Hearts Attached (9 page)

“Hey, man. What’s up?” I ask Dalton when I reach the family room.

“I wanted to tell Liv bye one more time.”

I smirk at him. “Yeah, you give me shit about Kenzie, but you have it bad for my sister.”

His face turns red, and he runs a hand across the back of his neck. “Yeah, I do. Want to play ball after she leaves?”

“Um, that’s cool.”

“Wait, is Kenzie coming over?” he asks, smiling.

“I don’t think so. We can play.”

“You can tell me. I don’t want to cut into your time alone.”

“No, bro, it’s cool.”

I do need to make things right with her, but I don’t have a clue what to say. I don’t want to wait to have sex, but don’t chicks want to be able to say they waited awhile?

***

A
fter I play some basketball and shower, I check my phone and see I have a text from Kenzie.

Kenz:
Don’t make me stay here by myself. I get scared, and I would’ve made plans with a friend if I had known you were going to misplace your balls.

Me:
You’re getting a major tickling, and your guilt trip isn’t flyin’.

Kenz:
You don’t care that I’ll be sleeping alone all night in this house?

I groan.

Me:
You’ve done it before.

Kenz:
Yes, but if someone breaks in on this night, you will feel so responsible after rejecting me like you have.

That little shit.

Me:
Get your cute ass over here.

She doesn’t respond, but I can picture the grin on her beautiful face. I knew all along that she would end up here.

I rub my hair with the towel and throw on a pair of black athletic shorts. I swing open my bedroom door, and there stands Kenzie with that sparkling smile.

“It was unlocked.”

“Damn, you look adorable and sexy.” Her hair is in pigtails, and she’s wearing a thin, lavender tank top without a bra. She has on matching pajama pants that have dark purple hearts on them. Kenzie has always been girlie. “And you look this way on purpose.”

She points at me. “Please, look at you. You don’t even have a shirt on.” I watch her scan me up and down before her cheeks turn rosy. “And your shorts ...”

“What about them?”

Stepping closer, she plants both her hands on my hips. “They set right here, low on your hips, and it’s hot as hell.” She gazes up at me and drags her bottom lip through her teeth.

I grab her face with both hands and slam my lips to hers. I can’t help it. She’s adorable and sweet, sexy and seductive, and she’s mine. All mine.

Her hands yank me closer and our kiss deepens. I’m trying to keep hold of her face since my hands want to wander. I finally can’t resist and glide them down her arms as my mouth moves to her neck.

“You play dirty, but I like it,” I whisper.

“I want you, Luke.”

“We have plenty of time, Kenz.”

“What if we don’t? You don’t know that for certain.”

“Let’s lie in my bed and watch a movie.” She groans and tugs me closer, trying to entice me by rubbing against me. “Come on, we’ll watch something on TV, so we can make out during commercials.”

“OK ... for now.” The way her piercing eyes gaze up at me with longing, like I’m the only person in the world, makes my heart beat faster. I love McKenzie Baker. I believe I’ve loved her all my life.

McKenzie

Luke and I lie on his bed and watch TV. Holding up his end of the deal, he makes out with me between commercials, and the later it gets, the harder it’s becoming to stop.

We try to cool our hormones with distractions like soda and chips, but they don’t delay the roaming of our hands and mouths for long.

“We should go to sleep, Kenz,” Luke says at eleven. “You have to get up early to beat your mom home from work.”

“I left her a note that I was staying the night here. She doesn’t know Liv is out of town.”

“I’m corrupting you.” He brushes hair from my face, his fingers finding a way to touch me at all times.

“No, I’m doing the corrupting today.” I climb off the bed. “Up, let’s get underneath the covers.” I wiggle my eyebrows at him before he shakes his head and smiles.

He groans like I’m forcing him, but I know better since he’s up in a flash, helping me pull them back. I start removing my pajama pants since I have the thin shorts on that match.

“What are you doing?” Luke asks anxiously. His eyes wide.

“Chill. I have on shorts.”

“Yeah, if that’s what you want to call them.” He frowns before he switches the light off and climbs into bed. It’s dark besides the glow coming from the television.

“Do you remember some of the sleepovers we’ve had?” I ask.

He smirks. “I recall none of them being this exciting.”

“I remember when we were like five, Liv and I would put makeup on you.” I begin to giggle. “Oh my gosh, that one time, we even got you to wear a dress.” My eyes are watering now from laughing.

“Kenzie, that is not funny,” he says, fighting a laugh. “I already owed you a tickle session. What is up with you today?”

Luke is on top of me fast, tickling my waist with one of his hands. I’m gasping for air between giggles. He won’t stop, so I stretch up and kiss him.

In an instant, he takes hold of my face and hair, his tongue sweeping my mouth while his fingers massage my scalp. I’m pulling on his waist, but we’re as close as we can be with clothing on.

“Luke, touch me.”

He buries his face against my neck.

“Baby, you’re not supposed to encourage me.” His hot breath covers my neck as he groans.

“If you want to wait, we will, but it’s not what I want.”

He lifts up and gazes at me. “It’s not what I want, either. What if we do more but not everything?” His thumb skims across my cheek as his stunning eyes search mine.

“OK.” I smile at him before his mouth is back on mine, and his greedy hands begin to roam.

***

“I
f sex feels better than that, then I don’t see how anyone gets anything else done in this world,” Luke says.

“I don’t know, either.” I shove my body against his side and place my palm on his chest. Luke and I have spent the last hour with our hands and mouths on each other’s bodies anywhere and everywhere, and it was magical.

The heat we generated binds us, and I had no idea I could feel that kind of pleasure. I believe it was mostly because I feel so comfortable with Luke. He’s gentle yet passionate, appreciating and savoring every inch of my skin. Rolling onto me, he kisses my neck.

“I believe you did free a caged animal,” he says. “That only made me want you more.”

The heat is becoming magnified, no barriers between our beating hearts. I’m not sure what age our hearts attached, but they’ve been nourishment for each other’s. Luke has filled mine with hope, kindness, trust and love. He’s kept it beating.

“I’m ready, Luke.”

“Kenz, are you sure?” he asks before he kisses my forehead.

“Absolutely. What about you?”

He gazes at me intensely, seconds ticking by.

“Kenzie, I love you. I can’t imagine sharing that with anyone else.”

I believe him. I’ve never thought anyone loved me for me besides my mother, but Luke has proven over the years that he means those words.

“I love you, too, Luke.” He kisses me, and it’s soft and sweet like him. My fingers run through his wavy, dark hair as our mouths tell each other everything we’re feeling.

“Um, I have one condom, Kenzie. I didn’t buy them because I thought it would tempt me tonight.”

“You’re funny. So, we have to get it right the first time.”

Luke chuckles, and even in the dim light, I can see that he’s embarrassed. “I’ve had it in my wallet forever. Do you think they go bad?” he asks.

My eyes widen. “How would I know? I mean, I would think if it’s in the wrapper, then it will be fine. Why were you carrying one?”

“It’s guy code.” He snickers before quickly regaining his composure. “I’m ready, Kenz, but I’m worried about hurting you. I’ve watched someone cause you pain, and I don’t want to.”

“I’ve heard it’s only uncomfortable for a minute or two. We’ll go slowly,” I say. “I know with you it will be wonderful after that.”

“I’m certain it will be, too.”

Luke

Jumping over the last few steps, I race to the front door. There Kenzie stands in her pajamas. Instead of the purple ones she had on last night, these are pink.

Her light brown hair is down, and the golden streaks are shiny. She doesn’t have makeup on, which I love since she doesn’t need it to look pretty. She glances away shyly, probably due to me ogling her.

I grab her wrist, and she giggles as I drag her into the house. “I was counting down the hours until your mom left for work,” I say.

“I know. I was on the receiving end of your fifty-three texts.” She laughs again before she leans against my chest. “I missed you even more today. I didn’t think that was possible.”

“I missed you, too. I kept looking at the clock at hockey, and you know how much I love playing. I used to think about nothing else out on the ice, but you were all I could think about today.”

I scoop her up and carry her to my room.

“Are you sore?” I ask.

“No,” she rests her head on my chest as I take the stairs, “and I want to do it again and again.”

“Damn, Kenzie. Why can’t our parents be gone for a week? I’m never going to want to let you leave my room.”

***

M
y fingers continue their path of slipping through Kenzie’s hair before they graze down her arm. The sun has risen and is shining through the window, making her hair glisten. She’s been quiet for a while as she lies in my arms.

“Baby, are you OK?” I ask.

“Hmm?”

“Did I hurt you last night?”

“No. I told you it felt wonderful.”

“I thought it felt pretty amazing, too. What are you thinking about? I’ve asked you many times over the years where your mind goes when you daydream, but you never answer.”

“I reminisce of times we were together, Luke, when we were happy or sad, feeling each other’s joy or pain. It has happened often for as long as I can remember, but it’s not like I could’ve told you, especially not when Liv was around.”

“I’ve always done the same thing, Kenz.” I kiss the top of her head. “I didn’t know it was possible to feel this much love for one person.”

Six Weeks Later

McKenzie

“H
ere, I wet some paper towels for you,” Amanda says. I manage to turn my head enough to see her trying to hand them to me under the bathroom stall.

“Are you going to be OK?” she asks.

“I don’t know.” Leaning against the metal sidewall, I hold the folded paper towels on my forehead. “I need to go home, but I don’t want to pull Luke out of class again. He took me home yesterday.”

“I’ll do it. As soon as you think you won’t hurl again, we’ll go to the office.”

“OK. Thank you. This stomach virus keeps coming in waves. I thought I was over it last night, but I was wrong.”

After ten more minutes, I think it’s safe to leave the bathroom. I dump a puddle of hand sanitizer in my hands and rub them together. It smells like flowers, and I instantly feel queasy again.

“Girl, you are pale. Let’s go. I don’t want to sit through history, anyway.”

It feels like I’m hiking through the desert as I make my way to Amanda’s Kia Rio. It’s mid-October and cool out, but I’m clammy and hot, every step taking great effort from how weak and exhausted I am.

“You look like you could be dehydrated. You need to have mama nurse take a look at you tonight. Unless ...”

My head is leaning back against the seat, and my hands are across my stomach. Why that helps, I have no clue, but it does a little.

“Unless what?”

“OK, so I haven’t felt a need to ask since you are like the most innocent girl I know, but have you and Luke already fucked?”

“Really? That’s how you want to word it?”

“That’s what it is.”

“Not necessarily.”

“I knew you’d make him wait forever. What did you tell him? Three months? Six?” Amanda keeps glancing over at me, her round brown eyes wide as she chomps her gum.

Her jeans are too tight on her thighs, and I think I see a faded hickey on her neck. She should wear long hair if she’s going to keep letting dudes suck on her neck.

I sigh. She is one of my closest friends, so I guess I can share with her. I would be shocked if Luke hadn’t told Dalton.

“I didn’t say we haven’t. I was saying that it didn’t have to be called that. We ... made love.” I roll my head toward the window, so I can’t see her face since she’s certain to tease me.

“That’s sweet, McKenzie. I’m jealous. The way you and Luke look at each other is like nothing I’ve ever witnessed before. I bet it is lovemaking.”

“You’re not going to tease me?” I ask, turning my head back to look at her and getting dizzy in the process.

“No, McKenzie. I screwed up early on, messing around with too many guys when I was way too young. None of them at this school take me seriously because of it. They expect me to do everything right away.

“My hope is that I’ll meet a guy after high school that doesn’t know my past. Maybe he’ll respect me if I don’t put out immediately.”

“I’m sorry, Amanda. I thought you didn’t mind the things you do. You could always say no.”

“Maybe. Enough about me. How long have the two of you been
making love
?” she asks seductively.

“About six weeks.”

Her head snaps my way.

“Damn, you got right to it.”

“Only because it was Luke. It felt right.”

“McKenzie, did you miss your period?”

I close my eyes and think. I’m not
a clockwork
kind of girl. My periods have always been irregular, and sometimes they are very light and for a short duration.

The last month has been hectic. Liv and I are finally back to normal, so if I’m not with Luke, I’m trying to make sure she doesn’t feel left out.

A couple of weeks ago, Luke, Liv, Dalton and I even celebrated Luke and Olivia’s eighteenth birthday together. “I haven’t had my period since we started having sex.”