Forbidden Kisses (3:AM Kisses Book 9) (14 page)

Her eyes fill with instant rage at the idea of a rejection, and a tiny inkling of joy swims through me. Who knew watching WB’s best and not-so-brightest cheerleader experience her very first shutdown had the power to turn my mood around?

Savannah might have to face the fact she’s not finishing up this song with him, but, knowing my life, she’ll be finishing up the night with him.

Her girlfriends float up around her, and soon they’re swaying to the music right alongside us, glaring as if I’ve personally pissed into those glowing drinks in their hands.

“So, what’s the big family discussion about?” I’m still biting down that grin that’s dying to take over my face. Not only did Rex gift me the privilege to witness his obvious disdain for the queen of Whitney Briggs, but, as an added bonus, I had the opportunity to participate.

His chest expands, touching over mine. “About us.”

“Us?” Every cell in my body leans in to get a better gander at whatever is about to pop from his lips.

“Yes. In a few days, we’ll have to turn up the heat if we’re going to repulse our parents into rethinking their nuptials.” His Adam’s apple rises and falls as if whatever comes next has the power to rattle him on some level.

“Turn up the heat,” I say it right back like some robotic moron, but, the truth is, I’m too far gone, losing myself in those ocean deep eyes. I’m drowning, losing myself in Rex Toberman in the very worst way. Maybe it’s the frosty drink Cassidy poured down my throat, maybe I listened a little too long while Owen and Cade tried their best to sell me on the Rex Toberman lifelong commitment plan, or maybe it’s the fact that smelly alley cat and those stray kittens she flanks herself with are giving me the evil eye, but, God Almighty, all I want to do is test drive this boy’s lips. “How would we do that?” It comes out breathy as I hike up on my tiptoes.

Rex leans in. His lids hood low. His eyes glaze over as the smile dissipates from his face. “Like this.”

Rex lands his feather soft lips over mine and doesn’t pull away.

Dear God, he’s done it!

I press in, careful at first, then hard and demanding, not daring to open up and let him in, not daring to pull away and end this blissful moment either. A sharp electrical jolt travels from his mouth to mine, spraying throughout my limbs, through every muscle, bone, and nerve. This is explosive, unsettling in an earth-shattering way.

A series of gasps break out all around us.

“Holy
shee
-it!” That would be Cassidy.

“
Eww
, what the hell is wrong with you?” That would be Savannah. “That’s your fucking sister!”

The word
sister
circles around the dance floor as Rex presses his hand over the back of my neck, and we indulge in a meandering kiss that lights me up from the inside with an inferno that burns ten times hotter than the sun. The music comes to an abrupt end, and I pull back, gasping for breath, holding my hand over my mouth in horror.

Dear God, what have we done?

I scuttle backward until I’m swallowed whole by the crowd and find myself outside in the warm night air as the streetlights and the laughter from drunk girls slap me back to life. My feet keep moving until I’m running across the street and toward Cutler Tower.

What did I just do, and why the hell did I enjoy it so damn much?

“
T
his is
a bachelor pad if I’ve ever seen one.” Trixy balls her fists into her hips as she cranes her neck past me to the kitchen. I’ve just given both her and my father the grand tour. Knox has been here once before, on move-in day to be exact. First and last time. My brother and I haven’t fought too hard to mend that bridge we burned down years ago. “I bet the girls really love that big giant bed.” She sticks her finger down her throat and pretends to gag, and for a brief moment, I envision Scarlett on that big giant mattress, her dark hair flowing down her bare back, her tits pointed at me like an offering, her legs spread wide with promise—

“Get your head out of the gutter, kid.” Dad ruffles up her hair.

“I’ll be a senior this year. I’m hardly a kid. I’ll be at Whitney Briggs before you know it.”

“You’re coming to Briggs?” I hand both my sister and my father a bottle of water from the fridge. It’s late Friday night, and the two of them just endured a grueling hike with me up past the lookout where Scarlett and I had that private chat. My heart broke for her as I wiped away her tears. That kiss we shared has gone off in my mind like an echo ever since our lips touched Saturday night. Although it doesn’t seem to have meant too much to her. I shot her a text the next day and asked if she was up for breakfast, but it went unanswered. Tomorrow night’s our big and perhaps final performance at the country club. It’ll be interesting to see how things go.

“That’s right.” Trixy pulls a bag of cookies out of the cupboard and helps herself. “Knox said not to tell you, but I couldn’t care less about the beef he has with you.”

My stomach turns just hearing my suspicions confirmed out loud. I glance to our father. I was hoping it would be just he and I today at the trails. I was ready to push hard for a reconciliation even if deep down I know it’s futile. As much as I don’t quite approve of Scarlett’s hostile takeover tactics, the little boy in me demands to play along. But Trixy wanted to join us this afternoon, and I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to hang out with my favorite little sister. I wish she brought Knox along. Now that she’s flat-out told me he’s harboring resentment, I think it’s time I make a larger effort to mend fences between the two of us.

“There’s this big thing at Bradley’s country club tomorrow night.” Just saying his name in front of my father feels like a betrayal.

His chest expands with his next breath. “I know. Your mother is happy.” He shakes his head, confused as to why I would even bring it up. “Don’t worry about me. I’m one hundred percent supportive of this.”

Trixy scoffs, and something in me feels a small glimmer of victory. If Trixy sides with me, if she works as hard as Scarlett and me to help stab our mother’s new relationship to death, there might be hope for our family yet.

“You just reminded me that I have like nothing to wear.” She offers a quick peck to my cheek. “We’ll see you there. I’ve got a million things to do to get ready. Hair, nails, I might need new shoes to go with whatever dress I’m about to buy.” She looks to my father as she gathers her things. “Do you mind if I hit the mall in the morning?”

“Not at all. Have fun.” He smiles over at her as she makes her way to the porch, but a frown takes over as he looks back to me. “What’s really going on here?”

“You’re really going on here. Why aren’t you fighting for her?”

His eyes bear in to mine, hardened with a slight level of rage before softening to something just this side of pity. “I know this is going to be very hard for you to hear, son, but I don’t want her anymore. Not like that.” And there it is—the shot to the heart. “I want her as a friend, as someone who works with me to help shepherd you and your siblings through life. What we shared as a couple is over. It melted away with the web of lies and deception we lost ourselves in. We tried to hold on. Hell, the last seven years we were scraping along by the skin of our teeth.”

“You took
vows
. You promised to love each other forever.” My voice breaks. “Was that all a lie?”

“Not at the time.” He turns away as if he were slapped. “Okay, I still love her. Is that what you want to hear? I still care about her. On occasion, I wonder what it would be like if we were still together as husband and wife.” It’s his voice that’s wobbling now, and my gut says run. Put both of us out of our misery and end this carnival of grief.

Trixy shouts from the outside for the two of us to hurry up, and we make our way to the door.

Dad turns to me as we hit the porch and pulls me in for a quick embrace. “Don’t worry about your mother and me. We’re both exactly where we want to be in life. She’s happy, and I’m happy, too. I don’t need a plus one in my life to be content.” He pulls back with his eyes glassy with tears. “We’re all going to make this work. In fact, I’m meeting up with her and Bradley next week for drinks.”

“What?”

“Relax, we just want to discuss a few things before they make it official.”

“Such as?” My chest wallops as if a baseball bat were striking against it. “Does he know? Are the two of you going to tell him?” All I can think about is how livid Scarlett will be once she finds out she was right about my mother. She’ll think she’s a snake in the grass, a gold digger, and that’s the furthest thing from the truth.

“That’s on her. I’m just heading over to discuss the kids, holidays. In truth, I want to have at least one sit-down with the man who’s about to become a second father to my children.”

I shake my head, our eyes latching one more time. “There’s not a man on the planet who will ever replace you.” I pull him in hard and hold him like that. My chest bucks as I fight back tears.

No sooner do Trix and Dad take off than my phone buzzes, and I fish it out of my jeans.

It’s a text from Owen.
I’m at the movies. I need a date, sweetheart. Death Blow Five starts in an hour. You in, pussy?

I text right back.
I’m in.

I hit the shower and drive off to the Hollow Brook Cineplex.

Death blow is exactly what’s happened to my family. Ironically, the movie will be just the respite I need to step outside the drama of life if only for a moment.

* * *

T
he first death
blow of the evening is spotting Owen and Cade with Piper and Cassidy. I try to piece together how I’ll break it to them that I’m suddenly not up to seeing the movie as I make my way in their direction. Obviously, Piper wants to spend the evening with Owen. And they most likely just ran into Cassidy and Cade, so it makes the perfect double date. There’s no way I’m tagging along on this quad rigged for romance.

“What’s up?” I slap Owen five before the first excuse has a chance to burp from my lips then I see her, and the pieces of this devious dating puzzle fall right into place.

Scarlett stops short with a tub full of popcorn in her hand. Her hair sits in a wild mess on top of her head, her low-cut lace top does its best to showcase the girls, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say she looked sexy as hell. Her lips are stained a ruby shade of red that makes my mouth water just looking at them, natural no doubt. If Scarlett is anything, she’s a natural beauty. That heated kiss runs through my mind, and my dick twitches in my boxers at the memory. In my entire mouth puckering history, I don’t think I’ve ever had a kiss that didn’t involve my greedy tongue, and, yet, that chaste closed-mouth kiss was hotter than anything else I’ve ever partaken in. I’ve been with girls. I’ve done outright embarrassing things, outlandish, physically challenging things with girls that should only be relegated to gymnasts and acrobats, but that kiss by far surpassed them all as the most erotic, dick-wagging event of my lifetime. If that’s what a wholesome kiss with Scarlett feels like, then a wild night beneath the sheets might just have the power to kill me.

“What the hell is this?” Scarlett struts over and hugs that tub of popcorn in her arms as if protecting it from my deadly clutches.

Cassidy’s shoulders rise to her ears. “I think we just figured out those seating arrangements you were so worried about!”

The four of them head off to the ticket counter, and I shake my head at the feisty fireball in front of me. “Come on, I won’t bite.” I help myself to her popcorn, and she growls at me. “We’ll shore up a few logistics about tomorrow night, and then we can ignore each other for the next two hours.”

I purchase our tickets, and we head on in without a single word. Both Owen and Cade are seated in different sections with their girlfriends. Scarlett heads to the nearest aisle, and I follow her like an obedient puppy. My heart starts racing, and my palms sweat up a storm as if this were an actual first date. We take our seats, and the lights dim just enough for some stupid quiz to replay on a loop on the screen.

Scarlett leans in. Her honeysuckle sweet perfume grazes over my dick like cool fingers and leaves it aching for some attention. “So, what’s the plan for tomorrow night?” Those glassy green eyes of hers dance over my features, and a knot builds in my stomach because I know she’ll never be mine.

“I think we should go together. As soon as we get there”—I trace her lips with my gaze—“I’ll follow your lead.” God knows my body is begging to devour her in twelve different ways. Scarlett has been the star of my wet dreams now for weeks. I can’t really blame myself for something I have no control over, but I won’t deny I haven’t enjoyed the hell out of them.

“My lead.” Her lips part just enough as we lock eyes, and her fingers fumble over her mouth a moment. “Um”—she clears her throat—“is there anything off limits?” Her eyes rake over the length of my body as if she were sizing up her next meal.

A dull laugh penetrates my chest, but I won’t give it. “You have an all-access pass to everything you see.”

A crowd of girls moves in from behind her, and I groan. Tucked in the middle of the crowd are Savannah and her shrew crew.

Shit.

“Hey!” Savannah gives a wild wave and lands in the empty seat to my right. She leans over to Scarlett, her hand landing over my crotch as if to stabilize herself, and I gently remove it. “Sorry if I acted like such a bitch the other night. Rex totally explained that you had a little too much to drink and got carried away with the music.” Crap. I may have uttered those words, but only to suppress any raunchy rumors she and her rumor mongering friends were about to spew all over campus. It’s bad enough there was a choir of
he’s making out with his sister!
going off around us. “And when he said you were lonely, it just broke my little glass heart to pieces.” She sighs for effect. “Trust me, I’ve got a whole list of guys that are just as desperate as you are to get into the dating pool. I’ll set you up first thing!”

I sink in my seat a notch before slowly shifting my gaze toward Scarlett.

“Oh, is that so?” Scarlett bleeds a black smile my way that suggests I hold on to my nut sack because she’s a damn good shot with that bow, and everybody knows it. “Why, I look forward to meeting up with guys
just as desperate as myself
. In fact, I’m just dying for you to make this happen.” Scarlett throws me the death stare.

No sooner do the lights dim to pitch than Savannah’s hand finds a home on my knee. I’m quick to remove it. Casually, I shift as the movie gets underway and find myself pressed up against Scarlett’s side of the theater. Her knee hits mine as if telling me to scoot the hell away, but I’m not budging. Her shoulder presses to mine as if to physically move me to the other side, but I give her a run for her muscular money. For the next two hours, Scarlett and I press in so tight you can’t squeeze a dime between us. I couldn’t tell you what the movie was about, but for the next one hundred and twenty minutes, Scarlett Kent’s body adheres to mine, hot as a fire—and burning alive never felt so good.

By the time I get home, I’m shaking like a virgin as I throw myself into the shower. All I see is Scarlett, all I can think about is what it would feel like to be deep inside her, with my face buried in her tits, her bottom seated on the throne of my lips.

Holy hell, I’m too far gone. I come hard thinking about having her in a hundred different ways, but there’s no satisfaction, no relief. And there won’t be until I’ve got the real deal. The only problem is, that little detail is never allowed to happen.