Kiss with Cherry Flavor (Grover Beach #4)

by Anna Katmore

  Saratoga Avenue was quiet, not many cars and next to no pedestrians at this time in the afternoon. The tree in Lisa’s front garden came into view long before her house did. I slowed down when I reached it, but instead of crossing the street and ringing the bell, I stood rooted there for several minutes, gazing at a different house.

  Why couldn’t Tony make up his mind? Be a nice guy or a jerk. Like me or not. Simple things. My gaze fixed on the tips of my boots as I hung my head and sucked in a deep breath. It would be wise to go home and forget all about this boy, but I couldn’t. And when the front tire of a mountain bike appeared in my peripheral view, I knew it was too late.

  “Wondering what my room looks like, Summers?” I heard Tony say in a mocking tone that made the hairs on the back of my neck bristle.

  Slowly, I looked up. “No, I’m actually wondering how a guy with a nice mom like yours could become such a dismissive jerk.”

  “Dismissive?” He lifted his brows and propped his forearms on the handlebar, his feet placed in a wide stance at either side of his bike. He wore his light blue soccer jersey, and his hair was a sweaty mess. “If I remember it right, I traded partners with Robert yesterday just to be partners with you. How can you call that dismissive?”

  I cocked my head. “And what about today? You couldn’t even say hi to me.”

  Laughing, he replied, “Today…sucked.”

  Oh, he was mocking my message? Two could play this game. “Since you seemed so familiar with each of my looks yesterday, tell me, which look is this?” I gave him a fake smile and flipped him the bird as I started around his bike.

  “That’s your ‘I’m hurt because Tony didn’t talk to me’ look,” he whined, cutting a glance skyward, and reached for my arm. I was too slow to evade his grip. He pulled me back to his side. “Now, don’t run away.”

  “I’m not running away. I’m going to see Lisa.”

  “She isn’t home. She came to watch us at training and left with Hunter. Since his car is nowhere around, I suppose they went to his place.”

  I wrested my arm free. “Fine. I’ll go home then.”

  “Why didn’t you call her instead of wandering all the way to our side of town, anyway?”

  “Because it wasn’t intentional. I just needed to get away from—” Cutting off midsentence, I narrowed my eyes at him. “Ah, forget it.” Crunching on my molars, I spun on my heel and trudged off.

  “From your cousin?” Tony said behind me. His understanding voice made me stop.

  I pivoted.

  “You look like you need someone to talk to. And this isn’t me knowing your ‘looks’ again, Sam, it’s just plain obvious. So if you’ll give me five minutes to shower, you can come in with me and I’ll make good on what I missed with you today.”

  How could he be such a dickhead all day and then get me again with just three stupid lines? This was unfair! And totally frustrating.

  Tony left me no choice. Coming forward and laying one arm around my shoulders, he wheeled his bike with his other hand. Because I really didn’t want to go home right now, my protest died as he led me across the street. However, I didn’t accept his arm around my shoulders and pushed at his chest. “Go away. You stink.”

  Tony hugged me tighter, pressing me against his sweaty side. “Aw, as if you aren’t dreaming of this scent day and night, Summers.”

  I was not. Not of his sweat, anyway. But it made me giggle.

  Tony leaned his bike against the white façade of the house. He pulled a key out from under the doormat, unlocked the door, and entered. Reluctantly, I followed him inside. I had glimpsed the hallway once before but was dying to see the rest of the house, especially Tony’s room. He ushered me past a spacious kitchen built into an oriel, upstairs, and through the first doorway on the right.

  Tony strode into the room, taking off his shirt and tossing it onto the bed, which protruded into the middle of the room from the wall between the window and door. I stopped on the threshold, suddenly feeling a bit shy and uncomfortable as he stood in front of me half-naked. I tried not to stare—or drool—but his bulging muscles were an eye-catcher, all right.

  “Music?” he suggested as he walked to the wide desk to the left of the window. There were two computer monitors on it, a silver-gray compact tower, and lots of drawings scattered around the place. Pushing the start button on his computer, he gathered most of the drawings and made them disappear into a wide drawer right underneath the gray oak desktop.

  He turned around and glanced at where I stood in the doorway trying to relax as my eyes threatened to pop out at the stunning view of him. “Come in. Make yourself comfortable,” he offered. “I’ll be back in five.”

  He grabbed fresh clothes from the wardrobe, which was made of the same light gray wood as his desk, and brushed past me, giving me a little push into his room.

  I wasn’t entirely sure I would have left him alone in my room if I was in his place, but he seemed fine with it, so I reluctantly walked toward his bed and sat down on the very edge. When his computer booted up, gentle music drifted from speakers placed at all corners of the ceiling. He probably had a random playlist on auto-start. I wondered if he listened to music when he was drawing, like I did.

  With the door wide open, I could hear the splash of water in the bathroom next door.

  Don’t! Just don’t let your mind wander over there, I warned myself. But that was easier said than done. Tony, naked, under a spray of water…way too sexy not to think about. My throat went dry.

  To distract myself from that fatal thought, I began inspecting his room instead, starting with his bed. Plain dark-blue sheets covered his pillow and comforter. The bed was wide enough for two. To each side stood a small cube, one holding a lamp, comic books, and a remote for the huge TV attached to the wall. The window produced a big square of light on the floor in the center of the room and one corner of the bed.

  I liked his place. It had air. Even the dark blue curtains fit perfectly into the light/dark style. But there was one more thing that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Something that made this room amazingly appealing to me.

  I wandered around, skimming my fingers over the edge of the desk, then walked to the open window and gazed out. From here I could see Lisa’s house, but her room was at the opposite side. I drew in a deep breath, getting a whiff of the rose bushes down in the garden. Suddenly, it hit me. I turned and walked to the middle of the room, taking another deep breath through my nose.

  That was it.

  The entire room smelled of Tony. Not nasty, sweating Tony, but the way he smelled every time I got close to him. A mixture of fabric conditioner and men’s shower gel. If only I could bottle a shot of that scent for later, when I was in the mood to dream.

  The water stopped next door. I quickly sat down on his bed again, waiting silently for his return. A minute later, Tony came in, barefoot and dressed in a plain white T-shirt and light blue jeans that were ripped at both knees. Two additional, fashionable holes sat on his right thigh. His hair was tousled, and he obviously hadn’t taken the time to thoroughly towel off, because water drops trailed down his bare arms and also at the sides of his neck.

  I had never seen anything this hot, ever.

  Tony crossed to his swivel chair, slumped down, and laced his fingers behind his head, planting his feet wide apart.

  Our gazes locked for an infinite moment. My heart began to stutter. Slowly, a smile sneaked to Tony’s lips. “Never thought you’d actually find yourself on my bed, did you?”

  I chuckled at his tease but then croaked, “This is crazy.”

  “Why?” Unlike mine, his voice was steady. Soft and intense.

  I cleared my throat, hopefully sounding more confident when I spoke next. “You instantly hated me—and I still don’t know why, by the way. You were like the meanest guy I’ve ever met.” My voice dropped a notch. “You made me feel like a thorn in your side.”

  “Or rather an abscess on my butt,” he mumbled, then laughe
d, taking his hands down and folding his arms over his chest. “I’m sorry, Summers. You were just hanging out with the wrong people when you got here.”

  “That much I figured out for myself. But I didn’t have much of a choice at the beginning. And Chloe wasn’t always like this. You should know.”

  Tony arched a puzzled brow at me.

  Rising from his bed, I walked to the window and looked out for a moment, then turned around and leaned against the windowsill, crossing my ankles. “I was quite shocked when I heard that you and Chloe were a couple.” I knew this was going to hit a nerve, but it was possible I wouldn’t get another chance to drag more information out of him. It was worth a try.

  Tony spun in his chair so he could look at me again, his expression blank. “I told you, we were never a couple. We dated for a while is all.”

  “Because she dumped you after you slept with her?”

  “Sam, I’m not up for talking about Chloe and me.”

  “Why not? It’s apparent something happened between you two that causes my life to spin out of control.” Unintentionally, my tone had become harsh as I gripped the edge of the windowsill for support.

  “What do you mean?”

  “She knows you kissed me. And today she threatened to get rid of me, whatever that means. She already hates me because her mom and I get along so well.” I left the spot by the window and crossed to the opposite wall. Tony spun once more to follow me with his gaze. Leaning with my back against the door, I continued, “But the fact that you and I might be involved somehow totally ticked her off. And I want to know from you why that is.”

  “It ticked her off, did it…” Tony rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “I thought it might.”

  “You thought so?” My voice hitched. “But everyone said she dumped you. Why would she still care? I don’t get it.”

  Tony pulled his left leg to his chest, placed his foot on the seat, wrapping his fingers around his ankle, and rested his chin on his knee. He looked at me for a long time, his lips compressed, his eyes wide and soft. What the hell? Would he just tell me what had happened already?

  “So…” I carefully prodded when it seemed he’d never say anything again.

  Heaving a deep sigh, Tony licked his bottom lip. “So…what would you think if I told you I never slept with her?”

  My brows moved together to a deep frown. “What?”

  “You want the truth? I want your promise that it will stay in this room, no matter what happens.”

  Tony was willing to give away a secret, exclusively to me? I probably looked as thunderstruck as I felt, because he chuckled and demanded, “Promise?”

  “I promise.”

  “Well, I believe it’s no secret to you that I…felt a certain attraction to Lisa for a long time.”

  I shook my head. I’d been told he was madly in love with her.

  “The thing is I didn’t realize how much I really liked Lisa until I started dating your cousin. First, it was all exciting and cool, and I thought I was falling in love with Chloe. But when I brought her to my room one night, and she was all over me, I couldn’t stop thinking about Liz. And suddenly it felt really, really wrong to be with Chloe.”

  Tony paused long enough for all this information to sink in.

  “So she didn’t dump you,” I reasoned. “You sent her away that night, didn’t you?”

  With his chin still on his knee, he nodded once.

  “Oh my God,” I whispered. “That’s why she cried for weeks. My aunt told me about it. Chloe felt so miserable, and I’ve been wondering why all this time, and everyone thought she was just a bitch. You hurt her.”

  “And I felt terrible about it. For exactly two minutes. Then she threatened me with something you should never threaten a guy with.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She warned me to keep my mouth shut and let people believe she broke up with me. Saving her pride or reputation somehow, I guess. Otherwise she’d tell everyone that I was only lying about it because I was dead in the sack.”

  Even now, I could see how deeply Chloe’s threat had cut into his pride when his blue eyes turned sad and a soft pink crept to his cheeks.

  “But your friends would have believed you. Why didn’t you tell them? Why did you lie to Lisa when this would have been your chance to get her back?”

  “Ah, there was some other shit going on with Liz that night. I’d practically shoved her into Hunter’s arms, and he was only too happy to keep her. I could have said whatever I wanted. They wouldn’t have believed me.”

  “And later? What about now?”

  “It doesn’t matter anymore. They’re in love.” He shrugged nonchalantly, his eyes focused on the floor. “Nothing can change that.”

  “But you still love her.”

  His gaze lifted to mine and he smirked. “Do I?”

  “I don’t know. Do you?”

  “Well…that’s actually what I’ve been trying to figure out lately.”

  “Figure it out? Why? Shouldn’t you know what you feel?”

  “Hmm.” He pressed his lips together, then he asked out of the blue, “Are you in love with me, Summers?”

  “I—er— Sorry, what?” In a split second my mouth had gone bone-dry.

  “Let’s see if I got this right.” Tony rose from his chair and slowly walked toward me, his bare feet slapping on the parquet. “You like hanging out with me…and you certainly enjoyed kissing me.” He tilted his head, arching his brows. “Then again, I think I make you angry a lot, which probably makes you want to damn me to hell.”

  He broke through my personal zone and placed both his palms at my eye level against the door, hemming me in. I wondered if this was to reassure himself that he wasn’t going to touch me.

  “Now, tell me, Summers, is this love?”

  The temperature in the room rose about twenty degrees. I pressed harder against the door, flattening my hands against the wood. “I don’t know,” was the only honest answer I could give him. It came out in a hoarse whisper.

  “See? Sometimes it’s just hard to tell. I don’t know if I’m still in love with Liz.”

  His soft breath graced my skin. My breathing quickened. “And now you’re using me to find out how you feel about her?”

  “No, Samantha...” Tony dragged out my name as though it was some candy he was devouring. “I’m not using you.” Relaxing his shoulders, he dipped his head a little more. His mouth was so close, I could feel the soft brush of his lips against the corner of mine when he drawled, “You drive me crazy.”

  My knees got wobbly. The blood in my veins heated up to an unbearable point. “I’m—sorry?”

  “Are you?” Tony chuckled low and deep.

  “I feel like I should be.”

  “You make it impossible for me to stay away from you.”

  “I didn’t know I did.”

  Tony angled his head so his nose skimmed along my hair and he took a deep breath. “You’re the total opposite of what I always thought I wanted. Cheeky. Tiny. With an impossible haircut.”

  Impossible? I liked my hair. And the way he was caressing it with his cheek and nose said he liked it, too.

  “But you smell like a vanilla cupcake,” he continued. “I could watch you suck those cherry lollipops all day. And then your little note in AVE today…” His mouth was at my ear. “Do you have any idea how that made me want to haul you out of class and just kiss you?”

  My heart felt like it was trying to bulldoze its way out of my ribcage. My hands shook. I placed them just above his stomach to keep a distance between us—and to steady myself. His muscles twitched, but he ignored my slight pressure. He only pushed closer.

  “Why can’t I stop thinking about you, Sam?”

  Perhaps for the same reason I couldn’t ban him from my thoughts either? “Opposites attract?”

  Tony smiled, mostly with his eyes. “You think?” He was way too close, determination shimmering in his look.

  He was
going to kiss me…

  He was going to kiss me, and I didn’t know how to make him stop. The only thing I knew was that if he did it again, there was no going back. One kiss might be an accident. A second one within two days was intentional. And this time, if he went through with it, I wouldn’t let him break away. I craved it all. If he kissed me now, he would have to deal with me on a daily basis, because I didn’t think I could bear getting this close to him and then being pushed away again.

  “Don’t do this if you don’t want it this time,” I whispered.

  Tony blinked once, his soft breath caressing my skin. “I wanted it last time. And I do want it now.” In the next instant, he took my mouth in a seductively slow kiss that burned its way through my veins.

  I shuddered so hard I feared I was losing the floor beneath my feet. But then I realized the shudder was only on the inside. I was captured between the door and Tony’s body, his warmth seeping through me.

  This time, Tony didn’t nibble my lip or start out gently. He just worked my mouth open with his and began to swirl his tongue around mine. Enticing, slow, and soft. Shoving my hands upward and around his neck, I thrust my fingers into his still-wet hair. On my tiptoes, I tilted my head to one side, making him angle his the other way by pulling slightly at his hair. This way I met each of his kisses with growing hunger. I nipped his bottom lip—harder when I found out it made him moan in the sexiest way.

  His hands slid down the door. They grabbed my waist roughly, pulling me tight against him and up. Tony smelled so good. Musky and forbidden. And he tasted even better. His tongue slid ravenously against mine, making my mind spin.

  He lifted me then, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me. I knew I weighed nothing for him. A couple of seconds later the world dipped, and I lay on my back on his bed, the sun shining in my face. Breathing fast, I scooted backward. Tony came over me like a predator on the hunt, low, crawling on all fours. His eyes were set on mine, glinting dark blue and voracious.

  When his face was above my stomach, he leaned down and nudged my T-shirt up with his nose. The line where he brushed my skin tickled. Then he swirled his tongue around the dragonfly in my belly button piercing.