He reaches to me and puts his hand on my shoulder. “I want you to follow your passion. But following is active, not passive. I’m proud of you for trying to get this summer tour. I’m happy that you’re studying and re-dedicating yourself to college.”
I reach to his shoulder, and we sit, arm in arm. “Thanks, Dad.”
“Now when do I get to meet your Maggie?” he asks.
My Maggie. At the mention of her name, I smile.
“Oh man,” Dad says. “That’s the same look I’d get on my face when someone mentioned your mom.”
“You still get that look.” My parents have been happily married for about a thousand years.
He chuckles. “I guess I do.”
I lean back in the chair and touch the phone in my pocket. With the combination blessing/threat from my father, I can’t wait to get back to NJU and get back to work—both with the band on our new songs and with Maggie on our new relationship.
Chapter 20
Maggie
After our talk in the lounge, I don’t see Dave for another week, except for quick dinners and goodnight kisses in the library. Between his time at his parents’ house, his band practice, my paper, and finals, we haven’t had any alone time. We didn’t make it to Roberto’s Friday night because Tuck’s holding the car hostage. We don’t spend the nights together because of our roommates and my late nights at the library. Although I had my period, I would have appreciated feeling him in my arms. The thought crosses my mind that maybe he’s pulling away or not as into me as I’d hoped.
After spending the week at his parents, Dave spent the weekend in the city, kidnapped by his band members and working on the new songs for the gala. It was the worst weekend ever—everyone was coupled off. Sheridan was empty. All I had was me and my paper. I wondered if I should have gone home with my mother. It had been a long, lonely week since she’d stormed into my dorm and demanded I return to the farm.
I took a break from my paper to go to my classes this morning, and now, back at my second home, I settle in for another exciting evening in the library. As soon as I get there, Coffee Cup guy cleans up his mess, nods my way, and departs. Everyone’s sick of school.
I look over my dumb paper. It still sucks. I want to cry or scream. Wallowing in self-doubt, I email the New York internship and accept. At least I’ll have that, since I’m not sure this paper is salvageable.
Despite my wallowing, I’m determined to work tonight so I can hunt down my boyfriend tomorrow. I need time with him. Quality time, if not quantity, since he’ll have to run to the city for practice. Even though we talk every day and text constantly, these little pass-each-other-in-the-hallway moments aren’t enough. Not being able to pull his shirt off makes my hands twitch with want. But he’s been so supportive of me and my goal to get Olympia. I can’t complain about him practicing for the gala so he can get his tour.
Now as I’m going stir crazy, maybe it’s selfish, but I want him close, in person, not in text. He loves me. He said so on the phone at his parents’ house. He hasn’t said it since. I want to hear the words from his mouth next to my ears. Feel if they’re real. Tomorrow. I’ll see him tomorrow. Even if I have to haul ass into the city and beat the crap out of his band, farm-girl style.
I giggle at the image and pick up another research article from the stack on the table. Wrapping the fleece blanket around my bare legs, I squirm down in my chair, adjust my cute spring dress, and start to read.
Next thing I know, I’m startled awake by a kiss on my shoulder.
I yawn and stretch and look into the pair of twinkly, hazel eyes in front of me. “Am I dreaming?” I murmur to the image.
Dave smiles and bends to kiss my shoulder again.
The goosebumps travel up my neck and then down my spine. “I am dreaming. What are you—”
With a finger over my lips to quiet me, he holds up his other hand. A key attached to a wooden block dangles from his finger. It’s a key to a study room.
Without a word, he puts it in his pocket. He takes my hand in his and grabs the blanket off my lap with the other. He pulls me away from the table.
“My stuff.” I point back at my laptop while he ushers me away.
The place is empty, so when he doesn’t respond, I don’t press. He doesn’t seem to hear me although his hand is gripping mine like he’s afraid I’ll let go. He weaves through the library tables, moving so fast I skip to keep up. “Dave?”
If he’s thinking what I’m thinking he’s thinking, we are so going to get caught. I’ve reserved study rooms a hundred times. A table sits in the center of the room with chairs scattered around. Whiteboards cover the walls, and a window runs the length of the doors so security can see in. The rooms are made for group chats, so people don’t disturb the other students. They’re certainly not made for what he seemingly thinks.
He stops at a door for study room 2-B and pulls out the wooden block attached to the key. Oh boy.
My body comes alive at the thought of kissing him, touching him. But the library? We could get caught. Fined. Kicked out of the place for life. The thought excites and terrifies me. “You realize there’s a window, right?”
He unlocks the door and holds it open for me. I wait. He looks me up and down, slowly, making me squirm with anticipation. His chest rises and falls with deep breaths, and a glance down confirms that he is thinking what I think he’s thinking.
“Are you insane?” I whisper. “Here? The security guard passes by every half hour. He can be right around the corner.”
But he doesn’t answer. His eyes find mine, and he nods his head toward the room. “Go.” His voice is demanding, the word comes out on an exhale. Then he grins his melt-me smile. “I need you.”
I hesitate, but only for a second to take a mental picture of the cool, confident look on my rock star’s face. Then I walk in, the butterflies swarming in my belly in anticipation of what Dave has planned for me.
I lift myself up onto the table with Dave’s eyes on me. The feel of the cool wood against the backs of my thighs only makes me squirm more, making me want him now. Here. Anywhere.
“Damn,” he says, shaking his head. Then he turns away and opens the door. He takes the blanket and jams it over the edge and shuts it again. It hangs over the window, secured between the frame and the door.
He clicks the lock and turns to face me.
I swing my cowboy boots and rub my thighs, pulling the skirt up a bit. “Well? What now?”
He takes the two steps and grabs my knees, opening them so he can wedge himself between. With a smirk, he looks down my body and grabs my ass, pulling me to the edge of the table. I wrap my legs around his thighs, linking my boots together at the ankles.
Now I need a kiss. Badly. I need to feel his lips on my body. Somewhere, anywhere, and it needs to happen fast because as soon as someone on the outside notices the blanket-covered window, we’re done. I’m happy we’re rushed because that’s what I want to feel now. Rushed and passionate.
But Dave doesn’t rush. In fact, he slows down and looks me in the eyes, right through me to my heart. He’s not looking at me like rock star Dave. Not like jittery first date Dave either. It’s something else, something deeper.
His hands move up my back and over my shoulders. He pushes my hair back then takes my cheeks in his hands. “I miss you so much. I’m not going to miss you anymore. I love you, Maggie.”
His fingers are so gentle against my skin that I can barely feel them. His words are so soft and pure that I gulp down the ball forming in my throat that threatens to let loose a flood of tears.
I mimic his actions and take his face with my hands. “And I love you.” My voice shakes, not from uncertainty, but from emotion.
Finally, he kisses me. Deep and hard, like I wanted. His tongue invades my mouth, and I squeeze my legs around him.
“Say it again,” he murmurs, as his hands move under my skirt.
“I love you,” I say.
He tugs at the sides of m
y panties. I wiggle, letting him slide them down my thighs. His hand finds me wet, ready, and wanting.
I melt against him as his lips find my earlobe. He holds it between his teeth as he rubs me. “Say it again,” he demands. This time, his voice is husky, and his bite tightens.
I grab the waistband of his shorts, completely turned on but also knowing we don’t have much time. “I love you.” Then I pop open the button.
He pulls a condom out of the pocket before I push them to the floor. I hear the wrapper open and feel my way up his chest, under his shirt, nuzzling my nose into his neck.
When his hands come back to me, I push him away.
I stand and turn him so he’s sitting on the edge of the table, half naked. I climb on top of him, straddling him. He grabs the back of my thighs and groans my name, his hands and his eyes all over my body.
Before I fall onto him, I tilt his chin up to look at me. “Now you say it.”
He smiles and stretches his neck, reaching to bite my lip. “I love you.”
Then I sink lower and fill myself with him, heart and body.
Dave
The morning after the amazing library memory Maggie and I made, I rush to the city, late for practice. Tuck glares at me as I bust through Chip’s garage door in Brooklyn. He holds his hands up in his “what the fuck” pose.
I throw my case on the worn out couch then pull out my guitar. “I’m here, I’m here. I’m sorry I’m late.”
They’re already set up. Bryce grunts a “hey.” Chip asks me if I want a beer. Tommy tosses his cigarette to the curb behind me then pats me on the shoulder.
I decline the beer and dig out the composition sheets I’d scribbled changes to my songs on. “It’s not even noon, and you’re drinking and smoking? You ever think maybe we need to take a break from all this practice?”
“No. You ready, asswipe?” Tuck asks.
“Warm up?” Tommy starts to strum “Maggie May” by Rod Stewart. “Wake up, Maggie, I think I got something to say to you,” he sings.
They all laugh, and I give them the finger.
Bryce tosses me a water bottle. “Tuck tells us you’re busy banging a smart chick with nice tits.”
“Hey. Don’t talk about my girl like that.” I remind myself to kick Tuck’s ass later. “You guys aren’t helping the cause with all this fucking practice.”
Tommy strums a loud, low C. “Calm down, lover. It will all be over soon, and we’ll get that gig. Did you bring us more new stuff?”
I look around the garage at the guys. Teaching them my songs made me jittery as fuck at first until I realized these are my best friends. They’ll tell me if something’s crap, and if they don’t like it, they’ll still be my friends. I can trust them with my music. “Yeah, let’s do this.”
Tuck grins and points a drumstick at me. “You’ve been working hard for us. I’m proud of you, man.”
Chapter 21
Dave
We practice for a few hours then break for the day. The guys like Dreamgirl, which, of course, I wrote about Maggie. We decide we’ll play that at the event. I check my phone and see she texted me.
How’s practice going?
I text her back.
Done now. Tuck and I are heading back. He’s going to teach me Spanish before the final. Would rather be in the library though.
Her special “ding” sounds a few seconds later.
2-B. You and me.
I smile at the phone.
You and me.
We make plans to see each other later. She talked to Meg and convinced her to spend some time in Ben’s room so we can have room three to ourselves. I love knowing that I’ll get her for the entire night and wake up with her in the morning. Even though practice and studying have been hard work, the rewards I reap are worth it. Maggie is the best motivator and the greatest reward I could ever hope for. We decided after our library sex that we aren’t spending any more nights apart. Not when we may have so little time left.
In a hurry to get back to the dorm and see her, Tuck and I race to Sheridan and up the stairs to the second floor. It’s quiet, except for Suzi and Dolch. Suzi paces back and forth from the door of our room to the door of hers. Dolch is propped up against the hallway across from our door.
Tuck and I freeze. “Think we’re in trouble for the cats?” he asks.
From the expression on Suzi’s face, how she’s chewing the knuckle of her index finger, how she’s in the hallway without full makeup, I know something is wrong. She never leaves her room without looking her part. It’s not about the cats.
Dolch sees us walking down the hallway and stands. Suzi notices us too and crosses her arms over her chest.
“What’s up?” I ask as we approach.
Tuck unlocks our door, and Dolch waves us into the room. “We have to talk.”
I look from him to Suzi. Their eyes are wide, their posture tense. They look like they’re about to tell me that someone just died.
Did Suzi accuse me of something? I glare at her to get a read, but she doesn’t make eye contact. She bites her knuckle and continues the pacing.
Dolch looks to Tucker. “Can you excuse us, Tuck?”
I hold out a hand, stopping Tuck from leaving. “Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of him.”
“Okay,” Dolch says. He turns to Suzi. “Do you want to tell them, or do you want me to?”
For some reason, the formality of this pisses me off. I didn’t do anything to Suzi. I fold my arms over my chest. “What’s this about, Suz? If you have a problem with me, just say it.”
She stops pacing, and her shoulders sag. “It’s not about me.”
Tuck stands next to me. “Then what’s up?”
Dolch and Suzi look at each other. She nods at Dolch, and he takes a deep, audible breath and turns to me.
“It’s about Amber,” he says.
“Amber?” Suzi’s roommate has hardly been on campus, as far as I could tell. “I haven’t seen her in months.”
Dolch cringes. I have no idea what to think. “She’s been at home in Connecticut. She’s….”
We wait, but they stay silent.
Finally, Tuck asks, “Well? Is she okay?”
Suzi moves to stand between Dolch and me. “She’s pregnant,” she says.
I stare at her, my mind processing the words. “Oh shit. That sucks.”
Suzi nods. “It does. She’s not coming back this semester.”
Tuck rubs his chin. “Are you taking up a collection or something? Why do you both look so devastated?”
“She wasn’t exactly the most careful,” I say. I remember that first week of school. I’m not clear on any of the details, but I don’t recall either of us being concerned about condoms.
Shit. I freeze, a wave of nerves flutters through my body. It can’t be. My head pounds as I do the math in my head. Then when Tuck looks at me, eyes wide with fear, the room starts to spin.
No.
Please no.
“When is she due?” Tuck asks.
Suzi bites her lip. “In four weeks.”
My eyes blur, and there’s not enough air in the room. “J…June?”
Somewhere a voice says, “Yes.”
I sway, dizzy. Tuck grabs my arm. “Are you alright?”
I suck in air trying to stay upright and answer him. “I… It can’t be mine. It’s not mine. I’m with Maggie, and we love each other. Amber isn’t having my baby.”
Tucker keeps hold of my arm and fires questions at Suzi. I hear some of them.
“How do you know it’s his? Why didn’t she say anything? Why are you telling us this now?”
I only hear one answer. “She’s certain. She’s afraid to tell you, and I thought you should know.”
I shake my head. No. I don’t want to know. I want to go back to two minutes ago when I was going to spend the night with my Maggie.
After pulling my arm out of Tuck’s grasp, I dart past Dolch to the door. Tuck follows me into the
hallway, but I take off, running for the staircase.
“Dave,” he yells behind me.
After I bound down the stairs, I stop at the door. My first instinct is to run. To go back to the city, get drunk, hide at Chip’s for a few days. But I know I can’t. I have to tell Maggie. I have to get to her before she hears this from someone else. Maybe I can make her understand.
Outside, I hop on my bike and pedal hard to get to the library. I throw the bike down and run up the stairs to the large, institutional doors. When I fling them open, the front desk staff turn to look at me. I jog past them to the staircase to the second floor where I know Maggie will be.
But when I get to her table, she’s gone.
Coffee Cup guy waves at me. “She left about fifteen minutes ago.”
I thank him and run back to the stairs and past the front desk crew again, pulling my phone out of my pocket. Maggie had left me a text that she was going to the Student Center for a bite to eat, and then she would meet me back in her room.
Our night. It’s not supposed to go down like this.
I run to room three. She’s not there yet, but Winston pops out of room two. When he smiles, I want to throat punch him.
He knew. That’s why he said I wouldn’t have Maggie for long. That’s why he told Maggie I have “secrets.”
I pull him into the hallway and shove him to the wall with my forearm. His smirk disappears.
“You knew about this?” I ask through gritted teeth, happy to have a target for my anger and my fear.
His jaw drops. When his glasses fall off, his eyes flutter. He looks scared to death, which is my favorite look of his so far. I let him go before I hurt him.
He rubs his chest where I’d shoved him. “Suzi told me.”
I point my fists to the floor in an attempt to keep them away from his face. “Why’d she tell you?”
He scrunches his scrawny shoulders. “She asked me for advice. We’ve become friends.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? Or better yet, tell Maggie? That would be the best way to get her to dump me.”
She Wants It All: Book Three of the Sheridan Hall Series Page 21
