Boarded by Love

by Toni Aleo

  “I made the team too, Jude. Do I get a hug, kiss, or anything? Shit!” Skylar jokes, and I laugh as he kisses my nose again.

  Holding up his hand, Skylar high-fives him as he says, “Congrats, Skylar, I knew you would make it.”

  “A high five? Before you’d at least smack my ass!”

  He laughs and I do too. I know she’s playing around. Skylar loves me too much; she wouldn’t hurt me.

  “Yeah, that was before I started dating Claire.”

  He sends me one last grin before walking away as both of us watch.

  Beside me, Skylar says, “I have no clue who that is.”

  “That’s my man, Jude Sinclair,” I say with a little wiggle.

  When I glance over at her, she isn’t laughing or smiling; her face is contorted in a perplexed matter. “Why did you lie to him? Maybe you’ll study between sets, but still, you will be at work.”

  My face burns with color and so does my throat as I avoid eye contact. “I don’t want to tell him about that. It isn’t who I am; it’s a quick dollar so that I can have a steady life when I graduate.”

  “I get that, but you probably need to tell him.”

  “I will, come on. Let’s go to practice before we’re late.”

  Thankfully she agrees with not another word on the subject. While I know I need to tell him, I also think that maybe it doesn’t matter. I work midnight to three in the morning, and I wear a disguise.

  No one knows it’s me. Hell, it’s not really me, so why does it matter?

  As much as I want to think it doesn’t matter, I know it might matter to Jude, and that makes me more nervous than falling for him. I can’t quit; I need that money to make sure I never have to depend on anyone for the rest of my life. It’s gonna help me get my business. It’s gonna be the start to my new life, but I have a feeling that Jude won’t see it that way.

  Chapter 14

  Jude

  Falling into my bed, a smile is on my lips as I dig my phone out of my pocket. It has been signaling a text for the last thirty minutes, but I really don’t care. My thoughts are solely on a certain fiery redhead who I can’t seem to get enough of. Glancing at the display, I see that I have twelve texts. Groaning, I scan through them all, seeing they all have the same thing in common.

  Mandy: Jude, are you dating Claire Anderson? I thought you don’t date! I didn’t really like you.

  Julie: what the hell Jude, you told me you don’t date but everyone is talking about how you’re with that redhead! Yeah, I said that so you’d suck me off.

  Marianne: Why is that redhead good enough and I’m not. Answer me that Jude! Have you been around Claire? Touched her? No? Yeah, you wouldn’t understand.

  Stacey: Jude, you are a dick and a half. How dare you date someone when you said you’d date me when you decided to start dating? Yeah, I lied.

  Jamie: I hate you Jude. You’re a liar. That redhead isn’t even pretty. Bullshit, she’s gorgeous.

  And it goes and goes and goes. Everyone that I’ve ever fucked saying the same damn thing.

  “Fuck, what is wrong with girls these days?”

  Jayden looks up from his bed. “Huh?”

  “Everyone is freaking out ’cause I’m dating Claire.”

  He scoffs. “Well, when you leave a girl’s bed with the promise, ‘When I’m ready to settle down, baby, you’ll be the first one I call,’ that tends to happen.”

  I glare. “Shut the fuck up. While I can see your point, I don’t want to hear it. I want these girls to leave me the hell alone.”

  He laughs as he rolls his eyes. “Why don’t you just change your number? It’s gonna keep on and you know it.”

  “I swear you are the smartest out of all of us.”

  “This is true,” Jayden says with a nod before opening his laptop. When another text comes through, I go to ignore it but then I see it’s from Claire.

  Claire: So, practice was canceled. People couldn’t stay, so yeah, sucks, I guess I’m gonna go study.

  Quickly, I type back.

  Me: Wanna hang with me for a bit? I gotta go change my phone number.

  Claire: Why?

  Me: Cause everyone won’t leave me alone.

  Claire: Oh. Okay. Yeah. Do I want to ask why?

  Me: I’ll tell ya when I get there. I’ll be over in a bit.

  Claire: Okay. I’ll be waiting outside.

  Me: Great.

  Standing up, I tuck my phone in my pocket and reach for my helmet then Jayden’s. “I’m taking your helmet.”

  “Why?”

  “For Claire. I’ll order her one, but right now I need yours.”

  “Whatevs.”

  “Hey, I’m gonna text ya in a bit and then make yourself disappear.”

  “No way!” he complains but I settle him with a look.

  “Would you like to share a room with another freshman instead?”

  “You’re an asshole, dude. I got homework.”

  “Go upstairs. You’ll be fine. See ya.”

  I don’t want to be an ass and kick my brother out of his room, but I also don’t want to be feeling Claire up in front of him. Do I even get to feel her up? Hmm. That’s something I need to ask about. Going out to where my bike is parked, I put my helmet on and slowly mount my black with silver chrome Star Bolt that my dad got me when I graduated. Jayden got a car, and usually we trade off whenever we feel the need to. I love riding my bike, though. It’s probably my third favorite thing to do after hockey and sex. Putting Claire’s helmet under the bungee cables that are on the back, I start the bike up, the roar of it vibrating underneath me before I slowly back up and then hit the gas to go.

  I see her after taking the turn on her street. She’s sitting on the bench, and when she sees me, her eyebrow comes up. She stands when I reach her, throwing my helmet up.

  “Hey there, gorgeous, wanna go for a ride?”

  With a wide grin on her face, she shakes her head. “Oooowwweeee, my uncle would say you are big trouble with a capital B and T.”

  I laugh, climbing off my bike. “Good thing I’m not trying to date your uncle then.”

  “I know you are big trouble, though,” she says with a grin, stopping in front of me.

  Raising my brow, I smile as I nod my head back to the bike. “Does that mean you’re not gonna go for a ride with me?”

  “Oh, hell no, it doesn’t. I’m riding.”

  “Awesome,” I say as I grin widely before taking the helmet off the back. I wait as she ties her hair at the back of her head, and then I slowly put the helmet on her head. It goes on easy since Jayden’s head is massive compared to Claire’s. “I’ll order you a helmet tonight when I get back.”

  “Sounds good to me,” she says before mounting the bike, and I decide she looks damn good on the back of my bike. Unlike other girls, she doesn’t dress up. She’s wearing Bellevue sweatpants and a large, purple Assassins sweatshirt. I’m beginning to think that’s all the girl owns, and I don’t care one bit. I love it. I like that she’s comfortable around me in barely anything and naked.

  I get on in front of her, and she waits till the bike roars to put her hands around my waist. “Have you ridden on the back of a bike before?”

  “Nope, this is my first time.”

  “Awesome, get ready then,” I say and we’re off. It’s a beautiful night. Clear and cool, and as I drive toward the Verizon store, I’m glad to have Claire on the back, holding me tight. Once we’re there, I park the bike and get off, helping her next. She removes the helmet, and when she looks at me, she’s grinning.

  “That was amazing.”

  “Yeah, it’s a wonderful night,” I say, really pleased that she loved it. Usually it scares girls.

  “Yeah, it is,” she agrees as she hands me her helmet. “Why are we here?”

  “’Cause my phone won’t stop blowing up. I’m gonna change my number to get away from it. The people I want to call me will have my number, and that’s it.”

  She smiles as I t
hread my fingers with hers. “So what you’re saying is you’re changing your number to get away from all the girls who are contacting you?”

  “Exactly. Of course, except for you, my mom, and my sister.”

  “Aw, how sweet,” she says, leaning against me, and I like the glow that’s on her face.

  Kissing her nose, I smile before saying, “Remind me to call my mom, though. She’ll be here in two point three seconds if she can’t get ahold of me.”

  “Will do,” she promises and then we head inside.

  After changing my number, I call my mom right away and then hurry off the call before she has me on the phone all damn night. Once we’re on the bike and heading down the streets of Bellevue, I decide that I don’t want to go back to the house. It’s too nice out, and knowing my luck, Jayden won’t have left the room. So instead, I head toward the park outside of the college. Usually I go running there, but today I just want to sit on my bike with the prettiest girl ever.

  Parking near the pond, I shut the bike off then pull my helmet off before standing up and looking back at her. “Figured we can enjoy the night.”

  “Sounds good to me, but the grass is wet, isn’t it?”

  Going over to the grass, I find it is. “Shit, yeah, and I didn’t bring a blanket. We can head back.”

  She shakes her head. “No, we’re good, come sit down but face me.”

  “I love the way you think,” I admit, heading toward her and doing what she asks.

  She grins as she hands me the helmet and I lay it on the ground before folding my arms on her knees, laying my head on my arms, looking up at her. “So why did they cancel practice?”

  She rolls her eyes. “’Cause they’re dumb. Apparently half the damn team couldn’t practice. But all us new girls were there, so why not start on us so we can be up to date, ya know? I told Skylar I have a bad feeling about this. I hate when people are all kinds of screwed up.”

  I smile. “I agree. I like things to be in order, that’s why I’m captain.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think Rachael will allow me to dethrone her.”

  “Too bad, you’d make a hot captain.”

  She laughs. “I’m pretty sure in your eyes I’d make a hot anything.”

  I act like I’m thinking for a second and then nod. “Yup, pretty much.”

  She giggles before running her hands along my neck and up into my hair, brushing it to the side. It feels so amazing that soon my eyes fall shut as she moves her hands through my hair. When her fingers slowly graze along the hair on my jaw, I open one eye to find her working her lip as if she’s nervous, or thinking way too damn hard.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  She shrugs. “Crap.”

  I smile. “Wanna share your crap and see if I can help?”

  She works her lips a little more, and then lets out a long breath. “So people are looking at me like I’m the dumbest bitch in the world for dating you, and it’s superirritating. They are blowing your phone up, but they are coming at me, saying all these crazy things to me, like, don’t I know you’ve been around and shit like that. It’s annoying as hell.” I sit up and her hands fall into her lap as she watches me. “I didn’t say it to piss you off,” she says quickly and I shrug.

  “I know that, but I still don’t like that it’s happening to you. It’s stupid,” I say, my heart pounding in my chest. I have a feeling she’s going to tell me she can’t handle it and wants to cut things off with me. I can’t blame her, though; I wouldn’t want people in my face either telling me the person I’m dating is basically a manwhore. I mean, I know I was, but I don’t want to be that anymore.

  “Yeah, it’s dumb, and I’m hoping it dies down.”

  “I hope so too. I mean, you can say I’ve seen more ass than a toilet seat, but am I proud of it? I was before I met you, not so much now. I’m more embarrassed than anything. But the big question is, is it gonna be a problem?”

  She shakes her head. “I don’t think so. I think the biggest thing that bothers me is that they say you’re gonna cheat on me. The way I see it is, I’m with you, and I trust you until you give me a reason not to, and then I’m gone.”

  “I don’t think that will happen.”

  Ignoring my comment, she goes on, “Plus, who am I to judge you? My past is way worse than yours. I slept with grown men at fourteen, so who the hell am I to judge anyone? I’m good with us. I just wish everyone would leave me the hell alone.”

  I try to keep my jaw from dropping, but it doesn’t work. “Whoa, what?”

  “Huh? I want people to leave me alone.”

  “No, the fourteen-year-old with grown men stuff.”

  She nods. “Oh, yeah, told ya, I had a bad, bad childhood.”

  Still a little shocked, I ask, “Care to elaborate?”

  “Nope,” she says, looking deep in my eyes. “But I will once I know you aren’t going to run from my scary, horrible childhood.”

  Reaching out, I tuck a stray piece of her hair behind her ear and smile. “I don’t think that’s gonna happen.”

  “That’s ’cause we’re in the lusty phase, where we can’t get enough. Plus, you want to see my ass again.”

  I laugh as I nod. “This is very true, but honestly, I really do like you, like, a lot.”

  “Like, a lot, a lot?”

  She leans into me, running her nose along mine, her eyes pulling me in and making my heart beat faster. “A whole fucking lot.”

  Biting into her lip, she grazes her lips against mine, our breaths mingling, our hearts in time as my hands come up her thighs to the small of her back, resting under her shirt. She takes in a soft breath as our eyes lock, and everything inside me goes hot.

  Then she says, “I think I might like you a little more than that.”

  She honestly just made my life with those eleven little words.

  Chapter 15

  Claire

  “And because of that, I don’t care what anyone says. I’m good, Jude, as long as you don’t hurt me,” I say, and I mean every word.

  I’ve thought about this all day. Ever since the first girl came at me, I’ve been thinking about it, and I’ve decided that I’ve never cared what people thought about me before, and I’m not going to start now. Yes, it’s only day one of dating Jude, and yes, a billion people have told me it’s a bad idea, but I don’t care.

  I like him.

  “I won’t,” he promises and I believe him.

  I smile as he pulls me down from the bike and into his lap. I wrap my arms around his neck, and he smashes his lips to mine. Slowly we kiss, both of our mouths teasing the other’s as his fingers stroke my back. Parting, I smile against his lips before leaning back and asking, “Take your shirt off.”

  He waggles his eyebrows, and I laugh as he says, “Why, yes, ma’am.”

  “Dork, I want to see your tattoos. I haven’t gotten a good look at them, and they intrigue me.”

  He smiles before pulling his Bullies shirt over his head and into his lap. Leaning in close, I run my fingers on his chest where an anatomical heart with hockey sticks crossed through it is inked above where his real heart lies. I look at him questioningly, and he says, “Hockey is in my heart, my soul.”

  I nod before trailing my eyes up to his left arm where the measures for “Hey Jude” by the Beatles run along his whole arm, stopping at his wrist, the lyrics to the song under each note. It is beautiful, stunning even, with splashes of watercolor all throughout the tattoo.

  “For your mom?” I ask, and he smiles as he nods.

  “It’s actually my favorite song. It’s one of those songs that hits you in the heart.”

  “Agreed.”

  He flashes me a grin as I notice that along his bicep are five names: Mom, Lucy, Jayden, Jace, and Angie in beautiful script.

  “Where is your dad’s name?”

  He shrugs. “I don’t get along with my dad much.”

  I can tell that’s a sensitive subject, so I just nod as I inspect t
he rest of his arm. He hadn’t pushed for my deep dark secrets, and I wouldn’t do that to him. There will be a time when we bare our souls to each other, but today is not that day. I take in the other things he has which are more abstract objects in watercolor. They’re beautiful and everything ties together perfectly. Lacing my fingers with his, I notice that he doesn’t have anything on top of his right arm, so I turn it over and decide that this one is probably my favorite besides the lyrics. It’s a hockey puck coming out of his skin, blood dripping from the wound with little ice shards around it. Above, it has laces that look as if they’re stitched into his skin to close the wound, and on them it reads “No Fear, No Pain, No Gain.” It is completely badass, and nothing less than I would expect Jude to get.

  “Totally badass.”

  “Thanks, it’s probably my favorite piece.”

  “Which one was your first tattoo?”

  “My heart one. I got it the day I turned eighteen.”

  “Supercool,” I say and then add, “You can put your shirt back on.”

  “Are you sure?” he asks, waggling his brow at me.

  “Yes,” I laugh.

  “Thanks,” he says with a laugh. “It is getting chilly.”

  He throws his shirt back on and then sets me with a look. “Got any ink? And please let it be in a naughty spot.”

  I laugh, pulling up my shirt and my bra where my little bitty anchor sits. Around it are the words, “A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor.”

  “For your rough childhood?”

  I smile as I nod. “Yup, Reese and Phillip took me to get it on my eighteenth birthday. They both got the same thing. Phillip’s is bigger on his calf, while Reese’s is on her thigh. It’s special to us.”

  “It’s nice,” he says, tracing his fingers along it. “Any more?”

  I shake my head. “Nope, I don’t live in a tattoo parlor like you.”

  He laughs. “I’m due for a new one. I try to go every three months. You should come with me. I need one on the top of my arm.”

  “Okay, just let me know when,” I say, letting my shirt fall.