“Why would he do that? I rarely spoke to Travis. We weren’t in any classes together. What did he have against me?”
“Good question. And I’m going to find out the answer. That motherfucker is going to pay for what he did.” He springs off the boulder and marches toward the hiking trail.
I scurry after him as fast as I can on the uneven ground in my slippery sandals. “What are you going to do?”
“Find out where he is and beat the shit out of him.”
Grabbing his arm, I pull him to a stop. “You need to calm down. Beating him up won’t change what happened.”
“It will make me feel a lot fucking better,” he says as he starts to turn away.
Stepping closer, I reach up and place my hands on his shoulders. “No, it won’t. Whatever you do to Travis, it won’t bring Garrett back. It’s not going to erase the photos. What if you take things too far? You’ll never forgive yourself. Hopefully, karma will give him what he deserves.”
He blows out a long breath. “It kills me knowing he’s gotten away with this.”
I rub his shoulders to comfort him. They’re firm and strong, and I like having my hands on him more than I should. “I hate that he’s gotten away with it too. And I’m so sorry for my part. I’ll never forgive myself.”
For a beat, he stares at me with an unreadable expression. I guess that’s better than the hate he’s been throwing my way. “I liked you. You weren’t a joke to me or entertainment. I thought you knew I liked you more than just as a friend. I can’t believe you’d think I’d do something like that.” A fleeting look of hurt crosses his features.
What? He liked me? No way!“You were the most popular guy in school, with girls falling at your feet. Why would I think you liked me when you had your pick of gorgeous girls?”
“Those girls were all fluff and airheads. They couldn’t hold a conversation if their lives depended on it. All they cared about was being seen with the popular crowd. You never cared about shit like that. I could talk to you for hours and never get bored. We talked about real shit, like your dad leaving. My goals in life.”
When Travis told me Lucas’ attention was all a joke, it had crushed me. Because the boy who I thought was kind, caring, and sweet, and took time to talk to me, turned out to be a creep. God, I’d gotten it wrong.
“I’m sorry. I know it’s not enough. My insecurities got the better of me, and I believed Travis. I never thought I had a chance with you when you had so many other girls to choose from.”
“Those girls never interested me, because you were the most beautiful. All I wanted was you.”
My heart races as I suck in a startled breath. “I didn’t know…You never told me.”
“Yeah, I was building up the courage to say something at the beach party. Was planning to make a move.”
He’s saying all the things I wished he would have said in high school. And he would have, if life hadn’t taken an unfortunate turn.
I’m not sure when it happened, but Lucas’ hands are resting on my hips. Our chests a hairsbreadth from touching. We’re standing so close I can see flecks of gold in his hazel eyes. My heart is beating so hard. His gaze drops to my lips and desire smolders from his eyes.
Whoa! What is going on? This is a man who has hated me for years. A man whoI’vehated for years. Now he’s looking at me differently. Not like I’m dirt under his shoe. More like a woman he wants to devour in one bite. And gosh, I’m ready to serve myself up on a silver platter. In all the time I spent with Darren, he never looked at me like that.
His gaze drops to my mouth, and his tongue darts out to lick his bottom lip. Oh, my legs have turned to water as I imagine him kissing me. During high school it was something I constantly dreamed of. Is my teenage wish about to come true?
A second later, he dips his head and our lips meet. The kiss is soft at first, with a lingering taste of alcohol on his tongue. It doesn’t take long until he clasps onto my waist and pulls me closer. Our chests touch and I can feel the steady thud of his heartbeat. The kiss deepens, and I throw my arms around his neck, anchoring onto him like he’s a lifeline.
On this mountain top, time seems to stop. Pasts forgotten, we lose ourselves in the moment.
Breaking away, his mouth trails down my neck, licking over my racing pulse. I tilt my head to the side, and my eyes flutter shut. He takes it further and places kisses along my collarbone and the tops of my heaving breasts. Sighing with pleasure, my nipples harden, and I arch my back, giving him permission to take things further.
Like he can read my mind, his hands resting on my hips skim up my sides. His thumbs brush underneath my breasts as he sucks a nipple through the thin fabric into his mouth.
“Oh God,” I moan. His touch feels so good. The loose-fitting clothing I’m wearing suddenly feels tight and restrictive, and I want to strip out of them and have him kiss me everywhere.
Fusing our mouths together, he pushes the straps of my dress off my shoulders and down my arms. Without breaking the kiss, he scoops my breasts up in his hands and massages them in gentle circles. With his thumbs brushing over my peaked nipples, the sensation travels down south and I’m wet with wanting.
He backs me toward the boulder, and my butt leans against the rough surface. Spreading my legs, he steps between my thighs. The firmness of his erection presses against my sex, and my pelvis automatically thrusts against him, wanting more. Needing him inside me.
Without breaking the kiss, he reaches between our bodies, hikes up the bottom of my dress so it’s around my waist, andslides his hand behind my panties until he reaches my most sensitive spot. I hiss and bite my lip when he presses against my clit. I lean my elbows on the rock and my head falls back, and I let him take liberties with my body. He slides a finger between my folds and pumps into me. My body bucks and I press harder into his hand. I’ve lost all feeling in my elbows, and I fall back onto the boulder, not caring about the hard surface scraping at my back.
“This is perfect,” he says with a devilish grin.
