  “Bye, squirt.”

  “Austin,” she admonished. “I told you to stop calling me that when I turned fourteen. You need to respect my request.”

  Then she hung up on me.

  I laughed and dropped my phone into my pocket, staring at the numbers as I climbed lower and lower. It was weird that I’d just come from Mackenzie Forbes’s hotel room, and I couldn’t even tell anyone. It was a secret, and I got that. But Rachel would fucking flip out if she ever got to meet Mackenzie.

  The thought of the joy it would bring to her almost made me want to ask Mackenzie for the favor. Rachel never had much of a reason to smile. I would do anything to make her smile like she used to, before Dad ruined it all.

  Before he ruined us both.

  I’d been twenty-two. She’d been fourteen.

  They’d tried to place her in a home after my dad went all crazy, but I’d insisted on taking her myself. I’d already let her down once, and I wouldn’t do it again. Even after two years of her living with me, I still had visits from social workers on a monthly basis. No one thought I could handle her.

  They underestimated how much I loved her.

  I wouldn’t let her down again. She was my fucking world, and always would be. I’d been busting my ass to keep a roof over her head and food on the table ever since I took over her guardianship. I even had a small college fund for her, because there was no doubt in my mind she’d be going. She was a smart kid.

  The elevator doors opened. I stepped out of them, then headed out into the hot Key West night. I loved it here. Loved the heat and the energy and the music. But sometimes I wished I could pack up Rachel and run away. Go somewhere else. But where would we go? She’d lived here her whole life, and it felt wrong ripping her away from what she knew. Part of me thought it would be a good thing. A fresh start of sorts. Maybe it would help her forget.

  But nothing could erase bad memories. I knew that all too fucking well.

  God knows I’d tried.

  THE NEXT morning, I leaned back in my chair and looked at my breakfast companions, Quinn and Cassie. They were watching me intently, waiting for me to tell them more about Austin. They didn’t trust him. I could tell by the way they kept sharing long, lingering looks. But I did trust him.

  I didn’t know why I did, but it was true.

  Sighing, I continued. “You guys worry too much. I was only saying that I knew he was hiding something from me.”

  Cassie nodded. “But that’s reason to worry, right?”

  “What do you know about him?” Quinn asked, sipping her drink.

  I played with my cup of tea. “He’s a bartender who sings for fun and doesn’t want to be in the
spotlight. And he has tattoos. Oh, and he’s a great kisser…among other things.” I grinned when they made little cheering sounds. “I had my people look into him, but there’s no reply yet.”

  “Well, now that you got what you wanted from him, maybe you should take a step back,” Quinn said. “You know. Distance yourself from him a little bit.”

  “I agree. He might be hiding something big,” Cassie muttered, peeking over her shoulder and playing with her blonde hair. “Maybe he’s a creep or something.”

  “Um…” I blinked at her, squinting at her tired appearance. Cassie had dark circles under her gray eyes, almost as if she’d been busy getting some action last night, but I knew better. She hadn’t been. Her texts had been filled with frustration over the guy she’d fallen for—the guy who had a girl waiting for him back home. “He’s not a creep. He’s a good guy. I would know it if he wasn’t.”

  Quinn rolled her eyes at Cassie’s comment. Quinn, on the other hand, looked refreshed and quite satisfied, as she should. She’d been getting it on all vacation, and looked all the better for it. “Not everyone is a psycho, Cass.” Quinn looked at me. “She’s been super paranoid lately. You’d think she saw a dead body or something.”

  Cassie paled. “Being careful isn’t a stupid idea. We don’t know any of these guys we’re hanging out with.”

  “Tell me more about your off-limits guy you texted me about.” I leaned forward and nudged her with my toe. “We already know that Quinn is hanging with some rich boy. What about you? Tell us all about your guy.”

  “I told you all there is to know about him already. I met someone,” Cassie admitted, her cheeks going pink. “But he’s got a girlfriend, so nothing is happening.”

  “Then you need a new guy,” I said. I’d told her that earlier, but it was worth repeating, in my opinion. “There are tons of them down here. Just pick one.”

  Quinn picked up her orange juice. “Mackenzie’s right. There’s plenty of time left. Let’s get you a new, unattached guy.”