True (14 page)

Given how it had turned out, I wasn’t even sorry. Yes, my feet were burning, but Tyler was coming back upstairs. Tyler was carrying me, in what was definitely the romantic highlight of my life so far. And Tyler loved me.

Nothing else mattered.

When we got to my room, after ignoring the stares of the three girls on the elevator, as Tyler set me down onto my still numb feet, he laid me back on the bed and pulled the blanket over me. “Where are your socks?” He went over to my dresser.

“It’s better if the epidermis adjusts to room temperature slowly,” I said. “I’ll be fine in a few minutes.” My feet were already starting to itch and tingle painfully.

“You sure?” But then he shook his head with a grin and stripped off his coat and T-shirt and came back to the bed. “Of course you’re sure, who am I kidding? One of the many things I love about you.”

The springs creaked as he settled next to me, staring intently down at me. “I do, you know. Love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“I want you to enjoy this,” he said, hand creeping under my sweater. “I’ve never been someone’s first, so I hope I can make it good for you.”

His vulnerability always amazed me and only deepened my feelings for him.

“I know I will,” I told him sincerely.

I did.

Tyler took his time stripping off my clothes, peeling down his jeans, sliding our bodies along each other, kissing me everywhere, erasing all the tension and anxious anticipation I felt, so that by the time he pushed inside me, I was ready, in every way that mattered.

There was a sharp sting, and he paused, holding himself over me on his muscular arms, sweat beading on his forehead. “Are you okay?”

I nodded, unable to speak, the sensation new and startling. Nothing could have prepared me for what it would be like, to hold him inside me, and as he moved, I stared up at him and heard the timbre of my voice change, the gasps turn to deep, desperate moans while he stroked me into more pleasure than I had known existed.

“Rory.” My name on his lips was raw and intimate.

When he finally fell back next to me, our bodies still joined, his skin slick with sweat, our breathing still exaggerated, I wasn’t sure what to say, but for the first time, I realized that words don’t always tell everything. That my fingers brushing across his hip, my lips caressing his jaw, could speak for me.

“I don’t ever want to be with anyone but you,” he murmured into my hair, kissing my temple.

I could feel my smile in the dark. “Are we Facebook Official then?”

“We’re more than that. We’re the real deal.”

“True,” I said, sliding my foot over his. “We are.”

Chapter Fourteen

“Hi, Daddy!” I said cheerfully to the image of my father on my computer. “How are you?”

He smiled at me, in the kitchen this time, no sign of Susan. “You sound like you’re in a good mood.”

I laughed and prayed I wasn’t blushing. It was Sunday, and I had spent basically every minute in my twin bed with Tyler when he wasn’t at work. I felt like I was bursting with love, excitement, and newfound knowledge. I crossed my legs and hoped none of the above was written all over my face.

“Yeah, I, uh, want you to meet someone,” I told him. I gestured to Tyler to get in front of the computer with me. He did, coming behind my chair and bending over and giving my cheek a kiss. I giggled. God, I wasn’t normally a giggler. So ridiculous. So freaking happy. “This is my boyfriend, Tyler.”

Saying
boyfriend
made my insides feel like marshmallows in hot chocolate, ooey and gooey.

It didn’t seem to have the same result on my dad. His mouth fell open and his eyes widened. I realized that maybe I should have eased him into the idea, but I always talked to him on Sundays, and I had no intention of letting Tyler go home a minute sooner than he had to. Hence the introduction.

Tyler gave a wave at the screen. “Hi, Mr. Macintosh. You have a really cool daughter.”

My dad’s brow furrowed. “Yes, I know. Thank you.”

“Nice to meet you. I’ll let you talk to Rory.” Tyler went over to my bed and picked up the Cormac McCarthy book he was reading.

I smiled sheepishly at my dad, who was looking like he’d taken a blow to the head. “So what’s new with you, Dad?”

“Uh, nothing. Just the usual. Work, home,” he said, sounding distracted. “Hey, hon, I just remembered I need to do something. Would you mind calling me tomorrow?”

When you’re alone
, was clearly implied.

“Sure. Love you.”

“I love you, too.” I disconnected the call and looked over at Tyler, who glanced up from his book.

“That was short.”

“I guess I should have warned him,” I said, feeling bad. But not bad enough to ruin my mood. I was basically on an endorphin high, and I was well aware of it. “But I’ll call him later, it will be fine.”

Tyler tossed his book aside. “Want to take a shower?”

Goosebumps rose on my skin as I sat at my desk, watching him. “You mean, like together?”

“Yes, together. I’m not saying you need a shower. I just want to take one with you.” Then he grinned. “Though I probably need one. I’ve been getting a workout.”

I blushed, knowing exactly what he meant by that. “Okay,” I said, even though the thought of standing naked with Tyler terrified me. It was so . . . personal. Which I knew was stupid, given what we had already done, but it seemed different. There would be lights on and I would be totally exposed. But despite feeling suddenly shy about it, I wanted to experience everything with him.

After locking the door to my suitemates’ room, and the door to my room, Tyler turned on the water before kissing me. “Now don’t go getting any ideas—this isn’t about sex. I need some recovery time, so don’t be all up in my business in there,” he said, giving me a mock strict look of warning.

“Then maybe you should just shower first, then I’ll go after,” I teased.

“No, no. That’s not environmentally friendly. We’ll just have to make it work.” In seconds he had his clothes completely off, with a total lack of modesty that I wished I could achieve.

“I’ve never done this before,” I said, fiddling with the waistband of my sweatpants.

“I know.” Tyler kissed me softly. “And honestly, that’s the hottest thing ever. You don’t have to do this.”

“I want to.” I did.

Nervously, I shucked my own clothes and stood awkwardly, fighting the urge to cover my various bits with my hands. But Tyler pulled me into the shower and straight into his embrace, the hot water sluicing over us.

“God, you feel so good,” he murmured.

He was right. It felt intimate and warm, our hands trailing over each other’s bodies, exploring, learning each other. I was curious about his piercing, and I splayed my hand over the length of him, then toyed with the metal ring, glancing down through the streaming water at it, enjoying the immediate reaction my touch brought. His body was so different from mine, so much hard to my soft, that he was fascinating. I could touch him all day and never be tired of all that firmness.

“Rory.” His hands tensed on my shoulders. “What are you doing? Damn, you’re killing me.”

“Why did you get this?” It seemed incredibly painful to have a rod jammed through your privates.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Seemed like it might be cool. And maybe I just wanted to see if I could handle the pain.”

“So it hurt?”

“Like a motherfucker. But also it’s my understanding it increases pleasure for my, uh, partner, and I figured that could only be a good thing, right?”

“I suppose.”

“Does it feel good to you?”

I thought about that, moving my hands to his chest so I could look up at him, into his dark eyes. “I don’t know,” I told him honestly. “I have no comparison. So yes, it feels good, really good, but does it feel ‘more good’ than it would without the piercing? Well, I can’t exactly say, can I?”

He grinned. “Spoken like a true scientist. Maybe one of these days I’ll take it out but I won’t tell you, and I’ll see if you notice. It’ll be like a blind taste test.”

I laughed. “That doesn’t sound right.”

“You know what sounds right?”

“What?”

“I love you.”

I would never get tired of hearing that. Ever. “I love you, too.”

Steam rose around us as we kissed, and I forgot all about my nervousness. I forgot about everything but him.

***

When Jessica got back from the wedding weekend, she looked exhausted, dumping her suitcase down on the floor and crawling into bed, clothes and coat still on. “God, my family wears me out.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, but my voice sounded more perky than sympathetic.

She noticed immediately. “What’s up with you?” she asked, rolling onto her side and studying me. “You look hopped up on caffeine.”

“No. I’m just, you know, happy. Tyler and I are officially boyfriend-girlfriend.”

“Really?” Her eyebrows went up. “Wow. Cool. Good for you.”

“Thanks, Jess.” I grinned, hugging myself.

Kylie came into the room, grinning. “Hey!” She flopped down on Jessica’s bed next to her. “Sigh. What an awesomely, fantastic, magical, wonderland, super-amazing weekend. God, I love Nathan.”

Jessica rolled her eyes. “Can you go on Rory’s bed and gush with her, please? I’m tired. You two can be in love with love together.”

Kylie jumped up and ran over to me. “Are you in love?”

I nodded, feeling ridiculous and thrilled and so far out of my element, yet sharply aware of being alive. “Tyler and I are dating for real. Like you and Nathan.”

She let out a shriek and grabbed my hands, spinning me around until I was dizzy. “That’s awesome!”

We laughed and twirled and I felt carefree in a way I wasn’t sure I had ever experienced before, but that I definitely did not want to let go.

***

On Tuesday we were at Tyler’s, and I was attempting to bake a pie from instructions pulled up on my phone. I was leaving the next day to go home for Thanksgiving, and I had wanted to make something that smacked of Turkey Day for Tyler and his brothers before I left, knowing full well they would not be having a traditional meal like the majority of America. I did cheat and buy a ready-made crust, but as I studiously measured ingredients, I marveled at how disgusting canned pumpkin smelled.

“That looks like cat barf,” Jayden told me, leaning over my shoulder to look into the bowl.

“I know. But trust me, it’s going to taste good.”

“If you say so,” he said doubtfully.

Tyler was sitting at the kitchen table helping Easton with his homework, and their mom was nowhere to be found. She hadn’t told anyone where she was going. The boys had come home from school and she wasn’t there, so there was no telling when she might show up. It made me nervous, I wasn’t going to lie. Somehow I didn’t think she would be thrilled to see me in her kitchen baking a pie. But I was determined to at least try, and if she came home and freaked, I would just leave.

“My dad’s girlfriend is a really good cook,” I told Jayden. “She makes six different pies for Thanksgiving.”

“We had pie at the shelter last year,” he said. “It was apple.”

“The shelter?” I asked, though I knew what he meant. I just didn’t want to believe it.

“Yeah, they give you free food on Thanksgiving.”

“You’re not doing that this year,” Tyler said from the table, his jaw set. “You know I’m pissed Mom took you there. We can afford our own food. She’s just fucking lazy. It’s not right when there are people who really need it.”

Knowing full well that Tyler’s mother spent most of her disability checks on drugs, I figured they probably did need it, but Tyler had his pride.

“She made me go,” Jayden protested, looking confused and miserable. He pushed his glasses up.

“I know, bro. I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at her.”

The back door opened and a guy walked in who looked enough like Tyler to make it clear this was his older brother, Riley. He was a little shorter, a little broader, but they had the same nose, the same eyes.

“You’re mad at Mom? So what the fuck else is new?” He reached out and fist bumped Jayden. “Hey, dude, what’s up?” He reached over and ruffled Easton’s hair. “Hey, little man.”

Tyler got a cuff on the back of the head. Hard. Tyler stood up, clearly prepared to challenge him, both of them grinning, like this was normal.

But Riley had turned his attention to me and the bowl. “Hey, what’s this? There’s a chick in the kitchen and she’s cooking? Someone call the cops, she’s clearly an escapee from a mental institute.”

“Hi,” I said, disarmed by Riley. He was more jittery than Tyler, his smile more superficial.

“This is Rory, my girlfriend,” Tyler told him. “So don’t be a dick.”

“Me?” Riley put his hands on his chest in mock protest. When he peeled off his flannel jacket, I saw he had a tattoo identical to Tyler’s on his bicep. He put his hand out. “Nice to meet you, Rory. I’m Riley.”

“Nice to meet you, too.” We shook and it was a hard grip, one that didn’t seem to notice or care that I was a girl. I wasn’t sure if I liked that or not.

“What are you making?”

“Pumpkin pie.” I added the pumpkin spice and cinnamon to the mixture.

His jaw dropped. “No shit?” He shot a grin in Tyler’s direction. “Damn, brother, you done good.”

Tyler looked torn between being pleased and annoyed.

“You got any friends you could fix me up with?” Riley asked me. “That cook? Preferably blond?”

“Don’t answer that,” Tyler said. “None of your friends deserve to be subjected to this asshole.”

Riley opened his mouth to make an undoubtedly smart-ass response to Tyler when Easton spoke at the table. “Knock knock,” he said.

Everyone looked at him, clearly surprised. “What?” Riley asked.

“Knock knock.”

“Who’s there?” Tyler asked, looking amused.

“Screw.”

“Screw who?”

“Screw you,” Easton said with a grin, the first one I’d ever seen him sport. When he smiled like that, he looked like he belonged with his brothers, and it made me laugh.

It had the same effect on everyone else, too. They all laughed, Jayden yelling, “Oh my God, so stupid!” as he snorted in amusement.

Easton looked pleased with himself. I didn’t think it was often that he got to be center stage, and I empathized with him. He was more like me at that age than I imagined his brothers were.

“So what is the occasion?” Riley asked, watching me pour the liquid filling into the piecrust.

“Thanksgiving is Thursday,” Tyler told him.

“I know that, idiot. I’m working a side job since I have the day off.”

“Yeah? Good money?”

“Yep. Getting a couple hundred to do a garage roof. So this is a Thanksgiving pie?” He looked like he was having a hard time processing the concept.

“Yeah, since I won’t be here,” I told him. “I wanted to make something and leave it for the boys.”

“You won’t be here, Rory?” Jayden asked, looking disappointed.

I knew I had already mentioned that, but he must have forgotten or chosen to ignore it. “No. I’m going to my dad’s for the weekend.” I felt guilty even saying it. I knew that my day was going to be completely different from theirs, and it broke my heart. So before I realized what I was doing, I said, “You should all come with me. For the day, for dinner. It’s only an hour away.”

Jayden’s and Easton’s faces lit up. “Can we?” Jayden asked Tyler.

But Tyler was already shaking his head. “No.”

“Why not?” Jayden gave him a pleading look. “Rory asked us.”

“Yeah, but Rory didn’t ask her dad, and I doubt he wants three strays he’s never met showing up on his doorstep for handouts.”

“It’s not a handout,” I protested, feeling hurt that my gesture was being thrown back in my face. “You’re my boyfriend. When people date, they spend holidays with each other’s families and no one thinks of it as charity. It’s what you do.”

The argument had struck a chord with him. He knew he was being proud and stubborn. So he tried another angle. “You can’t spring this on him at the last minute. They’ll run short on dinner rolls.”

“Susan always cooks twice as much as anyone can eat. Her parents will be there, too, and my Aunt Molly.” I slid the pie into the oven and set the timer. “It’s pretty boring being the only one under forty. I could use the company.”

“Please?” Jayden asked. “Rory says there’s six pies there.”

Tyler gave his brother a rueful look. “You’re such a food whore. And no. I don’t have the gas money.”

“I’ll give you fifty bucks,” Riley says. “Take the boys and go have a decent dinner for a change.”

I glanced over at Riley, both surprised and pleased. “You’re welcome, too, you know.”

He gave me a smile. “Thanks, I appreciate the offer, but I’m good. I don’t want to pass this job up.”

“Mom will freak out,” Tyler said to Riley.