Are you with me?

by Regina Bartley

  “It’s not the time or the place.” I repeated his words.

  He was about to say something that I knew would sting, but he didn’t get the chance.

  A commotion stirred from behind me.

  “Shit!” Fox yelled.

  When I turned around I saw Obi and Garrett arguing with a couple of guys. The crowd gathering around them was huge. I gasped when I saw Garrett being shoved to the floor. My heart was racing. It was happening so fast. Fists and elbows were flying, and people were scrambling around. Someone was going to get seriously hurt.

  “Obi!” I screamed. Fox had his arm wrapped around my waist, and was hurling me away from the crowd before I had a chance to push myself through. I was completely freaking out. My mind was having flash backs to a scarier time, and it was making it hard for me to breathe.

  “Fox!” Josh’s voice wailed over the crowd as he ran towards us.

  I was still clawing at my brother, trying to get loose. Obi needed help. Why was no one helping him?

  “Take her, and get the other girls out of here.” Fox shoved me into Josh’s arms. “I have to help my brother.”

  “No!” I tried to protest, but I was fighting a losing battle.

  My brother got right up in my face. “Listen to me, Bird. Everything is going to be fine. Let Josh take you home, and we’ll be right behind you. I swear it will be fine. He won’t hurt you.” Fox looked up at Josh. “Or I’ll kill him.” He was serious as a heart attack.

  But it wasn’t Josh I was worried about. It was Obi. They were going to kill him.

  Before I knew what was happening, my feet were being lifted off the ground, and I was maneuvered through the bar at lightning speed. I wasn’t struggling anymore, but Josh’s hold on me was just as tight.

  The one night I was out having fun, and all hell broke loose. Fox would never let me leave the house again.

  “Let’s go before the cops get here,” he called out.

  He took one of my hands, and Paislee took the other. We raced across the parking lot, and that was when I noticed another girl with us.

  Our feet halted in front of a Camaro, and I was still trying to catch my breath, when Josh yelled out. “Shit! Is anybody sober?”

  “I only had one drink. You know that’s my limit.” Paislee spoke up.

  “I haven’t had any,” I said, unsure of where my voice had come from. It didn’t even sound like me.

  “Here,” he handed me the keys and we all climbed into the car.

  I fastened my seatbelt and stared at the black steering wheel in a daze. My feet were tingling, and I couldn’t seem to get my body and my mind on the same page. It was too much. The freight train of emotions in my brain had no shut off. It was a high-speed race to see how fast I could go before I derailed.

  “You okay?” Josh asked. His hand covered mine. “Hey, look at me.”

  My eyes captured his, and I loosened my grip on the steering wheel.

  “Everything is going to be fine. I promise. Just take a deep breath. You can do this.” His voice was calm, and soothing. “Are you with me?” He asked.

  “Yes.” I confirmed.

  “Then hit the gas baby, cause we need to get the hell out of here.”

  5

  Josh

  We somehow managed to get Lee and Letty back to their apartment, and ourselves parked in the Taylor’s driveway without hurting anyone or getting locked up. I’d call that a WIN for the night.

  My buzz was gone. Long gone. Although, I think I still had an adrenaline rush high from Gwen’s driving. When I told her to hit the gas, she didn’t play around. She went all Nascar on me and I remembered the reason why I didn’t let females in the driver’s seat of my Camaro.

  When she cut the engine off, everything went completely silent. It was pitch black outside, aside from the glow of the front porch light in the distance. It was barely bright enough to light up the fancy cobblestone driveway. Seeing the front of the house, up so close, was still overwhelming.

  I gave her a minute to just breathe, or maybe I was giving myself a minute. So much had happened. There was a heavy question weighing on my mind that I was afraid to ask, but I knew that if I didn’t get it out, it was going to eat me alive inside.

  “They aren’t home yet.” She spoke first. “I should call them.”

  “Yeah, okay.” I agreed. Maybe it would give her some peace of mind. “Are your parents’ home?”

  “No. They won’t be home until Sunday.”

  “Right. Okay. Then maybe we should go inside. I can wait with you until they get here. I’m sure they wouldn’t want you to be home by yourself, and we can call them from inside.” I suggested. My hand moved to the door handle.

  “I don’t know.” Her voice was hesitant. “That’s probably not a good idea. You’ve seen how my brothers are.” I was beginning to. “Well, my parents are a thousand times worse.

  I blew out a loud breath and ran my hands down my face. “Then let’s try to call your brothers first, and if they want me to wait with you I will. Unless you don’t want me to.”

  She growled. Like literally growled. “Let’s go.” Her door swung open and she was out of the car in a flash. All I could see was the back of her blonde head, as she hurried to the front door.

  “Whoa, wait.” I rushed after her. My head was spinning, but I couldn’t tell if it was from the alcohol or her sudden mood change. The girl could keep me on my toes. No question about it. “You were right. We should probably call your brothers.”

  “Look,” she stopped just short of her front door. “It’s been a long night, and my whole body feels like Jelly. I don’t know if I’m coming or going. But what I do know is…” She paused to take a breath. I made the final step and we stood face to face in front of her door. “What I do know is, I’m a big girl and it’s been a long time since I’ve made a decision for myself. Now, before I open this door, I’m going to ask you a stupid question.”

  The little hellcat had my full attention. “Fire away.”

  “You’re not going to hurt me, are you?”

  “Never.” Again with the hurting… What kind of question was that?

  “Good.”

  She entered a long code on the keypad next to the door, and I could hear a click as the door unlocked. Her shaky fingers grabbed the brass doorknob.

  “Gwen,” I said, stopping her before she opened it.

  “Yeah,” she turned to face me. Her fingers were still firmly gripping the handle.

  I reached my hand up and ran my fingertips along her jaw. This girl took my breath away. I only wanted to feel the softness of her cheek, to take just a second to memorize the brief moment that I could finally touch her. Chances were good that we would never get a moment like that again for a long time. But, when she leaned her cheek into my touch and softly closed her eyes, I couldn’t help myself. Every bit of self-control I once had, went out the damn window. I sucked in a breath and pressed my lips against hers.

  It may have looked soft and sweet to an innocent, pervy bystander.

  Oh, but it wasn’t.

  Her lips tasted sweeter than chocolate. They were warm, full, and had the power to buckle my knees. I’d never felt that kind of raw desire from a kiss before. It was like tasting something forbidden.

  Good grief.

  My sweaty palms covered her neck with an urgent unstoppable force, reaching for more than just her body. Fuck, I was claiming her soul. The coolness of her pale skin felt alive, like my hands were humming along to the music her body was making. She’d made me a conductor, when I couldn’t even read music.

  God, she was incredible.

  She had completely rattled me with one, single, kiss.

  I’d never recover.

  Pulling slowly away, I let my forehead rest against hers. “What have you done to me?” I asked. Between my pounding heart, and uncontrolled breaths, I felt like I could drop to the ground and fall flat to my death in one swoop. It was some Romeo and Juliet stuff. I’m telling yo
u.

  “I didn’t know a kiss could feel so…”

  “Amazing,” I answered for her.

  “I was going to say incredible,” she smiled. “But amazing is good too.”

  I couldn’t agree more.

  The distant sound of buzzing wasn’t coming from our bodies, though it could be easily mistaken for such. “I think that’s your phone,” I told her.

  She rummaged around in her bag until she found it, and answered it immediately.

  My feet felt like they were glued to the stoop and filled with a hundred pounds of cement. I couldn’t move if I tried. Leaving was the last thing on my mind.

  Gwen stumbled over her words in a rush to get them all out. I couldn’t hear the person on the other end of the line, but just assumed it was Fox by the way she tensed up. If we were ever able to get some time alone where I didn’t maul her to death with my lips, I was planning on asking about the cryptic bodyguard crap, and Fox’s snide comment at the bar.

  That kiss may have made me forget how to stand, but I hadn’t forgotten what he said.

  “Here,” she shoved the phone in my direction. “He wants to talk to you.”

  Crap.

  I felt like it was my Dad on the other end of the phone. Like I’d just been caught sneaking out, and I was awaiting my punishment.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey, It’s Fox.”

  “Yeah, hey,” I replied. Gwen opened the front door of the house, and walked inside. I stepped over the threshold behind her.

  “I’ve got to take Obi to the Emergency Room. It looks like he’s going to need a few stitches on his face, but he’s okay,” he explained.

  “Good. I’m glad it’s not too serious.”

  “Look,” he paused. “I know we barely know each other and you don’t owe me anything, but I was wondering if you’d mind staying at the house with Gwen until we get there. Obi says you’re cool, and Gwen seems to be okay around you. Normally, I’d ask my cousin Beth, but she’s not picking up her phone. She’s…” He trailed off.

  “Hey Man, you don’t have to explain anything to me. I don’t mind staying. But, can I ask you a question?” I lowered my voice in case Gwen could still hear me.

  “You want to know about Gwen.”

  Of course I did. “Yeah.”

  “It’s a complicated family matter. Something that happened a few years back, that I just can’t talk about.”

  “Right,” I nodded, though he couldn’t see me.

  “Hopefully we won’t be gone too long, but you can call my cell if you need something.”

  “Sure.”

  “Thanks again.”

  “No problem.”

  The call ended, and I took a few more steps inside before calling out Gwen’s name.

  Her voice carried through the house when she yelled, “I’m in the kitchen! Take a left!”

  The outside of the house didn’t do the place justice. It was much nicer than I could have ever imagined it would be. The marble floor of the foyer made every sound echo, even my footsteps. And the ceiling, well, let’s just say I’d ever seen anything quite like it. The chandelier was must’ve been twenty feet in the air.

  I shook my head in awe and made a left into the dining room, following the lights that I assumed were coming from the kitchen.

  When I peeked through the kitchen doorway, I saw her. Both refrigerator doors were wide open, and she stood there barefoot with her back to me. She was so short that she probably couldn’t reach the top shelf. Her long blonde hair almost touched her ass, and she swayed back and forth to the sound of herself humming. She wasn’t even trying to be cute. She just was.

  I tiptoed as quietly as I could and stood right behind her.

  “You’ve got be quieter than that to sneak up on me,” she said with a snicker. “Your breathing gave you away.”

  I wrapped my arms around her waist. “I got it. Next time no breathing.” I tried to sound serious, but she laughed. It was easy to joke around with her, and to be myself.

  “Hungry?” She asked.

  “Starved, now go sit down and I’ll whip us up something.”

  “You can cook?” She looked over her shoulder at me.

  “Pssshhh,” I grinned. “Absolutely. Now you talk, and I’ll cook.” It was all a diversion to get some secrets. Little did she know she’d be stuck eating grilled cheese, since that was the only thing I knew how to make that didn’t involve the microwave.

  “What should I talk about?” She hopped up on the fancy countertop next to the sink. Suddenly, our kiss was forgotten, and her smile was genuine.

  “Tell me something about you? Something no one else knows.”

  Her feet swung from side to side, and her pink toenails sparkled in the light. “Hmmm. That’s a tough one. Oh wait, I know. I like to read on my phone.”

  “Really,” I glared at her. “That’s the best you got.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “While I’m in the bathtub.” She bit her bottom lip.

  My body didn’t move, but my eyes shot up in her direction. “So, you have a death wish?” I half joked. I couldn’t get the image of her in the bathtub out of my head.

  Warm water…

  Silky legs…

  “Not really,” her cheeks reddened. “I have a firm grip.”

  AH HELL!

  6

  Gwen

  The conversation got a little heated, but in a good way. The two of us learned some things about each other. Like how he’d been a best friend to Paislee for over ten years, and he was majoring in business because his father suggested it, but he liked the financial side and was considering real estate.

  I told him a few things about my childhood, and how I planned on one day becoming a teacher if it ever became feasible. I know what he was trying to do. Every question he asked skirted around the issues I had with my brothers. He wanted to know why they treated their eighteen-year-old sister like a five-year-old. Those weren’t his exact words, but I could read between the lines. I just didn’t have an answer for him. There was no easy way to explain it, not when I didn’t really understand it myself. The details grew hazy over the years.

  The only thing I could be certain of was, I was going to get the degree that my parents so desperately wanted me to get. They were paying for it after all. I had to do it for them, because it’s what they expected of me. Once I graduated, I could jump ship or skip town.

  Until then, I was just doing my best to get through each day without screwing something up.

  After we ate, I took Josh to the informal living room. It was my favorite place in the whole house, aside from the flower garden out back. I gave Josh the remote and let him choose something on T.V. while I cozied up on the couch. I just wanted to shut my eyes for a bit and rest. It had been a long day.

  Josh took a seat by the arm of the couch, and I propped my pillow up on his leg, and lay down. The moment my head hit the pillow, I felt more tired than I had in a long time. Josh softly rubbed my head, and that was the last thing I remembered, as my eyes grew too heavy to hold open.

  There were voices hovering over me, but I hadn’t opened my eyes yet.

  “Just leave them. They both had a long day, and I don’t feel like dealing with it. They’re just sleeping.” The voice said. I realized then that it was Obi. I pretended to stay asleep because I was afraid they’d make me move. Josh was still there, and I loved the comfort of it. I just wanted to be left alone for once. It wasn’t like we were doing anything wrong.

  How out of control could two people sleeping get?

  “Fine.”

  I listened closely as the footsteps grew softer in the distance before peeking up at Josh.

  He had a huge smile on his face. That little sneak was awake too.

  His hand moved to lie over my stomach, and I smiled up at him. My senses were all over the place. I pulled the couch cover over his hand and my body, just in case my brothers decided to stroll back in.

  I turned my hea
d back towards the T.V., but there was no way I could go back to sleep now. Not with the way his hand rested on my stomach just beneath the blanket. It was making it hard for me to breathe. He was inches away from being exactly where I needed him to be, inches from finding out that I was already soaking wet.

  Just touch me, I thought, as my fingers lightly traced his hand.

  My head was in his lap, and the T.V. was playing some Tom Cruise movie with a predictable ending. I couldn’t concentrate. I was barely thinking straight with his warm hand against my skin. It was so hot in the room. It felt like my face was on fire.

  A little movement, made me stir beneath him. I let my legs fall slightly open, and gazed up into his eyes. He was beautiful. My breaths felt strangled as I tried to get myself under control. It felt like time stood still in that moment. I couldn’t see anyone but him, and wanted him more than he would ever know.

  His fingers moved lower beneath the cover, and slowly circled over the fabric of my shorts. The gentleness of his touch made my body shiver.

  I quit breathing, but only for a second. When his fingers moved beneath the thin material and touched my bare skin, I no longer had any control. The desire and need took over. His fingers started slowly circling in just the right spot. When I gazed up at his face, I got lost in the lust of his eyes. He was hungry, and I nearly came from the sight of him. Thrusting my head back I could feel him beneath my head. He was painfully hard, and I longed to have his body against mine.

  His pace quickened, and I was seconds away from falling apart beneath his fingers. An unexpected moan escaped my lips in the heat of the moment. I was too loud. Someone would hear us.

  His large hand reached over and covered my mouth completely, keeping me quiet. He wasn’t rough or scary. I swear it made me wetter, if that was even possible. My body twitched below him, as my eyes rolled back into my head.

  Oh God! He was killing me. His hands were like a sweet poison and I never wanted him to stop. His mouth was barely open, but the desire in his eyes matched mine.