Hit the Wall (Blythe College) (10 page)

“Mine both attended Blythe also, but they met while they were students here. What year were your parents? Maybe they know each other.”

“Class of 1991,” I whispered, not used to talking very much about them and hoping that it wasn’t the same time that Jackson’s parents had attended. That there was no way they could possibly have met while they had been in school. My hopes were dashed at Jackson’s next words.

“That was only a couple years behind my parents. We’ll have to get them all together when yours come into town next.”

I shook my head in response. “That won’t be possible.”

“I know we’ve only just started dating, and I’m not trying to rush the whole meeting-the-parents thing. I just thought it might be nice for them to meet up if they knew each other before,” he explained.

I hated when the inevitable questions about my parents came up in conversation with someone who didn’t already know what happened. I took a deep breath to calm the nerves before explaining. “No, it’s not that. I’d love for you to have the chance to meet my parents. But that will never happen because they passed away six years ago in a car accident.”

Jackson pulled me into a hug. “I’m so sorry, Kaylie. I had no idea,” he whispered into my hair.

“It’s okay. There was no way you could know, and I’d have had to tell you sooner or later if we’re going to date anyway. We just got the awkward conversation out of the way. That’s all,” I reassured him.

“No, listen to me, Kaylie. I want to get to know you, and this is a big deal. Losing your parents as a teenager… Fuck I can’t even imagine losing mine now let alone when I was still in high school. What happened?”

“They were having a date night while I was at a friend’s house for a sleepover. They’d gone to dinner and were on their way to the ballet. My mom loved everything about dance. She didn’t pursue a career in dance because she had me right after college, but she found ways to keep dance in her life. It was something she shared with me, too,” I recalled.

“I’m sure she was thrilled that you loved to dance.”

“She really was. Some of the best times we had together are connected to dancing. Even just funny little moments when we’d all dance around the house together,” I explained. But this time, my dad had surprised her with tickets to the ballet, and she was so happy. There was no reason for the present. It was just because he loved her.”

“It sounds like he had lots of reasons to love her.”

“They both did. Even after all those years together, they were still very much in love with each other. I think that’s part of what made it so hard on me,” I admitted. “Before a truck barreled into them because the driver was in a rush to hit a deadline and didn’t follow the rules about how many hours he was supposed to be on the road, I had a fairytale life with a beautiful home, two parents who loved me, lots of friends, and an amazing dance team.”

“And after?” he asked.

“It was all gone. My parents were replaced by my aunt, who still held a major grudge against my dad for what she thought was ruining my mom’s life. She moved me to her apartment halfway across the country where I didn’t know anybody, and she limited how much I was allowed to use my cell phone and Facebook to connect with friends back home. But dance,” I sighed. “She let me keep dancing because she hoped I’d go to Julliard and fulfill what she thought was my mom’s destiny.”

“But you ended up here instead?”

“Yeah, and boy did that piss her off. I decided it was more important to me that I was able to be somewhere they had gone before me than to go where she wanted me to be. I don’t know if my decision was more about my parents or making her angry, but I don’t regret it for a minute,” I said as I squeezed him tight before stepping away.

“I’m glad you don’t regret your decision even if your aunt was against it. Sometimes you just have to not take no for an answer and take what’s coming to you. Never give in. Never give up. Stand up and take it. Sounds like that’s what you did.”

I was impressed with the way Jackson had put it. I hadn’t really thought of it that way before, but he was right. “You know what? I guess it was.”

“I can’t take credit for that one. My dad says it all the time,” he admitted sheepishly.

I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped because he looked like a little boy right then. I liked this side of Jackson. He was more sensitive than I’d expected, more open. After going to the same college for almost four years with him and hearing about his exploits all the time, I’d never expected to like him this much. And I certainly hadn’t planned to discuss my parents with him and end up laughing after. It was a topic I avoided at all costs whenever possible, but it hurt a little bit less to talk to him about them. I really liked that he got my decision to come to Blythe College, too.

“Are you all done, or do you need to stay longer?” he asked.

“I’m getting ready for our senior showcase, but I could probably be talked into being done for the day if I got the right offer,” I teased. “I’m feeling pretty good about where my piece is at.”

“I’m no dance expert, but you definitely impressed me. You tell me what I can offer that will convince you to spend some more time with me and you’ve got it,” he said as he pulled me back towards him and nuzzled my neck. “I’m pretty sure if you leave it up to me I’m going to end up sexually frustrated again, but I’m free now too.”

I enjoyed the shiver he sent up my spine. It seemed like his littlest touch did that to me every time. “Hey, that reminds me. How did you find me here? Should I be worried that you’re turning into some kind of stalker?”

He chuckled at my teasing question. “I wasn’t looking for you. I just got lucky and glanced inside when I was walking past on my way out.”

“Ah, but what were you doing here in the first place? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in this building before, and I spend a lot of time here.”

“Does that mean you would have noticed me?” he asked before spinning me around.

“You’re kind of hard to miss, Jackson. I think all the girls notice you wherever you go, but that doesn’t mean you get to avoid my question. Now I’m really curious why you were here.”

“I was teaching a self-defense class,” he said.

Now that wasn’t the answer I had been expecting to hear. “You were? I had no idea you did stuff like that.”

“It’s the first one I’ve done here. My sensei asked if I’d do a couple classes on campus when the school reached out to him over Christmas break.”

“Your sensei?”

“You know how you said you’ve been dancing since you were four? Well, I’ve done karate for about that long,” he explained. “But my parents didn’t get me into it because they loved it or anything like your mom with dance. I was a bit of a handful as a kid, really full of energy. My pediatrician suggested martial arts as a way to give me an outlet for some of that extra energy. It worked, too. Karate helped build my self-esteem and taught me how to control my impulses. It’s not all about the fighting. Just the opposite if you learn at the right place,” Jackson explained earnestly. “I know people have a lot of ideas about guys who do martial arts, but I was lucky my parents ignored that crap and still took me there when I was little.”

“Hey, slow down there, bucko,” I said, putting my hand over his mouth. “If you love it, then you don’t have to explain anything to me. I don’t have anything against guys who do martial arts. No preconceived notions here.”

He opened his mouth, and I figured it was to talk, but instead he licked my palm. “
Mmmmmm,” he murmured.

“
Ewwww, Jackson!” I shrieked. “I’m all sweaty and gross!” I batted him away.

“There’s nothing gross about you, Kaylie. I almost wish there was because you’re pretty damn irresistible so far.”

“Don’t put me up on a pedestal,” I warned him. “There are lots of things you’ll probably learn to hate about me.”

“Oh yeah?” he asked skeptically. “Name one thing, right here and right now, that you think I wouldn’t like about you.”

I wiggled one of my dance-shoe-clad feet at him. “That’s easy. My feet. I absolutely hate ‘em. You can’t dance for as long as I have without doing some serious damage to your feet. That’s why you’ll never see me wearing flip-flops or running around barefoot.”

“How bad could they be, really?” he asked as he glanced down at them.

“Horrendous. You’ll just have to trust me on this one.”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure I can do better than that. One day soon, I will get to take an up-close-and-personal look at them. I bet I can even make you like it,” he challenged.

“Nope. No way, no how. Not gonna happen,” I said, shaking my head vigorously. “These feet are off-limits. But the rest of me might be open to negotiation some day. And if you keep it up with all the cute guy stuff, that day might come sooner than you think.”

“Cute guy?” he questioned, acting all offended before he picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder. “That’s it. You’ve questioned my manliness. Now I need to show you just how macho I can be.”

He carried me across the room and bent down so that I could grab my bag off the floor. “Wait,” I said as I gasped for air since I was laughing so hard. “I need my phone, too. It’s over there by the sound system.”

He stomped over, staggering slightly as he pretended that I was too heavy a burden, and he swiveled around so I could grab my phone. Then he smacked me lightly on the ass after I had it.

“Now that’s enough out of you,” he said, rubbing the place he’d just smacked. “You’re all mine for the next hour or so.”

As we headed out the door, I couldn’t help but be amazed at the fact that I was letting Jackson carry me away, literally, after only really knowing him for a few days. I wasn’t sure what to think about it, but I was having fun so I was just going to go with it for now. Char was right. I needed to live a little. And I certainly felt alive around Jackson. It was worth exploring, even if it meant that I’d get hurt in the end.

CHAPTER 10

Jackson

I surprised myself when I picked up Kaylie and carted her off with me. But damn it felt good to hang out with her. I had to do some quick thinking since I hadn’t had a plan in mind. I hadn’t been expecting to see her today, but something had pulled me towards that dance studio, and when I saw her moving across the floor, I’d been stunned. I’d thought she had been hot on our date, but seeing her dressed up like that had done nothing to prepare me for the sight of her with a leotard hugging her body and sweat dripping down it. And the way she moved
—It sounded cheesy, but she was flat-out beautiful. It was like she’d been flying across the room.

I must have been a goddamn pervert, too. Because I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about how flexible she must be.  And thinking about her flexibility led to me thinking about spreading her legs as far as they would go so I could bury myself deep inside her body. I swear to God, I’d been walking around with a perpetual hard-on since I’d met her. And the way she’d wiggled when I smacked her ass—fuck!

I had to think quickly or else I was going to go back on my word and find someplace private for us. This waiting thing was a hell of a lot harder than I’d thought it would be. But the more I learned about Kaylie, the more I thought it would be worth it in the end.

We got plenty of looks as I marched out of the building with her in a fireman’s hold. After Sasha had caught us making out in the dorm, I’d figured word was going to spread across campus pretty quickly. She’d never been any good at keeping stuff to herself. So I might as well enjoy myself while we were the topic of conversation. I’d never really been one to worry about what other people thought anyway. But if people didn’t like the idea of us dating, they’d better keep that shit to themselves or take it up with me because there was no way I was going to let anyone make Kaylie doubt her decision to give me a chance.

I dropped Kaylie onto her feet once we’d made it to the sidewalk. Looking across the parking lot, I had an idea. “Did you play little league when you were a kid?”

“No, I was too busy with dance classes. Why?” she asked.

“Because I have an idea what we can do. C’mon,” I said as I grabbed her arm and pulled her with me to the batting cages. This was going to be perfect. I’d played a lot of baseball over the years, and the crack of the ball hitting the bat was a sound that brought back good memories for me. I was pretty good at it, so I could show off a bit. And it was a great excuse to get my arms around Kaylie again. Between this and sledding the other night, it seemed like I was going out of my way to find things we could do that involved me holding her. It was a pretty ingenious plan if I do say so myself.

I knew the guy working the cages from around campus, and he had no problem with giving me a couple helmets and a bat for Kaylie and
me to use for an hour—although I hadn’t appreciated the grin he’d flashed her when he realized who was with me. So I picked the cage the farthest away from everyone else to give us a little privacy.

“Here. Stand right here for a round and let me get a feel for the machine before you give it a try,” I said, maneuvering Kaylie to a safe place outside the fence.

“Get a feel for the machine?” she asked.

“Yeah, I just want to see where the best place to stand is, how fast the pitches are, that kind of stuff. That way I’ll be able to show you exactly where to be when it’s your turn. I wouldn’t want you to get hit by the ball because I didn’t check everything out first.”

Kaylie looked at the pitching machine and back at me. “So it’s better if you get hit by a ball instead? And this is supposed to be fun?”

“No, neither of us should get hit by a ball. But it’s better safe than sorry where you’re concerned. Besides, it’s not like it would be the first time I’d been hit by a ball. You can’t grow up playing baseball without catching a few pitches.”

I grinned at her before pressing the button to start up the first round. I could feel her eyes on me as I squared up to hit the first one, and I totally missed it. Major whiff. Damn, she was a distraction. Not the best way to show off if I completely missed the ball every time.

“Do you get a mulligan in batting like you do in golf?” she teased.

“Everyone’s a critic,” I responded. “I just need to warm up a bit. It’s been a while since I’ve been to the batting cages.”

“
Mmmm-hmmmm,” she replied as another ball whizzed past me while I was paying more attention to our conversation than what I was supposed to be doing.

I refocused my attention on the batting machine and waited for the next pitch. Taking a deep breath, I pushed all thought out of my head. The ball came rushing towards me and I swung with all my might. Thwack—a solid hit.

“Woohoo!” Kaylie cheered. “Nice hit.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, still focused on the pitching machine, waiting for the next ball. Now I felt like I had a point to prove and wanted to show Kaylie what I was made of. I hit about a dozen in a row, hard and fast. A couple of them might even have been home runs. I flipped the switch to pause the pitching machine.

“You ready for your turn, sweetheart?” I asked as I gestured her into the cage with me.

“Sure,” she said, strolling towards me and pulling on her helmet.

“Okay, now you stand right here.” I pulled her into place. Standing behind her, I put the bat into her hands, holding on to her arms so that she’d have it in the right position. “Hold the bat just like this, choked up just a little bit since you’re smaller than me.”

“Like this?” she asked.

“Yes,” I replied as I ran my fingers down her arms, past her ribcage with a light brush of my fingertips against the side of her tits and to her hips. I used my knee to nudge her legs farther apart and tugged a bit on her waist to pull her stance down. “You want to keep your knees bent a little. Your arms, too.”

“Arms and knees bent. Got it.”

“Looking good. Now you just need to keep your eye on the ball all the way through,” I said before stepping away.

“So pretty much the exact opposite of what you did the first couple times?” she teased.

“Yeah, somehow I don’t think you’ll ever let me live that down. Let’s just see how good you do before you make fun of my batting skills. Okay?”

“Then let’s get this thing started. I just flip the switch right there when I’m ready, right?” she asked.

“Yup. Sounds like you’ve got it under control.” I walked outside the cage.

Kaylie turned to grin at me before she settled into a batter’s stance and turned the pitching machine on. I watched as she did exactly as I instructed. She bent her knees, choked up on the bat a little higher than I’d shown her, and swiveled it in a little circle as she watched for the ball. When it came sailing at her, she swung with all her might and knocked the shit out of the ball.

“Damn, Kaylie! You’re doing great!”

“Maybe
it’s just beginner’s luck,” she muttered as she waited for the next pitch. I watched as she hit that one too—and the one after that. “Or maybe you’re just a really great coach?”

“Keep it up. Maybe you’ll be able to beat my hitting streak.”

“You never know,” she replied before hitting a dozen more pitches. She flipped off the machine after she surpassed me and turned to grin at me.

“Did I bring a ringer to the batting cages?” I asked. “I thought you said you didn’t play little league as a kid?”

“And I didn’t. But you didn’t ask if I ever played when I was older.”

“And if I had? What would your answer have been?” I asked as she pulled off her helmet and came to me.

“Well then I would have admitted that Char played softball in high school and here at Blythe until she blew her knee out her sophomore year. She still likes to bat every once in a while, but she doesn’t like to come alone so she brings me with her. And she might have given me some coaching in the art of batting.”

“And you couldn’t have clued me in before I tried to show off and gave you a lesson?” I grumbled.

“I thought about it, but then I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy your lesson. And that would have been a damn shame,” she pointed out.

“Yeah, it really would have been,” I agreed before leaning down to give her a quick kiss on her mouth. “How about we make this more interesting since it looks like we’re pretty evenly matched?”

“Hmmmm, I like the sound of interesting,” she whispered as she kissed me back. “What did you have in mind?”

“How about this? We’ll each do a round on the pitching machine. Whichever of us hits the most balls in total gets to claim a prize from the other?”

She leaned back to look at me and cocked her head questioningly. “A prize?”

“Yup. Whatever the winner wants,” I dared her.

She stared me in the eyes for a moment before answering. “Okay,” she nodded. “You’ve got a deal.” She took a step back and held her hand out to me to shake on it. So fucking cute.

“Ladies first,” I offered, waving her towards the cage.

I watched her as she squared up and took swing after swing, connecting each time. With each hit she made, I started to worry a little bit more about losing the bet. Luckily, she missed a couple at the end, giving me an opening to win this thing.

“I was in the zone there, Jackson. Think you can top that? You’d have to be damn near perfect,” she bragged as she left the cage.

“I think I’m up for the challenge.”

She looked me up and down. “I just bet you are,” she said suggestively as she wagged her brows at me.

I stepped into the cage and waited for the first pitch. There was no way I was going to miss any of these. I wanted that prize. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it, but fuck if I wasn’t going to try my hardest to win it.

I took my time as each ball sailed my way. It wasn’t about strength right now. It was all about accuracy. I just needed to make contact each time, and I didn’t have a lot of room for error. I could feel Kaylie staring at me, but I couldn’t look at her and risk being distracted like I had been earlier. I only had a few more pitches to go and I was going to bring this thing home.

“If you miss these, then I win,” Kaylie said in a sing-song voice. “I wonder what I could do with my prize.”

That split second of listening to her was just enough for me to miss the next pitch. I knew that she was trying to draw my attention away from the ball and to her, but I couldn’t let her do it again. I was so close to winning that I could almost taste it. If I missed one more, it was a tie. The next pitch came and I tipped it for a foul, but it counted. Only one more to go.

I can do this
, I thought as the ball came rushing towards me. I took my advice to Kaylie earlier and kept my eye on the ball all the way through my swing, my face splitting into a shit-eating grin as I watched it connect with the bat.

I dropped the bat and spun towards Kaylie as she came up behind me. “Wow, you sure don’t like losing, do you?”

“I can handle losing, but I don’t like to lose when it counts.”

“And what do you want for your prize?” she asked.

“Not sure yet. And unfortunately I need to get going or I’m going to miss a meeting at the frat house. But I’m pretty sure I can come up with something good.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure you can too.”

I grabbed the bat and took her helmet so that I could turn the equipment back in. I grabbed Kaylie’s hand as we walked to the parking lot, and I took her back to her car, realizing how close we had parked to each other and wondering how I hadn’t noticed her car in the first place.

“Thanks for letting me kidnap you.”

“I’m really glad we ran into each other. That was a lot of fun,” she said as she got into her car.

I watched her pull out of the parking lot. She was right. Hanging out together had been fun. And it was something I wanted to do a whole lot more of in the future, especially now that I had my prize to look forward to.