by L. A. Fiore
We reached the diner, Greyson held the door for me. We lucked out to get a booth. Once we settled, Meg took our order. After she left I asked, “What’s your castle like?”
There was a faraway look about him, like he was traveling in his mind to his home. “It’s magnificent, hundreds of acres of land, a forest, rolling hills, a lake.”
I wanted to see it, wanted it to be him that showed me. “How can you stand to be away from it?”
“Since my parents died, it’s hard to be there and not see them.”
The faraway look wasn’t for his home; it was for his parents. My eyes burned. “I’m sorry.”
“They wanted me to come to the States, had been encouraging me to pursue art since I was a kid. Gave me my first paint set; set up my first lessons. Hung up everything I ever made, even the stick figures that were hardly recognizable. Part of my wish to succeed is for them.”
Tears welled, but I couldn’t stop them hearing both love and pain in his words. I tried to imagine his parents and knew they had been incredible because they had an incredible son.
I doubted very much anything he drew, even at the age of three, was unrecognizable. I loved his passion, it reminded me of how I felt about writing, and I was happy he was going to pursue it, had people ready to help him turn his dreams into reality.
Our sundae arrived, one sundae, two spoons. He dipped in, spooned up some whipped cream and offered it to me. My heart fluttered, my mouth closing around his spoon as he watched with heat in his gaze. It was a look similar to the one I saw Grant giving Paige, a look I really, really liked. I must have had some on my face because he reached across the table and wiped it away with his thumb then brought that thumb to his mouth. It was both erotic and unbearably sweet.
We devoured the sundae. Conversation with him was so natural. I had a huge crush on him. You’d think I’d be stumbling over my words, but we really were like old friends catching up. Toward the end of the evening, he held my gaze and said softly, “Maybe one day you’ll see my home.”
It was very unlikely that day would ever come. In less than a year he’d be gone. In two, I would be across the country. We had plans that sent us down two different paths, but to him I spoke from my heart. “I’d really like that.”
I never liked dressing for gym, hated it even more when gym was swimming. We were only allowed to wear a one-piece bathing suit otherwise some of the chicks in my class would be in their string bikinis, mortifying when you had a body like a board. Another reason I hated swimming, it was coed. I pulled my hair into a knot, grabbed my towel and headed to the pool.
“There was a mess up, so we’re sharing the pool with a senior’s class. Instead of trying to run two classes, we’re going to work together.”
Great. Seniors. Oh well, I could handle that for one class. Debbie entered with her chick gang…on second thought. Even I stared at her. It was like she inflated her breasts. She had the uncanny ability of sniffing me out like a bloodhound. I was self-conscious enough, but standing next to her in our bathing suits only reinforced just how flat I was. It was a nightmare.
Her mouth opened and I had no doubt she intended to be cruel, but her words died on her tongue when something behind me caught her attention. Curious as to what shut her up mid-scathing comment, I followed her gaze.
Greyson.
In.
A.
Bathing suit.
Holy shit.
His hair was knotted on his head. Wide shoulders, muscled arms, a chiseled chest and a six-pack. He had a six-pack at eighteen. I had to roll my tongue back into my mouth. It then dawned that he’d see my boy body, made even more pronounced with Debbie prancing around. Fantastic.
“I want a taste of that,” one of Debbie’s friends said. I almost pushed her into the pool. Her hips swayed as she sauntered to Greyson. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, stealing my move though I doubt I would have done it so well. She wet her lips. That was a good one. I hadn’t thought of that. They glistened like she’d just been kissed. She was sexy; I couldn’t argue that point. I was almost seventeen. Had puberty passed me by?
I didn’t want to look, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away. Would he offer her one of those grins, or a wink? Would he look at her like he did me, focused and intense like he was trying to figure me out? Were our interactions unique, or was he like that with everyone? I didn’t want to burst my bubble so I turned from the scene, surely to be the talk of the lunch hour, and walked to the other side of the pool to work on my power of invisibility.
“Pick partners,” one of the teachers called.
Pick partners? It just went from bad to worse.
“Hey, partner.”
My heart slammed into my ribs so hard I was sure I heard them crack. Turning around, I was eye level with Greyson’s chest. His very beautiful, chiseled chest. If I leaned forward my lips would be on him. What would he taste like?
I didn’t realize I licked my lips in anticipation until Greyson growled, “Keep doing that and I’m not accountable for what happens.”
My eyes jerked to his face then my breath caught because he looked hungry.
“What happened to…?” I waved my hand in the chick’s direction.
He shrugged. “Don’t know, don’t care. So, partners?”
“Yes!” At least I didn’t jump up and down and clap.
“You’re going to practice an in water rescue. I’ll demonstrate and then you’ll work with your partner.”
Was I dreaming? I got to touch his bare body and had a school-approved reason for doing so. My fairy godmother had sprinkled fairy dust on me. It was the only explanation that made any sense.
The teacher demonstrated, then we were called into the pool. I didn’t think Greyson in swim trunks could be topped. I was wrong. A wet Greyson in swim trunks was even better.
“Do you want to save me first?”
I was a good swimmer, but I didn’t know if I’d be able to manage rescuing him.
“How about you rescue me first?” I countered.
“All right, damsel. Get in distress.”
As I have previously mentioned, I had a wonderful imagination. Flailing my arms, going under. I’m sure I looked like a deranged lunatic, but I played the part to perfection. His arm wrapped around me like we were instructed and I stopped flailing. I forgot everything but the feel of his strong arm around me, the heat from his skin, feeling his muscled chest against my back. Effortlessly he swam me to the side. My nipples were hard and I felt more than pool water between my legs. I was embarrassed, but so turned on. I didn’t understand the effect this boy had on me. I hardly knew him, but my body liked him just fine.
I managed to pull myself together and turned to him. His eyes looked darker and there was that hunger again. Lust tap-danced down my spine.
“Your turn,” I said.
Like I had done, he flailed his arms. He looked like a deranged lunatic. It was awesome. I wrapped my arm around him. I felt his muscles tense under my touch. His heart pounded hard under my hand. I swam him to the side, but I didn’t let him go right away. He made no move to get away. I even wrapped my other hand around his stomach, touched his thighs with my feet. He turned so fast and pressed me back against the side of the pool. A hummingbird’s wings, that’s how fast my heart was pounding. He dipped his chin, his face getting right into mine. I thought he was going to kiss me.
Instead, he whispered, “You saved my life. How can I ever repay you?”
What a ridiculous thing to say. It was so unexpected and totally charming. He purred the next part, “I’ll do anything.”
Tingles of anticipation exploded inside me as my focus shifted to his mouth. I wanted to know how it felt against mine, wanted his taste on my tongue. He touched my cheek, a delicate swipe of his thumb. “You have to say it, sweetheart.”
I was rocked by the lust burning in his gaze. I almost said it. I almost told him to kiss me, but the teacher called end of class. He didn’t move, kept me pinned to the
side of the pool.
“We’re not done with this conversation.”
I couldn’t speak; it was like someone scrambled my brains so I nodded my head. He chuckled then released me. “See you later, Alexis.”
He swam to the other end of the pool, in long sure strokes. He pulled himself from the water; it sheeted off him. His trunks hugged his ass and what an ass. Electric was how I felt. I should have been electrocuted feeling as I did in water. I dunked my head, hoping to cool the heat raging through me. When I surfaced, Greyson was still standing there, watching me. A knowing grin curved his lips before he headed to the locker room. My legs were wobbly when I climbed from the pool. I didn’t know what upset me more, that I almost kissed Greyson in the school pool or that I hadn’t kissed Greyson in the school pool.
My nerves were frayed. It was sixth period, writing club. I couldn’t get our moment out of my head. I had to though because Greyson would be showing up any minute and he had the uncanny ability of reading my mind, which was filled with thoughts of him naked. I put on The Cure; they never failed to distract me.
I was jamming at my desk when Greyson entered. “You really like them.”
My head jerked up, every second of our encounter earlier flashed through my head. I almost moaned. He was staring at me expectantly. What had he said? Oh right, The Cure. “They follow their own path.”
“Trailblazers, yeah I can see that. You’re one too, you know.”
I had been writing, but my pencil slipped. It was one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to me. “Thank you.”
He dropped his backpack on the floor then dropped down on the desk in front of me. “About the pool.”
I lowered my gaze. He had gotten carried away, wanted to set my expectations that we were friends and not to read into it. I expected the one eighty, but it still hurt.
“I was a little forward; I’m sorry. I just…” He stood. I looked then as he paced away from me, pulling a hand through his hair. He turned back and my breath caught. He didn’t look disinterested, not at all. “I want to kiss you. It’s all I think about, but coming on that strong in class was wrong. I’m sorry.”
We needed to stop, rewind so I could record this conversation. He was apologizing for wanting to kiss me? Did I fall asleep? I had to have fallen asleep, but it seemed so real.
A smile curved his lips. “You have the most expressive face. Every thought is so easy to read.”
What? No, that wasn’t true.
“Right now, you’re dubious. Wondering if this is really happening.”
Shit.
“The day at the beach, you felt it too. That hit of attraction.”
Holy crap, he did have the power to read minds.
“Biology that first day…” He moved closer to me. “I don’t know exactly what you were thinking, but I’d really like to. Your box is not filled with Pop-Tarts. You detest them.” He pushed his hands into his pockets. His voice dropped to a sexy purr. “In the pool, you wanted me to kiss you. You want me to kiss you now, almost as badly as I want to. All you have to do is close the distance, Alexis, and I’ll put us both out of our misery.”
I was dreaming.
“You’re not dreaming.”
“How do you know I’m thinking that?”
“You said that out loud.”
“I do hate Pop-Tarts.”
“They’re pretty dreadful.”
I didn’t tell my body to move, but it had a mind of its own. I stood. His eyes went dark. How I put one foot in front of the other amazed me. I felt so many things all at once. What I felt the strongest? I wanted to kiss him, my first real kiss. The air crackled between us. My breath hitched when his fingers threaded through my hair. He stepped closer, our bodies touching from chest to thigh. Tingles swept through me, my heart pounding so hard he had to feel it. I inhaled his scent as my mouth watered. I had only a second to see what I was feeling in his gaze before he kissed me. It was barely a kiss; his lips brushing mine lightly, and yet I felt that kiss down to my bones. He traced my lower lip with his tongue before he slid it into my mouth, leaving his taste on my tongue. He growled deep in his throat and took the kiss deeper, drinking me in like a thirsty man finally finding water. My eyes closed as I reached for him, partly to feel him and partly to stay upright.
I was breathless when he ended it. He touched his forehead to mine and curled his fingers around my neck. “One taste isn’t enough.”
“Why stop at one?” Bold for me, but I was already hooked after only a taste.
He rubbed my lower lip with his thumb, his eyes following the motion. “Good question.”
My arms went around his neck and I pressed myself against him. It was me who tasted him, sweeping his mouth, hungry for the taste of him.
He broke the kiss and stepped back. “Too easy to forget where we are.”
School. Right. Mr. Dobbs could pop in at any minute.
His focus was on my mouth; my blood felt like liquid fire.
“We’re picking this up later.”
We had three more periods in the day, but, oh hell yeah, we were picking this up later.
Finally, it was last period. I hadn’t paid attention in my last few classes. I’d never kissed a boy before, well not like that. Just thinking about it…I understood now the appeal of the eraser room. What I didn’t understand was why people didn’t kiss all day long. Knowing something felt that good, people should be attacking each other. I worried I would. My lips were still tingling from his kiss, the pressure of his mouth on mine, the way his tongue stroke out more pleasure, the complete shutdown of my body as all systems focused on the magic of his kiss.
The bell rang; yet another class I hadn’t heard a damn thing in. I headed to my locker, turned the corner and stopped dead at the sight of Greyson leaning against my locker talking to some kid. On cue, my body grew warm. I felt a bit like a car revving at the starting line, so eager for the flag to drop so I could rush to Greyson, push the kid out of the way and kiss him senseless. He laughed and I felt that in the center of my chest. I might not have ever known him, the reality of that was not something I wanted to think too much on; he could have picked another town to wait out his senior year; we could have been like those two ships passing in the night. Now that would have been a tragedy.
His focus shifted, a smile touched his lips when he saw me. Even riding the high of kissing him, I felt sad too because our time had an expiration date. He met me halfway, moving so close we were touching. His focus was on my mouth before he lifted that hot gaze.
“Do you have work?”
“No.”
“Come with me?”
Anywhere. “Yes.”
It was with superhuman speed that I swapped out the books in my locker, eager to get on the back of his bike. More eager to get somewhere private so I could kiss him again. He took my backpack and reached for my hand. I grinned at the memory of scripting a scene very similar to this when I was working up the nerve to talk to him. Maybe I should script out a few more scenes and see what happened.
We made it to his bike, before he dropped my backpack and pulled his hands through my hair in one seamless move. He kissed me, this time with a bit of familiarity, and way more hunger. He feasted; it was the only word that came to mind to describe the way his mouth, teeth and tongue worked together to draw out so much pleasure. Though, in fairness, my brain wasn’t thinking vocabulary at the moment. I explored every inch of his mouth, curling my hands into his shirt to pull him closer. Chills moved from my head to my toes in the most delicious way. I wanted the world to stop so we could live in this moment forever. We were both breathing heavy; I even forgot where we were for a minute.
“I want to show you something,” he said against my mouth.
I wanted to see it, but I didn’t think we were talking about the same thing. He growled, reading my thoughts perfectly. He strapped my backpack onto his bike and handed me the helmet. I didn’t care where we were going just as long as there would be
more kissing.
We reached the bluffs and though I had lived most of my life here I had never seen this particular spot. It was a little piece of heaven. Patches of sea grass and wildflowers still in bloom softened the rocky cliff. Seagulls flew low and the salty sea scented the air. The ocean spread out before us, reaching to the horizon, with the only sound being the crashing of the waves against the surf.
“I’ve lived here my whole life and I never knew about this place. It’s magnificent.”
“I want to paint it.”
“I can see why.”
His focus turned to me. “I want to paint you too.”
My blood ignited. “Okay.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
I held his gaze. “I hope you do.”
He yanked me close, his eyes on my mouth again. “Now that I’ve had a taste it’s all I can think about.”
“You and me both.”
Then he kissed me. Yep, I could so totally spend the rest of my life kissing this boy.
Greyson
I had Alexis on the brain. I was hooked, fucking addicted. I was leaving at the end of the school year. My agent had the next few years all planned out. Getting involved with her when I knew I was leaving was stupid, but I couldn’t stay away. I’d never been so drawn to someone, wanted someone as badly as I wanted her and I hardly knew her.
I then made matters worse by kissing her. Holy shit, that kiss. I found myself daydreaming about it and I didn’t daydream. It wasn’t just because it was the best fucking kiss, it was the familiarity that hooked into me and refused to let go. I knew her and yet we’d never met before this. I was going mad, but there was comfort knowing Alexis was right there with me.
Arriving at school, I headed to Alexis’ locker. She was already there, unloading her bag. I swear she looked to be talking to herself. I wouldn’t be surprised if she were. She had her hair up, her neck exposed and I wanted to kiss her right where her neck met her shoulder. So I did. She knew I was there, her body tensed before I reached her. She moaned and my balls tightened.
