Strike Out (Barlow Sisters Book 2)

by Jordan Ford

  He’s so natural and confident with the way he touches me.

  He must have held girls’ hands before.

  I try not to let that thought sour my moment.

  “I was…” I lick my lips. “I was just thinking about a song.”

  “Which one?”

  “Oh…uh…” I let out a breathy laugh and turn away to hide my embarrassment.

  “Max?” Cairo draws out my name, gently guiding my face back with the tips of his fingers. His brown eyes are dancing with amusement. “What song?”

  “I’m not telling.” I laugh and lean my head on his shoulder.

  “Okay.” He kisses the top of my head. “I’ll tell you my song, then.”

  I go still as he starts to softly sing “Beautiful Soul.”

  It’s so sweet and romantic, but it gives me the giggles. I slap a hand over my mouth while my stomach shakes with laughter.

  “Am I being too romantic for you right now?” Cairo’s voice is dry but when I look up, I can see the hint of a smile in his eyes.

  “I’m sorry.” I try to swallow my giggles, but a few more burst free before I can stop them. “It’s just that no one’s ever sung to me before. It’s very romantic, and I obviously don’t know how to handle it.”

  His face warms with a soft smile as he skims his fingers down my cheek. “You’re one in a million, Max. I should be calling you Max-a-million.”

  “Well, no one’s ever called me that before, so…”

  His lips brush mine and I tilt my head to deepen the kiss. It’s not hard. My body knows what it wants. It’s been moving on instinct all day, and it’s a heady rush.

  Cairo glides his hand around my waist and pulls me against him. I arch my back, trying to get as close as I can while tipping my head to explore a little deeper.

  His tongue tastes so good. Feels so amazing.

  This kissing thing could easily get addictive.

  That should make me cautious, but instead it thrills me.

  The song I’m too shy to sing to Cairo whistles through the back of my mind, capturing everything I’m experiencing at the moment.

  I didn’t know I was starving until I tasted Cairo Hale.

  And I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to sate this hunger…

  But I’m quite happy to spend the rest of my day trying.

  It’s with a slightly heavy heart that I let Cairo drive me home. All that awaits me is a whole heap of trouble. I didn’t have my phone with me all day, so my family has no idea where I’ve been and I’m not sure how I’m supposed to fess up and tell them.

  I make sure Cairo drops me at the end of the street. He offered to come in and introduce himself. It’s sweet that he wants to back me up and everything, but I’m thinking no. Things are kind of tense in my house at the moment, especially with Mads getting attacked, and I don’t want to throw a Cairo bomb into the mix.

  “Thanks for a great day,” Cairo turns to me, the streetlight highlighting the left side of his face.

  I smile at him. “It was the best. You have a very cool life.”

  “It’s only getting cooler.” He smiles and takes my hand, gently kissing my knuckles.

  Brushing my teeth over my lower lip, I can’t fight my grin. “You’re very smooth.”

  “I’m not trying to be.” He shakes his head. “You just… Being with you today has been so easy. I feel like I’ve packed a week of awesomeness into eight hours. You are amazing, and hanging out with you is very cool.”

  “Thank you,” I whisper.

  Reaching for my face, Cairo runs his thumb over my lips before leaning across the car to kiss me.

  I grab his shoulder and have my final taste of the day. It’s delectable.

  When he pulls back, I bite my lips together and reach for Cairo’s phone, searching for a song on Spotify.

  “What are you doing?” He smiles.

  Opening the car door, I hold his phone out to him and press play before slipping into the cool night air.

  The opening riff to “Starving” floats out of the speakers and I close the door before my cheeks actually catch fire.

  I glance back at the car as I’m walking away. Cairo’s turned on the interior light so I can see him and he’s smiling at me like he’s just won a million bucks. I grin back and do a giddy spin before jogging for my house.

  Bubbles are rising and popping in my chest and it’s impossible to quell the smile on my lips. Wrapping my arms around my mitt, I let out an unabashed giggle as I open the kitchen door.

  The TV is on in the living room. Hopefully I can sneak to my room without being noticed.

  Tiptoeing through the dining room, I keep my head down and rush past.

  No one calls my name.

  Sweet. I made it.

  A triumphant smirk is just forming when I hear someone softly saying, “Max?”

  I grit my teeth and hold in a sigh when Chloe’s door creaks open.

  “Where have you been? We’ve called like a hundred times today. I’ve been lying through my teeth covering for you with Mom. You’re lucky Dad’s been held up at work all day!”

  I wince. Holding my breath, I turn to face her. “What did you say?”

  “The usual.” She shrugs. “That you went to that fantasy movie no one else wants to see. And don’t worry, when Mom remembered that you’ve already ‘seen it’”—she does air quotes with her fingers—“I casually said you loved it enough to go twice.”

  “Did she buy it?”

  “Of course she did.”

  I sag with relief. “Thank you.”

  Chloe’s eyebrows rise with a pointed look that demands more.

  “Sorry, I left my phone in the locker room. That’s why I didn’t text.”

  She eyes my clothes and spots the bag of dirty baseball gear. Folding her arms, she gives me a narrow-eyed glare that reminds me of Mom.

  I roll my eyes. “Oh, stop.”

  “You have some major explaining to do.” She points up and down at my clothes, and then her lips part when she spots the chunky bracelet on my wrist. “Where did you get that?”

  “I went shopping, okay?”

  “You? Shopping? Without me having to hold your hand and force you?” She crosses her arms and leans against her doorframe. “Wow. Armitage is seriously changing you.”

  I snicker, hyperaware that it’s changing us all.

  “If it makes you feel any better, I bought them at a secondhand clothing store, so…”

  Chloe’s eyebrows flicker with a confused frown.

  I counter it with a sweet smile and spin towards my room. It seems to be my best method of dealing with these lies—blatant avoidance.

  But Chloe doesn’t let me get away with it.

  As I flick my door closed, she pushes it back open and takes a seat on Maddie’s bed, her gaze demanding and expectant.

  I try to distract her. “Where’s Mads?”

  Chloe tenses, gripping the edge of the mattress for a second. “She’s gone to see Holden.”

  “Why?” I drop my bag of dirty clothes next to the hamper.

  “To…tell him how she feels.”

  “Excuse me?” It’s impossible to hide my surprise.

  Chloe’s shoulders slump and before I can stop her, she starts rattling out the truth about her afternoon. How after the game Chloe found out that Maddie suspected Luke of being the guy who beat her up and so they went to talk to him.

  “He got really shitty and tried to stop us, but thankfully Holden arrived to save the day. He took Luke to the police station to fess up and I encouraged Maddie to go and find him.”

  “You did?” I point at her, my voice high with astonishment. I’m still trying to process the Luke thing, let alone the fact that Chloe told Mads to go see Holden.

  “She really likes him, okay?”

  “I know, but…so do you.” I plunk onto my bed, still dumbfounded.

  “It was the right thing to do,” Chloe whispers. “They should be together. And I’m okay, yo
u know?” She stands up and shuffles over to me, sitting down and leaning her head against my shoulder. “It sucks, but I want her to be happy. And at least I still have you.” She threads her arm through mine and gives it a squeeze. “We don’t need boyfriends. We have each other. Two single girls who don’t need some guys to make us happy.”

  My mouth dries up like the desert. It’s a struggle to croak, “That’s right.”

  “I’m so glad you don’t have a boyfriend. It’d really suck to be the only single one. I already feel like the odd one out sometimes.”

  Leaning my cheek against her head, I murmur, “You’re not, Chloe. You’re one of us. You’re a Barlow sister, and we stick together.”

  I pat her hand, not sure how the hell I’m supposed to bring up Cairo and the fact that I’m swiftly falling for him.

  “So.” She sits up and clears her throat. “Tell me about your day, Houdini.”

  I snicker and shake my head. “There’s really not much to tell. I shouldn’t have abandoned you and Mads. I should have been there when you went and saw Luke.” I dip my head, but Chloe gives me a friendly nudge with her shoulder.

  “Don’t worry about it. You looked kind of bummed out after the game. I just assumed you went somewhere quiet to lick your wounds. I know what you’re like. You take baseball so personally.”

  I manage a weak smile and decide to just go with her assumption. “I just needed some time away to make myself feel better.”

  Her blue eyes fill with kindness as she grins at me. “And you chose shopping. Did it even work?”

  “Yeah,” I whisper, fingering the bracelet. “I feel much better now.”

  “Wow. My brain’s really struggling to compute this side of you, Maxy. It’s like your inner woman is trying to break out. How are you going to handle that?”

  “Shut up.” I nudge her with a laugh.

  Chloe giggles, kisses me on the cheek, then jumps up. “Come watch a late-night movie with me. I need the distraction. Nothing romantic.” She sticks out her tongue, then snaps her fingers and points at me. “Let’s go for one of those weird fantasy films you love. You know, with the dragons and the magic and the ugly creatures. You’re still into those, right?”

  I give her a dry glare, which makes her giggle as she pulls me off the bed and down to her room.

  I don’t have the heart to tell her that all I feel like doing is lying on my bed listening to “Beautiful Soul” and reliving every one of Cairo’s kisses.

  24

  Wanting More

  CAIRO

  I lean my hip against the railing and wait.

  Max’s text is on my phone, burning a hole through my pocket.

  After the awesome day we had on Saturday, I thought things had changed.

  But maybe not.

  Can’t come. Driving to school with my sisters.

  That’s all she replied when I asked her what time we should meet up for guitar lessons this morning.

  Dammit.

  I wish she’d just tell the truth already.

  It’d make life so much easier.

  It’s not fair…all this baseball bullshit. She should be able to stand her ground and say that she wants to make room for guitar in her life. She wants to make room for me.

  Crossing my arms, I stare into the parking lot. I don’t even know what I’m waiting for, really. I guess I just want to catch her eye and check in, make sure I haven’t lost what we gained on Saturday.

  “Dirty Little Secret” catches my ear and I turn towards the sound, smiling as the Barlow sisters pull into school. The music is blaring from their car as they all sing and laugh together.

  I hold my breath, waiting for Max to get out. I keep my eyes on her, hoping she’ll sense my gaze.

  She does and her eyes pop to mine before quickly darting away again. She closes the car door and acts like I’m not standing here staring at her.

  I frown, clenching my teeth against the disappointment.

  So much for being “starving.” She looks like she couldn’t care less right now.

  Holding in my annoyance, I stay put, my frustration only increasing when Maddie wraps her slender arms around Holden’s neck and gives him a good-morning kiss.

  Looks like they’re allowed to go public.

  I try to catch Max’s eye when she walks right past me but she keeps facing Chloe, chatting away like I’m the invisible man.

  Talk about being booted off cloud nine.

  I stalk into the school, finding Velocity in our usual hangout spot. I try to act interested while Austin dishes out the gossip on Luke and how he’s the school thief. I’m kind of surprised—I didn’t see that one coming—but I also don’t really care.

  All I want right now is to be sitting in a music room with Max, jamming on the guitar and having a good time. I want to hold her hand and walk her to class.

  I want to kiss her again.

  The bell rings and we go our separate ways. I spot Vincent in the hallway. He’s scowling at people, silently warning them not to make him part of their gossip. He leaves a trail of nervous expressions in his wake.

  I catch his eye and give him a closed-mouth smile the way I always do. I figure there’s no harm staying on the good side of Vincent Mancini. Even though he never smiles back or acknowledges me, at least I know he can’t hold anything against me.

  I’m kind of glad he’s been cleared. It sucks that Luke set him up. I don’t get why guys like that have to blame it on somebody else. Why can’t people just own up to the truth already? We’re humans. We’re not perfect. There’s always a reason behind people’s behavior.

  My shoulders slump as I apply that theory to Max.

  There’s a reason she doesn’t want to tell her dad about guitar…or me. She’s trying to protect it. Protect him.

  She doesn’t want to hurt anybody, but in the process she’s hurting herself. Denying herself something she really wants.

  I have to make her see that it’s okay to tell the truth.

  I don’t get my moment until school’s over for the day.

  Racing down the hallway, I manage to bump into her just as she’s leaving class. I’m puffing and no doubt look like an idiot as I gently drag her away from the crowd and into a nook around the corner.

  “What are you doing?” she whispers, checking to make sure the coast is clear.

  I box her in with my arms, hoping she won’t find it intimidating.

  Who am I kidding?

  It’s Max.

  She could kick my ass.

  I grin, loving what a contradiction she is. For all her nervous angst and secrecy, she’s a wildcat that could unleash hell if she had to. She’s as strong and athletic as most of the Pitbulls, and I’d bet money on her to win any physical fight.

  It’s the emotional fights that seem to scare her the most.

  “I need to talk to you.”

  Her face flickers with guilt and she looks to the floor between our feet. “I’m sorry about this morning, okay? I’m just trying to figure out when I can fit guitar in. My sisters really need me right now. After everything that’s happened, I can’t be sneaking off to see you.”

  “What about your free period tomorrow? I don’t mind ditching class to meet up with you.”

  “You can’t ditch class.”

  “I’ll fake a headache or something.”

  Her blue eyes spark with amusement. “Now who’s the liar?”

  “Come on.” I brush my fingers down her face, remembering the song she gave me in the car on Saturday. Man, that was a triumphant moment. I haven’t been able to get “Starving” out of my head since. “You can’t give up on guitar…or us. You’re too good. We’re too good.”

  Her expression softens with a dreamy smile before she shakes her head with a wince. “It’s getting too hard to hide it. I can’t keep lying to my family.”

  “Then tell them the truth.”

  She opens her mouth to argue but I plant my lips on hers before she can speak. She tastes
so sweet and intoxicating, so I deepen the kiss, loving the way her fingers skim down my torso and curl into my shirt.

  Pulling back as swiftly as I started, I brush my lips on the tip of her nose and walk away.

  If I leave her wanting a little more, maybe that will be motivation enough for her to tell people what she really cares about, and ultimately set herself free.

  25

  Trouble or Fun?

  MAX

  My lips are still buzzing as I drive home from practice. It was cut short because of the whole Luke thing. Everyone’s pretty gutted. I still can’t believe he betrayed us all that way…especially Holden. They were best friends. It’s got to hurt. He’s been kicked off the team and will most likely be expelled. It was hard to get fired up in practice today. Even Coach was feeling it.

  As soon as he called it, Chloe took off so she could help Rahn at the Catholic church, and Holden is giving Maddie a ride home.

  It was my suggestion. When I saw them making out in the hallway…and that happy look on her face…

  So I guess I could have stayed and hung out with Cairo this afternoon.

  I slap the wheel in frustration, wishing I had. I should have gone back and found him after practice. He’s probably in the practice studio right now, messing around on the guitar, singing to himself and being all kinds of hot and gorgeous.

  Man, his kisses are pure heroin. Not that I’ve ever had heroin, but I’ve heard it’s really addictive. I brush my lips while Hailee Steinfeld fills my car with her beautiful voice. I’ve been listening to “Starving” and “Beautiful Soul” a lot over the past two days. They make me float. They inspire me.

  I seriously need to tell my family what I want.

  But I’m scared.

  I’m scared if the truth comes out that they’ll try to take it all away from me. Dad will freak out and go into drill sergeant mode. Right now, he’s trusting me to stick to his schedule. He has no idea how far I’ve strayed from it.

  When he finds out my deception, he’ll start keeping tabs on every part of my day. It’ll be like living in a straitjacket.