Making a Play

by Abbi Glines

  I’d never told a girl I loved her before. Not counting my mom and sister. But that’s completely different. This kind of love was new for me. It felt amazing and terrifying. Admitting to myself that I’d fallen in love for the first time in my life with a girl I had only known for five days was hard to do. I’d have laughed my ass off at any other guy in my position.

  I hadn’t even been sure I believed in love at this age until Aurora. I thought it was lust and the need to have someone close. It wasn’t. I got that now.

  Looking down at her, I moved her back as easy as I could onto my arm, so her face was tilted toward me and I could see her perfect, delicate features. The freckles on her face always got me in the chest. She’d taught me a lot this week. More than I’d ever learned in such a short time.

  Love was finding your own happiness in witnessing someone else’s. It was finding perfect peace in simply holding that person in your arms. Love was the sudden burst of joy from their smile. Wanting to know everything about someone from their dreams to their favorite food to their best memory as a child. It had nothing to do with lust. That was what surprised me the most.

  I wasn’t saying I didn’t want to do things with her, because I did. My imagination went there often, and the kissing only made it get more out of hand. In time, I knew more would come when she was ready, and if that took forever I’d wait. That was love too, I realized.

  She made a soft sound and moved closer to me, her hand found my chest, and she turned into me and placed it there almost directly over my heart. I reached up and covered her hand with my own. It was so small compared to mine.

  “Tallulah, I’m sorry. I know I’ve said it before, but I need you to know I mean it. I hate myself for what I said about you. I hate knowing I hurt you. I don’t ever want to be that guy again. I can’t think of one thing about him that was likable.” I wasn’t sure why the sudden apology for something that had happened last May had come out of my mouth, but I needed to say it.

  “You’ve been forgiven. But thank you. Besides, if you hadn’t said it . . .” She paused, and I wondered how much of that moment she wanted to recap with Nash listening. It was hard on him, too, remembering that time in our life. “I wouldn’t have . . . this.”

  I didn’t say anything then, because that was a touchy subject between her and Nash. I pressed a kiss to Aurora’s forehead instead, then leaned my head back and closed my eyes. Enjoying this more than tonight’s victory.

  “I’d have still gotten hurt, I’d have still been bitter and angry, and there isn’t a soul who could have reached me but you. There isn’t one who would have loved me enough to try,” I heard Nash say.

  I smiled in the darkness. I had to agree with him. He’d been hard to deal with after his accident, and it took someone who had loved him all his life the way Tallulah had, to put up with his crap and pull him out of it. Her weight had nothing to do with that, and she’d never been invisible to Nash. He’d been defending her since first grade.

  A hand touched my cheek then, and my eyes snapped open. I lifted my head back up, and my eyes met Aurora’s. This time she’d been watching me sleep, or so she thought. I’d been awake. The corners of her full lips curled up, and I bent my head as she lifted hers. The moment our lips met, my chest felt like it was so full it would explode.

  She turned more and slid her hand that had been on my face into my hair as she opened her lips for me. I took complete advantage of the invitation and savored her sweet taste. My hands slid down to her waist, and I let my left one slowly move back up her side until it rested just under the cup of her breast. The sharp inhale of her breath reminded me to pause. Not to push for more.

  Thankfully, she didn’t pull away or break the kiss. She pressed her chest against mine; then, surprising me, her kiss became more needy. That simple move had my pulse racing, and I tried to ease her back some to calm myself a moment. Her small sound of distress at my subtle move had me pulling her closer again. I didn’t like thinking she was upset, and, hell, if pressing her chest against me and kissing me more aggressively was what she wanted, I’d let her. I could handle it without moving too fast and forgetting myself.

  Then her right leg came over mine as she twisted into me more, and it slid between my thighs, causing her to straddle my left leg. Her left hand slid up my chest, and I had to shift slightly, which set her directly on my thigh.

  My hand that had been resting under her breast was now covering her breast, but not because I’d moved it there; her body shifting had placed it there before I realized what was happening. I stilled. My entire body froze, and I took very deep, long breaths as I waited to see what she was going to do. Our lips were barely an inch apart, and her panting breaths were mingled with mine. I stared into her eyes as she looked at me. Neither of us moving.

  Her position on my leg and my hand completely covering her right breast stayed as they were, waiting. She had to guide this. It had to be her. I didn’t think I could make smart decisions at the moment.

  She took a deep breath then, and the rise and fall of her chest made my hand full of her breast move. I had to swallow hard. This was almost too much. I started to chant the word innocent over and over in my head when she reached down and placed her hand over mine, then moved it just slightly over herself. She inhaled sharply then, and her eyes fluttered a little at the touch, and I was so close to losing my mind I didn’t know how much more I could handle.

  Then she took my hand away, and I didn’t have time to decide if I was disappointed or relieved when she continued to move it until it was underneath the short sweater she was wearing, and all I felt was warm, soft skin as she slid it up until I was once again covering her breast, but with only a thin, lacy bra as the barrier. The swell of her breast was under my fingertips. She removed her hand then and placed it on my chest. Her eyes never leaving mine.

  Innocent. She was so damn innocent. She had no idea how this was affecting me. Any other girl I’d accuse of being a tease. But that was definitely not what this was, and I wasn’t about to call her out on the movement and try and get her naked in the backseat while my cousin and his girlfriend were in the front seat.

  The darkness had given her a sense of privacy, I assumed, but I was very aware that, even though they had the radio on, they knew exactly what was going on back here. I just had to get enough willpower to stop it. Aurora moved against my thigh, and her eyes closed as she inhaled from the feeling. I knew then she was so lost in the way this felt she wasn’t thinking about the others in the car, and she’d regret it later.

  I also didn’t like the idea of any other man hearing the sexy little sounds she had no idea she was making. Which made them even more irresistible, because they weren’t sounds she was faking to turn me on. Hers were completely authentic.

  I moved my hand to her waist and grabbed it to keep her from moving any more; then I lifted her and moved her to sit beside me, thinking all the while I needed a fucking gold medal for this. Anything I’d done that would have kept me out of heaven should now be erased. Once I had her sweet body off me, I pulled her tightly against me and pressed a kiss to her head, not trusting myself to kiss anywhere closer to her mouth.

  She was very still, and I wanted to talk to her about this. I didn’t want her to think I wasn’t attracted to her. I hoped she realized why I had moved her off me. When the lights from the town filled the darkness in the car, I noticed for the first time we were already back in Lawton. That had been the fastest two hours of my life. I wasn’t ready to be back, but then again I wanted Aurora alone. Nash’s eyes met mine in the rearview mirror, and I could see he was impressed with me. Just like I thought, he’d been aware of it all, even if he’d been driving.

  I ran my hand over Aurora’s right arm, needing to feel her skin and reassure her if she needed it. I wasn’t sure just yet, and I was afraid to look at her, because if she looked hurt, I wasn’t going to be able to wait until I got her alone to tell her why I had stopped. That was something I knew she didn�
�t want talked about in front of anyone else.

  For her sake, I kept my eyes on the road and waited, knowing we’d be to the field in a few minutes. I would make it all better, and if she wanted to try more, I was willing to let her. I was hers to do with what she wanted.

  “Could you drive us back to the barn first,” I asked Nash as he pulled onto the road leading to the field.

  He shook his head, and I started to tell him to drive the damn car back to the barn and let us out when the words fell silent on my lips. I saw the SUV ahead blocking our path now. I’d have recognized it even if Aurora’s father hadn’t been standing outside it with his hands crossed over his chest and his feet apart in a stance full of fury and impatience.

  “Oh God,” Aurora said aloud as she sat up straight out of my arms and saw him there. He was already moving toward her side of the car before Nash brought it to a complete stop.

  “Shit,” Nash muttered. Then all hell broke loose.

  You Will Not Date a Black Boy

  CHAPTER 34

  AURORA

  It had all happened too fast. I was embarrassed by my reaction to Ryker and his gentle rejection, if that was even what it was. I’d been trying to figure out if I had made a huge mistake. If he’d back away from me for it. All of that had my head in chaos, so I hadn’t been paying attention. But it all ended immediately, and those worries no longer mattered.

  My father was here.

  He was waiting on me. He knew . . . he knew I was with Ryker, and Hunter was correct. He wasn’t okay with it. Before I could even prepare to stand my ground, the passenger-side door was jerked open by my dad. Ryker’s hand tried to clasp mine as I moved away from him and toward the door. I pulled my hand free and got out of the car to face my father.

  “Get in the truck now,” he said, signing in what I would guess was a threatening tone as he spoke.

  I shook my head no, and his eyes widened in surprise. “It wasn’t a request,” he signed this time without speaking. “It was an order.”

  I didn’t move. He was furious, but so was I. “You said I could come to the field party,” I signed back at him.

  He pointed at the car behind me, then signed, “I didn’t say you could ride in the backseat of a car with that boy.”

  “His name is Ryker. And we weren’t alone. Tallulah and Nash were in the car too. I don’t see what the problem is,” I replied with sign only.

  His eyes flared angrily. He didn’t expect me to stand up to him. He thought I’d go meekly to his truck. Wrong. If he had an issue, I wanted to know what it was.

  “If you are with a boy, I need to know. I’m your father.”

  “I need to tell you I am riding in a car with my friends? You knew that already.”

  My dad looked back toward the car, then signed, “Is he your friend? You were all pressed up against him in the backseat. Didn’t look friendly to me.”

  “He is more than a friend. We are dating,” I said with sign only. Knowing there were others watching us. We had drawn attention to ourselves. I saw Dad’s gaze move and knew Ryker must have gotten out of the car. He was glaring in that direction.

  “I didn’t approve of that.” He said the words this time. His glare still behind me.

  “And I didn’t know I needed your approval,” I replied with my voice.

  That got his attention, and he turned his glare to me this time. “You live in my house; you obey my rules. This is breaking my rules.”

  “What is? Me dating someone without your permission?”

  He pointed at his SUV again. “Get in the truck!” he said, but I read his lips clearly. Then he signed, “We will discuss this at home.”

  I had a decision to make. Refuse to leave or go home and deal with this. People were watching. If my dad did have an issue with Ryker’s skin color, then I didn’t want that said here. In front of him or anyone else. I turned back around and saw Ryker standing there, waiting; he looked so torn. Like he wanted to help me but didn’t know what to say or if he should.

  “I’ll text you,” I said to him, then walked past my dad and went to get in his vehicle.

  I jerked open the passenger door on his SUV and started to climb inside when I realized Ryker had moved and was closer to my dad, talking. In the night I couldn’t see him well enough from here to see his mouth or know what he was saying, but he threw his hands up in frustration as he said something. I gave my dad a quick glance to see that he was talking too, but his face was stern. Then he turned his back on Ryker and stalked to the SUV.

  Ryker was standing there looking angry and helpless all at once. I lifted my hand to wave good-bye, then climbed inside, leaving him there. I hated this. I shouldn’t be leaving. This was a big night for him. I wanted to celebrate with everyone else.

  Dad was inside and pulling out of the woods within seconds. I hadn’t seen Hunter anywhere. Why hadn’t he tried to help? Where was he? Was he getting to stay at the field?

  I stared out the window into the side mirror. Ryker stood watching us leave. Nash walked up beside him, but it was too dark and too far away. I had no idea what they were doing now. Then the SUV turned onto the main road, and the sight of Ryker was gone.

  Closing my eyes, I laid my head back on the seat and fought against the tears. I wasn’t going to cry in here with my father to witness. He was being unfair and cruel. My mother would have never reacted this way. But then if I had been with my mother, I’d never found out all I was missing. If I had known all this, I wouldn’t have been so upset and angry with my mom when she decided to move to California with her boyfriend. At the time I was sure my life was going to change for the worse. I missed Hunter, but my dad I was never sure about. Things had been so very different than I imagined. If Mom hadn’t sent me to live with my dad, I’d never have come to Lawton and met Ryker. Or Tallulah.

  I didn’t want to lose either of them. This week had been perfect. I’d fit in. It hadn’t been a world of seclusion like I had prepared myself for. Forgiving my mother for moving me was no longer something I struggled with. She wanted to be with her new guy. I wanted to be here. It had been a good fit. My life before Lawton had been dull. Boring. Safe.

  Here, in just one week, I’d found a world full of wonder and excitement. How was that bad? Why wouldn’t my dad be happy about all this? He had been just as worried about my adjusting to Lawton High School. This should have made his life easier. Yet he was acting like I’d committed some crime.

  I was seventeen. Riding in a car with a boy was allowed. We hadn’t even been alone. I was getting into full rant mode in my head when we pulled into the driveway and parked. I knew he was going to tell me exactly what I had done that broke the rules in this house once we got inside. Part of me wanted to walk as slowly to the door as possible just to prolong it. The other part wanted to get this over with so I could text Ryker. Apologize to him for my dad.

  Needing to talk to Ryker won out, and I stalked to the door with fast, purposeful strides. With a jerk, I opened it and went inside the house, then spun around to wait on my father. He took his time, and when he finally entered, he looked at me standing there. His face was no longer angry. Just set, as if his decision was made. There would be no arguing.

  He closed the door behind him while looking at me. Then he said, “You will not date a black boy.”

  I stood there stunned. I knew Hunter had said this would be an issue, but him confirming it was like being slapped in the face with stupidity.

  “What?” I said aloud. I just gaped at him. How could an educated man say something so ridiculous?

  He signed this time as well as said it, to make sure I understood correctly, I suppose. “You will not date a black boy.”

  I blinked. I was at a loss for words. I blinked again. This was not how my mother had raised me. Skin color was not important. Why did he seem to think it was? Where had his ideas gotten so screwed up?

  “How is his skin color a problem?” I asked, trying to make sense of this.

  �
�They’re different than we are. There are social implications, Aurora. Just because your momma raised you not to see color doesn’t mean it’s not there. You date a black boy, and you’re seen differently.”

  I gaped at him. Did he believe what he was saying? How could he think that way? Surely he knew how ludicrous that sounded. “You can’t be serious,” I signed and said.

  “I don’t answer to you, Aurora. You live in my house. You are my daughter. You will not date a black guy. That is the end of this discussion.”

  The fury that crawled all over me with his words came out in a blast of hot anger as I said, “I’ll date whoever I want! If there are backwoods people like you here that judge me for it, then they aren’t worth their opinion. Skin color doesn’t make you different. And after meeting his family, his father is a much better man than you are. I would rather be known as Ryker’s girlfriend than your daughter.”

  His eyes widened for a moment, but then he just walked past me as if I hadn’t said a word. I stood there watching him go, and after he turned the corner to go upstairs to his bedroom, I sank down on the nearest chair. He hadn’t been open to anything. That was his way of saying I had no power here.

  This wasn’t over.

  Love Doesn’t Work like That

  CHAPTER 35

  RYKER

  He had taken her, and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it. I don’t know how long I stood there staring at the darkness his SUV had driven off into when Nash put his hand on my shoulder. “Come on. You need a drink,” he said with a firm squeeze.

  I shook my head. “No. I don’t. Give me a ride to my house,” I told him finally, turning to get back inside Tallulah’s car. Our vehicles were at the high school, but I wasn’t in the mood to go get mine tonight. I wanted to go home and wait for her text.

  Nash didn’t argue with me. I heard him saying something to Tallulah, but I didn’t listen. I didn’t care. Nothing here mattered. Not now. I thought of Hunter and looked out toward the field that had already started to fill up. Music was blasting, and voices were growing louder.