Free Pass (Free Will Book 1)

by Kincheloe, Allie

  Laney lay a hand on my chest, and I tilted my head down just enough to make eye contact. Sliding a hand up to the back of my neck, she urged me to come closer. I kissed her. Slow, tender, and absolutely perfect. Like every other kiss we'd shared, any trace of awkwardness disappeared. Nothing else mattered. When she relaxed into my arms with a little contented sigh, I knew whole-heartedly that Laney was it for me. I was falling for her, even more than I already had. Eric's snickers pulled me from my fantasy world.

  "Austin cheated on me. Jake stepped in. That's all you need to know," Laney answered.

  "Ha, no. I need so many more details than that. He laughed at me when Tina first moved to Free Will and I said I liked her. He butted his nose in, giving his opinion. As his best friend, I plan to do the same."

  My chest shook with laughter. "Yeah, well, we were art nerds. She was a cheerleader. Not exactly the same league. I didn't think it would end well."

  "I couldn't believe when Eric asked me out. I may have been a cheerleader, but I could still appreciate an art nerd. Still can," she told Eric with a kiss.

  "I really didn't think I had a shot. Jake sure as hell didn't. But I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try. Now, here we are, seven years later. Married with a beautiful baby."

  "Did you cheer, Laney?" Tina asked.

  "Me? Oh, no way." She laughed. "I can trip over air. I was the girl who stayed in the library, praying not to be noticed. Austin and I had a group project one semester, otherwise he would have continued to ignore me as his mom's friend's weird daughter." Laney nudged me then. "Besides, he only asked me out because of a comment you made at a pool party that summer. Something about my ass and asking him how old I was?"

  "You do have a nice ass," I whispered and nuzzled her neck.

  "Wait, Austin asked you out just to spite Jake?" Eric found that amusing. His roaring laughter filled the room. When Tina elbowed him, he slid off the couch and continued to laugh on the floor.

  "Yup. I was so flattered when the star basketball player actually noticed me. Knocked me down a peg when he said he only asked me out because of Jake's interest. Three years, I spent with him. Only to find out it was a joke, and then a convenience."

  Tina hopped up to start dinner. Tension was thick, I'm sure she hoped to release some of it. She and Eric didn't know what a can of worms they'd opened. Trying to understand the motivations behind Laney and I was a big job. Hell, she and I were still working all that out.

  We said our goodbyes and left in time to say our farewells to our parents and her granny. We drove by the hospital and visited with Granny for a moment. She seemed to be doing better, just tired. So we didn't stay long. Laney promised to come back the next weekend.

  "Not at the hospital," she said. "I'm gonna be home by then. And you'd better bring Jake, so I can get to know him better."

  She winked at me when I said I'd come if Laney let me. I think maybe I'd won the old lady over... Just had to work my magic on her granddaughter still.

  We drove back to the city, relatively silent. This weekend had been crazy with highs and lows.

  Her place had been invaded by Kelsey's friends. They invited us to join them in their game night, but we decided to watch a movie in Laney's room. By we, I mean she, Laney didn't seem to want to hang out with the others. I was tired and didn't really give a shit. Just whatever made her happy.

  Laney put on some chick flick and snuggled up against me. Didn't take long for me to get sleepy...

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Falling asleep in Jake's arms may be a bit of heaven. But waking up in them? Devilishly delicious. His hot lips against my sensitive throat instead of the insistent blare of an alarm clock? Hell yes, I would take that any day.

  There was no better way to wake up. A deep sigh slipped from my lips and I wrapped him in a tight embrace. An appreciative growl rumbled low in his chest. His hands skimmed up my sides. The T-shirt I wore bunched around his wrists and I sat up enough to take it off. My movement arched my chest toward him, and his eyes took in my every move. I exaggerated my motions and moved into a leisurely stretch. He licked his lips before lunging at me. His mouth closed over my nipple and he knocked me back into the pillows.

  We were crunched for time and he slid one hand between us to help get me going. It didn't take much. I stayed on fire for him. In a couple moments, he had me panting. I begged for him to take those damn boxers off and get inside me.

  And, you know, he's happy to oblige.

  I walked into my class late with a hickey on my neck and a smile on my face. It didn't matter that I missed fifteen minutes of the lecture. My world had been rocked this morning. Who cared about American Literature?

  Finals were coming up, so I should be spending all my free time studying. Today, I actually tried. But I ended up spending my free time daydreaming about Jake. How could I not? This had been the most amazing weekend—minus Granny's health issues.

  He was amazing.

  There. I said it.

  How he's still single, I had no clue. But, thank goodness for me, he was! Why hadn't I seen how perfect he was for me before?

  What would my last few years have been like had Jake asked me out that summer instead of Austin? But, would I have been ready for such intensity? Could I have handled the chemistry we share? Probably not. Even Austin scared me at times then...

  My lack of experience led to a good bit of anxiety about sex, and relationships in general, with Austin. With Jake's intensity, I would have been scared shitless and probably ruined things before we even really got started. So, as much as I connected with Jake now, it's likely for the best he hadn't asked me out back then.

  Someone gave him some experience. That's for damn sure. And I was now the lucky benefactor of said experience. And I would be thankful every day for the rest of my time with him that he had that experience. Oh lord, would I!

  My phone buzzed and I jumped clear out of my chair.

  Jake: Pick you up in an hour?

  Me: Of course, darling man!

  He pulled up right on time and hauled me to him the moment I got in the Jeep. His lips crushed down on mine, and he kissed me. Hard. My body reacted in an instant. I leaned toward him about to climb over the console right into his lap. Stupid steering wheel would get in the way. Maybe I could drag him in the back seat. Before I could execute my half-baked plan, he broke away.

  Damn it.

  "Let's not get too worked up before we even eat dinner." He laughed, finger-combing my hair. He kissed me softly then, like I was as breakable as spun glass.

  This hot and cold shit he's doing? Pretty damn hot. The anticipation of getting him naked again would keep me hot all night long. I spent the ride to the restaurant fantasizing about tonight. Would we go to his place? I hoped so. No Kelsey to interrupt anything. No attached neighbors to bother when the headboard banged against the wall.

  Tonight was a low-key night. Just a standard chain restaurant. Not that it's a problem, I don't mind where we go, so long as I was with him.

  Oh lord, the man had turned me into a sap. How did that happen?

  I contemplated this while we waited for our table. The only conclusion I came up with was he just brought out my sappy side. Like how he made me giggle without even trying. How he could set me ablaze with a single glance. How the touch of his hand turned my knees to Jell-O. My body reacted to him like that. It's not something I could truly analyze, it just was.

  Once we were seated, he reached across the table to hold my hands. We ordered our food, but the silence between us remained. He didn't speak for some time, but his heated gaze on mine became a conversation itself. A promise for later. His eyes were intense. Darting between my eyes and mouth, his eyes said he planned to kiss me. His thumbs rubbed sensual patterns on my hands. My breathing grew ragged. The heat from his fingers set all the nerves in my hands on fire. Nerves I would swear were connected straight to my crotch.

  Our food arrived and ended that. Damn it. Why didn't we just get take
out?

  After we ate, he finally spoke. "I'm glad you went with me to meet my friends yesterday. I know they are a little insane. But they mean a lot to me."

  "I was happy to meet them!" I really was. Seeing him outside of our relationship, and outside his family sphere, helped me get to know him a bit better. To get a better feel for what sort of man he really was. But it also brought up some questions.

  "I do wonder..." I trailed off, unsure if I wanted to know the answer to my thought. But curiosity overrode my common sense and I continued speaking. "Have you honestly been interested in me for years? Austin said he only asked me out because you showed interest. Eric and Tina acted like you have been crazy over me for a long time."

  He broke eye contact and stared down at our joined hands. He started to speak a couple times, but never managed to get a word out. He peeked up at me, before dropping his gaze once more. Discomfort tightened his muscles. He'd always been open and honest with any question I had asked, but I could almost see the doors slamming shut on this issue.

  The waiter brought our check, and Jake left a pile of cash on the table. He offered me his hand and helped me out of the chair. Still without a word.

  Did he take a vow of silence?

  He drove back to my place without saying a single word. Not one. He never answered my question, so the ball was in his court. Right? I debated saying something else, but figured I had done enough damage for the evening.

  He walked up with me. I invited him in, but he shook his head. One soft kiss, more a brief brush of lips than an actual kiss, and he walked away. He hadn't said one damn thing since the restaurant. Not even goodbye.

  What the hell just happened?

  Did that one question ruin everything? I thought it was legit. Shit, three people now have commented on his prior attachment to me. Would it kill him to answer?

  "What's wrong with you, girl?" Kelsey asked when I walked in.

  "I have no idea what just happened. I just…He..." I didn't even know how to begin. I shook my head and made my way to my room, still trying to figure out where tonight went wrong.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  What the fuck was I doing? I sat in the car and stared up at Laney's building. I'd waited years for this shot. And now I was going to jack it all up.

  I rubbed my neck and tried to loosen the tight muscles there. Damn tension headache was creeping in on me. Just what I needed.

  With a harsh exhale, I put my Jeep in reverse and backed out of the space. I took the long way home, just trying to clear my head and get the pounding in my skull to ease.

  It was two a.m. before I pulled into my driveway. I should be exhausted, but I couldn't quit kicking myself for fucking up my chance with Laney.

  Plopping down on the couch, I grabbed the remote and watched some stupid old Jean-Claude Van Damme movie.

  How the hell was I going to make this right?

  I couldn't call her this early. Should I just show up and apologize in person? No... I couldn't trust myself to not clam up again. Maybe over the phone would be easier... Finally, at just after six, I couldn't wait any longer. I dialed her number and it rang several times before she mumbled, "Hello?"

  "Laney, did I wake you?"

  She was quiet for a few seconds before she responded, her voice heavy with sleep, "Yeah, but it's fine. I needed to be up soon. What time is it anyways?" She yawned and waited for me to speak.

  "I... I, uh... " Spit it out, asshole. "I apologize for how last night ended."

  "Okay... Which part are you apologizing for? Leaving me worked up and confused? Driving me home without saying a damn word?"

  Damn. She was more upset than I realized. I had multiple transgressions to atone for.

  "Your questions embarrassed me. I should have just answered you. But I didn't know… That is… Shit." I paused then to collect my thoughts.

  "Finish that sentence, Jacob. I'm curious to hear this."

  I flopped back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling fan. "Laney, what Austin said is true. I did ask about you at that pool party. You had that little blue bikini on and I walked around half-hard the whole damn day. Had he not asked you out then, I would've once you turned eighteen."

  "You remember what my swimsuit looked like after three years? Wow."

  "A twenty-two year old man isn't supposed to lust after a seventeen year old girl. And, damn it, to hear that Austin had you for three years, all because I brought you to his attention? That hurt. It hurt bad."

  "I'm not seventeen anymore. Why didn't you just say that last night?"

  And that was the million dollar question, wasn't it? "I don't know. Stupid, I guess."

  "Were you interested all this time like Eric and Tina said?"

  My harsh exhale gusted over the microphone loudly. "I've been attracted to you for years, yes. But like I told Austin, had things been good between the two of you, I would have never acted on it. Never."

  "But you mentioned me to your friends. Often enough they believe you love me."

  Silence filled the line. My chest tightened. How did I respond to that without coming across as pathetic? Fucking shit, this woman would be the end of me.

  "Damn it, Laney. I just told you I've wanted you for years. So, yeah, I've mentioned you. I didn't think we'd ever have a shot, even if Austin was no longer in the picture. So maybe I lamented the fact that he got to you first to my friends."

  "I wish you'd told me. But you know, I was thinking, I don't know if I would have been ready for the intensity between us then. So it's probably for the best that we didn't hook up back then."

  "Maybe so." I had to get this conversation out of Embarrassmentville and into my control. "You wanna know my big regret right now?"

  "What's that?"

  "That I walked away from you last night with only that tiny kiss in the hallway." Dropping my voice like I knew she liked, I hoped she'd take the topic change as intended.

  "If you'd stuck around, you would have gotten a heck of a lot more than that."

  Oh hell! My groan carried through the phone, and she giggled.

  "Don't say things like that. You got plans this morning? I'm willing to call out at work. I'll tell them I'm sick. I've got plenty of sick time saved up."

  "I wish I could. I have an exam this morning, and a job interview this afternoon."

  "Fuck."

  "Well, not this morning, but I'm glad to oblige on that this evening."

  "You're a tease."

  "Is it still teasing if I intend to follow through?"

  The phone went silent for a moment other than my rapid breathing. So much for me being in control... "Damn, I need to change the subject before I have to take another cold shower. What's the interview for?"

  "Summer job. Unless you want me to go back to Free Will for the summer?"

  "Hell no. I want you as close as I can get you. Preferably naked and beneath me."

  "What happened to changing the subject?" she finally responded.

  "My cock overrode that thought when he thought you were leaving us for the whole damn summer."

  "You need to go get ready for work. I can't afford to miss this exam. I need to pass this class to get into the next level. Please. Before I beg you to come over."

  I chuckled. "Fine, I'll let you go. But only if you wear those garters again tonight. Pick you up at six?"

  "Oh, hell yes."

  "Good luck on your interview." I hung up and tried to put the picture of her in those garters out of my mind. Wasn't working...

  Chapter Twenty-six

  I was able to shove Jake out of my mind for a few hours. I made it through my exam and did pretty well. Only a couple questions tripped me up and I was confident I'd walk away with a good score.

  The interview, I was less confident of. They were looking for someone with experience, in a psychiatric setting, preferably. At least that's what the man doing my interview had said. Well, how can you get experience if no one will hire you? Stupid. But whatever, I gave it my
all in the interview.

  I got back to my apartment about four, so I had time to clean up a little for my date. No idea what he had in mind for the evening, but Jake wanted to see garters, and that meant a dress. I shaved and smoothed lotion over my skin. Carefully applied makeup. I curled my hair, even though my stubborn tresses wouldn't hold it for long. Kelsey coveted my stick-straight hair, but I despised the fact that even a gallon of hairspray wouldn't help hold a single wave.

  At six on the dot, the doorbell rang. Kelsey hopped up to answer it, and Jake stared over her shoulder at me as I walked toward him. I put extra swish and sway in my step. He gripped the door frame, licking his lips as he stared at me. For once in my life, I felt the power a woman had over a man.

  Walking into arms' reach, I found myself hauled into his chest. His lips devoured mine. His tongue delved into my mouth, seeking its mate. His shoulders shook with his efforts to hold back. Dragging my hips flush to his, I felt his hardness between us. I pulled away from his kiss, and asked sweetly, "Are we ready to go?"

  He nodded, and I wondered if he was capable of words at that moment.

  He helped me up into the Jeep. I moved to adjust my dress and he slapped my hands away. The roughness of his hands sliding against my hose was a sweet form of torture. When he reached the garter, he groaned and kissed me again. I pushed him away, knowing if we kept this up, we would be having our moment in the Jeep in front of my entire apartment complex. And I was not wasting garters and a thong on a car quickie.

  He drove us to his house.

  "No dinner?" I asked, knowing we were both starved, but food wasn't on the menu.

  "Oh, I plan to eat." That devilish grin was back. Once I got out of the Jeep, he swept me into his arms and carried me up to the house.

  I protested that I was too heavy, but he didn't listen. His lean body held me against the door. I felt him, hard and throbbing, against me. His hands slid up under my dress and squeezed my bare ass. His moan vibrated against my mouth, and I was glad I wore the thong. He managed to unlock the door and carried me inside, my legs wrapped tight around his waist.