Abithica (20 page)

The “lesson of the day” had to do with chastity. It was another of his sermons, some of them running two or three hours. When he resumed reading aloud to her from Corinthians 3
,
she glanced again at the Mustang driver. Oooh, nice! Very nice. A bit young, but who cared? What was good enough for Demi Moore was good enough for her, but that hair of his needed serious updating! No famous actor wore hair long and parted down the middle like that. Didn’t he know that? What in the world was he thinking? Dreadlocks would help. Yeah, dreads with that face would look really hot! If he was on top of her… well, she’d just have to hold them alongside his head.

“What’s your opinion on that, Sarah? Agree?”

Oh, crap! She hadn’t been paying attention. The lecture started out on a completely different topic—she’d forgotten to look down while he was talking to a male parishioner—and moved on to other themes her father carped about nearly every day. Now what? Was she supposed to agree, or was he being facetious? Oh hell!

“Yes, Father.”

“Yes, Father what?”

“Yes, you are correct, Father. Thank you for teaching me the way.”

“Hmmph! Well, I think we better see what waits for us in 2 Timothy.”

Uh, oh! Wrong answer. If 2 Timothy didn’t cover it, he’d go to 2 Peter, and if that didn’t work, there were a couple dozen more. She’d memorized the references, even if she deliberately ignored what they said. In fact, eighteen years of his drubbing and she could practically quote the whole Bible.
Might as well get comfortable. We’re going to be here for awhile. Best to let him get it out of his system.
His private lessons were much more painful than these he conducted in public. She glanced at her watch, careful to do it so he wouldn’t notice. Services should have started fifteen minutes ago, so he’d have to wrap this up sooner, rather than later. His entire parish was waiting for him inside.

She closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, there
he
was, just coming around the red car. Her heart skipped a beat when he looked her way and started toward the tree. His hips were… he moved with a… a swagger! Wow, how cute was
that?
How totally hot
! Please, please, please be coming over here!

“Sarah? Sarah, are you even listening to me? Oh, I see that something foul has caught your eye.”

The boy had covered half the distance, and was still coming. He was actually smiling at her!

“Sarah, there’s something evil about that kid. I want you to stay away from his type, from him and all the others like him. Don’t talk to him, don’t look at him. I’ll handle this.”

No answer was required. He’d scared and bullied every boy she’d ever found interesting, sent them all running, and this one would be no different except that she found him more than just interesting. She liked the swagger, liked the car, and liked
him
. Her father was an imposing man, but the confrontation would be all words, shouted words, words that threatened, words that demeaned and heaped shame upon shame.

He was still sauntering their way. Maybe, after enough time had passed, she could write him a note and find some way to get it to him. If he knew she was interested, he might risk another—

“Sarah, you’re looking at him like some harlot! You’re encouraging him, giving him the wrong idea about you. How many times do I have to tell you that boys only want
one
thing? Look at the ground, and for God’s sake, cover your ankles.”

She dropped her head, but kept her gaze steady. Oh, if only she was wearing something with a little form to it, not the sack dresses she’d worn for as long as she could remember. How could she ever show off her solid C-cup boobs? Her legs were really nice, too, but who’d guess? Who’d think she was worth anything at all? Oh, for just one chance in a miniskirt and tight tank top!

Suddenly he was there, standing in front of her, talking to her. To
her!

“Your name is Sarah, right? Well, I noticed you checking out my car. Wanna go for a quick spin?”

“She’ll do nothing of the sort with the likes of
you
, a lost boy who has chosen to blaspheme against God by coming onto this property and suggesting such an outrageous thing. Look at you. Barely old enough to drive that… that thing over there, and you think my daughter would just get in and ride away with you. It’s not appropriate. It’s sinful; against all decent principles we teach. My daughter is so far above your kind, she’d—”

“Well, seeing as how there’s no mommy Cummings in the picture, I’d say you must have spent a few sinful moments yourself, once upon a time. At least I wasn’t planning to poke her—not here in the parking lot—unless she wants it. I was thinking of maybe grabbing us both a soda or ice cream before I checked to see if our parts fit.”

“Sarah isn’t going anywhere with you. Now leave, before I call the police.”

“You’ll have a little trouble dialing out with broken fingers, Pops, so sit down and shut up before I break all your sticks. Sarah looks like she’d like a ride about now, isn’t that right, baby? How about it?”

This can’t be happening, but I love it. Oh, wow! He’s holding out his hand. Should I take it?

“Sarah, if you leave in that car you can forget about coming home. You know very well what he wants, and I won’t have you soiling my house.”

Reach out and take it, Sarah. Take it. Take his hand!

“Whaddya say, baby? Today can be your birthday, and the ride’ll be my birthday present. We’ll start it out in the car and end it any way you like. It can be the day you finally start living. I’ll show you how, show you what you’ve been missing all these years.”

“This boy is filth, Sarah. Don’t be a fool.”

Take his hand, Sarah. He’s your ticket to freedom, the thing you want most. Your inner thighs are on fire and tingly right now. You even have an urge to lick his lips, that’s how hot he is. He’s sizzling hot, something you’ve dreamt about over and over. If you make him wait too long, he’ll leave. A chance like this may never come again.

Her final thought brought a shot of adrenaline as she lunged forward with one hand outstretched, only to feel her father’s iron grip around her upper arm. No! This was her decision to make, not his. A second lunge got her nowhere, but even as she clawed at the hand holding her, it suddenly released and she was free.

Now! A final burst and she was off the bench, but her “sizzling-hot ticket to freedom” was already in action, speeding past her. By the time she’d twisted around to see the reason, her father was lying flat on his back on the pavement, hand to his mouth with blood gushing through his fingers. The boy was straddling him, his back to her. Who
was
he? Who could be hotter than The Rock? Hotter even than Brad Pitt!

“Touch her again, Pops. I dare you!” he growled.

For one absurd moment, she saw herself kissing her liberator right there in the parking lot, not caring who saw her. She’d never wanted anybody more in her entire life.

Madera Canyon

When Lane pulled into the driveway, he was talking on his phone, probably to Faith. She’d called him after my waterworks scene, of course, or… maybe
he’d
called
her
to find out if he was going to run into any new problems. I quickly dismissed both thoughts. Either one would make him as obsessed with me as I was with him, and that wasn’t comforting at all.

He snapped his phone shut when he saw me, so that made me doubly curious. It was everything I could do
not
to ask who he’d been talking to. I crawled into his truck instead, trying my best to forget how he’d looked sitting there in that boat with
her
in my dream.

“So, Lane, where are we off to for this big surprise of yours?”

He shifted into reverse and hit the gas. “I want you to see what I do for a living. I’m going to take you to a house I have been working on. Call it sharing a piece of my life with you.”

As soon as he checked my expression, he quickly backpedaled.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. We can do something else.”

“Why do you say that? I’d like nothing better than to see the house.”

“Then why the funny expression?”

“It’s… well, just that it’s a big step for me. Somewhere along the same line as meeting your parents.”

“I don’t have parents anymore, and I’ve already met your mom and Steven, so what’s the big deal?”

“You’re absolutely right. I’m being silly, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, I’d say so. It’s not like I just suggested we move in together.”

I laughed. He continued. “Naw! I’m old fashioned. I don’t believe in shacking up, but seeing how badly I want to get you into my bed, the next notch up should probably be marriage… and fast.”

“
Marriage?
” The word stuck to the roof of my mouth like peanut butter. My voice even squeaked.

“Sure, why not?” He shrugged.

“Well, for openers, we
just
met, in case you forgot.”

“Sydney, we met almost a week ago. I’m crazy about you and you’re at the very least turned on by me, and that’s better than any cowboy and his horse. Why do you think it should take months to discover you’re in love? I knew it in an instant. You know it, too.”

“Are… are you teasing me?”

“About the cowboy and his horse?”

“No, about… you
are
teasing me! I should have known.”

“Nope. My parents were engaged two weeks after they met, and they were really happy. If they’d waited, they’d have had even less time together. Either way, my dad still would’ve died when he did. Don’t you believe in fate?”

“Come on, Lane! You and I are different. Some of those days since I met you we weren’t even talking. Technically, this is only the fourth time we have been together, and besides, you said we’d have two weeks before I had to decide about our… um… our relationship.”

“Hmmm. You seem to have miscounted. I get six. The first time I saw you, the movie we went to after you tried to escape me at the mall, the time you were making your bed and I walked in, the time when that cardinal sat on your finger, our hike together, and then making dinner. Six seems to be our magic number, so how does the sixth day of the sixth month sound for our big day? That gives you more time to get to know me.”

“Gives
me
more time? What about you?”

“Don’t need it. I already know all I need to know about you. Besides, I keep getting this feeling… keep thinking that June may not be soon enough.”

“You want us to get married this coming June?” I had to pick my jaw up off his floorboard. “Hey, wait a minute… we did the hike and dinner on the same day as… and you saw the cardinal on the same… you’re cheating, Lane Riley! It’s more like four times, and besides, Shae was there a couple of those times, so they don’t count.”

“Just planting a seed.” He smiled. “No need to get your panties in a bunch because I can’t count. And don’t try telling me you’re not falling in love with me, because I won’t buy it. You’re falling just as hard as I am.”

“What does that have to do with
anything?
”

We arrived at a one-lane bridge at the same time as another car coming in the opposite direction. He pulled over to let them go first. “It works this way. First, two people fall in love… that’s step number one. We’ve already done that. Step two, if done the
right
way, they get married. It happens all the time.” The driver waved a thank you at him as he passed, and Lane waved back. “Sometimes I wonder if you and I come from the same planet.”

His unfortunate choice of words effectively erased the fantasy I’d been forming in my head.
Poof!
Instead of my waking up in his arms every single morning for the rest of my life, there was a puke-green alien blob with floppy antennae lying next to him in my place. Oh, and scales all over the blob. And one big eye!

“How can you even be
thinking
of marriage when there are still so many things you don’t know about me?”

“So, we’re back to that, huh?” He pulled the truck onto the shoulder, right next to a bunch of grazing brown cows. “Good, I’m glad you brought it up. I couldn’t agree more. There should never be secrets between husbands and wives, so for the sake of our future together, spill it. I’m all ears. I want to hear what it is that’s plaguing you.”

The cows stopped chewing, as though they wanted to hear, too. They all looked our way.

“I don’t believe this, Lane. First Faith… now you…”

“Ahhh, so
I’m
what you and Faith were fighting over. She was jealous, right? I’m a little confused though. I thought she was going to marry Steven.”

So, he
had
been talking to her on the phone. I didn’t even crack a smile at his joke.

“I’m only kidding,” he laughed. “She called about… something else… and just happened to mention you two had had a little disagreement, no big deal.”