Rebel Rockstar

by Marci Fawn

  "Do you mind if we stop at the gym first? I really have to pick up something," I say apologetically.

  To be honest, that last part is a total lie. There's nothing I have to pick up, I'm just trying to think of an excuse to get Faith to the gym. I have something special planned just for her.

  "Sure, I guess that's fine," she says over the roar of the engine, and grips to me tightly. I fucking love the feeling of her arms around me, clutching on for safety. I'm grinning as I drive away from the party, leaving everyone behind us.

  The gym's not far away, and I pull into the parking lot in the next ten minutes. We climb off my bike and Faith takes off her helmet, shaking out her hair. The way she does that stuns me into silence, and I'm left staring at her. She's just... so fucking beautiful. I don't know whether the fact she has no clue makes it hot as hell or annoying as fuck.

  I busy myself with putting away our helmets, then risk it and grab her hand. She looks surprised but I feign nonchalance, pulling Faith towards the back entrance.

  "My coach gave me a spare key," I babble. "I spend so much time here, he thought it would be better if I had one. I've been training a lot."

  "I noticed," Faith says as I unlock the door, never letting go of her hand. And then we're inside, and I'm leading her towards the boxing bags.

  "Are you saying you noticed my extremely handsome, muscular body?" I ask solemnly, raising my eyebrows at Faith.

  "Yes, stud," she purrs, fanning her face and grinning at me. Jesus, I could get used to her being all fun and flirty like that. Though I'd probably pounce on her in minutes... the urge is strong already. I'm so desperate to have her in my hands.

  "I have to look for something I left here," I tell Faith as I turn on the lights in the room. "I'll be looking around... Do you want to have some fun while I do that?"

  "Sure," she shrugs uncertainly, looking around the now lit-up room. "What is there to do here?"

  I raise my eyebrows at her, pick some women's boxing gloves off a shelf and throw them her way. She catches one, but misses the other and it lands on the floor. I can barely stop myself from laughing.

  "You could try some moves on that thing over there," I point to a boxing bag. "I'll just be a minute."

  With that, I leave the room before Faith can object. I know she's not a boxer, of course, but I wanted to get her to the gym to maybe help her let go of some steam.

  Okay, fine, and I wanted to impress her with my awesome moves, as well. Anything to get that pretty little face smiling.

  I sneak into the changing rooms and peek around the door, trying to see what Faith will do. I'm not really looking for anything, but I make a mental note to bring out a pair of sneakers from my locker and pretend I forgot them here.

  Faith doesn't do much of anything at first, standing in the middle of the room and stepping from one foot to another awkwardly. She's so fucking beautiful. Even if the room were full of people, my gaze would go to her. Always to her... It's always been that way. If only she'd let me close enough to see for herself we make perfect sense together.

  She looks at the boxing bag, looking unsure of herself. Finally, she puts the gloves on and awkwardly hits the bag. It doesn't even move. She looks uncomfortable as fuck. I need another trick - thankfully, I have an ace up my sleeve.

  "Mind if I put on some music?" I shout, heading for the stereo.

  "No, that's ok," she yells back, and I put in a CD I made for myself to work out to. It's all fast, angry tracks with aggressive beats. Perfect for letting out all the anger and frustration that's building deep inside. I should know - I've beaten the hell out of that boxing bag quite a few times, always thinking about the way Faith's been treating me lately. Always ignoring me, looking away, refusing there was ever a connection between us.

  When I started training, my life changed without me wanting it to. I got into a different clique at school, and people liked me better. I got bulkier, and I finally filled out. I never wanted things to change between Faith and me. Well, maybe just the fact that we weren't dating...

  But she pushed me away, pushed so much and so far that I'd nearly given up. Today is the first light of sunshine in this dreary new world. She's warming up to me again. Truth be told, I haven't changed as a person, and I know Faith will always be one of the good girls. We'll always get along. Six-pack abs and a new haircut don't mean I'm a different guy.

  Faith is listening to the music, I can tell. Her hips start swaying which makes me grin, the way she lets go of her inhibitions once she's alone. She starts hitting the punching bag again with more determination this time around. She has a focused look on her face as she starts working the bag. One deal at a time. Slowly, slowly, she's letting go.

  After a little while, I can tell she's in the zone, so I move into the doorframe to get a better look at her.

  Faith is so beautiful when she lets go.

  Her hair wild, her cheeks blushed, her mouth all sexy and pouty. She pushes her glasses up on the bridge of her nose and exhales.

  I can feel my cock getting hard in my jeans, so desperate to get closer to her. I want her. I want the sexy, geeky neighbor girl more than ever.

  She's really getting into it now. Punching the bag hard, just like I was doing hours earlier. I can see her trying to get rid of all those demons haunting her, and I want to help her. I want her to get it all out until she can finally breathe. I know how helpful the boxing is. I've been trying to shut the voices of my own demons for a year now.

  I approach her slowly, and as soon as Faith sees me coming closer, her posture stiffens and she stops hitting the bag. "It's okay," I tell her softly. "Let me help you, okay?"

  She hesitates before finally nodding, and I come closer, standing behind her. We're so fucking close now, almost touching but not quite. I need to feel her skin against mine so very badly, but I settle for pressing closer, the contact of skin-to-skin stopped by the clothes we're wearing.

  I take a hold of Faith's wrists, positioning them the right way. "Look, you have to hit like this, otherwise you'll hurt your knuckles," I tell her softly, slowly moving her hands so she hits the boxing bag.

  She relaxes in my arms, but only a little bit. I can still feel the tension deep inside of her, the knots in her shoulders and the way she doesn't want to let go completely.

  I get it, honestly. I was the same when I was starting out, afraid of letting go of everything. But when my coach taught me to relax and give it my all, the wins started coming. The weight on my shoulders started dropping. I got better, and my head got clearer. I want the same for Faith.

  I help her for a little while longer, and with each punch, she grows more relaxed in my arms, until she's almost hitting the bag herself. "You're doing so well," I say proudly into her ear, and before I can stop myself, I've pressed a tender kiss to her hair. She's shorter than I am, and she fits perfectly into my arms, as if we were made to hold each other.

  Faith moves away fast, always fleeing from my arms. She looks at the floor, her cheeks burning up with a deep blush. "Okay, think I'm done," she says shyly. "We should get going... I'm sure you don't want to spend your birthday boxing with me, right?"

  I laugh, throwing my head back. Coming closer to Faith, I take her hands in mine and catch her fearful gaze. "There's no place I'd rather be," I tell her honestly, pulling her back to the bag.

  "Now show me what you've got, Faith. I don't believe that's the best you can do, is it?"

  She gives me a defiant look. "I'll show you," she mutters under her breath and moves in closer to the bag. "I was holding out on you, River. Didn't wanna embarrass you, you know."

  I'm grinning as I watch her steady the bag. "Oh, I see. You didn't want to beat me at my own game, did you?"

  "Obviously." She's laughing now. She starts punching the bag tentatively, and I'm proud to notice she's doing it the way I taught her. Faith is so sweet, so... fucking irresistible as she gives that boxing bag all she's got.

  All I can do is watch her hitting, hissing a
nd letting her rage out on that bag. I can tell the exact moment when she forgets I'm in the same room with her. I can tell by her determined expression, her tightly pressed together lips and the way she's hitting the bag with determination I've never seen in her before. She's going to let it all out, finally. And I'm so happy.

  I retreat to the corner and watch my brave girl. She's wearing herself out, but the adrenaline in her veins means she doesn't know it yet. Her hair is plastered to her forehead, her look one of steely determination. She's hitting the bag harder - not as hard as I usually do, but it's obvious she's doing her best.

  She delivers one last blow when I see her expression falter. And I reach Faith just in time to stop her falling to the floor. I take her in my arms as she breaks, tears flowing from her eyes.

  "River," she whimpers.

  "Shh, it's okay," I try to calm her down. "I know, baby. Shh, it's okay."

  I cuddle her as she whimpers and cries. The same thing happened to me when I was starting out. I'd broken out in a rage instead, punching everything that came close to me. I know the feeling. You feel so utterly vulnerable and raw that you just can't stop from breaking down.

  I knew it would happen to Faith. I needed it to happen. I know it will help her in the long run, but I'm not about to tell her that.

  Right now, all she needs is for me to hold her. And I do just that until she slowly starts shaking in my arms and the whimpering stops. She's cuddled close to my chest, gripping onto my T-shirt, which is soaked from her tears.

  "Sorry," she says, and I can hear the embarrassment in her voice. She tries to pull away, but I don't let her. I need her close to me, just like she needs me.

  "It's okay, baby," I tell her softly. "You just got emotional. It happens to everyone. Do you want to tell me what you're thinking about?"

  She shakes her head uncertainly, but still, the words spill out of her mouth. "I thought about everything at home... How angry I am about what's happening, you know?"

  I nod, smoothing down the hair on top of her head. I'm so tempted to kiss her right now, but even my fucked up mind knows that would be taking advantage. So I settle for pulling her closer, inhaling her shampoo. Strawberries and vanilla. Fuck.

  "It'll be all right, baby," I tell her calmly.

  "How do you know?" she whimpers. "It wasn't all right with my mom. What makes you think it will be okay with Dad? You really think he'll get a new job, and we'll be able to repay all those debts?"

  She gives me a long, hard look, and I tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't know what will happen, and I can't promise anything," I tell her honestly. "But your dad is a good man, and you have my family and relatives who will help you whatever happens. You're so very loved, Faith, both you and your dad. And we won't let anything happen to you."

  A tear rolls off her cheek and I tentatively swipe it away with my finger. Her skin is smooth and soft and she feels so damn good. So right. Like I should've been doing this right from the start.

  She smiles up at me, the last remnants of fear and sadness finally fading from her gaze. Next thing I know, someone turns on all the lights in the room and we hear voices in the changing rooms.

  "Fuck," I mutter under my breath, but I can't help the smile that's made its way on my lips.

  "Someone's here," Faith hisses, and I grab her, pulling her against my body. Suddenly she's gone compliant, her body relaxing against mine. And is she... Fuck, she is. She's rubbing that tight little ass against the front of my jeans. If she doesn't stop that right this instant, I'm going to throw her on the floor right here and fuck her senseless.

  I cover her mouth with my hand and she whimpers, like she actually wants me to do more. God, she's making me harder than ever.

  I pull her away as the voices near us. Thankfully, there's a back exit, and that's exactly where we head. I don't have a clue why there's people here in the middle of the night, but if coach finds me here with a girl, I'll have another thing coming.

  We finally reach the back exit and run outside, giggling like crazy. Faith's eyes have a sparkle in them and her smile is totally mischievous. Naughty little minx.

  She comes closer to me and I grab her by the waist, pulling her closer. She doesn't resist. She knows what's about to happen.

  I don't kiss her. "Ever been kissed, Faith?" I whisper against her mouth instead.

  She shakes her head no, her lashes fluttering as she looks up at me expectantly. Her chest is heaving against mine. She wants me to kiss her so badly. So badly, she'd probably do whatever I asked of her right now... And I'm about to be that jackass.

  "Do you want to be?" I taunt her, and she nods, fast. I raise a finger to her lips and trail it across her cheeks, her chin, pressing down on the center of her pouty mouth. "You want to be kissed here... and here, and here?"

  "Please," she whimpers. Oh god, we aren't even kissing yet. She is perfect. "Kiss me, River."

  My hand snakes up to her neck and I pull her head back, exposing her throat to my hungry mouth. She's begging, muttering words I don't understand. She sounds so needy... so deliciously desperate for me.

  My mouth lands on her neck and I suck on her skin, not caring whether she'll have a hickey in the morning. And fuck, does she taste good. So sweet. All mine.

  "On my mouth," she manages to get out. "Kiss my mouth, River..."

  I don't need to be told twice. I let her come closer, my hands on the small of her back. Faith looks at me expectantly, and I hold her gaze. She looks so vulnerable right now, but so ready. I wish I could bottle this moment up and look at it for years to come.

  "Say please," I order her.

  "Please." She’s shaking in my arms. "Kiss me, River. Please, I need-"

  And then my mouth is on her.

  I don't know what ideas she had about her first kiss. Probably something sweet, innocent and PG13.

  I don't do PG13, though. I do fucking R-rated.

  I claim her mouth, make her whimper against my lips. I don't let her move an inch, because in this moment, she's only mine and I taste the dessert I've been anticipating for years.

  "Oh god," she mumbles against my mouth, breathing heavily. "God, River..."

  I shut her up by deepening our kiss, tasting her mouth. "So sweet," I growl against her lips. "You're so sweet..."

  "RIVER!"

  The shout comes out of nowhere.

  39

  Faith

  We spring apart right away. My heart is beating so fast I'm dizzy, and I struggle to stay on two feet. I throw a panicked look into River's direction, but there's a smile on my face. And it looks like he's grinning, too.

  He grabs my arm and pulls me after him, running for the door. I'm laughing now, laughing like I haven't done in at least a year. Someone's shouting, coming after us, but we're too fast. We're running down the street until we reach River's bike, put on our helmets and rush out of there.

  My hair whips back in the wind, my hands shake as I hold on to River's waist. God, that was intense. That kiss... That kiss was nothing a first kiss should be, and everything I'd always been dreaming of.

  I nuzzle against River's shoulders, unable to help myself. We can't really talk since he’s driving, but I feel so close to him right now. Closer than I've felt since the day he held me as I cried when my mother died.

  He pulls up in a busy street and we get off the bike. All it takes is one look and we're convulsing in giggles once again. "That," I say, feeling short of breath. "Was absolutely crazy."

  Instead of replying, River grabs me by the hips and pulls me in. He kisses me again, and one more time, I let myself get lost in his lips, his hands, and his broad chest.

  This time, the kiss is sweeter, gentler. He's caressing my mouth with his lips. The kiss is a promise - to take care of me, to love me, to be there for me. All of that in a simple kiss... I must be losing my mind.

  I pull away, feeling myself blushing. Everyday Faith would question this. Everyday Faith would ask questions, panic and beg for
an explanation. But I'm not everyday Faith today. Today, I'm going to do what I've always wanted.

  "Where are we?" I ask, looking around us.

  River puts our helmets away in the storage compartment under the seat of his bike. "I have no idea. I just pulled up here, figured we'd lose coach easier if we blended in."

  "That was your coach?" I furrow my brows. "But won't you get in trouble for being at the gym?"

  River grins at me. God, he makes my insides melt. That can't be good, can it?

  "I'll deal with that tomorrow," he winks at me. "Today, I'm all yours, Faith."

  I blush again, but he doesn't let me wallow in my embarrassment. Instead, River grabs my hand and pulls me towards the crowded entrance to the building.

  There's a huge line outside and people queuing to get in. Loud music is blaring from the inside and we exchange excited looks.

  "Looks like it's a concert," River says. "What do you say, Faith? Want to crash this party?"

  "We're not twenty-one," I hiss at him quietly, looking around to make sure no one heard me. The bouncer is already giving us a sideways glance, and I really don't want to get in trouble on top of everything else.

  "We'll find a back exit," River murmurs, then winks at me. "We're pretty good at that, aren't we?"

  I laugh and shake my head, but he's already pulling me away from the crowd. We end up in a side alley in a few moments, which is completely deserted. And before I know exactly what’s going on, River has pushed me against a brick wall. He's looking deep into my eyes, his hands resting calmly on my hips.

  His eyes are so dark that I can barely make out the pupils. He looks like a predator right now, like he's about to bite into my skin and taste my flesh. And I think I wouldn't mind that, not one little bit...

  "You're so beautiful," he says softly against my neck. His nose hits my skin, and I realize he's smelling it. It feels weird, but it turns me on so much. I've never felt this way before, and when I feel my panties getting wet, I panic. I try to push him off, but River grabs my hands by the wrists and pins them above my head. A small gasp escapes my lips.