New Year's Bang

by Kimberly Dean

  And she wouldn’t have done a thing to stop him.

  “Oh God,” she groaned.

  How could she have walked away from this? From him?

  Her fingers dove into his hair and nearly knocked his police hat off his head. Her tongue batted against his in a frantic, wet kiss. But that part of him rubbing against her belly… She needed it more than anything.

  Together, they stumbled until she was leaning back against her car.

  Troy hitched her higher so she was sitting on the hood and she lifted her legs to wrap them around his waist. The moment she trapped him, his body shuddered. Hard.

  But then it went dangerously still.

  “Shit.” He broke the kiss and their heavy breaths clouded the air as they looked at each.

  Suddenly, it was seven years ago…

  Chapter Two

  Seven years earlier

  The bell rang signaling the end of third period and Troy swept his books off his desk. It was time to go to his locker. Not that he needed anything… He just knew Lita Lopez’s schedule – and that’s where she would be.

  Using his right as a senior, he nudged the underclassmen in the hallway out of his way. So, all right, he had it bad for the little hottie. Most guys at Lincoln High did. He just had it a little worse.

  Of course, he knew he didn’t have a chance in hell with her. His wallet was too thin and he lived on the wrong side of the tracks. Literally. His family resided on the west side of town, across the X&R’s main line. Even though Lita didn’t come from money, her family lived on the right side of that infamous demarcation. The fact that she was drop dead gorgeous didn’t hurt either. The “in” crowd had accepted her with open arms.

  She just didn’t belong there. At least not in his opinion. She was too sweet and outgoing. She talked to practically everyone.

  Even him.

  And he was just horny enough to get off every time he heard her smoky voice.

  The promise of hearing her laugh had him skipping down the steps faster. He cut to the right and got out of the main flow of traffic. His locker was one in a long line up against the wall. Lita’s just happened to be in the row perpendicular to his. Don’t think he hadn’t sent up a bit of thanks when he’d discovered that little fact.

  She wasn’t there yet, though.

  He took his time fiddling with the lock. He could waste time with the best of them. Still, when he heard her laugh drifting from the main hallway, he fucked up the combination.

  He shook his head. He was pathetic.

  “See ya, Piper,” Lita called as her friend headed for the bank of lockers at the other end.

  Troy watched the blonde strut away, glad to see the back of her. He’d yet to figure out why Lita hung out with that bitch. They had nothing in common.

  Thank God.

  Turning, he pretended to thumb through his chemistry book. Out of the corner of his eye, though, he checked out his little fashionista. Oh Christ. She looked hot today. Snug T-shirt, short skirt and knee-high boots. His cock started to swell.

  She didn’t help matters when she opened her locker and went up on tiptoe to grab her calculus textbook. His gaze helplessly slid down her form. Good things did come in small packages. Lita Lopez might be petite, but her body was tight.

  He was just opening his mouth to say hi when, suddenly, he heard something.

  Voices rose at the far end of the locker area. Lyle Ford and James Elliot. Troy rolled his eyes. The tension between those two had been growing for weeks – prompted on, of course, by one Piper Duprés. This time, though, things seemed to be popping. Sounds of a scuffle broke out and he glanced at Lita.

  She met his gaze with a knowing look and acted bored.

  He couldn’t help but smile at her. That was what he liked about her. For as entrenched as she was in the popular group, she still seemed human.

  “Boys,” she said impatiently.

  Hell, he was a boy. Although at eighteen, he considered himself a man. He began to remind her of that fact when a loud bang cut through the air.

  His head immediately snapped towards the fight. It was getting out of hand, but he didn’t realize how much until he heard another thud. And then a creak. Everything geared down to slow motion when he saw a locker at the far end wobble.

  “Oh fuck!” Troy didn’t know if he said the words out loud or not.

  Instinct just told him to move.

  He pushed off his back foot, only it was like one of those nightmares where he was running in quicksand. He couldn’t get to Lita fast enough.

  Bang. Bang. Bang…

  The sounds echoed in his ears as he literally tackled the girl of his dreams.

  Bang! It was getting closer as he wrapped his arms around her and carried her five feet out of the aisle. Limbs entangled and her breath exploded in his ear as he landed atop of her. His elbow took the brunt of a blow as he rolled, keeping her body protected by his.

  Two more bangs sounded and then it was scarily silent.

  At least fifty students stood frozen in place, gaping at what had just happened.

  Inside Troy’s head, though, everything suddenly sped up. He lifted his head sharply and looked down at Lita. She was struggling to breathe. He shifted his weight off of her, but couldn’t make his arms let go.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  She put her hand to her chest as if it hurt to inhale. “Wind… knocked… out…”

  Her dark gaze was confused as she looked up at him. When she tried to get her bearings, though, she realized what had happened.

  And what he’d saved her from.

  Her breaths went short again as she started to hyperventilate.

  Troy felt panic rise up inside him and he looked around for help. All he saw was a scared sophomore. The girl was in such a state of shock, she looked like a figure in a wax museum. Still, her locker was open. Inside, he saw her lunch.

  “Your lunch sack,” he demanded. “Hey you!”

  The girl finally snapped out of her stupor. Realizing what was happening, she dumped her lunch and handed him the paper bag. Troy’s hands shook as he cupped it over Lita’s mouth.

  She tried to push it away. “They fell,” she said, stating the obvious.

  He was insistent. “Try to breathe normal, Lita.”

  He pressed the bag to her face and glanced over his shoulder. The lockers had indeed fallen. They’d toppled like dominoes, and all because of a fight between two of the “haves”.

  His blood suddenly ran ice cold. Those assholes could have killed her.

  Teachers began to flood the area. At first, they came in slowly. Shocked intakes of breath could be heard everywhere. Then, the mass of people exploded into chaos.

  “Is everyone all right?” Principal Cruz demanded. “Anyone hurt?”

  “Who’s responsible for this?” Vice Principal Chastain roared.

  Troy’s focus honed in on Lita. Hell, he needed to think. They’d just covered first aid in health class. What was he supposed to look for? He started running his hands over her, searching for injuries.

  “Did you break anything?” he asked. “Did you hit your head?”

  He looked into her eyes closely, trying to see signs of a concussion. He didn’t see any. Yet.

  So help him. If he’d hurt her, he’d never forgive himself.

  He pushed himself back until he was kneeling and helped her up into a seated position. She closed her eyes and the paper bag crinkled and poofed as she tried to get her respiration under control. It gave him a chance to look at her better.

  They were both filthy from skidding across the floor. Dust coated her clothes and her hair. He could feel the grime on himself, but he only gave it half a thought as he brushed it away. He froze, though, when he saw a floor burn on her left knee above her boot. It made him almost sick.

  “I didn’t mean to tackle you like that,” he said hoarsely.

  Her eyes opened and, when she looked at him, they were damp. Shakily, she pushed the bag as
ide. “You saved my life.”

  Troy couldn’t move. God, he just wanted to bundle her up and carry her away.

  He watched silently as she began to take stock. The red mark on her knee captured her attention, but then so did the one blazing down her forearm. She shuddered as she brushed off the dirt she’d picked up from the floor. Running a hand through her hair, she fluffed it to try to get it clean.

  When she leaned back, though, her back was against the locker. Looking up, she saw another bank of them looming over her.

  Troy could see the panic building in her eyes and his reaction was instinctive.

  He bundled her up and carried her away.

  Lita clung to Troy as he carried her away from the mess. The destruction. She shuddered harder as he shouldered his way into the girls’ bathroom. It was empty, thank goodness. Nobody used the facilities so far off in the corner of the basement and she was glad for that.

  Because she was right on the verge of losing it.

  “Please don’t cry,” Troy said as he set her down on the counter top next to the sink.

  “I don’t cry,” she said fiercely. Her throat was so tight, though, it was hard to get the words out. “It just… surprised me.”

  Surprised her so much that she hadn’t been able to move. Hadn’t been able to react. She fought for air. If he hadn’t been there…

  She wiped the back of her hand across her cheek, but shuddered when she just transferred whatever she’d picked up from the floor onto her face. She brushed at it frantically to try to get it off.

  “Here,” Troy said. He ripped a length of paper towel out of the dispenser and ran it under the water. Turning, he reached for her.

  He stopped before he could touch her. “Maybe you should do it.”

  Lita was embarrassed by the way she shook when she reached for the damp cloth. She dropped her hand into her lap. “Could… Could you?”

  “Sure,” he said, stepping up to her quickly. Still, his hand shook nearly as badly as he carefully wiped her face.

  Lita was self-conscious when he began looking her over from head to toe. As clinical as he was trying to be, this was still Troy Pirelli. She’d been quietly crushing on him forever. He helped brush the dust out of her hair and she hesitantly reached up to do the same for him. She’d always liked his shaggy blond hair, but she was a little surprised at how soft it was.

  How sexy it felt.

  She flinched when he touched her shoulder and he froze.

  “Is that where you landed?” he asked. Gently, he turned up the sleeve of her t-shirt to look.

  She glanced down and was stunned to find the ball of her shoulder already turning black and blue. She shuddered worse, though, when he wiped a streak of grime off the back of her arm. Out of anything, the dirty feeling bothered her the most.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “It happened so fast.”

  She met his gaze. They both knew that if he hadn’t moved fast, she wouldn’t be alive.

  “I’m sorry if I hurt you,” he said as he carefully tended to her knee. “You’re so tiny.”

  They both seemed to become aware of how big his hands looked on her and Lita did what she always did when she got uncomfortable. She made a joke. “I’d be a lot tinier if I’d been squished between those lockers.”

  They looked at each other quickly, neither wanting to laugh.

  “That was bad,” she said quietly. It was horrible. Tasteless. Yet she didn’t know how else to let out the emotion that was building to dangerous levels inside her.

  “It’s okay,” Troy said.

  She licked her lips nervously. She just had to know one thing. “How did you know what was happening?”

  “I saw the first one topple.”

  Her mouth dropped open. She hadn’t had a clue, but he’d seen the disaster in the making – and he’d thrown himself into its way. Cold darts of horror shot down her spine. He would have been perfectly safe if he’d just stayed where he was, but he’d risked his life.

  For her.

  That dangerous emotion spilled over and she reached out and cupped his face.

  “Thank you,” she whispered. An indescribable look came over his face and she clutched his shirt impulsively. The fear. The exhilaration. The need to connect. They all became too much. Pulling him closer, she leaned forward and kissed him.

  At the touch of Lita’s lips, Troy groaned. She was so soft. So sweet.

  And he’d almost lost her.

  Dropping the wet paper cloth onto the floor, he caught her. He pulled her close until he had both arms wrapped around her. Her soft breasts crushed against his chest and he could feel her heart pounding hard against his.

  He wanted to let her know that she really was all right. That he was there for her. As comforting as the kiss started out to be, though, they were both teenagers… teenagers who’d been dancing around each other for a long time.

  Adrenaline didn’t help the matter.

  With each breath they took, the kiss got hotter. And sexier. Lita shuddered when he pressed his tongue into her mouth, but then she boldly met it with her own. That little action alone nearly made Troy come in his pants.

  Yet she jerked away the moment she touched him.

  “Sorry,” he said instinctively. Embarrassment slashed through him. God, what had he been thinking? Who did he think he was? He’d forgotten his place.

  He started to back away from her, but she surprised the hell out of him by yanking at his t-shirt. “I can’t stand the filth anymore. Take it off!”

  For a moment, he stood there stupefied.

  Then he woke up fast. She wanted him naked? He could do that. He caught the material in both fists.

  Still, he wasn’t ready for what he saw when he whipped it over his head. Lita was pulling at her own T-shirt as if it was covered with bugs. He watched, immobilized, as she tugged it off and let it go sailing.

  Suddenly, he was the one who couldn’t breathe.

  Lita Lopez was sitting half-naked in front of him. And God, was she pretty. She was petite, but she had curves. Her perky breasts were practically spilling out of that lacy bra she was wearing.

  “Damn lazy janitors,” he said.

  She let out a short laugh, but then she looked at him and went still. For the first time in his life, Troy was glad for the work he did at his dad’s junk yard. It had made him strong.

  And tough.

  Even so, his knees went wobbly when she laid her hands on his chest.

  “Lita,” he said reverently. He’d dreamed about how it would feel if she touched him. His fantasies weren’t nearly as good as the real thing. Reaching for her, he pulled her right across the counter until their upper bodies were pressed tight.

  Skin to skin. Except for the bra. It had to go.

  He had it unhooked before she took another breath.

  “Oh!” she gasped when he began to pull it off of her. She caught at the shoulder straps when they began to slide down her arms. “You’re fast.”

  Not nearly as fast as he wanted to be. Troy looked into her eyes, not caring if his need showed on his face.

  God, he had to see her.

  Touch her.

  Lita could hear her heart pounding in her ears. Troy was looking at her as if he could eat her right up. She’d felt his interest before, but not like this. His body was tense and his amber eyes were glowing.

  Heat began to burn low in her belly. He was looking at her like a man looked at a woman.

  Shyly, she dropped her hands. The air in the room thickened as the white lace slowly draped down her arms. He helped it along by hooking his finger around the tiny bow between the cups and pulling it off her entirely.

  He looked at her then and she squirmed on the countertop.

  Her breasts were full, but her nipples were tiny. She’d always been self-conscious about that, but he didn’t look disappointed. At all. He reached out to rub his thumb across one of the dark nubs and the sensation shot right to her core.

 
; He let out a groan. “God, you’re gorgeous.”

  He caught one breast in his hand. Lita felt her other nipple tightening right before he bent down and caught it in his mouth.

  “Troy!” she gasped

  “Oh yeah,” he growled. “Say my name, baby.”

  She let out a soft cry when he began to suckle her hungrily. Each tug sent a jolt right down to her pussy. He licked his rough tongue across her and she raked her fingernails down his back. Just when she thought she couldn’t take anymore, he switched to the other breast.

  Lita had never been so aroused in her life. Her pussy ached. Trying to ease the constant throb, she wrapped her legs around his waist. She felt his cock jump and his teeth scraped across her breast.

  “Ahh!” she cried. Her back arched like a bow and he reflexively pulled her tighter against him.

  “Hell. I’m gonna lose it, Lita.”

  She writhed as he rubbed his prick against her like a man possessed. Yet, when she reached for his zipper, he nearly yanked her right off the counter.

  Her head snapped up. She’d thought he wanted this.

  “Are you sure?” he asked, looking into her eyes.

  The question went right past her sex-fogged brain and straight to her heart. She’d never been so sure of anything in her life. “Just hurry,” she begged.

  She lifted her hips when he reached under her skirt and caught her panties. He had them halfway down her thighs before she got his zipper pulled down over his engorged cock. His hips swiveled away, though, before she could touch him down there.

  “Show me yours and I’ll show you mine,” he whispered naughtily into her ear. Throwing back her skirt, he exposed the dark curls covering her pussy. Before she could get embarrassed, he spread her legs wide and stepped between them. Watching her closely, he pulled out his cock. “I’ll make it good, baby.”

  Lita looked at his swollen erection, wide-eyed, but so aroused it almost hurt.

  Still, she pulled her knees reflexively to her chest when he penetrated her.

  “Ahhh!” she gasped.

  “Christ,” he groaned.

  He wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck and held her still as he kissed her. Slowly, he thrust in the rest of the way. Once there, he held himself immobile.