Grounded (Grounded #1)

by Heather Young-Nichols

  “Stand back,” I whispered just to him. He hopped behind the steering wheel and, once Jensen slid back under my car, I casually looked around to make sure no one was watching, then twirled my index finger in the air, picking up some static electricity. A small spark shot out, hitting the car’s engine. Aric turned the key and the engine fired immediately. Aric gave me a small nod of thanks; it felt good to use my power. I hadn’t since before leaving Michigan and man did I miss how dominant, powerful and useful it made me feel.

  My attention went back to Jensen, who’d not only finished the oil but also checked everything under the hood to make sure all the fluids were topped off. Apparently, I’d also neglected the windshield wiper fluid because it was bone dry. Oops.

  He dropped the hood and turned to me while wiping the grease on his hands onto a rag.

  “All set,” Jensen said. He tossed the blue cloth onto a tall silver box and waved his fingers, letting me know to follow him. We went back to the reception area. I think Jensen just wanted to get away from Aric since, once the door closed behind us, he turned to continue the conversation.

  “So, I’ll go get cleaned up and we can head out.”

  “Do you want a ride?” I scrunched my face because the dude was covered in dirt, oil and sweat and having him in my car was less than appealing.

  Luckily, he shook his head. “I rode my bike in. If you want to come to my place to wait, I’ll be quick. I promise.”

  “Wow, just what every girl wants to hear.” That got a laugh out of him as every muscle in his body relaxed. “So, I don’t know where you live.”

  He hadn’t invited me over yet and I didn’t want him to know that I’d tracked him when I first came to town.

  “Just follow me.”

  Chapter Eight

  He lived only a few miles away from his dad’s garage. I suspected the reason he drove was more that he loved being on his motorcycle rather than he actually needed to. His place wasn’t huge. When the door swung open, we entered the living room first. With a quick look around, I noted a feminine touch. His mom must have fixed the place up. Alice didn’t seem like the type of woman who’d let her son fester in a rat hole or frat house. That’s not to say there were flowered curtains all around; everything was very manly, from the dark couch down to the much too large television and bare walls, aside from a clock.

  “I’ll just be a few minutes.”

  And he was off. Within thirty seconds, I heard the shower raining down in the bathroom. I gave myself a private tour of the rest of his place. He had quite a bit of square footage, more than I’d first thought. An attached dining room held a small, four person table. There was a galley kitchen that ran the width on the far end with an opening that allowed anyone in the kitchen to talk to anyone who wasn’t.

  I even let myself wander the other direction, into his bedroom. A large, unmade bed sat under a row of windows. The mass of tangled blankets and sheets brought other thoughts to mind. Thoughts invaded my mind about rolling around in there, maybe getting tangled up and not caring due to certain other activities that would be going on…

  “Whoa,” he started. I turned quickly at the sound of his voice and found him in the doorway with just a towel wrapped around his waist and small drops of water glistening from his chest and abs. “I didn’t expect…”

  “Sorry.” I think I actually started to blush. Really? There went calm, cool Alyssum. I swear I could feel his body heat two feet away and wanted to feel it closer. “I was just wandering…I don’t even know how I ended up in here. I wasn’t snooping, I swear.”

  His smile looked even more delicious when he was all clean and wet. It took just about all I had not to pounce on him. Given that he was naked under that towel, it would have gotten super weird, super quick.

  “Didn’t think you were. You just surprised me.” Awkward silence fell over us for what felt like ages. “I just, uh, need to get dressed.”

  “Right.” I snapped back to reality. “I’ll be in the living room.”

  I’m such an idiot. Caught in his bedroom? Why did I go in there?

  Being a guy must be far too easy because, in less time it took me to do my hair, he was completely put together. He looked like he’d stepped out of a movie. I couldn’t focus on anything but him when he came out in jeans and a white t-shirt that had a slight V-neck, just enough to tease me with his collarbones. Though I never heard a blow dryer, his hair looked perfect.

  ***

  First, we ate at this small pizza place up the road from the theater. Just a quick bite before the movie he planned on taking me to. I discovered I was pretty good at getting on and off his bike in a skirt without flashing all my goodies to anyone watching. I liked riding with him, liked being that close and being able to wrap my arms around his waist. It was comfortable.

  “I’m pretty sure you’ve already seen this one,” I said, nudging his arm as we stood in line to get tickets.

  The moment we had both gotten off the motorcycle in front of the theater, he took my hand in his and didn’t let go. Fine by me, Jensen Burkhardt.

  “Like I could concentrate.”

  After purchasing our tickets, he offered to buy snacks, but I was completely full. I asked for a diet pop and was teased, yet again, for calling it pop. How was I supposed to know that in New England it’s called soda? And how was I supposed to change that habit?

  “What did you mean you couldn’t concentrate?” I asked as we took our seats in a completely different section than the one he’d sat in with Ashley. I wanted to know, but if he told me he spent the time making out with that girl, I might throw up.

  “I watched you more than the movie,” He said, making me smile. “Then, after you left, I just wanted to get out of here. I literally remember nothing about the movie.”

  “Aww.” I pushed up out of my seat to kiss his cheek.

  He turned to me, looking very serious. “Alyssum, I want to explain that.”

  “You don’t have to. We never said we weren’t seeing other people.”

  “I know.” The words came out flat and jealousy quickly crossed over his face again.

  Apparently, Aric showing me the theater first bugged him more than I thought. Just because the guys didn’t say anything to me about our dating situation doesn’t mean they weren’t bothered by it. If seeing him with Ashley the other night taught me anything, it’s that the idea of me with Aric must be hard for Jensen. The reverse would be true for Aric as well. The fact that we didn’t talk about it left everything to the imagination, but that was sometimes worse.

  “Ashley asked me out just after I met you. I didn’t want to go; she’s boring and far too perky.” That’s how I would’ve described her as well. I had to giggle a little, “But her mom works with mine and our dads are kind of friends. It would’ve been weird if I turned her down.”

  “And now is the poor girl waiting for date number two?”

  “Lord no. She, ah…doesn’t think my head was in the game. Her words.”

  The lights dimmed. After previews, the movie went by quickly as I sat, very comfortably, with my head on his shoulder and my hand in his. I didn’t want the date to end. Every time he kissed the top of my head or tickled my arm with his fingertips, my entire body tingled like I’d just licked the end of a nine volt battery.

  When we headed back to his place, I thought I’d just get in my car and go, but I couldn’t say no when he invited me in.

  We talked for a while. Before I knew it, we were kissing; actually, making out might be the better way to put it. I kicked my shoes off and pulled my legs onto the couch, making us face each other. Soon after, he made his move. One hand on the side of my face, the other at my waist, Jensen proved he was a truly skilled kisser. He knew right where to put his hands to make me want to push for more. His lips were tame, innocent even, until the kiss deepened. His tongue caressed mine, sending a pulse through my toes.

  I shifted my body to a more comfortable position. He moved with me, ending up
half on top of me, half on the couch, a knee between my thighs. It would’ve been easy to let it go from there. Thin cotton was the only thing standing between us. His hand inched up my side, under my shirt; he cupped my breast through my bra. Every muscle in my body tightened as sense crept back into my brain. I was still technically seeing Aric and wasn’t that girl. I could date both of them, that was fine with me, but I couldn’t go further physically with either while still seeing both.

  “Sorry.” He didn’t really move. “I, uh…”

  “No, no.”

  I pulled myself up to a sitting position, which forced him up as well. We faced each other, and our eyes locked while our breathing came back to normal and our pulses slowed down.

  “I just…I can’t really…” Words were not my friend at that moment. Okay, time to talk like grown-ups. Taking a deep breath, calming my nerves, I dove right in. “Jensen, I can’t let this,” I waved my finger between the two of us, “go any further right now.”

  “I wasn’t trying to pressure you. It just felt right, at least to me.”

  “Oh no,” I grabbed his arm, emphasizing my words with my eyes, “It totally feels right. It’s just that there are some things I need to take care of before anything else happens.”

  “Ah.” He sized me up like he was trying to figure out how to say or ask something. “Aric?” I couldn’t bring myself to confirm. I was getting pretty good at avoiding their questions about each other. I hated it every time. “Don’t worry, we don’t talk about you.” My eyebrow shot up. “The only time you come up is when my dad says something.”

  “Seriously?” I replied. Aric told me the same thing. I wasn’t sure I believed him when he said it. The one thing I didn’t want to happen was for me to come between their friendship. That would be truly bad for all parties involved and absolutely miserable for Aric because of the Gobel bond.

  “Right, Alyssum, like I’d talk about you to the other guy you’re seeing.” He took a rough breath. “I’ve seen you guys.”

  I physically felt the blood drain from my face. “You saw…what?”

  Jensen eyed my reaction and his voice came out ragged, either from our previous activity or anger. I wasn’t sure which. “Yeah, uh, coming and going from his place a couple of times. I’ve passed you running, stuff like that. I didn’t think it was a big deal, but judging from the look on your face, I’m a little more worried now.” He let out a nervous laugh.

  “Nothing’s happened. I just…it’s just I know how I felt seeing you with Ashley.” I turned to the side, slipped my shoes on and found my purse. I took my keys out and held them tightly in my hand. The metal digging into my skin brought me back to Earth. I knew what I had to do. “So, I’m gonna go.”

  He walked me to my car, which was parked around the corner from his apartment since I’d come here directly from the garage after the oil change. That spot had been the closest to his place at that time. Once we made it to my car, I was reminded of our first kiss after the fireworks.

  “We’ll talk soon?” he asked when our eyes locked again as he played with the ends of my hair. I did not want to leave him.

  “Definitely.”

  He kissed me again, softer and a lot less intensely. “I have to tell you, Alyssum. I don’t want there to be any confusion.” His face was more than a couple inches from mine. I could almost feel his lips move against me when he spoke. “I want to be with you. I don’t want you seeing anyone else and I don’t want to see anyone else. That said…if it’s him, just tell me, because I can’t let it be both of us anymore.” I watched his eyes drop to my lips, then find their way back to mine. “I’m selfish like that.”

  ***

  The motel room I’d spent weeks in never felt more like home than it did that night. Small and familiar, a place where I could put on my comfies and sink down into the lumpy mattress. I wished for sleep. My mind raced over details of what I had to do next. Being honest with myself, I had to admit that the choice had already been made. Both of them were great and I wanted both in my life, but, with Aric, it was lust. He made things happen, I couldn’t deny it, but I got that and the other mushy stuff with Jensen. I had to pull that trigger.

  The next morning, a Saturday, I knew Jensen wasn’t working and Aric would be, so I headed to Burkhardt’s Garage. There was no one inside to greet me and I didn’t see anyone working, but I waited.

  “Oh, Alyssum, Jensen’s not here.” Mr. Burkhardt made me jump. He entered the reception room from the office, which I had my back turned to. He sure liked to sneak up on me, but he was so good-natured, I couldn’t hold it against him.

  “I’m actually looking for Aric.”

  His face dropped. He recovered quickly, but I knew where his allegiance fell. I had to suppress a grin. He waved his hand in the direction of the shop, which was where I found Aric leaning into the motor of a bright red convertible.

  “Hey,” he said when he saw me coming.

  I took extra caution getting to his bay, stepping over air hoses and tools, thankful that I hadn’t worn my signature wedges, instead opting for shorts and flat sandals. Otherwise, I’d have probably fallen flat on my face. I’d never seen the garage quite that messy. I mean, it’s a garage where mechanics work on dirty parts of cars, but usually it was pretty tidy. Maybe, since it was the weekend, they didn’t see the need to keep it clean if customers wouldn’t be coming and going.

  “So, what’s up?” Aric leaned against the car, folding his arms over his chest and crossing his legs at the ankle. He looked good enough that I almost had to remind myself why I came. Apparently, since coming to Putnam Valley, my face became easier to read than See Spot Run because I didn’t have the chance to say anything before he got it.

  “I see. So you’ve made your choice and it’s not me, right?”

  “Aric…”

  “Really? Man, I did not see this coming. I mean, yeah, he’s great and all, but things have been heating up between us, right?”

  “It has, but…”

  “Guess I should’ve figured it out. I mean, he’s the easy choice, right? Can’t exactly take a Gobel home to Mom.” Aric wasn’t letting me say much. He filled in the blanks himself, but he was wrong. I didn’t want a relationship with Jensen because it was easy. I wanted to be with Jensen.

  “That isn’t it.” I hadn’t even thought of that side of things. Man, things were getting even weirder.

  “It isn’t?” His smirk hit a nerve in me. We bantered back and forth all the time. This was different.

  “No, it isn’t. And I really don’t want to have to explain this to you. I don’t want to hurt you.” I mulled over my next words. It was a low blow really. The worst part was I knew that what I was about to say would hurt before I said it, but, no matter what, I had to have him in my life. “You’re my best friend, Aric.”

  His head snapped to the side, jaw tensing with words he wouldn’t say. The friendship card. It was a big one among the Gobel, the one that trumped all others once they cared about someone. He couldn’t betray a friend very easily, even if he wanted to, and I’m sure he definitely wanted to betray me right then. Whatever that friendship button inside his people was, I needed to use it to my advantage. I didn’t want to lose him completely.

  “So, we’re good then?” It was the last question I wanted to ask. If he said no, that he never wanted to see me again, I was sure I’d cry on the spot. I cared about Aric a lot, but, when I looked deeper, it was as a friend. Our friendship would help us through this awkward situation. It had to.

  “You know us goblins…can’t get rid of us that easily.” He said those words to put me at ease because that’s the kind of thing a Gobel would do for their friend, but the tone did nothing to mask his sadness. I hoped the sadness would fade and Aric would keep being my friend.

  He made me laugh, even though I felt horrible about hurting him, and it made me wonder how much hurt was actually there. Deep down I think even he knew we should only be friends. Not that I’m saying all the
time we spend together was fake. There was definitely a physical attraction.

  “I’d hug you, but you’re gross. So, I owe you one.” I smirked, testing the waters of our new friendship.

  “Yeah, I don’t like IOUs.” He pulled me into a big, greasy bear hug, ignoring all my protests and wiping his hands up and down my back, leaving his mark. “Now that that’s settled,” he let me go, “we need to head back soon. He needs to know what’s up.”

  “I know.” I nodded as I spoke.

  “I can—”

  “No, I’ll do it.”

  Chapter Nine

  Of course, that hug from Aric felt good because it let me know he’d still be in my life. Not having him by my side was the last thing I wanted, but I had to change my clothes…again. He’d purposely wiped an extra smudge of grease across my cheek because that’s the way he was. At least I could easily take care of that with a damp cloth and a quick touch-up with the make-up brush.

  Then it was time to go see Jensen. That would be the easier conversation to have. As I tried to leave the shop quickly and quietly without Mr. Burkhardt seeing my dirty clothing and face, he called out that Jensen was doing some work for his mom at their house, just in case I wanted to know. That’s where I headed after getting cleaned up.

  The Burkhardts lived just a few miles out on what used to be a large farm. Jensen told me, during one of our late night talks, that his grandparents sold the land years before. I pulled into the horseshoe driveway and stopped in the middle. His mom stepped out on the front porch that wrapped all the way around the white house. She immediately looked disappointed, throwing a tense, not quite rude, greeting that made me wonder just what Jensen told his parents about us. She told me where to go, which was not where I suspected she wanted to send me.

  Jensen was out back, behind the garage, moving wood to make room for another delivery. He didn’t hear me come around the corner or pull in the driveway, for that matter. His radio was blaring.