“Thank you, Mom. There’s no need for this,” I say as I take a chair at the table on our patio. Kyle pulls out the chair next to mine, planting himself in it.
Just to piss my father off, I take Kyle’s hand. Kyle looks at me with his eyebrows cocked. “You sure about this, Ally?”
I look at my father directly in his eyes. The horrible part is that he looks right back into mine. “Get used to it, Dad,” I hear myself say.
Shit, am I really doing this?
“I love Kyle. The rest of my life will be with him.”
To my complete amazement, my father smiles at me. “How wonderful, baby. You couldn’t have chosen a better man. Kyle, I expect you to take good care of my daughter.”
Scotty chokes on his cherry cola, and I give him a go-to-hell look. “Sorry, Sis,” comes from his mouth as he dabs at it with a paper napkin.
Unbelievably, my mother starts doling out potato salad as Dad cuts the brisket. We all eat in silence. My spidey senses are on overload.
Something is not right. Things are too calm!
The silence is deafening. I can’t take it anymore. “Mom, there’s a dance on Saturday. Kyle asked me to go. His band’s playing at it.”
Mom jerks her fork, loaded with meat, toward my father who sits next to her. “Don’t ask me, dear.”
Reluctantly, I look at my father. He smiles at me.
Didn’t see that coming.
“Sure, you can. But only for a little while. I want you back by ten. You do remember you have a curfew, right? I mean, you seem to have forgotten our deal about no relationships until you’re eighteen, so I have to ask.”
Kyle answers for me, “Mr. Devlin, I can assure you she’ll be home by her curfew. And just to let you know, we haven’t broken your no-dating rule.”
Kyle looks directly into my father’s eyes. That’s no easy task as my dad is glaring back at him. His words come out much nicer than his look. “Thank you, son. I appreciate your respect on this matter. I’m sure Alyssa has also let you in on the fact that she’s not allowed to have sex yet either.”
My gasp happens before I realize I’ve done it. He’s gone too far!
“Dad! Stop that right now! The dinner table, or patio table, or whatever this is, is no place to talk about such things.” I can feel the heat on my cheeks. I must be scarlet with embarrassment.
My mother gives dad a stern look. “Sorry about that, dears. Seems David needs to relax a bit. Come, help me clean up and take things into the house.”
Kyle jumps up, grabbing his empty plate and mine. “We’ve got this, Mrs. Devlin. You and Mr. Devlin cooked, so we can clean up. Can’t we, Scotty?”
My brother looks up at Kyle with a scowl, his words coated in sarcasm, “I guess so, now that you’ve included me. Thanks a lot, dude.”
Dad glares back at Kyle as Mom drags him into the house. I hate to think of what I’m in for once Kyle leaves, which will be too soon as the sun’s already setting.
Dad said he could stay until dark, which is fast approaching. I need to talk to him alone. “Go play with your idiot box, Scotty. I’ll help Kyle.”
“Thanks, sis,” he says as he runs for the door before Kyle can stop him.
Kyle turns and says, “You should make him help, Ally. He gets away with too much, that kid.”
“It’s almost dark,” I say as I snake my arms over his broad shoulders and up to his neck.
He gets what I mean, bringing his lips to meet mine. His kiss is sweet from the barbeque sauce. The touch of his tongue on my bottom lip beckons me to open up for him. I do, immediately gratified.
Somehow, he’s moved me up against the brick wall. Pressing his body to mine, we meld together as only we can. Down my back, his strong hands travel until they reach the top of my butt.
That’s where he always stops, because I told him to. Never has he touched me more than I allow.
The words he told my father earlier about wanting to marry me one day flow back to the forefront of my mind. I move a bit further. I caress his arms as my hands run down them.
Once I reach his hands, I move them down to my butt. The groan he makes, which makes my mouth vibrate as his kiss deepens, lets me be certain he’s pleased.
The pressure he puts on my bottom makes me feel more heat in my lower regions than I’ve felt before. He lifts me up and my back presses even more against the wall. I wrap my legs around him, finding a large lump at my juncture.
Crap, he’s really big and now I’m scared.
I pull back and place my feet on the ground where they belong. Tangling my hands in his hair, I pull his lips off mine.
Not wanting to let him realize what a big chicken I am, I say, “Hey, babe, it’s getting dark and we’ve got to finish cleaning up. You volunteered, remember?”
The usual sky blue of his eyes has darkened. I suppose it’s lust I see in them.
Oh, how cute! He lusts for me!
With his forehead to mine, I sense his frustration. “What you do to me, Ally,” he says with a slightly sluggish voice.
I wonder if our little make-out session made him feel intoxicated. Surely not!
Quickly, we grab all the plates and take them into the house. I dump them into the sink while he goes out for the rest of the things. As I rinse the dishes before I place them in the dishwasher, I watch him out the window above the sink.
God, he’s good looking. He wants to marry me some day. Wow!
My little diamond, heart-shaped ring sparkles under the light over the sink. My heart skips a beat as he walks up behind me, placing more dishes in the sink.
His breath on my neck makes my knees weak. “I love you, Ally,” he whispers. I close my eyes, not sure if this is real. He’s never told me those words before. Even though he told my father, he’s never told me. “Say something.”
I turn and peek around him to make sure no one can see us, then put my arms around him, burying my head in his wide chest. “I love you too.”
I can’t believe it. I’ve finally told him exactly how I feel about him.
With a tight hug, he sighs. “You’ve made me pretty damn happy today, Al. Accepting my offer to move away with me, telling your folks about us, and now you’ve told me you love me too. It can’t get any better than this.”
When he lets me go, the sensation of losing something comes over me. The way he held me made me feel safe, secure, and wanted.
He wants me! Little old me. Why in the hell would he?
I’ve made him wait for years for my physical attention. I have no idea what other boy would’ve waited for me, but he has.
Why? What’s so special about me?
Not a damn thing. I’m a complete bore. Never able to do anything thanks to my over-protective parents. But that’s nearly over. Only two more weeks.
As I start the dishwasher, I hear Kyle sigh again and turn to find him looking out the window at the now dark night.
“Time for me to go,” he says, scooping me up for one last hug. “Walk me out?” His eyebrows raise.
I never walk him out. My parents would have a fit. “I will,” I say, because I’ve got a lecture coming anyway. I might as well make it worth it.
He holds my hand and tugs at me to follow him into the living room. There are the wardens, sitting in their chairs. Dad watching television and Mom reading a book.
By the cover of it, it seems pretty steamy. The picture of the well-muscled, shirtless man holding his body above what seems to be a white-clad damsel in distress falls to my mother’s lap.
“Goodnight, Kyle,” she says with a smile.
Dad’s eyes go straight to our intertwined hands and a frown covers his handsome face. I hate to make him look like that, but what choice do I have?
“Bye,” he speaks gruffly.
I have no idea of the expression on either of their faces as I follow Kyle out, closing the door behind me. One of them jumped up, because the porch light just turned on.
This also tells me one of them is standin
g at the window, watching us. I’m in for it anyway, so why not give them a real show?
I wrap my arm around Kyle’s waist and lean into him. His arm snakes around my waist, pulling me in even closer.
“I see you’ve made the decision to make them really pissed. You sure you can handle the fallout?” he asks, placing a kiss on top of my head.
I gaze up at him, seeing that his eyes back to their regular blue color. All the lust has gone from them, I’m sorry to say.
“If you can, I can.” My words are strong, but somewhere in me a bit of weakness bites.
My parents have never had to deal with me doing something against their rules, so I’ve no idea what they have in store for me.
Daunting images of dungeons, whips, and chains fill my head.
Kyle reaches up to open the door of his tall, four-wheel-drive truck. It’s black and shiny, all chromed out with freaking beautiful rims. His grandfather gave it to him for graduating with honors. He’s very proud of him for receiving a full scholarship to UT because of how well he plays football.
My man is a monster on the field!
His hands grab me by the waist as he hoists me up into the driver’s seat. I giggle, as it tickles.
“Scoot over. I’m going to kidnap you,” he says with an evil grin on his precious lips.
“How about we do that right after graduation?”
A frown replaces the grin. “Can’t. You won’t be eighteen until the next day.”
How could I forget that little detail? “Okay, then the day after graduation, on my eighteenth birthday, you can steal me away.”
The front porch light flashes off and on in what I assume is a sign to go back inside. “Looks like the guards are calling me in. My time is up.” I reach out for him to help me back down.
The touch of his hands gripping my waist stirs the warmth back into my lower regions making me really dislike my parents at this moment. I just want to get lost in this young man who stands in front of me.
Lightly, he kisses me. I want more than that, but Kyle is just too damn good to let me.
“I’m not gonna let you get yourself into any more trouble than you’ve got coming to you. You don’t need to tell them everything, Al. Remember, they don’t need to hear every detail of what we’ve done.”
The light flashes again, this time with a yell from my mother. “Alyssa, dear, time to come in.”
I watch Kyle climb into his tall truck. He waves at me as he pulls out of the long, steep drive. Turning back to the house, I see that my mother stands on the porch, waiting for me. I brush past her as I walk back inside.
Her hand on my arm pulls my attention to her frowning face. My father stands. “We need to talk, young lady.”
Great, this should be relatively painful!
CHAPTER 2
EDEN
Stars fill the sky over the pristine, white mansion. Dim light by the swimming pool shines in Linda’s eyes. Though nowhere near as beautiful as my Alyssa’s, they’re still pretty.
The touch of her hand on the back of my neck makes me aware of what she’s about to do. Although not our first kiss, it’s been some time since she’s tutored me.
I’ll be eighteen in three days. I’m going to see my Alyssa, face to face, on my birthday, after all this time.
Plump red lips touch mine. My heart beat increases slightly. Linda’s hair is roughly the same length as my Alyssa’s.
I wrap a long piece around my hand. My arm moves around her waist, pulling her closer to me.
Linda is the same size as Alyssa, part of the reason she’s the one tutoring me. She’s wearing a perfume with just the right mix of sweet and citrus. I must remember to ask her what kind it is. Alyssa would probably like to have some.
I have a picture of my soon-to-be-mate up in my bedroom. Just thinking about it fills my mind with her image. And there it is—the thump in my chest every time I think about her and I together like this.
Alyssa’s deep sapphire eyes, her dark black, silky hair, and those perfect red pouty lips. My heart’s going wild now.
My body and lips press harder against Linda’s. I move us until she no longer moves. Holding her to the wall, I force my tongue past her lips, pulling her hair back so she has to accept it.
Linda twists beneath me, pulling her mouth from mine. “Eden! Stop!”
My head is swimming. Crap! What have I done?
“Linda, it was wrong what I did? I didn’t know.”
Linda moves away from me. She’s a little older than I am by about five or ten years, I guess. Her eyes have tiny wrinkles at the corners. Right now her face is flushed red.
“Eden, you have to be a lot more delicate with your mate. She’s innocent after all. Coming on so strong will frighten her. You don’t want to do that, now do you?”
Linda’s dress is bunched up at her waist from my actions. I reach out to smooth it for her. She steps back and does it herself.
“Sorry, Linda. So, no tongue then?”
She shakes her head. “Absolutely not, Eden. You’re marrying a princess of sorts. No tongue. No pulling of hair. No pushing her up against walls, doors, or any other hard surfaces. She’s to be treated only with gentleness and always with respect. Do you understand me?”
I look away, angry with myself. “I do, but …”
She pulls at my chin to make me look at her, interrupting my words. “But nothing, Eden. Touch her very tenderly. She’s completely innocent. Plus, she knows nothing about you. Believe me, you will be a complete stranger to her. The last thing she’ll want is for you to handle her like that. You’ll scare the hell out of her.” She smiles at me, making me feel admittedly stupid.
“I’m a child, Linda,” I say as I mope about how inexperienced I am.
Her arm runs around my shoulders and she gives me a little squeeze. “No, Eden, you’re no child. Here, let’s try this again. Only this time follow my lead instead of taking off on your own.”
Pulling me to sit on a bench with her, she turns. My hands are placed by her, one on her shoulder and one on her waist. This feels awkward, too much like a dancing position.
“This feels weird, Linda.”
“It’s proper to stay some distance away. Now give me a chaste kiss on my cheek,” she instructs me.
I purse my lips and place them on her cheek. “There you go, Linda. Was that chaste enough?”
Her smile tells me it was. “Now, a simple, nice, non-threatening kiss on my lips, Eden.”
Practicing extreme softness, I press my lips to hers. I have to open my eyes a bit or the visions of my Alyssa will run into my head, making me lose control. When I pull back, I find her smiling at me.
“That was nice. Very nice, with no hint of I want to take you right now to it.”
I drop my arms to my sides. “Is that what it felt like when I kissed you? Like I wanted to take you to my bed?”
I never want to treat my baby Alyssa like that. She’s too special.
Linda touches my arm. “Yes, Eden. What you did to me was very sexual in nature. I know you’re a young man with raging hormones and needs, but Alyssa is too inexperienced to deal with that right away. Maybe she’ll like it later, probably many years from now, but not at first. You think you have it all under control now?”
I nod. With her I do. Once I have my hands on my mate, well, I don’t know for sure.
If just her pictures and thinking about her stir this beast inside of me, what will the real girl do?
My cell phone vibrates in my pants pocket. “My father, Linda. If you’ll excuse me, please,” I say as I walk away from her. “Hello, Papa.”
“You should come inside. Your mother and I need to tell you something about Alyssa.”
“Be right in,” I say, a bit nervous.
What could she have done? What if something’s happened to her?
I rush to Linda. “Sorry, Linda. Practice is over.” I take her by her arm, leading her back to her car. “My parents want to talk to me about somet
hing.”
She allows me to lead her away from the pool. “I understand, Eden. It’s probable I’ll not see you until you bring her back here. Good luck and remember all I’ve taught you. Always be a gentleman.”
I open her car door and help her inside. Out of habit, I place a quick kiss on her cheek.
I shut her door and wave goodbye as I walk up to our front door. My stomach is clenched with not knowing right this minute what’s wrong with my Alyssa.
Ginger, one of the maids, opens the door before I get to it. “They’re on the veranda, Mr. Fontaine.”
“Thank you, Ginger,” I say, turning back to her. “And please call me Eden.” She’s new, so she hasn’t figured out how much I detest being called Mr. anything.
The look on my parents’ faces doesn’t do much to please me or settle my nerves. “Please sit down, son,” my father says.
I kiss my mother’s cheek, then do as he asks. “So what’s this you need to tell me?”
My mother rocks back in the large white rocker she’s sitting in. “Seems your mate has some idea she’s going to run off with who seems to be her high school boyfriend.”
My face falls and my heart stops beating as everything inside me turns to liquid.
How? What? Why?
“There’s no way she could have hidden such a thing from David and Toni.”
My father touches my shoulder. “They were completely unaware of anything more than a friendship existing between the two. That was until a little earlier this evening. Alyssa told them of her plans to move to Austin with the boy after graduation. On her birthday, no less.”
“She can’t,” I say, my breath almost lost.
How could she do this to me?
My mother senses my hurt. “Eden, she knows nothing about you and what you two are to each other. This is exactly why I always said this was a bad idea. Letting her live a ‘normal’ life was a bad idea, no matter how much her parents wanted it.”
“I wanted that for her too,” I say. “I decided to let her stay in that life. This is my fault. I always had the right to stop this and have her brought to me. My love for her and her happiness has caused this.” I look at my father. “Please tell me she hasn’t been taken by this guy. Please tell me she still has her innocence.”
Nobody's Girl: A Billionaire Romance Novel Page 49
