“Well, I mean there was stuff after that…”
“I know, I’m only teasing.” She smiles, rolling onto her back. Her calm eyes staring up at my ceiling, I can see the thoughts playing behind her eyes.
After a few minutes, the question bubbles up inside me until it finally comes bursting out of my mouth. “Do you not remember that?”
Her head tilts toward me. She blinks. “That’s about the only thing I can remember.”
“Oh,” I mutter, not even noticing until her rosy cheeks turn an even darker shade of red. “What?”
“Nothing.” Her face tilts back, facing upward.
“No, what is it?”
“It’s just, before I fell asleep you said that you were wrong about me. What did you mean?”
I take the time to sit up in bed. “I thought you were some little inexperienced nerdy chick. And well… you’re not.”
“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
My eyes roll. “See, then you go and say stuff like that and we are back to the nerdy chick persona.”
The room lights up with her laughter. The sun rising behind her is nothing compared to the light in her eyes. This girl is intelligent, driven, and disciplined. She’s everything I told myself I didn’t want. She’s also one of my good friends’ little sisters. This girl is going to get me into trouble.
She’s dressing, her shirt slipping over her slender frame. No matter how much I know this is a bad idea, for some reason I’m not ready to leave her yet. “Do you want to go get coffee or something?”
Her head tilts as she’s bent over, zipping up her black boots. “Coffee?”
“Yeah, you know the beans that spread warmth and energy through your body.”
She smiles. “I know what coffee is, butthead, I was just giving you a chance to change your mind.”
“Why would I change my mind?”
She turns her face, hidden by a veil of blonde hair. “Okay.” I can almost hear her smile. “Can we go to that place you took me last time? It was delicious.”
“Sure.” I’m on my feet in seconds, slipping into a pair of jeans off the floor. The drawer of my dresser creaks as I open it before I throw on a white tee shirt and slip into the bathroom. Carefully, I close the door behind me before turning to the mirror. My hands brace themselves on the edge of the sink as I stare into my own eyes. My lungs breathe air in and release it again. “This is fine, we are just going for coffee. Nothing bad can come from this. If anything, Bedford will kill me about last night.” At the mention of it, memories flood my mind—The moonlight basking Becca’s face in a milky glow. The way she moans, the little faces she makes, her giggle, and the smell of her hair.
“Holy crap.” I have to turn the faucet on and splash myself with freezing cold water. I can’t be thinking like this. This is Ford’s little sister. This is an open case. This is… Becca.
By the time I reemerge from the bathroom, she’s no longer in my bedroom. Having a girl wandering around in my apartment – is not necessarily a good thing. On the other hand, she already found the drawer of condoms. I find her in the living room, her arms wrapped around herself as she gazes out the wide-open window overlooking the scenic trees below. My feet pause in the doorway.
“I can’t get over how pretty this view is,” she murmurs, never peeling her eyes from the window.
“Yeah.” I walk over toward her. “It kind of loses its magnificence when you have to deal with the crazy people within that town, though.”
“That’s nonsense,” she tells me before turning back to the view. “Something like this,” she nods out the window—“It could never lose beauty. I could wake up to this sight everyday.”
I pause; observing her in those tight, thin jeans because I was thinking the exact same thing.
Sitting beside me in my car, our hands are close on the center console. I can feel the warmth of her hand. I hear every breath she takes and every beat of her heart. We just seem to be in-sync. I’ve never experienced anything like this, not even sure how to react. I’ve become an instinctual person, an animalistic, pleasure-driven monster – and Becca seems to appeal to every part of me, even the deep parts I’ve been trying to suppress. The dark parts, the parts I’ve never wanted to revisit. We stop at a red light. She shivers beside me, and the back of her hand touches the back of mine.
“Are you cold?” I move my arm, twisting the knob to turn the heat on.
“No,” she practically whispers.
I glance over at her. Slowly, her eyes meet mine. They speak to something inside me, mimicking my own thoughts. Her hand moves, reaching for my face. Soft fingertips graze the side of my cheek. I feel them trace their way over the stubble I didn’t have time to shave this morning. Truth is, I’ve craved her touch ever since the moment I woke up this morning. It takes everything in me not to pull the car over right here on the main road.
Her fingers wind their way down my neck, sending a shiver through my spine. They continue their path across my arm until she links her fingers with mine. Our entwined hands land on her thigh. She softly slips her fingers from mine and slyly leans back in her seat, lovely eyes enticing me.
It’s my turn to take the lead, slowly tracing my fingers up and down her thigh. A soft moan escapes her lips and I bite my lip so hard it draws blood.
A horn blares behind us. The light has turned green. I have to tear my eyes away to continue down the road one-handed. She lets out a little giggle as I struggle to lean closer.
“Stupid seat belts,” I grumble, unbuttoning the button on her jeans.
“Where does this rank on the list of things you can get a ticket for?” she teases.
“I’d say it’s distracted driving.” I wiggle my fingers into her pants and then her lace trim panties. My manhood becomes instantly hard at the reminder. Her jeans are tight, but I manage to make my way deeper until my finger finds its way into her wetness. She releases a moan as she tugs on her seat belt. I have to steal my hand back before I cause an accident.
Both hands on the steering wheel now, I tear down the road. The closer we get, the more I accelerate. My car zips into the parking lot. I’m barely shifted into park when Becca climbs into my lap, wedging her knees between the seats. Again, her hands are at the sides of my face, pulling me closer to her. It’s like she can’t bear to be away. I can’t say I feel any differently. My hands tug at her jeans. She awkwardly props up so I can slide them down to her knees.
“How—” she mumbles, trying to scoot higher. Her ass hits the horn and it blares once.
We pause, silently giggling as we glance out the windows. No one is around. She stands, her back bent across the top of my car as I finally wiggle her feet free of those jeans. She returns to her position in my lap.
It’s her turn now. Her fingers unbutton my pants, lips trailing kisses down my neck. I squirm, trying to give her access to me, all of me. She sits up suddenly, those blue eyes of hers shooting me the sexiest look I’ve ever seen. Her right hand slips back out of my pants and slips beside me. In one swift motion, my car seat falls back under the weight of us as she releases the lever.
“Much better,” she murmurs, once again bringing her lips to mine. Her fingers are free to explore me now. When her lips finally unlatch from mine, they are plump and pouty, but I don’t have time to think further because her mouth greets the head of my member. I lose all control. I don’t think I remember much after that. It is all a blur of passion and desire. She climbed back onto my lap and then it was a blur of blonde hair and blue eyes. All too soon, it was over, for both of us.
We are catching our breath, Becca resting on my chest. Her fingers are outlining circles across my collarbone.
She picks her head up. “We should get dressed. I still haven’t had my coffee.”
“I think we had something better.” I wink.
A slow smile spreads across her lips. I reach out for her, bringing those lips to mine, tasting her once again. Coffee is no longer the best part of waking
up. She giggles against my lips, but doesn’t pull away. She deepens the kiss before slowly teasing her way out of my mouth, leaving soft kisses as she departs, falling into the passenger seat.
Becca has her pants on before I can even pull mine back up from my ankles. I throw my shirt back over my head and slick my hair back. She flips down the visor and attempts to fix her own locks.
“I have sex hair.”
“It’s not that bad.” I reach out, putting some behind her ear.
“It’s pretty messy.” Her head tilts to the side, calling my bluff.
“Okay, it’s a little I-just-rolled-out-of-bed. But people will just think you are a mindless drone that hasn’t had your coffee yet.”
“You’re a jerk.” She playfully nudges me as she opens the door to the car and slips out.
I follow her. “Do you think anyone heard us?” she whispers when I finally catch up to her. There are a few cars in the parking lot, but no one seems to be lurking around.
“Who? There’s no one here?”
She glances at me while tossing her hair into a messy bun, masking some of the dishevelment. Shooting me a smile, we break into a shared secret laugh as we walk into the coffee shop.
Once we are seated with our coffee, I turn to her. “How have I never met you before now?”
“I didn’t exactly get invited to your parties or anything. No one wants their little sister at their college frat house.”
“True.”
“But I did come to one of your football games once.”
“You did?” I’m surprised. I think I would have remembered her. Even young, I have a feeling she turned heads.
“Yeah, it was homecoming, I think.”
“Didn’t we win that one?”
“Yeah, you and Beddy had that switch off play in the last quarter.”
“Oh, yeah. That was a good game. I’m surprised you didn’t hang around for the after party.”
“I was with my parents. It kind of puts a damper on things.”
“Yeah, that was probably for the best. I wasn’t the nicest guy in college.”
She pauses, looking down at her coffee for a second. “He said something to me, you know.”
“Who?”
“Bedford. After the Memorial Day party, he told me to stay away from you.”
“Me too,” I admit, glancing out the window beside us. I lied to my best friend.
“I guess we are both a bunch of filthy liars.”
Her smile is contagious. “I guess so.”
“Well, you’ve always been a bit of a rebel from what I hear.” Her lip quirks up into a half smile, making me wonder just which stories she had come across.
“Only believe half of them.”
“Oh, in that case I feel so much better.”
I need to change the subject. “So, what’s going on at North Commons nowadays?”
Those blue eyes of hers look down again. “Meggie’s parents are pulling her out of the summer semester because of last weekend.”
I nod. “Maybe that’s for the best.”
“I guess.” Her shoulders shrug and then slump.
“She’s coming back in the fall, right?”
“Hopefully. I don’t think I could deal with another roommate.”
“Why, because Meggie is such a dream come true?” I regret the sarcasm as soon as it escapes my mouth, but she does that half smile all the same.
“No, but she’s become my best friend.”
“Did you know her before?”
“No, we met on move-in day freshman year.”
“Really? You guys act like you’ve known each other since kindergarten.”
“No, she’s from upstate New York.”
“And you’re from Jersey, right?”
She smiles a toothy grin. “Yeah.”
“Does it bother you she has so many visitors?”
Becca laughs. “No, I actually find them entertaining.”
“Entertaining? You listen?”
“Ewe, no!” She flicks my hand on the table. “I mean, sometimes I talk to them in the morning, but it just keeps things interesting. If Meggie didn’t have a parade of men coming though the apartment I don’t think I’d ever meet new people.” She laughs. “It’s not like I get out much.”
“I’ve noticed. Why is that?”
“School.”
“Are you some kind of nerd or something?”
She meets my eyes and with a sly smile and replies, “The biggest nerd you’ve ever seen.”
“Okay.” I laugh. “I like that you own it.”
“I have to keep up my grades for the scholarship I received.”
“Can’t your parents afford your tuition?”
“Yes. But I don’t ever want to rely on my parents.”
“You’re too young to be thinking like that,” I mutter with a shake of my head. I did it because I was forced to. This girl doesn’t know what she has.
“You don’t know my parents.” Something in her eyes tells me not to press further on the subject. “I just want to pave my own way.”
As I stare at this girl with her sparkling blue eyes and that mess of blonde hair atop her head, I realize there is so much more to her than I would have ever thought possible. Becca Swanson is either saying just the right thing all the time, or she is the perfect girl for me. I don’t know which one scares me more.
Meggie left me that Monday. I helped her pack most of her stuff, which consisted of three suitcases of clothes, and one solely of shoes. Then we said our goodbyes until the Fall semester.
The dorm is empty without her. It’s creepy almost, but above all, it’s lonely. Her room is a hollow reminder that something is missing. Her furniture and pictures are still around, but her laugh, her upbeat spirit, those funny jokes, and the endless parade of different guys, are all absent from my life. Without her, my life actually is somewhat boring.
Well, more than it was before.
My daily routine consists of attending my two summer classes and then sulking around an empty apartment. It’s Wednesday and I don’t think I can take another day of this moping around. Instead, I find the guts to text John. We had a great weekend, but I haven’t heard from him since he dropped me off on Sunday.
I whip out my phone: Excuse me, Officer. I need to file a missing person report. This guy is about six-feet tall, muscles, blue eyes, brown hair, and nice ass – have you seen him? If you do, can you tell him it’s really rude to rock a girl’s world and then leave her hanging like that?
With a content smirk, I place the phone back down on the table. It immediately lights up with a response.
Doesn’t sound familiar. I’ll keep an eye out for him. He sounds like a real jerk. Maybe he’s just been working a lot.
Immediately followed by another: Maybe he feels like a real asshole.
I type back: He should. A girl actually had to do homework. It’s summer and she should be either blissfully intoxicated or being seductively seduced.
A minute or two passes before I receive: Those are some highly specific terms. Challenge accepted: I’ll be there in an hour.
I stare at the phone in disbelief. That was easy. Placing the phone on the counter, I glance around. My homework is splayed all over the coffee table and my bowls fill the sink. I really got comfortable trying to feel at home since Meg left.
Slowly, it hits me. “Holy crap, this place is a mess!” I’m immediately on my feet and picking up pieces of loose-leaf paper from all over the living room. I shove them into a textbook before heading to my bedroom. Throwing the covers in the air, I shoot a spray of air freshener through them before making the bed. The clothes scattered throughout the room I shove into my arms and throw them into the closet before shutting the door. My shoes are kicked under the bed.
“The bathroom!” I gasp. It hasn’t been cleaned since before Meggie left. We’ve had more company in this apartment than the bathrooms at a football stadium. I practically run into the bathroom and begin wip
ing it down, tossing everything under the sink. I close the shower curtain because I just don’t have time to tackle that mess.
Next up, those dishes in the sink.
I’ve just begun opening windows and wiping the floors, when there’s a knock at the door. I toss the broom into Meggie’s room and shut the door.
By the time I finish, there’s a second knock. I wander over and open it. John Smith is standing in my doorway in all of his sexy officer glory. His uniform is slightly wrinkled from a day’s work. His gold-rimed aviator style sunglasses are covering those perfect eyes and a case of beer is in hand.
He lifts his sunglasses to the top of his head. “I figured we could knock out both things off your list.”
Leaning on the door, I respond, “That’s only a case. What do you take me for, a girl?” With a playful look, I relieve him of the beer and hold the door open for him to enter. “So this is it.” I twirl around, indicating the dorm living room.
“Wow, they are a lot smaller than I remember.”
“Well, this is how the other half live. Would you like a tour of the mansion?”
He glances around. “No, I think I’ve got it.”
“Suit yourself, if you get lost just holler – I’ll send a butler to find you.”
“I’ll be sure to leave breadcrumbs.”
I nod, smiling like crazy. “Are you hungry? I think I have stale chips or cereal or something.”
“As much as that sounds appetizing, let’s order from Frankie’s. I haven’t had their wings in years.”
“I’ve never had them.”
He glares at me. “You’ve never had Frankie’s wings?”
I shake my head. His mouth drops open. “Oh my God. That’s it.” He slips out his cell phone and starts plugging in numbers. “Amazing, I still remember their phone number. – Oh. Hey, I’d like to place an order for delivery—Bucket of Frankie’s famous wings and waffle fries. – North Common’s dormitories, South end, Room 304. Thanks.” He hangs up the phone.
“A whole bucket?”
“You’ll thank me later,” he states, putting the phone back into one of his uniform compartments. “I came right from work. Do you mind if I change?”
Uncovering Officer Smith (The Discovering Trilogy #2) Page 10
