Worth It

by Linda Kage

  I chuckled as I rested my cheek on the top of her head. “I bet. But I still can’t believe you lied to your brother.” Then I softly sang, “Liar, liar, pants on fire.”

  She poked me in the ribs. “Hey, it wasn’t a lie. Ada was so nice and considerate in her letter, I really do consider us friends now. And it just so happens I have my Kindle with me in my purse, and since her stories are uploaded there, that means she was with me...in spirit, anyway.”

  Gasping in mock outrage, I narrowed my eyes at her. “I can’t believe you brought a third person—in spirit—to our first date.” Then I grinned and pressed my forehead to hers. “Think she’d mind if I kissed my girlfriend goodnight?”

  “Pfft. She writes romance. Of course she won’t mind. In fact, I bet if we were good enough at it, she’d even put it in one of her stories—” She cut herself off with her own gasp. “Oh my God. That would be so cool.”

  I pressed my hand to her lips before she got going on another one of her happy tirades. “Then I guess we’d better make it good.”

  Replacing my fingers with my mouth, I kissed my girl and smoothed my hands over her hair, then down her back, up her arms. I cupped her face and deepened things, brushing my tongue across hers and stepping in closer.

  She moaned and wound her arms around my neck, her fingers toying with the ends of my hair.

  “I never get enough of you,” I rasped against her mouth. “Never get enough time with you. I always want more.”

  “Me too.” She dived back at my mouth, and I kissed her again.

  “Can I just keep you the rest of the night?” For the rest of forever.

  Sighing as I sprinkled kisses along her jaw, she finally answered, “What about your sister?”

  My groan told her I didn’t want to think about that. I just wanted this moment to last. “Five more minutes,” I begged.

  “Sold.” She bit my ear, and I almost came in my jeans.

  “God, that was... Do that again.”

  Her teeth nipped tender flesh, and I groaned as I backed her against the wall of a building. Then I lifted her so I could fit my hips between her thighs. Her eyes widened but she wrapped her legs around my waist as she gripped my shoulders. I settled against her, my aching erection nudging the very heat of her.

  “Oh my,” she murmured, her chest heaving and eyes wide with wonder.

  I knew she liked it, but I asked, “Too much?” anyway.

  She whipped her head back and forth. “Not even a little.”

  With a grin, I went in for another kiss. This one exploded with tongue and teeth. I ground against her hard and she balled fistfuls of the back of my shirt with her hands as she clamped her thighs around me tight.

  “Knox.” Her voice was high and desperate. “I need... I need...”

  Fuck, so did I. I needed it bad. I needed all of her, right then.

  “I know. I do too. I want you so—”

  “Hey, Bainbridge,” a voice called from a distance. “Over here.”

  Felicity yelped, and I nearly pissed my pants. She released her legs from me as fast as I dropped her to the ground. Then I spun toward the call and stepped in front of her, protecting her from view.

  “Oh my God. Oh my God,” she whimpered against my back, gripping my shirt hard. I held my hand back behind me, catching her hip blindly to reassure her. I’d never let anything bad happen to her.

  When we heard footsteps, we both tensed. I held my breath, and I swear, she did, too.

  Another ten seconds of waiting later, I decided to breathe. Then I whispered, “Whoever it was, I don’t think they were calling to you.”

  “What? But... They said Bainbridge. Didn’t they?”

  “Yeah.” I nodded, still frowning in the direction we’d heard the call. As I crept out of the overhang of a building and down the darkened street toward the end of the block that intersected with a wider, more populated and lit-up boulevard, City clutched my shirt tighter and shadowed my every step. “You said your brother brought you into town, right?”

  “Yeah, but... Max? You think Max is this close by?”

  I shook my head and slowed my pace to a cautious slink as I neared the intersection. “No idea, but we should probably find out.”

  “But—” She smashed herself against my spine, shaking as I slowly peeked around the corner. When I saw two people walking toward each other under a street lamp, I released a breath.”

  “It is Max,” City whispered, making me jump, because for a split second there, I’d forgotten she was with me. I was too busy staring at the girl Max was meeting.

  I glanced at her. “And Mercy,” I added.

  “What?” She turned her attention to the girl, squinting a moment before her eyes bulged. “Oh my God, it is. But...” Shaking her head, she frowned in confusion. “Why is Max meeting her?”

  I knew. An image of Bentley rose in my head, her big blue eyes and bright red hair. Yeah, I knew exactly why Max Bainbridge was meeting my sister.

  We’d accused the wrong brother. And Mercedes had never corrected us.

  My muscles tensed as I glared at the boy who’d abandoned her after getting her pregnant. I wanted to storm out there and beat the shit out of the rich, entitled prick.

  But Felicity’s hand on my arm rattled me from my self-righteous rage. “Knox? What’s wrong?”

  I shook my head, too busy listening to what the secret lovers down the street had to say to each other.

  “Why did you want to meet, Mercedes?” Max’s voice was cool and his gaze hard as he looked at my sister as if she were a cheap piece of trash.

  Mercy lifted her chin and stuck out her chest. “I just wanted to call you a fucking liar to your face. You said you’d help me out if I ever found myself...in trouble.”

  Max took an intimidating step closer to her, and my muscles coiled. But City’s restraining hand on my chest stopped me.

  “I meant an abortion, and you knew it.”

  City’s breath exploded, and I realized she’d just caught on. I reached back for her fingers, but I couldn’t find her hand.

  “Well, I decided maybe I wanted the baby, after all.”

  Max snorted, “Yeah right. You mean, you decided having the kid would help you get your hands on some Bainbridge money.”

  Mercy stepped in closer to him this time. “Well, it should,” she spat insistently. “I was your goddamn pussy call for six months, you bastard. I bore your fucking child. I deserve something for that. I deserve half of everything you have.”

  With a mocking leer, Max shook his head. “But you won’t get shit. My father will see to it. He doesn’t take kindly to gold-digging whores.”

  “You helped make me a whore, prick.”

  “Then I guess you shouldn’t go around spreading your legs so much, bitch.”

  “Listen here, dick face.” She dug her finger into his chest, but he batted it away.

  “Get your dirty hands off me.”

  Eyes glittering with hatred, Mercy gritted her teeth. “You certainly weren’t saying that when I had them wrapped around your—”

  He caught her wrist and glared back. “In case you didn’t catch the memo, those days are over. I just needed a no-strings-attached fuck, and you wanted to strike it rich through your pussy. I guess neither of us got what we wanted. So I no longer require your services.”

  As he turned and strolled away with a cocky saunter that I wanted to kick out from under him, my sister called after him, “You were a sucky lay, anyway, you asshole. Your friend Fred was ten times better.”

  When Max ignored her, she stomped her foot. “Damn you, Bainbridge. What the fuck am I supposed to do with a fucking baby? It cries all goddamn day long, and just won’t stop needing shit.”

  “Not my fucking problem, Mercedes. I told you I wasn’t having anything to do with a kid. Drown it in a fucking river for all I care.”

  City gasped. I didn’t realize I’d stepped from our hiding spot and was stalking toward her asshole brother until she
grabbed my shirt and frantically pulled me back to the corner of the building. Reality set in—the fear of us getting caught and me never seeing her again—and finally, I dashed back with her.

  Once we were hidden from view again, I turned to her, feeling as dazed as she looked. Then I grasped her hand and dragged her deeper into the dark street, my mind racing with everything I’d learned, with all the hate I felt even deeper for the Bainbridge family.

  Once we were far enough away that I felt safe to talk, I paused to wipe my hands over my face. Felicity blew out a breath and hugged herself, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.

  “Your sister,” she finally said, “is...awful.”

  I gaped at her, unable to believe my ears. “My sister?” I hissed. “I think it was your brother who suggested drowning Bentley in a river.”

  “But she admitted straight to his face that she was only ever interested in his money. She got pregnant only to get money out of him.”

  “And he was only ever interested in fucking her.”

  “Well, she should’ve known that about him.”

  “Oh?” I lifted my eyebrows, unable to believe my ears. “So it was completely impossible for her to believe your brother might’ve actually liked her for her? It had to be about just nothing but sex, huh?”

  “That’s not what I—”

  “Is that what I should know about you, too? I should stop thinking you might actually like me for me, because no one could ever like a fucking trashy Parker? You’re what, just experimenting with me before you get yourself a real boyfriend, someone who’s actually worthy enough to crawl between your sacred Bainbridge legs?”

  With a gasp, City visibly flinched and jerked away from me.

  I opened my mouth, unable to believe what had just rolled off my tongue. Regret ran like acid through my veins. I wished I could grab the words from the air and shove them back in my mouth, deep into my throat so she’d never heard such a vile, crude accusation, so they’d never existed, so I wouldn’t have even thought them.

  I gaped at her, my skin turning cold with fear, not sure how to even begin to apologize.

  She shook her head before I could formulate a response. “That’s not what I meant.” Her voice trembled and tears sparkled in her eyes. I fisted my hand, bringing it to my mouth, so ashamed of myself I almost started crying, too. “I wasn’t trying to say Mercy shouldn’t have assumed he might really like her. But she should’ve also known...well, he’s a teenage boy. Everyone knows the only thing they want is sex.”

  “I’m a teenage boy,” I whispered, begging her to forgive me with my eyes. “Do you think all I want from you is sex?”

  “No, of course not.” Narrowing her eyes, she fisted her hands at her side and snarled, “I’m a Bainbridge. You probably want money too.”

  Then she whirled away and stalked off.

  My mouth fell open, unable to believe she’d said that.

  As parting shots went, that one had to be the best. It left me pummeled in the chest and short of air. I couldn’t believe she truly thought I was only with her because—

  No, that didn’t make sense. We’d spent too much time together this summer, shared too many of our innermost thoughts and feelings. My City wasn’t like that.

  The girl who’d hissed such an accusation had been a complete stranger.

  Fisting my hands and clenching my teeth, I shook my head, refusing to let it go at that. I was going to make her admit she’d been lying. I was going to force her to forgive me for my idiocy, and everything was going to be fine again, damn it.

  But when I got the end of the block and turned a corner, I stopped short when I saw her down the street, sitting at a bus stop bench and bawling her eyes out.

  My chest squeezed tight as I watched the misery pour out of her. I’d caused this by flying off the handle in defense of Mercy. I’d made my favorite person on earth cry.

  I almost fled in shame, worried everything was over. She’d never forgive me. We’d never be the same again, and what had started as the best summer of my life was going to end the worst.

  Her sobbing got to me, though. Unable to let her cry alone, I went to her and sat on the opposite end of the bench from her. For a minute, I didn’t speak as she continued to cry into her hands. I shoved my hands into my pockets and squeezed my eyes shut, wishing I could travel back into the past five minutes and not be such an ass.

  Then I blew out a breath. “I didn’t mean it,” I said, my voice cracking on the words. “You know that, right? I was just upset, and defensive, and scared out of my mind that watching them was like some kind of awful preview of how we might turn out. I don’t know why I said it. It was so stupid. I felt sick as soon as the words came out. I thought I was going to puke. And I thought there was no way you’d ever forgive me. I’ll understand if you don’t, but I’m still sorry. I am so, soo....”

  Slowly reaching out, I grazed my hand experimentally over her elbow to judge her response.

  When she turned my way, I released a breath and gripped her arm before hauling her down the bench and into my lap.

  “Sorry,” I whispered into her ear.

  She curled into my chest and buried her face in my neck while her arms banded tight around me. I exhaled the most relieved breath ever. But having her turn to me for comfort after I’d been the one who hurt her broke me.

  My eyes filled with tears. “I’m so damn sorry,” I repeated.

  “I am too.” She sniffed. “I didn’t mean what I said about you either, but I did say it on purpose. I wanted to hurt you the way you hurt me.”

  I rested my cheek against her hair. “It worked.”

  “I’m sorry, Knox. I shouldn’t have—”

  “No. I started it. I deserved it.”

  “No, Max and Mercedes started it. They went for each other’s throats, and we took sides...against each other.”

  I didn’t answer, still upset over how easily I’d struck out at her. She had become the most important, precious person to me, and I’d hurt her. I never, ever wanted to hurt her.

  The urge to vomit rose again, but City’s fingers in my hair soothed me. I pulled my nose from her hair to look her in the eye. “I don’t even know why I was so defensive of Mercy. She certainly isn’t a saint. And tricking a pregnancy out of your brother to get some money from him was awful.”

  “I was no better. What Max said was worse than horrible. I mean, I have never seen him like that. He’s always been the nice, protective brother. He’s never said anything so crude or heartless to me before.”

  “That’s because you’re like him.”

  When she pulled away to look up at me, her eyes wide, she asked, “Is that how you see me, too? Like him?”

  I closed my eyes and shook my head. “No. You’re just...you’re you, not a part of that at all, and I shouldn’t have accused you of thinking like him. I was wrong. I was so wrong.”

  “Shh.” She pressed two fingertips to my lips. “It’s over. We both apologized, admitted we were wrong, and our siblings were wrong, and the entire situation was messed up. But now it’s done, and I forgive you, and…you forgive me, right?”

  I blinked, unprepared for the uncertain glance she sent me. “Of course, I forgive you.” There’d never been any question of that. I couldn’t even breathe when I merely thought of her not being in my life anymore. I loved this girl with everything inside me; I didn’t think it would be possible to not forgive her...for anything.

  A grin bloomed across her face. “Good. Then everything’s fine again.”

  But I couldn’t share her smile. I was still scared, even more scared now than I’d been before. We’d just survived our first fight. We’d worked through our problems, despite hurt feelings, because we cared so much about each other. That was a sign of commitment, of something deeper and binding. And yet, I had no idea how a future between us was going to work.

  “So where do we go from here?” I asked, making her frown.

  “What do you mean?”<
br />
  I shook my head. “We chanced too much tonight. If your brother, or anyone, had seen us together, that would’ve been it. Your family would tear you away from me, and I’d fight to get back with you, and a freaking bloodbath would happen. Neither of our families are reasonable when it comes to each other. We’re not even reasonable when it comes to our families. We can’t let them know about us. We can’t let anyone know, and we can’t ever meet in public like this again. It’s too risky.”

  Her blue eyes were full of fear as she whispered, “What’re you saying?”

  “I’m saying it’s back to the woods. We only meet in the forest, and we keep this a secret until...”

  “Until when?”

  I sighed and pressed my forehead to hers. “I don’t know. Until we’re old enough to get out on our own and support ourselves, I guess. Until our parents have no custody over us and we can finally be together openly, where they can’t make any legal issues about it to keep us apart.”

  “You mean, until my parents have no more rights to keep you away from me? Because you’re already eighteen, an adult in the eyes of the law. This is all about waiting on me? It’ll be two years and three weeks before I’m eighteen.”

  “Actually.” I winced. “I was thinking we should wait until you get through college and get the degree you want first.”

  Her jaw fell open. “Are you insane?”

  I held up a hand. “Just hear me out. If you hooked up with me as soon as you turned eighteen, they might disown you and take away...I don’t know, inheritance shit, like paying for your college. I don’t want you to lose out on that. There’s no way I could support us and pay for your college.”

  “But—”

  “I’m not taking your education from you. Your psychology doctorate. That is your dream, City. And I want you to reach it.”

  “And what if my dream includes having you in my life now?”

  Relief washed over me as I cupped her face. “Baby, I’m not going anywhere. You are stuck with me. But if the only safe way I can see you right now is a few stolen hours here and there in the woods, then it’s worth it.”