Rosewood High #0: Locke

by Tracy Lorraine

  “Can you get out of my bathroom, please?”

  “Our bathroom, you mean?”

  “No. I mean mine. I already told you there is a perfectly good one down the hall for you to use. There is no reason for you to be in here.”

  “I disagree. I’ve got one very big reason to be in here.” He takes a step closer and the scent of his shower gel fills my nose and makes my mouth water.

  He lifts one hand. I almost expect him to rip my top from my body, but much to my surprise, instead he gently tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear. His fingers tickle against my skin and I’m powerless to do anything else but shudder at his contact.

  “I know today wasn’t the first time you’ve watched me from your window. I’ve felt your stare every time you’ve done it. I always know when you’re looking at me. Just like I know that you know when I’m looking at you. There’s always been something here, Lys. You can’t tell me that you haven’t felt it.”

  My chin drops. “But you don’t like me.” I hate that I sound vulnerable. I don’t need to look at his face to know I’ve just given too much away with that one statement.

  He chuckles, and the sound hits me right in the chest. “I was only lying to myself, baby.”

  I gasp and he makes the most of my reaction.

  His lips brush so gently against mine that my hands almost forget about covering myself up in my need to grab him and pull him against me.

  His fingers that were still lingering on my neck, slip up into my hair as he deepens the kiss. A moan rumbles up his throat and it’s my undoing.

  I release the fabric my hands are clinging to, but it doesn’t drop; our bodies are too tightly pressed together.

  I find the damp skin of his back as his tongue slips between my lips.

  Pushing me backward, I bump up against the wall. He continues forward until every possible inch of us is touching. His hard length pushes against my stomach and a wave of heat rushes south at knowing I turn him on like this.

  His lips leave mine and trail across my jaw and down my neck. He sucks and nips at the sensitive skin and I moan in pleasure.

  “Emerson, is this a joke?”

  He stills for a beat and I worry that I’ve just hit the nail on the head. He hasn’t even been here twenty-four hours yet, and he’s driven me to this already. Is it a bet? Am I a challenge? Did he think it might entertain him for a few weeks to see if he could seduce me? Well, that failed because apparently I’m easy when it comes to the boy I’ve had a crush on for as long as I can remember.

  He pulls back and looks at me. Really looks at me.

  “What makes you think that?”

  “Because you’ve never come anywhere near me before. Yet one day here and… well.” I gesture at our current position and laugh.

  “I’ve imagined doing this a million times, Lys. But time’s up. I can’t ignore it any longer.”

  My brow furrows.

  “You don’t believe me?”

  “Why would I? You’ve gone out of your way for years to make it well known you can’t stand me.”

  “I had to.”

  “Why?”

  “You think Levi would be happy with this?”

  “It doesn’t seem to be bothering you right now, while you’re living in the same house as him.”

  “Maybe I’ve decided that it’s worth the risk.”

  “What if he kicks you out? What if he walks away from you?”

  “Then that’s his decision. I can’t influence how he feels. The only thing I can do is act on how I feel, and right now, I’m fed up of pretending. Bored of convincing him that I think you’re his annoying little sister, when in reality I spend most of my nights wishing you were beside me.”

  Lost for words, the silence rings out between us.

  “Prove it.”

  His fingers wrap around my wrists and he removes my hands from him and places them back on the fabric covering my chest. Then he takes a huge step back.

  His cock tents the towel and my fingers twitch to rip it from his waist and experience all of him. I’ve watched him for years running around topless, but I’ve yet to discover what he’s hiding down there.

  “W- what are you doing?”

  “Proving it. I’m walking away. Showing you that you mean more to me than a quick fuck to waste some time.”

  “But—”

  “No buts. I could take you right now, hard and fast against that wall, and you know it. But that’s not what this is about. I want you, Lys. Not just your body for my pleasure. I. Just. Want. You.” With those final words, he walks from the bathroom and closes the door behind him.

  Holy shit.

  6

  Alyssa

  It’s been five days since he made me that promise in the bathroom and five long days since we’ve been alone together. Every morning I wake to the sound of him outside with a ball while I stay locked in my bedroom attempting to do as I said I would and catch up on my schoolwork, alongside doing all the new stuff my teachers are putting up online.

  That’s not to say he’s allowed me to forget those two moments we’ve had. Every time he walks past me, he trails his fingertips across my skin. Whether it be the small of my back or to very briefly twist our fingers together, he makes it known that he's not forgotten his promise.

  When we had another family movie night last night, he even managed to hold my hand behind the cushion I was hugging. It was the sweetest thing and it had me thinking that maybe it was the beginning of something else. But when I excused myself up to bed, he didn’t join me, and it was hours later when I heard him come to his room.

  It’s driving me crazy knowing that he’s right there every night, but I’m not yet desperate enough to go walking in in the middle of the night.

  A soft knock sounds at my door. Pulling my earbuds out, I call for whoever it is to enter. I want it to be him, but I know that he wouldn’t have knocked, he’d have just barged his way inside.

  “Hey, sweetie. You’ve been up here all day. Why don’t you come and get some fresh air with me? I made smoothies,” my mom says.

  “Sure.” Pushing my laptop onto the bed, I climb off.

  “How’s it going?”

  “Pretty well. I’m not going to fail, Mom. If that’s what you’re worried about.”

  “I know you won’t. You’re too stubborn to allow that to happen. You just make me panic at times.”

  I follow her down to the yard and we take a seat at the table where she’s laid out her promised smoothie and a huge bowl of fruit. But that’s not the most incredible sight. At the end of the garden, Dad, Levi, and more importantly, Emerson are all topless and digging Mom’s new flowerbed.

  “Not a bad view from here, eh?” she asks, looking over at them. Dad might have a few years on Levi and Emerson, but as a PT he’s still very much in shape.

  “Ew, Mom. One’s my dad and the other my brother.” I grimace.

  “There’s a third, you know?” Something in her tone has me turning to look at her.

  “What?”

  “Don’t think I don’t know there’s something going on there.”

  My chin drops. “Mom, I don’t know what—”

  “I saw him holding your hand last night.”

  My cheeks heat and I cast my eyes to the patio, too embarrassed to meet her eyes. “Oh.”

  “So how long has something been going on?”

  “There isn’t anything going on,” I say, almost honestly. At that moment, he looks over his shoulder and the smile that brightens up his face when he sees me makes me melt.

  “Oh yeah, nothing’s going on.” Mom chuckles. “That’s not the look of a guy who’s not interested, Lys.”

  “Mom,” I squeal. Not all that impressed with the topic of this conversation.

  “What? I’m just saying.”

  “Yeah, well don’t.”

  “What are you so worried about?”

  I stare at her. Is she really encouraging this?

  “Um�
�� everything. Levi for a start. The fact we’ve been forced into isolation together. You and Dad.”

  “Levi just wants the two of you to be happy. If he has a problem with it, then he’ll just have to get over it. Your dad and I don’t have an issue as long as you’re discreet and sensible.” She winks and I want the ground to swallow me up. “Our house isn’t a knocking shop, you know.”

  I groan. “Mom, seriously.”

  “I am being serious. I think he really likes you. We’re all in a shit situation right now, especially Emerson with his concern about his mom. I don’t see something positive coming out of it all as a bad thing. Plus, who knows where it could lead. One day he could be an official part of this family.”

  I drop my head into my hands. We’ve only had one kiss and Mom’s here talking about marriage.

  “He’s a good boy, Lys. You could do a lot worse is all I’m saying.”

  “If you’d heard some of the stories I have, then you might have a different opinion on him.”

  “Boys will be boys. Your dad was one of the guys back in the day too, so I know exactly what they’re like.”

  Lifting my smoothie, I sit back and rest my feet on the table leg as I take a sip, my eyes wandering to Emerson once again. The weather is gorgeous. The sun reflects off his sweat-damp skin and his muscles flex as he forces the shovel into the pile of mud he’s shifting. I bite down on my bottom lip, remembering just how he tasted when his tongue danced with mine.

  “Oh, you are so gone for him,” Mom jokes, much to my horror.

  “What? No. I’m not…”

  “Oh, come off it. Give him a chance. You never know what could come of it.”

  Regrets and heartbreak?

  I manage to keep the words inside, but I can’t help but feel the weight of them pressing down on me. He’s at college and I’m just a high school kid, not to mention his best friend’s little sister. It's a recipe for disaster.

  “I’m going to do some work. Enjoy the view,” she says with a wink, and after collecting what’s left of her own smoothie, she disappears inside.

  Pulling my cell from my pocket, I lift it up and zoom in on Emerson. I snap a picture and immediately send it to the group chat I’ve got with the girls.

  Jealous?

  I’ve told them that he’s staying here for the foreseeable when we had a video chat the other night, but I haven’t mentioned anything happening.

  I get a series of staring and drooling gifs back before Lisa asks for another of my brother.

  Shaking my head and smiling, I take a sip of my drink when a shadow falls over me.

  “Something funny?”

  “Yeah, I just sent a picture of you to my friends.”

  “And that’s funny, why?”

  “Because all they really want is a picture of Levi.” A smirk spreads across my lips when his brow furrows.

  “Good.”

  My eyes widen in shock, I thought that was going to hit his giant ego on its ass.

  “That means I’m all yours.”

  “Um…”

  “Are you busy after dinner?” he asks, his blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

  “Oh… let me think. I was going to spend a little time in the living room, then maybe have a trip around the garden, before visiting my bedroom.”

  “Smartass. You’re mine after dinner so cancel all those crazy plans.”

  Every muscle south of my waist clenches in desire.

  “O- okay.”

  He’s gone as fast as he arrived and when I look up, I find that Dad and Levi have vanished as well.

  I sit in the sun a while longer messaging with the girls and when I hear Mom start preparing dinner, I head inside to help.

  “What’s on the menu tonight?”

  “Enchiladas.”

  My stomach rumbles at the thought alone.

  “Awesome, put me to work then.”

  Mom has me chopping veggies and grating cheese. It’s almost enough to distract me from Levi and Emerson’s voices filtering down from the living room where they’re hanging out, but I can’t help straining to hear what they’re talking about.

  “I think that’s done, Lys,” Mom says with a laugh. When I look down, I notice that I’ve chopped the onion so finely it could be called paste soon.

  “You said fine,” I mutter with a shrug.

  “It’s perfect. Here, want to make a jug of margaritas to go with?”

  “Yes,” I say a little over excitedly.

  “Not too strong though.”

  I pull up a recipe on my cell and follow the instructions.

  “I’m going to put this out on the table and quickly check my emails. The enchiladas only have ten minutes to go. Could you take them out for me?”

  “Of course.”

  Mom disappears, leaving me in the empty kitchen. I bend over, resting my elbows on the counter, and stare down at my cell. I’m scrolling through Instagram, looking at various pictures of my school friends out in their yards, enjoying lockdown in the sun while working on their tans or splashing around in their pools. Living in Florida right now sure does have its advantages. I briefly think about people who are stuck inside due to cold and wet weather outside. It must make all of this so much harder to deal with.

  We’re lucky; aside from school being canceled and being stuck in the house, not all that much has changed for me. Mom can still work, Dad is doing virtual PT sessions with his clients, and aside from Emerson’s mom and dad, who we’re keeping an eye on, we don’t have any relatives to worry about. We lost all our grandparents over the past ten years, and both Mom and Dad’s siblings live their own lives in different states.

  Something tickling up the back of my thigh startles me and when I turn around, I find Emerson staring down at me with a smile on his face.

  “Well that was some sight to walk into. You’ve got a fine ass, baby.”

  My cheeks heat as I push up on tiptoes to look over his shoulder to ensure no one’s looking.

  “He’s upstairs. It’s just you and me right now.”

  I bite down on my bottom lip, but it doesn’t remain there as Emerson lifts his thumb and frees it.

  “Mine,” he whispers, brushing his lips against mine.

  “We can’t. Anyone could…” I don’t get to say anymore as he presses me back against the counter and steals a sweet kiss.

  He steps away just in time for Mom to breeze into the room.

  “Everything okay in here?” She looks between the two of us with amusement.

  “Uh… y- yeah. I was just going to get—”

  “It’s fine. I’ve got it. You two go and sit down.”

  Reaching down, Emerson interlinks our fingers and pulls me from the room.

  “Thanks, Mom,” I call, although I’m not sure if I’m thanking her for dinner or for being so cool about this.

  Dinner is torturous at best. Emerson ensures he sits right beside me, and so close that his thigh rests against mine the entire meal. Every time he’s not eating, his fingers tickle and tease the skin that’s not covered by my denim skirt. A couple of times he got so high that I thought he was going to go all the way in front of my entire family, but just as my breath caught each time, he’d lower his fingers once again.

  I refused to look at him but that didn’t mean that I couldn’t sense his amusement. He chatted away to my parents and brother like all was normal, but I’m sure they’d think very differently if they knew what was happening only feet from them.

  “Meet me at the gate in the yard in thirty minutes.”

  “We can’t. We can’t go out.”

  “We’re not going out out. Trust me.”

  I race up to my room and spend the entire thirty minutes redoing my hair and makeup while debating what I should wear.

  In the end, I leave on my skirt and tank, but I do replace the underwear that’s beneath for something a little sexier. I’ve no idea if he’s intending on seeing it, but I want to be prepared just in case.

&nbs
p; Slipping my feet into my sneakers, I drop my cell into my pocket and take a breath. Butterflies flutter around my stomach at not knowing what he has planned, but I fully trust him.

  I don’t see anyone as I make my way out of the house and my heart drops when I get to the back gate and find that he’s not there.

  I’m just about to run back inside and hide in my room to pretend I never showed up when I hear footsteps on the other side.

  Suddenly the gate opens and standing in the gap is Emerson. He’s dressed exactly as he was earlier in a pair of grey sweats and his Maddison basketball jersey.

  “Hey,” I say shyly.

  He reaches out and tugs me through the gap before shutting the gate like we were never there.

  My chest presses against his and his arm comes around my waist. He pulls me even tighter to him. His warmth seeps into me and the nerves and anticipation that have been running rampant in my body the last few days settles immediately.

  “Are you ready for your night out?”

  I stare up at him; gazing at the same gorgeous face I’ve looked at most of my life, but seeing him for what feels like the first time. His own nerves are obvious—something I’ve never seen on him before—and it makes me wonder if the Emerson I’ve experienced before has all been an act.

  “I am,” I whisper eventually, remembering that he asked me a question.

  Finding my hand, he tugs me into the trees behind our house. As kids we spent hours in here, making dens and playing hide and seek. It was our place.

  I smile as we make our way through, twigs snapping underfoot and dry leaves rustling.

  “Where are we going?” I know these woods like the back of my hand but as he maneuvers us to an unknown location, it seems that I’m not the only one, because he clearly has a destination in mind.

  Some light shines through the trees beyond and I narrow my eyes to see what it might be. But as we get closer and I see what he’s done for the first time, I realize that no amount of imagination could have conjured this up.

  Somehow, he’s tied up a sheet between a few trees to make it look like a tent. There are fairy lights everywhere and the floor is littered with what looks like hundreds of candles.

  “Emerson,” I breathe, not able to take my eyes off the small piece of paradise in the woods he’s created. “You did all this?”