Bayward Street

by Addison Jane

  We managed to break through the crowd, and Layla gave me a shove, drawing my attention to her finger which was pointing away from the pool.

  While most of the crowd seemed content to stand around the pool, dancing and listening to the music that pounded from the house on a large concrete pad. There was a beautiful grassed area off to the side that was quieter and held only a handful of people. The group lay out in the sun on blankets and chatted as they drank.

  It was quiet, more exclusive, as people from the other part of the party seemed not to drift over to them. The vibe was more chilled out, which was more my style and I knew it was more Heath’s too.

  “Come on,” Lay said, grabbing my hand.

  They didn’t notice us as we approached, and that was not Layla’s fashion at all.

  “Hey, rich boy,” she called, drawing their faces to us. “What’s a girl gotta do to get a drink around here?”

  Braydon and Heath both climbed off the ground. Heath’s eyes ran the length of my body, and I had the sudden urge to take a step back, the heat in his eyes I could feel from even this far away.

  Braydon, on the other hand, lit up with a boyish grin, his eyes all for Layla. “Show me your tits,” he called back as the brothers both made their way toward us.

  Layla laughed. “Dream big.”

  Braydon laughed with her, but Heath just walked toward us quietly. The fact was that he could be screaming at me for all I knew, and I would have no idea because all I could hear was my heart pounding as my eyes watched the way he moved.

  He had a short sleeved button up shirt on, but it was left open. A pair of khakis rode low on his hips, accentuating his trim waist. Every part of him was toned and sexy and tanned. His shoulders and biceps stretched against the material of his shirt. I wouldn’t even be surprised if he flexed and it ripped right off. I wouldn’t mind either. It seemed to be a crime to hide a body that beautiful. My fingers twitched, desperate to reach out and touch him. Knowing the second I did that the world around me would melt away.

  The power in his body drew me in every single time. It screamed safety and security, and I desperately wanted him wrapped around me because that was my serenity.

  Before I knew it he was in front of me, his hand reaching out to grasp my waist and dragging me to him. The gentle squeeze, and the way his breath fanned across my neck as he dipped his head told me everything I needed to know. He was going just as crazy as I was. Our bodies were in sync, he felt these feelings too, and a rush of euphoria spread throughout me.

  “You look beautiful,” he whispered. I turned my head slightly so my lips brushed the side of his face.

  I smiled. “It’s a bit different, huh? The dress isn’t really me, but your sister insisted.”

  “Doesn’t matter what you wear. Doesn’t matter how you look. It’s seeing you happy and smiling that makes you look so damn amazing.”

  I pressed my lips to the side of his face, enjoying the way that his skin wasn’t soft but instead bristled and rough. Heath wasn’t a teenage boy. He was all man. Physically and mentally. It’s what made him so strong yet so serious. It’s what drew in the girls, and I’m sure even a few women.

  But his eyes were all for me.

  And I knew now more than ever that Jay wouldn’t win this fight.

  I wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of this feeling.

  Never.

  “Come on, want you to meet someone.”

  “Okay.”

  I looked to find Layla, but Bray had already taken her hostage and was dragging her away with promises of sex on the beach. I was pretty sure he meant the drink, but with Braydon you could never be sure.

  “Look after my friend, Braydon,” I called after them. Layla’s laugh danced through the air, but Braydon didn’t even look back, just waving me off with a flick of his wrist.

  Heath pulled me in the opposite direction, over to where his friends had now gone back to their conversations after Layla’s loud entrance.

  “Payton,” Heath called. A young girl with beautiful long wavy blonde hair turned around with a broad smile on her face. She was wearing a pair of jean shorts that were frayed at the bottom, and what seemed like a one-piece black bathing suit underneath.

  She bounced over to us as we approached. “Hey, Fable, right?”

  I smiled. “Yeah, nice to meet you.”

  Lucas appeared behind her, wrapping his arm around her neck and pulling her back. “This is my little brat of a sister.”

  “Oh!”

  Payton elbowed her big brother in the stomach, and he doubled over laughing.

  “Ignore him, I’m lovely.”

  Lucas choked on his laughter. “You just blatantly abuse me, and then try to convince her that you’re lovely? Nice try, sis.”

  Their banter over who was the best sibling made me laugh. Eventually, Payton just shoved him away and grabbed my hand, pulling me from Heath’s arms. “Come on, let’s get a drink.”

  I looked over my shoulder at Heath as she pulled me back to the house, but he just smiled and shook his head. I missed the connection already, but I guess this was a party.

  “No alcohol, Payton,” Lucas called after us.

  Payton didn’t look back but held up her middle finger over her shoulder as she continued to drag me away. When we were a far enough distance, she slowed down, and I fell in step beside her.

  “Lucas doesn’t let me drink. He thinks I’m too young.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Just turned sixteen.”

  I shrugged. “I guess older brothers are made to be protective.” I’d be a hypocrite if I told her that she shouldn’t be drinking. It wasn’t like I didn’t do it myself. I was actually looking forward to putting a little liquid courage in my body. “How do they get away with having parties like this, and not getting in trouble with the police?”

  She snorted. “When you have this much money, you can pretty much get away with anything. Everyone has their price you know.”

  Oh, I knew.

  Payton stepped up to the makeshift bar where two guys twirled bottles and mixed drinks. “Give me two cosmos,” Payton called over the music which had grown increasingly louder as we’d gotten closer to the house. He nodded and set about mixing our drinks. It wasn’t a minute before one was placed in front of me, the other in front of Payton.

  I sipped at it, letting the soothing liquid rush down my throat. It wasn’t strong, and it tasted amazing.

  I watched as Payton took a drink of hers and screwed up her nose. “There’s no alcohol in this,” she demanded, glaring at the bartender.

  “Lucas said no alcohol for you.” He smirked before strutting off to the other end of the bar.

  I managed to smother my laughter with my hand.

  “I’m gonna murder him,” she stated, snatching the drink off the bar and muttering to herself as we walked back to the quieter side of the pool where Heath, Braydon, and Layla sat now. “Lucas!”

  He turned to us with a wicked grin on his face.

  “What is this shit?” she growled, holding up her drink.

  “It’s called a virgin cosmopolitan. You know, because it has no alcohol.” Lucas folded his arms across his chest and grinned proudly.

  It was when Payton smirked back that I knew he hadn’t won this round. “Thanks for that. The whole virgin concept is foreign to me. Good to know.”

  Everyone laughed loudly as Lucas’ face sank and morphed into one of disgust. “You better be joking, Pay.”

  She didn’t answer but slipped by him, sipping on her drink with a smile as she passed.

  Giggling quietly, I made my way over to Heath. There were several large blankets laid out on the grass. Sam and another of the boys’ friends, Matt, sat chatting with Heath while Braydon and Layla sat slightly back, their heads dipped together in conversation. Heath looked up when he saw me coming, smiling and patting the space between his legs. They were bent at the knees, and he rested his arms on them.

&
nbsp; I frowned as I stared at the spot.

  Heath frowned back at me. “What’s wrong?”

  Holding up my drink with one hand and pointing to the long dress I was wearing with the other, I tried to explain the problem without everyone around us noticing. I was a girl, I should really know how to navigate something like this.

  “Pass him your drink and lift your dress while you sit down,” a girl from the next blanket offered with a soft smile.

  I did so, passing Heath my drink and lifting the bottom as my dress as I wiggled into the space between his legs. When I was situated, Heath passed my drink back, and I turned back to the girl. “Thanks.”

  She giggled. “No problem. Sitting on the ground in a floor length dress can be an art form, but if I looked as good as you did in one, you can bet your ass I’d be saying fuck it and wearing one too.”

  It warmed me to hear her kind words. Maybe the kids here were starting to forget and move on. Maybe I was just becoming another kid at the school.

  Heath shuffled forward, brushing my hair forward over my shoulder and pulling me back against him. The bare skin of his chest warmed my naked back. I leaned back against him sipping my drink as he went back to his conversation with his friends. They talked about swimming and what their parents were up to in their busy lives. Matt’s dad ran a record label, and Sam’s parents were resort tycoons and owned hotels all over the states, including some of the biggest and most well know places in Las Vegas.

  It was strange, though. Even though I didn’t have stories like theirs to compare, I didn’t feel out of place or overwhelmed like I thought I would. I didn’t know if it was because of Heath and the way his fingers gently stroked at my side, or whether it was because I finally felt like I wasn’t the outcast with the dodgy back story anymore. I peeked over Heath’s shoulder to see Layla laughing with Bray, Payton, and Lucas and smiled contently.

  I laughed as Payton and Lucas continued to debate who was better, Lay and I cheered as Braydon made an epic bomb off the water slide, and I sympathized with the girl screaming at her boyfriend because she’d caught him making out with someone else.

  The spotlight wasn’t on me anymore.

  These kids had all moved on.

  I was just a normal teenager.

  And boy did it feel good.

  I watched the crowd, taking it in with fascination as they danced and ground against each other. It was mind boggling just how different this world was to mine. The biggest fear these kids had was whether they were going to be invited to the next party, or if they were going to trip over in their Louis Vuitton’s.

  Heath’s arm wrapped securely around my waist, helped to make me feel at ease. For someone who usually kept his shows of affection private, he was strangely confident today. I welcomed it, though. Not second guessing it, but finding comfort in the way he was unafraid of showing how he cared for me.

  As my eyes searched the crowd, a familiar glare stared back at me, halting my sweep. She had her hands on her hips, and her eyes were narrowed. I steeled my back, trying not to let Jay’s harsh gaze get the better of me. I needed to let her know that I wasn’t giving this up as easily as she thought.

  She wanted to play games with me—threaten my future and my chance at finally having something. What she didn’t consider was the fact that I’d already been through the depths of hell, and Heath and his family had finally given me a reason to fight back.

  The thought of being sent back to my father petrified me.

  But something else scared me even more.

  Losing Heath, and the life I’d started to create for myself.

  I managed to hold her gaze for more than a minute before she turned and stomped away, shoving people to the side as she made her grand exit back inside the house.

  The noise around me pulled me from my thoughts as the boys all jostled and picked fun at each other, pulling their shirts off like they were ready to head for the slide.

  “You’re not going swimming?” I asked Heath when he stayed behind me and didn’t join in. His fingers were twisting through the bottom of my hair. Winding and unwinding as we watched the partygoers dance and drink to their heart’s content.

  I turned my body to the side, hating that I couldn’t see his face.

  “Nah,” he shrugged. “I’m good here with you.”

  “Heath, go if you want to. I’m fine.” Even though I used my sternest voice, he still cracked a smile.

  Payton dropped down beside us. “Yeah, go. I’ll stay with her.”

  Bray had already stolen Layla, barely allowing me five minutes with my friend before he continued to drag her around, introducing her to anyone that he could. Layla was quick-witted, just like Braydon, and he couldn’t wait to share his new found friendship with anyone who would listen. And with Braydon, that was everyone. Simply because he was Braydon.

  Heath grunted in response to Payton’s offer to keep me company. “That fails to make me feel any better, Pay.”

  “Heath, go.”

  “Come on, man. We’ll go get dressed and show these wannabes what’s really up.” Lucas tossed his swim trunks on the ground next to us, and I looked up and mouthed a, ‘thank you’ at him.

  Heath growled low in his throat, the sound sent tingles through me. “Fine.” Just when I thought I’d won, he grabbed my chin and turn my face back to his, covering my triumphant smile with his mouth. Luckily, I no longer had any drink left in my glass, it dropped onto the blanket as I melted into his arms. His hand slid across my jaw and around to the back of my neck allowing me no escape as he devoured me.

  Not that I would have wanted that anyway, suddenly thinking maybe I didn’t want him to go anywhere because right there in that moment was the place I could have quite happily stayed for a lifetime.

  “Okay, okay. We get the point, caveman. Her woman, you man. She yours. No touch,” Payton groaned, giving us a gentle shove. The friends around us all chuckled, and I couldn’t stop myself from giggling against his lips as I attempted to pry myself away.

  He groaned but finally pulled back, his eyes hot and wild. Heath wanted more, I knew that. So far he’d kept at my pace, never pushing me farther than I felt comfortable. But I knew that after every kiss, I was beginning to want more too. And one day, something would have to give.

  The idea of being intimate with Heath excited me in more ways than I expected, but I was scared too.

  Scared of how easily it could all be ripped away.

  The boys sauntered off toward the house to get into their swim shorts. People stepped out of their way as they saw them coming, except for one person who stepped into their space.

  “The bitch is here! Oh, joy.” Payton beamed with fake enthusiasm.

  A smile drew on my mouth. “Guessing you’re not her biggest fan either?”

  “Apart from her posse of princesses, I don’t think Jay has any fans,” she replied dryly.

  A lot of people stopped to view their interaction like this whole party had been the side show and now they were onto the main event.

  Jay was wearing a gold bikini—no surprises there—and six-inch heels that I wondered how she managed to walk in, around a slippery pool no less.

  I couldn’t see Heath’s face as his back was to us. Her face was different. It wasn’t smug and confident like usual. Her bottom lip was stuck out in an uncharacteristic pout. She reached out to touch his arm, and I raised my eyebrows when he didn’t shake it off. Lucas gave him a shove and Jay nodded sadly as she watched them disappear.

  Jay’s eyes drifted over to where we were, searching. And I knew exactly what for. When they hit me, they brightened, and a smug smile burned through me before she turned on her toes and continued back through the crowd.

  Just like for the boys, people jumped to move out of her way. But it was for a different reason. They didn’t respect her like they did Heath and Lucas, they feared her. And with a dull ache beginning to form in the back of my legs, I knew exactly why.

  “Let’s go ge
t a drink while the boys are distracted,” Payton said, pulling at my arm. Not sure whether she was trying to distract me, or simply just wanting to finally get one over her older brother, I let her once again drag me to the bar.

  The bartender mixed our drinks and placed them on the bar for us. When he turned away, Payton reached over the bar and grabbed a half empty bottle of vodka. I laughed as she tucked it under her arm and strolled away.

  “Fable!” Layla jogged over to me. “Braydon and Heath are gonna race down the slide.”

  She pointed to the hill where the two brothers were climbing. They tested each other with light shoves and laughter as they made their way to the top.

  There was only love between those two. They weren’t really competitive, but I guess they really had no reason to be. They were close, closer than a lot of siblings, hanging out with the same crowd and stuff, but they both had their own thing.

  Braydon was into football. Heath was a swimmer. Both vastly different sports, which required different techniques and training. They never competed against girls either. Braydon was the ladies’ man, where Heath was quiet and subtle in the way he cared for someone. They were both passionate about right and wrong, but that wasn’t a competition, that was something they joined together in. A connection they had because of the way they were brought up.

  People started gathering around the pool, hollering for each of the brothers and shouting out who they bet would win.

  Braydon turned around and lifted his hands in the air, boosting the noise of the crowd as he flexed his muscles. Heath took the opportunity to shove his brother, laughing as he stumbled but caught himself before rolling down the hill.

  Everyone laughed.

  Payton, Sam, and Lucas stood behind us. Not really paying attention as Lucas threatened to tell their mom about the bottle of alcohol she was holding.

  I giggled softly knowing that Lucas really didn’t want to get her into trouble. He was just trying to watch out for her. I think she knew that, and she wasn’t afraid to give back just as much as she got, throwing in her own threat about telling his dad that Lucas had a threesome in his dad’s bed.