Through the Layers (Rumor Has It series Book 4)

by RH Tucker

  “Hey,” I exclaim.

  He puts it with his tablet, setting them off to the side, then rolls over on top of me, attacking my neck with his lips. “You brought this on yourself.”

  There was no more reading that night.

  But of everything, all things being equal, I think my favorite is morning sex. I know I’m not as experienced as Cindy, but there’s no way she could’ve adequately explained how great morning sex is. I mean … amazing doesn’t begin to describe it.

  I love it when he initiates it, but I really love it when I do. Knowing that I’m turning him on, it turns me on.

  His hands run over my legs and slide up my back, under my shirt. I still haven’t taken it off. I go to sleep feeling warm and loved by him, but waking up like this is incredible.

  His chest is heaving, his lips connect with mine, and he kisses me, long and deep. My lips break away from his, resting my forehead against his.

  As he holds me, I feel him everywhere, and bite my bottom lip so hard I think I may have drawn blood. His thumb slides over my lips, our eyes locked on one another. “I love you so much. You’re so beautiful.”

  His words are so honest, I even feel them. They’re a weight tied around my heart, and whenever he speaks, they tighten, binding me to him. A loud moan escapes me again before I scream out his name and fall against him.

  Our warm breaths mixing with one another’s, he’s about to kiss me again when we’re jolted from our euphoria.

  “Shut the fuck up in there!” Taylor’s voice echoes through the apartment. “We don’t live in a porn studio!”

  My eyes widen, biting my lip in embarrassment. Micah smirks up at me as I roll off of him. I’m not as embarrassed as the first time Taylor said he heard me. All of the time before having sex, wondering how it’d feel, or how much I’d enjoy it, I never gave a second thought on whether I’d be loud while doing it.

  “Okay, I’m leaving for work,” Taylor shouts. “You can continue screaming your brains out.”

  My face burns. “I really have to work on that.”

  Micah rolls on his side, wrapping his arms around me. As much as I love the connection we share, and as incredible as it feels, there’s nothing that feels better than when he wraps his arms around me right after. “You really don’t,” he whispers, his lips grazing my ear. “He’s just jealous because he hasn’t gotten any for a while.”

  “Micah, I’m too loud.”

  “No, you’re not, V. I love it when you’re loud. And I love it when you tell me what you like.” He presses his lips against my cheek, his hand traveling up my thigh.

  I turn so I’m facing him. “You just like it when I say your name.”

  “Yeah, that too.” His hand skims over my waist, and he runs his fingers over the hem of my shirt. “When do you think you might take this off?”

  He’s only asked me once before. And even then, it wasn’t a request, just a simple question if I wanted to leave my shirt on or not. I love that it’s okay with him that I’m not as comfortable with my body as he is with his. I wish I were. I wish I could sleep with him, not even have sex, but just sleep next to him, skin to skin. Or even in that present Cindy got me, which I have thought about, but still haven’t dared to break out.

  He’s next to me right now, his arms still around me, and he’s completely naked. But he’s shaped like a Greek god, or at least, a demi-god. How am I supposed to compare to that? He’s never brought up my weight. Not once. But I’m still self-conscious about it.

  “I’m gonna take a shower,” I say, ignoring his question.

  His eyes stay on me, a knowing smile on his face. “When do you have to leave? I can’t believe you’re leaving me for a week. How am I going to survive?”

  “Toto said we’re leaving at eleven, so I have a couple more hours.”

  I scamper out of bed, pulling my shirt below my butt. Grabbing some clothes out of my drawer, I head to the bathroom, casting a glance back at him before closing the door. He smiles, and if I were wearing panties, they’d be dropping. Again.

  Letting the water warm, the bathroom begins to steam up. I step into the shower, and the water falls over me while my fingers trace over my stomach.

  Ten more pounds.

  When I lose ten more pounds, I’ll take my shirt off in front of him. Things probably won’t be as noticeable. Even if he’s told me he loves me, and holds me like I’m what he wants while we’re intimate, my mind doesn’t think of Micah first. It thinks of Tim and his damn words. It doesn’t matter that Micah hasn’t said that and now, has technically been with a big girl. The words still sting. I hate that that’s where my mind goes, but it’s where it’s always gone.

  After the shower, I head back into the room, folding the shirt I just slept in. “I’m taking this.” I stuff it in my bag.

  He’s sitting on the edge of the bed, scrolling through his phone, as he nods. “Ensenada has some gorgeous beaches.” He waves his phone at me.

  “Yeah, they’re pretty nice.”

  “I’m gonna miss you.”

  His voice is almost somber. I walk over to him, our arms wrap around each other, and he lays his head over my chest. “It’ll only be a week, Micah.”

  “I know.” He nods. “I was thinking right now …”

  “Okay?”

  “Veronica, you know I love you, right?” He looks up at me, his eyes latching onto mine.

  “Of course. I love you, too.”

  “So, I don’t care if you want to wear my shirts forever while we sleep together. I just want you to be comfortable with yourself, and know that I think you’re gorgeous.”

  Can he get any more perfect? My eyes start to tear, and I lean down and kiss his forehead. “Thank you.”

  “With that said,” his voice switches to a more lighthearted tone; cupping his hands over my butt, he smirks, “I order you to keep on my shirt and forbid you to take it off while you’re in Mexico, without me around. And I’ll be texting you every single day, making sure there aren’t any guys down there hitting on my girl.”

  Laughing, I lean down again, this time kissing his lips. “Dumb boy.”

  Chapter 19

  Micah

  Me: I miss you

  Vero: :-*

  Vero: What do you miss the most?

  Me: Will your brothers read your text messages?

  Vero: Ur bad lol. I miss you too. Only 5 more days

  Me: Ugh. Don’t remind me

  Vero: Gotta go. My cousins are deep in the throes of judging who’s cuter - Justin Bieber or Nick Jonas? They’re both pleading with me to take their side

  Me: LOL! You better not pick either

  Vero: u never know ;)

  Me: Wow. Ok, I’m gonna give u a good reason to not choose either when u get back

  Vero: Ok lame-o. That better be a big reason to not pick Nick Jonas. You know he’s my top celeb freebie-choice

  Me: I still can’t believe he’s at the top of ur list

  Me: And…

  Me: You and I both know it’s a BIG reason

  Vero: Great. Now I have to delete these messages in case my brothers DO read this LOL

  Me: Love u

  Vero: I love u too

  “Get off your phone,” Taylor says, throwing a hand over my cell phone. “She’s only been gone two days. Grow a pair.”

  “Shut up,” I reply with a laugh.

  “I’m glad you didn’t put up a fight into coming to this party.”

  I look around the house. I haven’t been back here since high school. Since the night I caught Lana cheating on me. And honestly, I surprised myself when I told Taylor I’d come to Matt’s party. His dad’s out of town, and I guess his little brother is spending the summer with their mom, so he decided to throw a big party, now that Izzy has more free time for the summer. Truth be told, I think that’s the only reason I came; knowing Izzy and Cindy were going to be at the party. They’re Veronica’s best friends. I want to get to know them better. Plus, with her gone for a
week, it kind of feels like I have a kinship growing with Cindy.

  No, there is another reason. She’s only been gone two days, but I’ve been trying to convince myself that I’m not nervous. Maybe just concerned. No, concerned sounds worse. We just took a significant step in our relationship, so I should have no reason to feel like Veronica would ever do something with anyone else. Now, more than ever. But it’s still in the back of my mind. I’m hoping that being around my friends and hers, I can finally put those worries in check.

  “And you’re still cool, right?” Taylor eyes me.

  “What do you mean?”

  He glances over my shoulder, and I turn to see Matt leaning against a wall in his backyard, behind a pool table, with Izzy’s arms wrapped around him. “With Matt. I know you said it’s fine when we were at the apartment, but I just want to check.”

  “Yeah, I’m cool.” He raises a suspicious eyebrow. “Seriously, man. Look, he’s not my best friend, but that happened a long time ago. And it definitely helps that she hasn’t contacted me in a while. Plus—”

  “Veronica,” he cuts me off. “Don’t remind me. I hear you screaming her name enough.” I try to stifle a laugh, but it still comes out. “Dude, you guys are loud.”

  “Whatever,” I say through more laughter. “Do you realize how many times I had to listen to you and I never said anything?”

  “Yeah, but I thought you were still sulking and not just being polite.”

  “It was both.”

  Like the last time I was here, I’m impressed by the house. Matt’s dad is some big shot lawyer from what I remember, and it definitely shows that he’s got money to spend. There’s a sauna set up, a hot tub, and a pool with different colored lights under the water. Next to the billiard table, there’s also a ping-pong table. And then, there’s the pool house. The pool house. Where I caught Lana.

  I’ve told myself I’m over it and I am over it. I’m not angry about that or catching her on her birthday. I have no reason to even think about it. But seeing the pool house? Remembering what I walked in on, it still burns. Not so much that we were together, because I’ve gotten over that. For the most part. But just the fact that it happened. That she did that to me.

  Maybe that’s why I’m constantly texting Veronica, hoping my texts keep her occupied enough in case some guy is hitting on her.

  Micah, stop it!

  Shaking it off, I walk over to an ice chest near the ping pong table and grab a new drink.

  “Micah!” Cindy screams, running over to give me a hug.

  “Hey, what’s up?”

  “Um, excuse you. That’s my man.”

  As soon as I hear the voice, a smile cracks my lips. I turn around and see Jen, who bombards me with a hug.

  “Jen!” I squeeze her back. “How are you?”

  “Oh, you know, being awesome.”

  Cindy and Jen know each other, so they exchange pleasantries. Emma walks over with her boyfriend, Carter, on her arm. She breaks away to give me a hug.

  “Micah, I’ve missed you!”

  “Aw, I miss you, too.”

  “Ladies, ladies,” Taylor sidesteps over, a drink in his hand and total confidence lacing his words, “you may or may not know this, but Micah is spoken for now. I, however, am more than available.”

  All three of them eye Taylor up and down.

  “I’m sure you are, you tool bag,” Carter shouts out, laughing and wrapping an arm around Emma.

  “Carter? I didn’t know you were here.”

  Pulling Emma closer, he leans down and kisses her cheek. “Yup. Just showing up at my best friend’s party, with my girlfriend.”

  Taylor’s eyes widen. “Oops, my bad.” He turns to Jen. “But I don’t know if we’ve ever been properly introduced.”

  He extends his hand to her and Emma pushes it away. “Her name’s Jen. She’s my best friend. And her boyfriend is Lucas Mitchell, you horn dog.”

  Taylor gives her a peculiar look. “Oh, you’re the chick that had Lucas spazzing in school.” We all laugh, and if I’m not mistaken, Jen blushes a little. “Where is Mitchell, anyway?”

  She pouts. “Family camping trip. I couldn’t get the time off from work.”

  “Oh, you poor baby,” I tease her, poking her ribs.

  “Shut your mouth, Micah.” She scowls at me, before finally releasing a smile.

  “Don’t let this guy fool you,” Taylor laughs, slapping me on the back. “He’s been whining for forty-eight hours about Veronica being gone.”

  “I feel your pain, Micah,” Cindy commiserates with me.

  “No, you really don’t, Cindy.” Taylor laughs. “Not unless you and V got your freak on before she started dating my boy.”

  “Taylor!” I hiss through clenched teeth. He laughs some more and Cindy giggles.

  “You know,” Jen nudges me, “I called that last summer.”

  “Well, you’ve got a good eye,” I answer before looking at Cindy. “So, Cindy, no Jackson tonight?”

  “Screw Jackson.” She stares a hole through me, and the silence around us simmers.

  I decided to take a chance. “You guys on the outs again?”

  “I don’t get that guy. Like, seriously, what is his deal? He’ll text me, we’ll go out, and then I won’t hear from him for five days. Then he’ll call me out of the blue and tell me he misses me. What the hell?” she grumbles, crossing her arms.

  “I can have Lucas talk to him if you want,” Jen says, her voice timid and unsure.

  “No. Maybe. I don’t know. I mean, I like him, but …”

  More silence. We look around at each other, and thankfully Carter walks over with a couple cue sticks. “All right, me and Emma got the first game. Who are we playing?”

  Jen looks over at me. “What do you say, Micah? Think we can take ’em?”

  “Oh, it’s on.”

  Laughs and drinks float around the billiard table as we all take turns playing. It’s been forever since I’ve had this much fun with Jen and Emma, and I’ve even cracked a couple jokes with Matt when he walked over. He doesn’t bring up our last discussion at the gym. Neither do I.

  Taylor floats around the table, then mingles with a few girls in the hot tub. The only thing that would make this night better is if Veronica was here. Taking a few pictures, I send them to her, and she sends me a few smiley and heart emojis back. Cindy snickers behind me after I finish taking a pool shot.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.” She smirks and hides her phone against her stomach. I wait, raising an eyebrow. “Okay, but you can’t tell her I showed you. She’ll kill me.”

  “Show who what?”

  She laughs as she turns her phone around and I read her text messages.

  V: I wish I was there. I barely know Jen and Emma

  Cindy: They’re nice. Micah’s having a lot of fun but I can tell he misses you

  V: I miss him, too

  Cindy: Okay, don’t go getting on sappy on me girl. I’m already emotional because of Jax

  V: Sorry

  V: Hey, send me a picture of him. But don’t tell him

  Cindy: Seriously?

  V: YES!

  There’s a picture of me standing next to Jen. It looks like I’m saying something to her as I hold my cue stick.

  V: No. A better one. Oh!!! One of his butt! ;)

  Cindy: How the hell am I gonna get one of those?

  V: Please! Please! Please!

  The next message is a picture of me, leaning over the pool table, about to take a shot. Cindy’s right behind me, so you get a perfect shot of my ass rounding out the cargo shorts I’m wearing. Following the picture is a message from Veronica of three emoji faces, all with heart eyes.

  “Nice,” I tell Cindy, who’s still giggling.

  Then I send Veronica a text message.

  Me: I want u to tell me tomorrow wear u touched urself while looking at that picture of my ass

  First, she sends me multiple emojis, mostly of shocked faces. Then o
f blushing faces.

  Vero: I’m going to kill her!!!

  Cindy and I laugh some more as I finish off my drink. Heading inside, I’m about to turn the corner for the hallway toward the restroom when I hear a commotion at the front of the house.

  “No, man,” I hear Matt say. “If you want to stay, that’s cool, but that asshole has got to go.”

  “Fuck you, Hillard!” I hear someone shout back and instantly know the voice. Jeremy McCormick.

  When I get to the front door, Carter is standing behind Matt. A couple of their friends are next to them, offering support, as Franco Avila and Jeremy stand on the outside of the entrance.

  All four of them—Franco, Jeremy, Carter, and Matt—were all friends in high school. Senior year there was a falling out between all of them. It started with Carter, and everything escalated from there. Franco always seemed to sit on the fence with Jeremy. Matt and Carter never had an issue with Franco, but Jeremy is a dickhead with a capital D.

  “Come on, Matt,” Franco pleads. “I’ll keep an eye on him.”

  “Shut up, Franco.” Jeremy pushes him aside. “I don’t need to be babysat like I’m three years old. What the hell, Matt? After all of the parties you and Carter went to at my place? And my place is ten times nicer than this shit.”

  “Jeremy, cut it out, man,” Franco scolds him.

  Jeremy looks at him like he wants to say something, but doesn’t. It’s weird. I don’t know them very well, but they come off as brothers.

  “You see?” Matt speaks up. “That’s the shit I’m talking about. Sorry, dude. I’m not having him come in here, breaking shit, and then I gotta hear about it from my dad when he gets back in town.”

  “Fuck this!” Jeremy shouts and then turns and leaves.

  “Sorry, Franco.” Matt lifts his shoulders, apologizing.

  Franco doesn’t seem mad. He looks annoyed, but not at Matt. “Yeah, yeah.” He turns around, following Jeremy.

  Shutting the door, Matt turns and sees me standing there. Giving me a head nod, he smiles. “You good?”