by S J Abbott
She tilted her head back, deep in laughter over something the broad-shouldered redneck had said to her. Aaron’s fists balled at his sides as his gut clenched with nerves.
Suddenly, long, deep-pink nails raked across Aaron’s stomach and down the front of his jeans before cupping his crotch. “I’m ready. Let’s get out of here,” Bella said, her voice a throaty purr.
He had no idea how he moved so fast but before she’d even had time to squeeze his balls in her hand, he’d grabbed her wrist and pinned her to the wall. “Well I’m not ready.”
Bella squirmed in his slightly too-tight grip and licked her lips. “Let me get you ready,” she offered, paying no attention to his current state of mind
Aaron dropped his hands and let her go, shaking his head. “No,” he said as he turned to check on Julie. She wasn’t there. His heart fell to his feet. “Fuck.”
He didn’t realize his palms were sweaty until he raked them down his face. He spun around frantically circling the party, needing to see her. He hadn’t even gotten to see her face.
Bella clawed at his back. “Come on baby. Let’s go, please.”
Aaron turned back to her, grabbing her fragile wrists in his own once more. He could feel her pulse against his hold. His annoyance at her nagging dropped to a low simmer as he stared at her, and his thoughts from earlier in the evening floated back to the surface.
Her lips were swollen, and her face was flushed. Fuck, she was sexy as hell. She wouldn’t stop moving her hips. He knew what that meant. She was horny as hell. Bella was not shy when it came to getting what she wanted. He tightened his grip on her as she leaned forward and pressed her breasts against his chest and grinded against him.
Her wrists still in his grasp, he attempted to remove her as she continued to try to wrap herself around him. He took a deep breath, inhaling her scent, allowing it to clear his head. “I’ll call you a cab.”
Letting go of one of her hands he reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone. Bella took full advantage of him not having complete control and was trying to unbutton his shirt. Aaron quickly ordered an Uber before stuffing the phone back in his pocket.
“Come on. Let’s wait for the cab out front.” Knowing there was no way they’d make it through the inside of the house in time to meet the cab, he pulled Bella behind him as he wove through the crowd and went out through a small gate on the side of the house.
“Why are walking through the grass? This is going to destroy my shoes,” Bella whined behind him.
Aaron ignored her protests until he saw the street come into view. “I’m going to pay the cab to take you home. I’ll be there in a little while. We’ll talk.” He told her softly as they walked to the sidewalk.
She pulled on his arm, batting her eyelashes at him. “But I need you and you promised.”
He spotted a yellow car coming up the street. “And I haven’t broken that promise. I will be there as soon as I can,” he told her as he waved at the cab.
The driver pulled as close to the curb as possible. Aaron opened the back door, let Bella slide in and shut the door as he motioned for the driver to roll down his window. “Fifty-two Hartwick.” He peeled a few twenties out of his wallet. “Make sure she gets all the way inside the house before you drive off,” he told him with both their hands clutching the bills. The driver nodded simply and put the car in gear. Aaron stepped back and they drove off.
Relief flooded him but was soon followed by regret. He was glad to see her go but was wishing he’d never made her that damn promise. He’d have to figure that out later. He walked slowly back through the yard contemplating a way to get out of showing up to her house; nothing came to mind. Julie’s voice floated in and took over his thoughts as soon as he stepped through the gate and back onto the concrete.
Her laugh was infectious. He remembered it well. He’d sat behind her in Global History class in tenth grade. That class was the reason he was a converted history buff. He’d had so much fun in that class. Their teacher Mr. James was awesome, he focused more on why history was important and the overall patterns than any previous teachers had. Up until then, they’d only been about memorizing dates and events. Aaron realized now that all of it was important, but he never would have known that without Mr. James.
Julie was one of the best students in the class. She knew all of it, even the dates. She’d even caught Mr. James off guard a time or two. But her laugh was what Aaron remembered the most. It made him want to be around her all the time. But he rarely was. Every day he looked forward to that class, because during that brief hour she was part of his world. Outside of that room, her friends didn’t hang out with his friends, and they had absolutely nothing in common--their paths never crossed. He’d always hoped, though. And then they’d graduated and went to college. He’d heard in passing once that she’d gone out of state to school. He never thought he’d see her again.
Her laugh broke through the night, bringing him back to the present. His eyes fell on her, she’d returned to the chair by the pool. But this time she was on redneck dude’s lap. Aaron could see part of her face, just the side, but she looked as beautiful as he remembered. He couldn’t decide if he wanted her to see him, so he slunk back toward the bar, comforted by the fact that he knew where she was.
Aaron listened to her laugh over and over, letting it distract him from the unpleasant path he had to trek to get a drink. When he arrived, he ignored the booze and grabbed a soda floating on top of icy water. Then he pulled his phone from his pocket to check the time and realized two things: it had been over an hour since he’d put Bella in an Uber and he had five texts—four were from Bella. He ignored her ridiculousness and responded to the one text that was from Gideon.
A hesitant smile cut across his face as he popped the tab on the soda can. The cold bubbles blasted his throat and made him immediately hiccup. So not attractive, but he wanted to sober up. He’d never had the courage to step out of his social group and talk to Julie before. He would tonight though…redneck douchebag or not, he was talking to her.
Aaron took another huge swallow before setting the can on the table and finding the resolve to go to Julie and talk to her. She might remember him, or she might not—but he had to try.
Billy was cute and seemed kind of sweet. Julie would be willing to bet that he’d skated through admissions on his football abilities, because he seemed to be lacking the ability to carry on an intelligent conversation. She was past the point of caring, though. She’d promised to let loose, and she was keeping that promise. When he’d first offered to refill her drink, she was surprised that he’d picked her out of the crowd to lavish with his attention. There were girls that he’d have an obviously easier time getting to know. He was very comfortable in his skin, and therefore wasn’t hiding the fact that he wanted to get a good look at hers.
After a few drinks and a few dances, they’d retreated back to the chair by the pool, and he pulled her onto his lap. He was built, sitting on his lap made her feel very small. She’d always wondered if being with a large man could make an average size female feel delicate, even if she was a viper in her everyday life. It was kind of nice.
Julie continued to sip her drink, as he told story after story of his football exploits and the many outrageous stunts that he and his frat brothers had executed—almost all of which made her wonder how any of them were still alive. When he’d first approached her, she’d thought, He’s cute. Shannon would approve. But he was so boring. She figured she’d listen to a few more of his stories, laugh in the right places, and eventually excuse herself to go find her friend. Depending how the last part went, she might give him her number. It was nice to be held and it was really nice to feel like she didn’t have to worry about anything for a few minutes.
She felt her phone vibrate in her purse and shifted on Billy’s lap so she could fish it out. Billy seemed to notice her squirming, because he put his hands on her hips and exaggerated her movements. She swatted at him playfully as she pulled
her phone from her purse. It was from Shannon.
Look up and to your right.
She did as the text told her to and locked eyes with her friend.
Who’s the hunk?
She looked at her and shook her head.
I’m going to take off. You cool driving home?
Julie looked back at her and questioned her with her eyes before typing.
Are you sure? You know I’ll take you.
She looked back at her in time to see her turn around with a vicious hair flip and engage in a heavy lip lock with some guy. She couldn’t see his face, so she wasn’t sure if she knew him. Understanding coursed through her and she typed again.
Never mind. I got the hint. Call me first thing when you wake up.
Julie looked up and smiled at her friend, who had extricated herself from the stranger’s lips.
Will do, mom. Oh, and try to have some fun tonight!
She nodded and shooed her.
“Everything okay?”
Julie turned her focus back to Billy as she stuffed the phone back into her purse. His hand crept up her thigh. It felt heavy and warm and made her feel all confused inside. She swallowed. “Yeah. Everything’s fine. I need another drink, though. Would you like something?” She tilted her cup so he could see that it was empty.
He patted his hand against her leg. “Can’t have that, can we? I’ll get them.” He slid his hands behind her, grabbing her ass, and gently eased her off his lap. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
Julie giggled the way she knew he wanted her to, as she stumbled off his lap. He stood, but just as quickly wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her tightly against his chest, closing in on her mouth. Julie held her breath. It had been a long time since she’d let someone this close to her.
She closed her eyes and let her body take over. Thinking wasn’t optional if she wanted this to go anywhere. She still wasn’t sure that she did, but pushing him away at this moment wouldn’t help her decide. Maybe kissing him would.
His lips were warm and firm. He took control immediately, moving his mouth against hers gently but very convincingly. She felt herself start to melt a little and heard a soft sigh that could have come from no one but her. She wanted to roll her eyes, but Billy chose that moment to coax her lips apart with his tongue, sweeping it across her lower lip. She exhaled and let her lips part as the rest of her brain went fuzzy.
It felt wonderful to be in someone’s arms. He was strong, and an excellent kisser. Mere seconds after his tongue entered her mouth, she was putty in his hands. Her heart beat faster, and her panties began to dampen as he captured her ass tightly in his huge hands and pressed her body firmly against his.
His tongue stiffened in her mouth as he deepened the kiss, and her knees buckled beneath her as her gut clenched. Squeezing her, he pushed just a bit further before he suddenly pushed away, leaving her breathless and dizzy, too wobbly to stand on her own.
When she looked up at him, he was sporting a huge smile. He winked and moved her to the chair. “Here, sit. I’ll be right back with our drinks.”
It had been more than a few minutes since Billy had left her swooning over his kiss. Julie stood to see if she could spot him returning with their drinks but couldn’t see very far into the throng of bodies. She started to move through the crowd to look for him. Maybe he hadn’t liked the kiss? Or maybe she’d come across too eager? She needed to find out.
The crowd began to get rougher and louder. People were running and moving out of the way. An elbow slammed into her boob sending a shooting pain through her chest and knocking the wind from her lungs. She stopped in the middle of the ruckus to recover her breath when she heard Billy’s voice above the others. “Mind your own fucking business.”
Julie stood on her tiptoes. She could see him, but not the person he was yelling at. She pushed through the crowd, the pain in her chest subsiding, almost forgotten.
“The fuck it isn’t. What you did—or were trying to do—is everyone’s business.”
She stepped out of the crowd just as Billy cocked his hand back and began to swing at his opponent. Fear overtook her. She rushed forward, arms up, screaming, “No, Billy. Stop!” And just as the final consonant left her lips, his fist grazed the side of her face.
The world around her erupted into chaos. Fists flying. Girls screaming. And guys tossing bodies out of the way. Billy and the other guy were really going at it. Meanwhile, Julie was too busy trying to blink the stars from her eyes and cover her head so she didn’t get trampled.
Two of Billy’s frat brothers finally stepped in, pulling the pair apart.
“What the fuck, man!” one barked
Julie tried to push herself off the ground with little success.
“That fucker started it,” Billy spat back, the veins on his neck threatened to explode “I was just trying to have a little fun and he got all UFC on me.”
“You think that drugging people is fun, cocksucker?” The other guy shouted from somewhere behind the frat brothers.
The realization struck her hard. Had Billy tried to drug her?
Julie’s stomach turned and tightened as she pushed herself off the ground with all she had. She wobbled as the crowd shifted and she lost sight of Billy.
Suddenly a hand grabbed her arm.
She twisted hard. “Don’t touch me.”
“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you,” a voice murmured to her as she desperately tried to flee.
“Let go of me, you bastard—”
“Julie, look at me.” The hand tightened its grip. “I swear I won’t hurt you.” That’s when she realized the voice was different. It wasn’t Billy.
She stopped fighting for escape and took a breath as she looked up to see the face that went with the voice.
Shock assaulted her.
“Aaron?
Four
Feeling sixteen and small wasn’t something Julie was used to. She’d gained a lot of confidence since high school. She hadn’t had a choice. Taking care of her mother wasn’t a job for the faint at heart, and a young, fresh-faced girl that believed life was all unicorns and rainbows wouldn’t—couldn’t—survive what her life had become. She’d had to adapt. But the moment she said Aaron’s name she was that sixteen-year-old again. It all came flooding back.
Her head was spinning, and she couldn’t catch her breath. How on earth could he be here? And not just here, but fighting some dumbass because of her? The reality of what had just transpired sank to her gut where it churned until she had to make a run for it as dinner was about to make a reappearance.
Heaving into the bushes wasn’t how she’d thought she’d spend the evening. Come to think of it, she’d had every intention of spending the rest of the night and into the morning with Billy. The thought twisted her stomach again, and she just let it roll. She felt like she was being punished for her own stupidity. She hated throwing up more than just about anything, but it was better than the alternative.
A hand took her hair and brushed it away from her face. Just like magic, a bottle of water appeared in front of her. She took it and started swishing her mouth out with the cold water. She hated the way her throat felt, but there was no way she was swallowing anything after what she’d just heard. At least she wasn’t concerned about Billy anymore. She didn’t even want to think about him. Her mind would only conjure one face…Aaron’s.
“How did you know?” she asked him as she straightened. She couldn’t look at him yet. With her eyes on the ground, she focused on the pressure his hand created on her lower back as he stood to her side.
“Sorry. What was that?”
“How did you know?” she asked again.
He didn’t respond. Julie let his silence wash over her as too many scenarios ran through her mind. It was pure torture. She couldn’t take it. She was starting to shake with anticipation. She needed to know.
Finally, she turned and looked up into his face. “How did you know what he had done?” His hand now
rested on her hip.
He looked exactly the same, yet completely different. He’d grown. Matured. The light in his eyes had changed, but they still sparkled. Although now they were enhanced by dark stubble on his jaw line. Damn, he was amazing. She focused on his lips, willing him to speak.
“I was watching you.”
Julie gasped. She didn’t mean to, it just came out. That was the furthest thing from what she’d been thinking he’d say. She waited, holding her breath, as her chest got tight.
“I thought I saw you earlier, but I wasn’t sure. So, I was watching to see if it was really you before I said something. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure you’d remember me.”
Julie released her breath. Of course, she remembered him.
“I’m sorry,” he said, moving his hand to her arm. “You don’t look so well. I should take you home. Do you think you can walk to my car? I can carry you if you’d like.”
She heard herself giggle and then berated herself for it. What an idiot. She wasn’t some young lovesick puppy swooning over a hot guy. She was the girl who’d just been knocked to the ground and discovered she’d almost been roofied by a complete asshat, only to be rescued by none other than her completely, unattainable high school crush.
Her brain felt like a jumbled mess. She never could have guessed tonight would have ended up this way.
“I’m fine,” she said, forcing her feet to move. She wobbled a bit and he was quick to steady her, one arm wrapped around her waist, while his other hand gripped her elbow. “Are you sure you can walk? That wasn’t a slight blow to the head. You must be dizzy.”
She shook her head. As appealing as the idea of being thrown over his shoulder was, she didn’t want it to actually happen. “I’m good. Just a little unsteady that first step.” To prove herself she focused really hard and took four normal steps. Aaron laughed and the sound filled her almost making her wobble again.
“Nice try. I’ll let it go for now, but you’re coming with me. There’s no way I’m letting you drive.”
