“Really?”
“Yes, but I appreciate you trying to protect my virtue.”
Bedford looks back and forth from me to his sister a few times before giving me a look that tells me he doesn’t exactly believe us. But then he mutters, “There are bagels downstairs,” before stomping out of the room.
“Well, that was embarrassing.” I turn to see Becca throwing her hair into a ponytail on the edge of the bed before yawning so unattractively wide.
“It was the truth.”
“Was it now?” She shoots me a sexy smirk, grabbing her white shorts off the couch and slipping back into them. “Well,”—She slips her flip flops back on and slaps her hands on her knees—“Let's go downstairs, playboy, before we start even more rumors.”
I watch her leave in awe. I’ve had my awkward share of morning-after encounters, but none that left me speechless—None like this. The way she is so confident and casual, leaves me feeling… incomplete.
I take a deep breath, shoving down the thought that, if she can do this without even having sex with me, what will sex with her be like?
The house is an utter mess. My entire descent downstairs is echoed by the crunch of potato chips and directed around a maze of red cups. The voices from the kitchen echo loudly before I even make it down the hall.
“—Laid a hand on you, I swear to God!”
“Oh please.” I can practically hear her eyes roll. “What would you do? Beat him up?” She starts to laugh and a few other people snicker. There’s some rustling, a ding of a timer, and then, “What if it was me that couldn’t keep my hands off him?”
“Becca—”
I walk into the room just in time to save her from the verbal assault that’s coming. “Did you guys save me any bagels?”
All eyes move to me: Ford, Courtney, Paul, and Matt. Rod is there, also, but he’s facedown on the couch still, so I don’t think he counts. All eyes but the ones I want. Becca is concentrating on the bagel she’s spreading with cream cheese.
“There are a few left.” Becca throws me the white paper bag without even looking at me. “Slim pickings, I’m afraid—Only onion or cinnamon raisin. Apparently Court doesn’t believe in plain bagels on a hung over stomach.”
Her joke seems to liven things up a bit. “Hey, that wasn’t me. Your brother picked the assortment.” She leans back in her chair before shooting Bedford a smile.
Paul’s the next one to get up. “I’m outta here—Gotta get to work,” he calls, grabbing a bottle of water off the island before heading for the door. The door shuts behind him when I feel the tone of the room change.
Bedford’s eyes have been on me since I walked in the doorway. I feel them bore through me like a bullet. But all I can think of is Becca. I slip the cinnamon bagel out of the bag and reach for the knife she just placed down on the marble countertop.
She glances down at my hand, and I pause. Finally, she meets my eyes. I was hoping when I finally saw her it would all make sense. Her eyes would tell me all I needed to know. But now that I’m looking at them, they are just as unreadable as my own. She tears her eyes away, sliding the cream cheese over to me with her fingertips.
While I prepare my bagel, I can feel everything about her: the heat radiating from her body and the little glances she shoots me from the side of her eyes. When she props herself up on the counter while she takes a bite of the bagel, I have to advert my eyes because they keep staring at her bare thighs. My eyes skim over anything and everything before they meet Bedford’s. His face is anything but happy.
“Well, I have to get home. Finals and everything,” Becca mutters, slipping down to the ground and digging into her purse for her keys.
“Do you need help?” I snap to my senses. For some reason, I don’t want her to leave. There are still things I need to figure out. Things I need to ask her.
“My final is tomorrow, so unless you’re a statistics expert, I really don’t see how you can help me.”
Math: probably my worst subject. She’s won and I know it, so I nod in assent. I watch as she walks over to her brother and kisses him on the cheek. She whispers something into his ear before walking over and giving Courtney a hug.
When she’s walking back around, she eyes Rod, still immobile. “Nice talking to you, Rod. As always, a pleasure!” Her sarcasm is loud enough to make him roll over, but his eyes are still closed. It’s my turn; I can feel it as she begins walking towards me. Almost shy, her blue eyes meet mine and she smiles. A real smile; a flirty smile. “I’ll see you around, John Smith.” She fakes a salute and heads past me towards the door.
That’s it? The big build up for that? I bounce from one foot to the other, deciding what I should do, things I could say. But when I hear that door open my body reacts like I would on the field. Even with her brother’s eyes still on me, I slip into the hallway. “That’s it?”
She pauses in the doorway, slowly turning to face me, hand still on the door. “A weak salute – which is the army, by the way – and I’ll see ya ‘round?”
“What do you want me to say?” Her shoulders straighten and I pause, thinking, because honestly, I don’t know. “I’d say call me—But we both know that isn’t going to happen.”
“You don’t know that.” I run my fingers through my hair, trying to dispel some nervous energy.
“Don’t we?” It’s like she can see right through me.
“Okay, John Smith—Call me.” This time she twirls her hand and bows to me obnoxiously. “Was the bow better?” She smirks at me, hiding a giggle before turning and leaving me, standing in the hallway staring after her.
I can’t hide the smile even as I walk back into the kitchen to face her brother. It disappears when I see him. The softness he was holding because of his sister is long gone. “My sister, you asshole!” He lunges around the center island before heading right for me. We fall with him on top of me, winding up for a punch.
“Ford! It’s not –”
“My sister!” A punch comes and I turn my head just in time for Bedford to catch the floor.
“Nothing happened!”
“Liar! I saw your faces.”
“We kissed—That’s it!”
“You kissed my sister!” He gets me in the stomach now. I cough.
“That’s it! That’s all that happened.”
“Of all the girls in the world, why my sister?” The last part is soft as he loses his fight.
“I didn’t… I couldn’t plan this. It just happened. She kissed me, although I didn’t stop it. But that’s all that happened, I swear to you.”
“You stay away from my sister, Smith.”
The hurt in his eyes is apparent, and I can’t say that I blame him. I treat women like crap; I use them and leave them like a dirty tissue. As much as this new feeling intrigues me, I can’t help but think I will do the same thing to Becca as all the other girls. The only thing that has caught my attention is the fact that she didn’t give it up to me. Once I get that, I’ll lose interest like always. That’s what I tell myself, when I open my mouth to respond. “I promise. I’ll leave her alone.”
The onslaught of texts that I knew were from my brother, already started before reaching North Commons’ driveway. I didn’t miss the death stares he cast toward John and me earlier. Of course, I defended with, ‘it’s the same as you attempting to hook up with Meggie.’ But in typical older brother fashion, he brushed it off. Between Bedford and my mother, I don’t know who is more over-protective. I thought by going to college, I would be able to escape all that nonsense. I was wrong. I folded, as women always do, to Bedford Swanson. I pledged never to get involved with John Smith. Deep down, I’m silently hoping I get a chance to break this one.
“Becca, what are you smiling at?” My eyes flick up from the phone in my hands. I didn’t realize I was still standing in the doorway to our dorm.
“Nothing.” I smirk, tossing my things on the kitchen island.
“How was the party?”
“I
t was fun.” I can’t help the blush rising in my cheeks.
“Oh, I’m sure it was.”
“So, I talked with Officer Smith again – we might have even kissed.”
“No way! And…”
I shrug. “And nothing. He’s friends with Beddy.”
“Really?” The acknowledgement of the meaning plays behind her eyes.
“Not just friends, but fraternity-brother-close-as-all-hell—Friends.”
“Shit.” She pauses. “What are you going to do?”
I blink, finally coming to my senses. “Nothing. The ball is in his court. If he doesn’t text me, then it wasn’t meant to be.”
My grades came in – 4.0 as usual, and after two weeks, summer classes started again. In all that time, I didn’t receive so much as a text, not knowing what I was expecting. I knew this was going to happen. The radio silence is deafening. I almost can’t focus on my new classes, on studying, on anything. This is John; we are talking about, the huge box of condoms, the blasé attitude toward sex, and women in general. But, I thought—I thought he felt it too—A connection, I could have sworn. Maybe it was just the alcohol, or all in my head. Part of me is glad we never had sex. I think I would have felt even cheaper if I had given that up, but the other part of me… craves it. I dream about it every single night—Totally mind-blowing and life-altering sex with him. It’s been so long, and he’s awoken a part of me I didn’t remember I had – desire.
“Bee?”
“Yeah?” I roll over face-up into the sun from my position on the blue beach towel.
“Do you want a drink?” Meg is in her skimpy black bikini. The tiny triangles barely cover her nipples. She has deemed the suit a ‘babe magnet.’ She appears to be correct because behind her, stand two lean guys in board shorts bearing big flowers on them. She wiggles her eyebrows before holding out a red cup for me.
“No,” I roll back over, ignoring her.
That doesn’t seem to deter her; it never does. She comes waltzing onto the towel, tracking sand all over my side. “Becca, you are becoming a real Debbie Downer lately—Get your ass up and off this towel pity party. Come say hello to these hot boys.” Meg pauses. “Now, or I’ll get them to throw you in the lake!”
“Fine!” I slam my fists into the sand, but she doesn’t care; already turned, smiling at the flower boys. I scan the beach in a last attempt for escape and then climb to my feet.
Meg was right; the boys are actually kind of fun. After a few drinks, with the guy wearing blue, flower patterned shorts – I can’t recall his name – we won a game of volleyball. I think he finds my competitive side attractive, because he laughed when I said he serves like a girl and to let me do it from then on. A few more drinks and we are talking on the picnic bench, while Meg and red-flower-guy have a splashing fight in the shallow lake.
“So where do you go to school?”
“North Commons University. You?”
“Oh, I don’t plan on going to school.”
“You don’t plan?”
“Nah, I’ve just got to get through senior year and then I’m pretty sure the hardware store will give me a full time position.”
“Senior year?” The dots are finally beginning to connect. “Are you still in high school?” I shriek.
“Yeah, does—”
“Are you kidding me?” I’m on my feet in seconds. I’m aiming for law school and I don’t even know if this kid is legal!
“Wait! Where are you going?” He reaches for me.
“Sorry flower power, I need to go.” I tear down the slight hill onto the beach screaming, “Meggie!”
She looks up, alarmed, but wanders out of the water to meet me. Her eyes are a little hazier than when I left her, but I hide that thought before hobbling over to her. “What happened?” Her hands explore my face like a drunken blind person, not so smoothly.
“Nothing, only the fact that these kids are in high school!”
“Pshhh.” She breaks into laughter in front of me, practically falling into my lap. “No way.”
“I swear to God.”
She glances back at the one she has left, “But they are so hot.”
“Let’s go, I think you’re drunk.”
“Duh!” she screeches, as we stumble back to our towels.
Meg is too drunk to drive her car back, so I hop into the driver seat. I only had a few drinks and it’s definitely better than having Ms. Drunken Pants behind the wheel. She’s been hollering songs aloud and dangling out the window since we left the beach. We are almost home when her demeanor changes.
“Meggie,” I call when she grows quiet. Silence. “Meg!”
I steal a glance at her and she looks asleep, but there is something on her lip. I lean in, trying to reach for it, when I hear a horn blare in front of me. I’m over the yellow line, I realize, when I swerve back onto my side. Meg slams against the seatbelt, but her eyes never open. I’m about to pull to the side of the road when I hear it. Police sirens.
Fuck.
I pull the car to the shoulder and wait. The officer takes what seems like forever before I hear a car door open. My hands are wiping puke off Meggie’s face when I hear a tap on my window. I lean back and slide the window down.
“License and registration, please.”
Opening the center console, I pull out the registration and retrieve my license from inside the wallet in the back seat—Handing it to him without even a second glance. I’m too busy unbuckling my seat belt, moving back over to Meg, to hear the officer walk away. She’s not responding to my gentle touch, so I shake her.
“Becca?” My head lifts. I stare ahead of me—a voice sounding so familiar…
I turn to face none other than the hunk starring in my endless sex dreams – Officer John Smith. “John?”
“What are you doing? You were driving like an asshole.” He snickers.
“Meg isn’t responding and I got distracted.”
“Have you been drinking?”
“I … I …” The truth is, I don’t have a good comeback for that one.
“Becca are you stupid? Driving drunk?”
“I’m not drunk. I have to get her to a hospital or something!”
“I can smell the alcohol from here. Don’t lie to me.”
“John, just help me get her home.”
“Get out of the car – you aren’t going anywhere.”
“John!”
“Get out of the car, Becca.” He says it low, but with such an authoritative tone, it calls my body into action. I shoot Meg one last look before I climb out the car. The car door slams as his partner begins a slow saunter over to the passenger side.
“Please place your hands on the hood of the car.”
“Seriously?”
“Place your hands on the car, miss.” He gives me an odd glance before I indulge him. He leans his hip on the car beside me, shielding me from his partner’s face. “Refuse a breathalyzer,” he mutters.
“What?” I respond, soft like him.
“Whatever you do, do not put your mouth on a breathalyzer. Do you hear me?” His blue eyes stare at me with such intensity that I can only nod.
“This one doesn’t look so hot.” His partner’s voice is what eventually makes him glance away. My fists clench against the hood of the car as John makes his way to the passenger side. Before he can make it around, the passenger door creaks open and the gagging begins.
“Whoa, we’ve got a live one.” His partner takes a step back.
“It’s just a little puke, Matt.” John hides a laugh, shifting Meg back into her seat. “Just go call it in.”
“How is she?” I call. It’s taking everything I have to stay on the driver’s side.
I watch as he wipes her mouth and feels her forehead. “She should be fine now.”
“Can I see?”
My eyes follow him as he walks back around to me. “No, I have to take you in.”
“Seriously?”
“It is illegal to drive drunk
, you should—”
“I know what the law is,” I mutter as he presses me against the car. Shame and embarrassment fill my cheeks. But nothing compares to the worry I have for my best friend who lies there with her eyes closed in the passenger seat. The cold metal handcuffs clip onto my wrists.
“I hope these aren’t the ones from your nightstand.” All amusement is lost from my voice.
“Shh,” he hisses.
He places me in the back seat of his car, as I see additional red and blue lights arrive right before we pull away. I think I hear an ambulance before the door shuts. John leaves me in the car with his partner, who drives me away from my best friend.
I wake on a stiff bed. One glance around at the white walls and the bars is all it takes to remind me where I am. He really arrested me. What a dick. I sigh, letting my head fall back against the tiny, flat pillow.
“You’re up.”
I turn just enough to see his blue eyes through the bars. “You arrested me,” I sneer in response.
“I had to.”
“No, you could have let me take her home.”
“Becca, you were drinking; I smelled it on your breath. Do you know how much trouble you could have been in if you had hit someone?”
“Yes. I’m studying criminal justice, I’m well aware.”
“Kiss law school goodbye. They don’t enroll felons.”
“First time offenders are usually only misdemeanors, and if that were the case, why the hell did you arrest me?”
“You were swerving all over the road. I was—”
“Let me guess, protecting me. Well, do me a favor. How about you stop with that shit?” I climb to my feet and place my hands on the bars in a death grip. “Between you and my brother, I don’t know who is worse. I’m a big girl. I can handle myself.”
His lips quirk up into an almost smile. “You were about to handle yourself into an accident.”
“Where’s Meg?”
“Her parents picked her up from the hospital an hour ago.”
“Oh.” I take a deep breath, preparing for the answer to my next question. “How bad is it? Will I be able to get into law school?”
“Well, I told you not to take a Breathalyzer because they would have to order a blood test, and by the time that happens—The alcohol should be out of your system, so they can’t prove that you were drinking.”
Uncovering Officer Smith (The Discovering Trilogy #2) Page 7
