Falling - On the Banks of Lake Saint Clare (Falling - Book One) (24 page)

I ran my fingers along his eyebrows and traced his nose and lips.

“M
mm
, that feels good.”

“Take off your shirt.”

He sat up and removed it. “I rubbed his back, feeling his muscles under my fingers. It was so soft and smooth. “You are so strong,” I said
,
trying to count all the ridges his muscles made. “What’s this say?” I wrote on his back.

“It said, ‘I worship Michael’.”

I kissed his back and said, “Well that’s probably true, but not what I wrote.”

“Try again.”

I rewrote it.

“You are sexy?”

“Uh hm
m. And this?”

“I want you?” He asked.

“Uh hm
m.”

He laid back down resting his head on the pillow again and rubbed my hand. “What are you watching now? The cowboy is not moving.”

“You.”

“Interesting?”

“Very,” I smiled, seeing him smile.

He looked up at me, “I can see us still together if I go pro.”

“For reals?”

“For reals.” He squeezed my hand. “I’ll get on a team that is close to water and we will build a huge dock home, no walls, just dock on the water.” He leaned over and turned the lantern off.

“Isn’t that an old country song?”

“I think it might be,” he smiled. “You see that shooting star! Shit, that was awesome.”

“I had that cued to go off. I was pushing for romance tonight.”

“Romance is gross. Damn! There’s another one. You are good at this romance thing.”

“We need to make a wish.” I said. “Close your eyes first though.”

“Hmm, done.”

I moved so I could lie down next to him, feeling his warm strong body against mine. “I just thought of something. If we live on a dock on the water, I could be a pirate, so I don’t have to eliminate that career choice.”

“Smart. You’ll have to start working now on getting scurvy. That would be sexy as hell.”

He looked at me and kissed me.

“I guess they think they own the whole fucking dock,” I heard Rachel yelling.

I sat up and saw her and Brad walking down the slope toward the water.

I fell back down and sighed. “UGH!”

“Its fine,” Michael said, rolling on his back.

I heard them going into the water. “Rachel has never gotten in the river since she was 10. I can’t believe she is actually going to get her hair wet. I would have guessed she would have left with Dad. I bet she has him working on the room.”

“Shhh, stop talking,” Michael said, touching my lips.

“Hey Michael,” Rachel said, “How many diseases have you gotten from her so far?”

I sighed, wondering how much more I could take.

“It’s fine. They are going to the other bank.”
I heard them on the other side of the river. I turned around and looked and saw them hot at it. “Are they doing it?”

“I’d guess they are. You want me to ask?”

“Haha, he’d love it if you did. Give him a reason to brag.”

Listening to Brad and Rachel in the water was making me very uncomfortable. I’d hear her say oh yeah, right there and moan. And he’d say you like it, don’t you.
It was like they wanted us to hear.

“You would think that having sex in the river could cause a girl to get a bacterial infection or worse tadpoles.”

“So I am guessing us doing it in the river is not going to happen tonight?” He smiled.

“Let’s go up to the house until they leave. I really am feeling weird about it.”

The party had died down and my grandparents were watching the news.

“Want me to clean up?” I asked, looking at the mess.

“Let’s do it in the morning. It’s been a long night.”

“I agree,” I sighed, sitting on the couch beside my grandmother. I moved over so Michael could sit with me.

“What are you kids doing up here? I thought there was some sort of camping adventure going on.”

“We will go back down later. Rachel and Brad are down there and I don’t want to be around either of them.”

Grandma patted my hand, “I’m sorry for what happened tonight. I want you to know you are safe in this house and he is not welcome at anytime.”

“Thanks. Where is Mom?”

“She just got back. She is pretty upset right now.”

“What happened
?
” I asked.

“I’m not really sure. She had a suitcase. She said something about going back tomorrow but wasn’t sure.”

“Grandma, why does Dad hate me so much? I have asked Mom but she denies it. But I know he hates me.
Even e
veryone at the store knows it.”

“
This stays in this room, ok?” She looked around, making sure
Mom
wasn’t
nearby
. “You
r
mom decided to adopt you without asking him
,
assuming he would be thrilled
. You were premature and since you hadn’t been legally adopted it cost an ungodly amount of money. They fought about it all the time. I am thinking when you were three
or four
months,
he said he had had enough for her to cho
ose
. Well, he was in total sho
ck when she chose you and left.”

“How long did we stay gone
?
” I asked, wondering why I had never heard the story.

“Long enough for her to find another man and fall in love. At least a year
I am thinking
.”

“Really? What happened to him?”

“He was in the army and was killed overseas. It was really a bad time.
Your Dad
begged her to go back and she decided she would.”

“Why was this kept a secret from me? Why is everything a secret in this family?”

“Beats me,
Alex
,” she shrugged.

Rachel and Brad came walking into the house and out the front door, not saying a word to anyone.

“Hm
m,” Grandma said, looking at me.

“I guess we will go back down to the dock. I am su
re you all are ready for bed.”

“I am exhausted,” Grandpa said, “Good night, Pumpkin,” he said, rubbing my head.

Grandma stood to follow him, “If you two get cold
,
get back up here. There is an extra room for Michael. I don’t want you two to get sick.”

“Ok, thanks. We will.”
             
I gave her a big hug and she touched my face and shook her head. “You are such a treasure.”

“I’m thinking we might get cold down here,” Michael said, helping me climb onto the dock. “Is it 94 or 95 degrees out here?”

“I know. She is such a worrier,” I laughed.

I
la
id
down on the blanket and watched Michael take off his shirt. I wasn’t sure what he had in mind us sleeping together all night. If Rachel and Brad c
ould
go all the way in the river and no one notices, what’s the chance that we could. He la
id
down beside me and pulled me closer to him. I laid my head on the top of his arm and felt him kiss my forehead.

“What are you thinking,” I whispered.

“That your grandma called you a treasure. What’s the irony,”
h
e laughed.

“I thought the same thing. I wanted to say something, but thought I better not ruin the moment by making a pirate joke.”

“What a night,” he yawned. “I am so tired.”

“M
mm
, me too. I want to stay up all night and talk but I don’t know if I can. You are so comfy.”

“I would like to be described as something other than comfy when you talk to your friends about me. Like rugged, sexy, hung like a horse.”

“Oh Erica assumes the horse part already.”
             
“It’s been discussed?”
             
“Like the first time she saw you.” I smiled.

“Well, tell her you were very disappointed when you found out she was way off.”

“Oh, is she way off?”

“No, but tell her anyway,” he said, kissing my forehead.

“It’s going to kill her if we ever have sex. That’s all she talks about.”

“What’s this if?” He joked. “Don’t be saying if.”

Chapter 14

“I gotta run home and change,” Michael said, eating the last bite of his breakfast. “You going to be here all day?”

I looked at Grandma, “We don’t have any plans,” she said.

“Where are you going?” I asked, wondering why the rush. He hadn’t mentioned anything about leaving early.

“I’ve got to catch Coach Jackson. Mom texted me that I need to see him before ten if I want to be on his team.”

“Coach Jackson? The
Anderson
Coach?” I asked confused.

“Yeah,” he walked behind me and kissed my cheek, “Wow, still hot.”

“Why are you talking to him?” I asked, wondering what was going on. He was the rival coach. My dad hated him. Not hated, despised him. I think the only reason he hated him so much was because his team always beat us by one or two points. I heard Dad say a dozen times, this will be the year I will beat that jackass.

“I can’t play on your dad’s team anymore and I want to play. You’re okay with that, aren’t you?
”

“Uh yeah,” it hadn’t dawned on me that my life had been totally changed. No more ballpark practices, unless I went to
Anderson
. And that wasn’t my turf.

“It’s good. It will be good,” Michael smiled nodding, knowing I wasn’t excited. “It’s all good, Alex. Really.”

He ran out the door, “Be back later. Love you!” He yelled as it shut.

“I hate changes,” I said to my mom when she walked into the room.

“Get used to it,” she half smiled. “We might be going into some major changes. But they will be great ones.”

“Like what? Staying here for the summer
?”

“Yeah. I don’t know yet if I want to go home. Its more peaceful here,” she smiled, but looked unhappy. “I feel like both of us have gotten pushed to the side and I don’t want to live like that anymore. But, enough about me; how was your night on the dock?”

“It was so wonderful. I don’t know if you have noticed but
Michael
has these massive arms that make a nice spot for my head to rest. All night I’d wake up and feel him kissing me. It was just magical. Any other guy I would have stayed awake all night worried that they were going to cop a feel, but I didn’t worry at all and slept like a dream.”

“Where is he? Still asleep?”

“He went to talk to Coach Jackson about switching teams. I hate that. I truly don’t like changes, Mom. That’s my ball field and I won’t be there 24-7 like I have for the last 100 years.”

“Yikes, your father is going to be so mad. This was his one year he was going to make the championship. I am guessing Derek will go also.”

“I assume. I can’t imagine him not going with Michael.”

“Yikes,” she said again.

“Karma is a bitch,” I shrugged.

She nodded and touched my cheek, “Wow, still hot.”

I got out of the shower and saw a note from my mom telling me she and Grandma went to town to get some groceries and Grandpa was at the donut shop with his coffee buddies. The house was so quiet and peaceful. I walked around, wondering what to do until Michael got back. I decided to get on Facebook and see what the outside world had going on.

On my Profile Michael Williams –
Alex Dillard-So in love
.
Last night was the greatest!
Still falling.
XOXOXOXO

Kaitlyn
and
Abbie
both posted
“
Awe
”
underneath.

I scrolled down and saw Hailey posted,
He will learn what she’s about
,
and I will be there to comfort.
Was she talking
about
me? Oh gosh
,
I don’t need this drama if she is.

Kaitlyn
posted two pictures, “
Belt,
or no belt?
”

I answered
b
elt
, knowing if I didn’t she would text me the pics.

“What are you trying to prove,
Alex?
” I heard my Dad say behind me.

I jumped a foot, not knowing he had come inside the house.

“You’re not supposed to be here.” I told him