The Line Below

by Ali Dean

  I laugh at his cockiness and Anthony punches him in the arm. “Jett, me, and Keenan are the hottest dudes on campus. You know it, bro.”

  Daryl pretends to give the three of them once-overs like he’s checking them out. “Nah. Anthony, man, you’re too skinny. Keenan and Jett though, they got it going on.”

  Jett moves closer to me and pulls me to his side. I like this glimpse into his world, and I especially like his hand on my hip. Jett tells me he’s known Keenan and Anthony since they were kids, and through them got to know Daryl even before he transferred this year.

  “That’s cool you already had friends before you transferred. Didn’t you say Keenan’s dad is your track coach?”

  “Yeah. That’s part of the reason I transferred. I like being close to these fools. And Coach Rhodes is the best there is.”

  “You, Keenan, and Anthony went to school together as kids?” I ask.

  “Not at first,” Jett tells me. “Keenan went to a different elementary. We all met at a basketball summer camp. Coach Rhodes took me and Anthony under his wing. He was coaching track here but he’d have us come around and work with him through high school. We all went to the same high school.”

  “Sounds like trouble to me,” Coco muses as she hands me a drink. “Cheers.” We clink glasses and I taste another fruity concoction. Her days as a bartender really paid off. It was more like years, probably a decade actually.

  We’ve been hanging out for about an hour, and I’m loving it. Jett’s friends are funny and cool, constantly ribbing each other but including Coco and me in their conversations too. Jett keeps us connected, a hand on my hip, his front to my back, or our fingers entangled. He’s making it clear to his buddies that we’re together, really together, and the gentle hum in my belly tells me I’m down with this. My body likes his touch and his nearness, and the rest of me finds it easy to follow.

  “Yo, Kingston, you found us,” Keenan calls out. “Townie, what’s up, man? Come get a drink.”

  “Keenan, long time, what’s good, dude?” A tall guy with shoulder length unruly hair, a black tee, and seriously worn jeans, goes in for the bro hug with Keenan. When he pulls back, a wrist full of leather bracelets catches my eye. Wait. Kingston? As in, Jack Kingston?

  He turns to Anthony and Daryl to introduce himself, and they praise him for his show last night. Townie steps up then and I immediately recognize him as the drummer. After all, we were right in front of the stage staring at these guys for hours. Then up close and personal in the alley afterward. After bro-hugging Keenan, Townie turns to us. “Jack Townsend. But just call me Townie. Too confusing with the other Jack,” he explains, tilting his head to the lead singer behind him.

  We introduce ourselves and Townie stares at me a beat then points. “Wait, did I see you after the show last night? With that smoking chick in red leather pants?”

  Jett’s arm around me tightens and I’m about to answer but then Kick’s voice cuts across the balcony. “That was me,” she says breezily, snagging the cocktail out of my hand and throwing it back.

  I glance at my sister and her eyes are blazing with an emotion I rarely see in her – anger – and it’s directed at Jack Kingston.

  “Ah, now it makes sense,” Townie says knowingly.

  Kick’s eyes snap to him. “What does?”

  “Why Jack wanted to go to a college party tonight. Seemed random.”

  Kick lets out a laugh and it kind of sounds like a snarl. What is up with her? “Oh, no. Rock star boy isn’t here for me.”

  No, he probably is. Even guys like Jack Kingston aren’t immune from the Kick-effect.

  It’s then I notice that Beatrice, Tori, Fran, and Ashley are all here right behind Kick.

  “You found us!” Coco announces, and Jack turns from his conversation with Keenan, Anthony, and Daryl. His eyes instantly fall on Kick, and when they darken with satisfaction I know that Townie was spot on – he showed up here tonight hoping to run into Kick. I’d have heard about it from my sister if she invited him or planned to see him, but she hasn’t uttered a peep about him all day. I’d asked her if she’d had a good night, but she just shrugged and told me it was anti-climactic. That was all I got. Why she seems pissed to see him though, I don’t get. So he wasn’t as much of a rock star in bed as he is on stage? It’s not like Kick to get all worked up about it.

  My swim teammates can’t seem to decide who is more interesting in this situation – Jack Kingston, or Jett Decker. They don’t know about Jack and Kick and, since he’s single and they’re drunk and dressed to kill, they swarm him. Coco immediately gets to her bartending duties.

  Kick nudges me with her elbow. “Everyone’s been texting you. You ignoring us?”

  “Oh, shit, no, just wasn’t paying attention.” I take my phone out of my clutch and it’s blowing up with messages.

  “Anything important going on?’

  She glances up at Jett before answering. “You can read the messages later. We just wanted to find you.”

  Right. So I need to check my messages but not in front of Jett. Noted.

  Kick’s in some kind of funk because she doesn’t bother saying hi to Jett before going straight over to Coco to snag another drink. She sucks down half of it before rejoining us.

  “So” —I turn my attention to Townie, ignoring Kick’s attitude— “how do you guys know Keenan?”

  “Jack went to elementary school with him. They live in the same neighborhood and stayed friends. I got to know Keenan through Jack.”

  “And I take it you’re from around here, too?”

  Townie grins. “Yeah. Townie’s not just a nickname for my last name, Townsend. I got it in high school because I was always hanging around the Whalen Performing Arts Academy before I became a student there my junior year. The Whalen students call the locals townies and it stuck since I was close with Jack and needed a nickname.”

  “But then you ended up going to school there too?” I ask.

  “Yup. Took me three tries to get accepted but my junior year they finally let me in. I had to sleep with everyone in the admissions office,” he says without any humor whatsoever.

  Kick finally shakes loose from her funk. “Were they all hotties or did you have to do some cougars?” God, my sister talks like a dude sometimes.

  Townie cracks up. “Nah, I think it was Jack who had the pull getting me in. All he probably had to do was smile and wink and the admissions officers would do whatever he wanted.”

  Hmmm… sounds like Jack and my sister have a similar effect on the opposite sex.

  Jett starts asking Townie about the band, and how long they’ve been playing together, when a third whirlwind entrance interrupts us. This time, it’s a crew from the guys’ swim team, and Julian is leading the way. I elbow Kick and hiss, “How did he know we were up here?”

  A frown wrinkles her forehead. “Shit. He must have followed us. Or maybe one of the girls texted one of the guys. They wouldn’t have told Julian to come up, but maybe Fran told Brett or something.” Fran and Brett have a similar non-relationship status to what me and Julian had. “That’s what the texts were about,” she murmurs. “He was asking all around about where to find you.”

  I start to pull away from Jett to intercept Julian, who’s zeroed in on me and is telling me with an arrogant smirk that he’s going to cause trouble. Jett’s arm tightens around my waist. “We’ll deal with this together, babe.” His deep voice doesn’t allow room for argument, so I stay put, trying to be cool and calm like Jett. It’s not working. My personal life is about to be put on display for my closest friends as well as strangers. Awesome.

  “There you are, Shay. We didn’t get to finish talking earlier.” His words are benign, but his stance is aggressive, his eyes suggestive, and his voice makes it sound like “earlier” was something intimate.

  “We did. I said all I needed to say.” I’d like to ask Julian to step out into the hallway for this conversation, but Jett’s iron-clad grip around my waist says otherw
ise, and besides, it would give everyone, including Julian, the wrong idea.

  “Shay, you’ve been in my bed, and only my bed, for a year now. I’ve been patient, taking things at your pace, and then you suddenly tell me you’re serious with another guy? I don’t think so, baby.” My body freezes at his use of the word “baby.” He’s only ever used that word when we’re alone together, and of course now he’s throwing it around like a casual endearment.

  “There are so many things wrong with what you just said, I don’t even know where to start,” I say coldly.

  “I’ll do it for you,” Kick declares, stepping between Julian and me. “First of all, your definition of patient is flawed. You’ve been sleeping around the entire past year, sending Shay and everyone else the message that you and Shay weren’t exclusive and it wasn’t serious between the two of you. Shay didn’t sleep around because she’s not like that. Not because she thought things were serious between the two of you. Well, she found someone she wants to be serious with now, so you need to back the hell off and stop acting like you have some claim on her.”

  “I do have a claim on her, Kick,” Julian replies easily. “All the guys on campus know it, except this guy,” Julian nods toward Jett without looking at him, “didn’t get the message when he transferred here. Shay knows none of the other girls mattered. She’s the one I’ve stayed with. The others were one time.”

  Idiot logic. There’s plenty of noise from the partying below, but on the balcony, it’s silent.

  Julian tries to reach for me, but I don’t respond. “Shay, come on. It’s college. I was just enjoying it but I don’t need to. You, I need. I’ll stop messing around. Just you and me.”

  Part of me wants to sigh and roll my eyes, and another part of me wants to scream at Julian. Maybe knee him in the balls. I draw on the piece of me that just wants him to go away without making more of a scene.

  “I told you, Julian, I’m with Jett now. I don’t know what else to tell you.”

  Julian looks me up and down and then darts a quick glance at Jett, who, thankfully, has stayed silent during this exchange. “Fine. I’ll wait. Only fair you get your turn to mess around.”

  He walks over to the bar and starts making a drink. Is Julian seriously planning to stay up here and hang out?

  “Let’s get out of here,” Jett whispers in my ear.

  “I was thinking the same thing,” I murmur.

  I don’t bother with goodbyes, knowing our friends will understand and maybe even thank us for sneaking out. This situation has “awkward” written all over it.

  Jett maneuvers us through the drunk crowds easily and before I know it, we’re in his truck and pulling up to an apartment building near the sports complex on campus.

  He’s on the fourth floor and shares a corner apartment with Daryl, Keenan, and Anthony. It’s a step up from dingy, and I would’ve expected something nicer for upperclassmen, not that I care. With Jett’s track success, it seems like he should be living it up. I mean, I know he’s not making money yet since he’s still a student, but somehow it doesn’t fit that this guy who’s reached international fame lives just like most college kids. Kinda makes me embarrassed about our condo, which never seemed particularly fancy to me before, but is tagged “luxury” in the college housing scene.

  “We didn’t bother making it look nice like your condo, but it’s close to the gym and the track, and has four bedrooms, so…” Jett’s voice drifts off as we stand in the small living room. I look over at Jett, arms crossed as his presence fills the space, and for the first time, I detect unease from him. Uncertain whether he’s defensive of the shabby state of his apartment or embarrassed, I decide to go for distraction.

  “And your room? Are you going to show me that?” I’m trying to put some insinuation into my voice, and it probably wouldn’t work, except that I’m dressed to kill, and that somehow gives me a boost of confidence to take a step forward and meet his eyes.

  Jett doesn’t move an inch. “Anyone ever tell you that you’re too much, Shay?” he asks quietly.

  I can’t decide if he’s insulting me. “No,” I answer honestly. People say stuff like that to Kick, the wild one, but not me.

  “I’m not saying you’re too much for me. I can handle you. But you’re a lot, and a guy like Julian Reed knows he can’t have you.”

  I freeze. My hopes of ignoring the elephant in the room are dashed. Apparently, I can’t distract Jett away from what went down at the party.

  “What do you mean?” I ask hesitantly.

  “He took what you were willing to give him. Wanted more, but knew he’d be in your shadow. Finally went for it anyway. Who knows why? He’s arrogant enough that he might have told himself he could make you his girl and still stand on his own two feet. He’s wrong.”

  Well, that’s certainly an interesting assessment of the situation. And what Jett is saying is making me uncomfortable. “As long as he backs off, I don’t really care.” I try to brush off what Jett’s telling me – that I’m something special, someone worthy – and Jett lets me, for now.

  “He better,” Jett agrees gruffly before closing the space between us and finally pulling me to him. “If Kick hadn’t gone off on him, I’m not sure I would’ve been able to stay quiet. And I had you against me, he didn’t. That was the only thing keeping fists from flying.”

  Our bodies are flush, his mouth inches from mine, but he doesn’t kiss me. Instead, he says, “You’re coming to brunch with me tomorrow.”

  “Uh, yeah, sure. We don’t have practice tomorrow.” Is this his way of inviting me to spend the night before he shows me his room?

  “It’s at my mom’s.”

  My body tightens at that news, but Jett only holds me harder. “Your mom’s house?” I clarify.

  “Yeah, my mom and dad’s place. Where I grew up. My sisters will be there with their families. It happens almost every Sunday. I can’t always make it, but I’ll be there tomorrow. I want you with me.”

  My eyes drop to his chest as I take this in. He hasn’t left room for argument, almost like this shouldn’t be a big deal, but somehow I know it is. And just to confirm it, I ask, “Do you take girls to brunch at your mom’s a lot?” My throat hurts just asking the stupid question, because if he says yes, it will suck, but if he says no… I’m even more freaked.

  “Girls?” Jett’s mouth quirks in amusement. “Nope. They’ll be all over you, but you can handle it.”

  Thinking of his earlier words, I crack a smile. “Yeah, but can they handle me? Isn’t that the question?”

  He smiles back and then his lips touch mine. Finally.

  Waking up for the second night in a row curled into Jett – this time in his bed – feels good. It’s easy with him. Peaceful, almost, like things are just right when we’re wrapped up with each other. His chest rises and falls gently and I snuggle into the warmth of his body under the blanket. I’m wearing one of his T-shirts and nothing else, and he’s only got his boxer briefs on. Last night was another reminder how much I was missing with Julian Reed. That train of thought isn’t one I want infiltrating my Zen moment and I squeeze Jett’s hard body to mine in an effort to dispel Julian from our space.

  Jett mumbles and sighs in his sleep, squeezing me back with the single arm resting on my back. I can tell when he wakes up a moment later because his hand starts to roam lower, the palm covering my naked bottom and then caressing and exploring until I’m squirming and practically humping Jett’s quad muscle that one of my legs is thrown over.

  “Mmm…” His deep moan is enough to have me sliding down his briefs and pulling out his hard length. It weighs heavily in my palm as I stroke the tip, but I don’t tease for long. We’re both ready and all it takes is me swinging a leg to the other side of his hip before I am in a position to slide over him. His eyes are at half mast as he moves his hands up my waist, taking the shirt with him and reaching up to pull it off my head. He rests his hands on my hips to guide me slowly, rocking my body up and down at a
perfect angle. My breasts are sensitive as they bounce gently with my movements. Jett’s not touching me there but his eyes on my chest are powerful enough to feel like a caress.

  The bundle of nerves low in my belly is building up and my eyelids start to flutter shut as Jett’s hands hold me tighter and pick up speed, sliding me up and down his length. When he sits up, he pushes into me so far it feels like he’s hit the end of my channel and my entire body bucks with a release that makes me throw my head back on a moan. He follows a moment later, and the feel of him inside me as he expands impossibly farther brings on another burst, or maybe it’s one and the same orgasm, I can’t even tell as the sensation overwhelms me and I let out incoherent sounds of pleasure.

  It’s never been like this for me before, the instant trust and ease. I don’t know if this is normal, if Jett makes every girl feel this beautiful and powerful.

  Which reminds me. “What time is brunch at your parents’?” And am I seriously the only girl he’s ever brought around? It’s hard for me to believe.

  “Too early. My nieces and nephews don’t know the meaning of sleeping in so it’s earlier than brunch time by college-kid standards.”

  I smile at him. Brush my lips to his before slowly sitting up until he’s no longer inside me. “You mean, two o’clock? Right before happy hour? ‘Cause I hear that’s how the college kids roll.”

  I make my way to the tiny bathroom attached to his bedroom, thankful his is the only bedroom in the apartment with a private bath.

  “Not the college kids we hang with.” Jett’s voice follows me to the bathroom. He starts the shower while I sit on the toilet. The moment is so intimate and familiar that I can hardly believe we only met a week ago. “Even out partying like they were last night, you know most of our teammates will be up and working out or studying so they can work out later way before the rest of campus rolls out of bed.”