Wilson Mooney, Almost Eighteen (23 page)

“
It’s beautiful,” I gasped.
“Max, you shouldn’t—” I couldn’t continue.

“
I had to. I just wish I
was there to put it on you,” he whispered.

“
Me too,” I answered him
holding it in the air. It sparkled in the sunlight.

“
I wanted to give it to you
in person, but I didn’t want to make you wait,” his voice was
deliberate, low and precise.

“
Thank you. I’ll wait for
you to put it on me, tonight—at dinner.”

“
So you’re not going out
with Cindy?” his voice rose.

“
What? No. I thought you
wanted me to go to dinner at your parent’s place. Why would you
think I was going out with Cindy?” For a moment I felt kicked in
the stomach.

“
Calvin heard her
pressuring you—.”

“
And of course, he called
you,” I finished his sentence, “Because he’s got your back, right?”
I teased.

“
Something like that. He
just thought you might crack and choose to go out with her,” his
voice broke a little.

“
Max, this is my last night
in Aspen. I sure don’t want to spend it in a dance club. I want to
be with you. Where ever you are.”

“
Me too,” he sounded like a
little boy reassured.

Cindy pounded on the door. I
jumped.

“
Wilson, are you ready?”
She sounded like she had her mouth against the door. She was so
loud.

“
No, almost.” I pulled the
phone from my head and yelled. I pulled the zipper down on the baby
blue space suit and pulled my arms out. The top hung at my waist
when I stuck the phone back to my ear.

“
Max? Sorry about that. I
need to get dressed for tonight.” The chill of the room draped my
exposed skin.

“
Well hurry up Wilson, I
just got off the phone with Jillian, and she wants us to pick her
up and go to dinner,” Cindy spoke loud through the door. She always
did that; invited other people without seeing if the person she was
with from the beginning wanted to have another person with
them.

“
Hold on Max,” I whispered
into the phone. “Okay I’ll be right out,” I yelled towards the
door. I heard Cindy shuffle down the stairs.

“
Are you still there?” I
asked Max.

“
Yeah. I’m here,” he
whispered.

“
God she can stress me out.
I’ve gotta come up with a reason why I can’t go with her tonight.”
I struggled to pull my legs out of the light blue moon
suit.

“
What are you doing?” he
asked real quiet and low.

“
Changing my clothes.” The
moon suit was finally on the floor.

“
Changing? So what are you
wearing right now?” I could swear I heard him bite his lower
lip.

“
Nothing,” I teased
him.

“
Nothing,” he growled. I
could hear him shift the phone.

“
Well my bra and panties,”
I mentioned.

“
Mmmm, what I wouldn’t give
to be there helping you right now,” he breathed. Goosebumps rose
with his words.

“
What are you willing to
give?” I whispered.

“
What do you want?” he
breathed.

“
An evening alone with
you,” I said as I took my time.

He didn’t answer. I could tell he was
thinking. He exhaled slowly.

“
What are you thinking
about?” I broke his train of thought.

“
You. What you look like
with the blue suit down around your waist,” he said as he swallowed
and tangled his words in his breath.

His words tickled me. I wanted to play
with him, tease him a little and make him feel the same way I was
feeling. So I took a deep breath and started the game.

“
Did you hear that?” I
urged.

“
What?” he asked
fast.

“
The clasp on my bra,” I
tempted him.

“
Mmm, I want to hear it
slide off your skin,” his voice pulled low in my body.

I put the phone against my skin and
dragged my bra across it.

“
Did you hear
that?”

“
Yeah,” he answered in a
low growl. “Are you cold?”

“
Freezing,” I played. My
body core was burning hot.

“
Would I be able to
see
that you were cold
if I was looking at you?” he pushed back.

“
Definitely,” I taunted
him.

“
If I was there, would you
let me warm your skin?” he inquired.

“
Depends,” I was really
getting into this.

“
Depends on what?” he
prodded for an answer.

“
On how you would do it,” I
laughed a little.

“
A blanket?” he
mumbled.

“
No.”

“
My hands?” he spoke a
little clearer.

“
Possibly,” I
teased.

“
My lips?” he
asked.

“
Definitely,” I craved deep
in my body the warmth of his lips against my skin.

“
You’d let me taste your
skin?” he asked gentle.

“
Yes,” my breath caught on
the word.

“
All of your skin?” he said
soft.

“
All
of my skin,” I provoked him.

I put the phone next to me on the bed.
I grabbed my panties and dragged them off across my
legs.

“
What was that?”

“
My panties,” I
whispered.

“
Where are they?” he wanted
to know.

“
In my hand.”

“
I’m on my way,” he said
fast and then there was silence.

“
Max? Hello?”

Silence.

Chapter
Seventeen:

What was I going to do? Cindy was
expecting me to go to dinner and clubs with her tonight, (I’d much
rather stay back and pluck my eyebrows) and Max was on his way to
pick me up. I guess my tease was a little too much for him. One
major problem, how did I get Cindy out of here before Max showed
up?

I slipped into the clothes Cindy told
me were hideous earlier today and hurried downstairs. She had
Calvin cornered in the kitchen.

“
So Cal, What’s the age gap
between you and your brother?” She leaned across the
counter.

“
He’s fourteen months older
than me. I’m twenty-one and he’s twenty-two.”

“
He dating anyone?” She
dropped her hand to his forearm.

Calvin looked back at me. I gave him a
quick nod hoping he realized that he needed to keep us
private.

“
Ahh, not that I know of.
That’s one thing he’s always real quiet about.” He pulled back from
the counter, sliding his arm out from under her hand.

“
How about you, is there
someone special?” She looked up and saw me. “Hey Wilson— you’re
going to wear that?” She crinkled her nose.

“
Actually Cindy, my head
really hurts. I think I’m just going to hang back tonight,” I
mumbled and looked at Calvin.

“
Wilson, come on. You’re
killing me. It was supposed to be you, me and Jillian; three guys
and two girls? It doesn’t work. Come on, you have to go.” She
walked over to me grabbed my hand and held it out, looking at my
outfit. “We’ll have to do something about what you’re
wearing.”

“
Cindy, really, I’m not
going. You and your friend can handle it,” I forced the air out of
my lungs.

Nick interrupted me as he came into
the room, “Hey, Calvin, ready to go? See you later Wilson, Cindy.”
He grabbed an apple from the gigantic fruit bowl and swung his arm
in a circle towards Calvin.

“
Bye ladies,” Calvin said
quick as he followed behind Nick.

“
Wait. Nick— Wilson isn’t
going with me tonight so I need a ride.” She spun to catch his
arm.

“
Cindy, you can drive. If
not, call the service. They’ll bring a car for you.”

“
Nick, come on,” she
pouted.

“
Calvin has the Z4, it only
has two seats,” he argued.

“
Why don’t you leave the Z4
here take the Sequoia and drop me off at Jillian’s.”

“
I don’t know about that.
Max might kick my ass if I don’t bring his car back,” Calvin
volunteered.

“
Come on, you can pick it
up tonight when you bring Nick back,” Cindy tried to convince
Calvin. “What’s your brother’s number, I’ll talk to him. I know how
to handle him.” She grabbed her phone out of her purse.

“
Calvin, I don’t think
that’s a good idea. Cindy, he’s your teacher after all,” I piped
up. I could feel the pressure build in my chest and across my
shoulders.

“
Yours too Wilson, big
deal; It’s not like I’m trying to date him or anything, I just want
to tell him about his car,” Cindy snapped.

Calvin’s eyes grew large and his mouth
hung open. He must not have known the small detail that his
brother, Max, Mr. Goldstein, was in fact my teacher.

“
You know what? I’ll text
him on the way. He’ll understand. Nick let’s just take the SUV.”
Calvin grabbed Cindy’s arm and slid his hand down around her
waist.

“
Thanks Calvin.” She looked
at Nick.

“
Fine, but you’re driving.”
Nick tossed him the keys and they all walked out the
door.

My heart was on the floor, and my
stomach teetered on the thin line between knotting in anxiety and
twirling in excitement. I wanted to get cleaned up before Max
showed up. I ran upstairs, pulled off my clothes and searched
through my duffel bag for my comfortably tight Anne Klein jeans and
my cute off the shoulder button up cashmere sweater I got on sale
at Nordstrom’s. I just pulled my jeans over my hips when I heard
the front door open.

“
Max? I’ll be right down,”
I yelled from my room. I didn’t hear him say anything
back.

“
Wilson?” It wasn’t Max’s
voice. My heart jumped into my throat. “I wanted to leave these
with you.” Calvin came up the stairs dangling the Z4 keys in front
of him.

I wrapped my sweater around
my chest.
Oh My God, how
embarrassing
.

“
Oh, thanks Calvin. I’ll
make sure Max gets them.” I shuddered a little as I reached for
them.

“
Should I tell my family
you guys won’t be making it to dinner tonight?” Calvin was staying
very cool. His eyes locked on mine, not making an attempt to look
below my chin. I didn’t say anything. He nodded and turned to
leave.

“
Calvin?” He waited.
“Thanks,” I whispered. He didn’t have to support what his brother
and I were doing. He could’ve easily told Cindy everything he knew,
instead he didn’t.

“
Wilson, don’t worry about
it. No problem. Just have Max text me if he takes the car home.” He
turned and I watched him shuffle down the stairs and out the front
door.

I stretched my sweater over my head
and pulled it down. I stood there a moment, before I went into my
bedroom and shut the door. I had no idea how far away Max was or
how much longer it was going to take him to get to me. I grabbed my
phone off the bed and called Joanie. The last time we talked I had
to cut her off because Max came over.

The phone rang several times before
going straight into her voicemail. Surprising, considering from the
last time I talked to her she had left me a gazillion voicemails
and text messages. I threw myself onto the bed and I left her a
vague message only she would understand. I stretched my arms out to
my sides and felt the muscles in my back pull and relax. I pushed
my chin to the ceiling and closed my eyes. I didn’t realize how
sore I was until I stopped and lay down.

Have you ever fallen
asleep only to be startled awake by someone standing over you? It’s
like you can feel their presence there before you wake up. They
didn’t touch you, or say anything; all they did was look at
you.

I opened my eyes to him staring at me.
My heart curled up into my throat. He pushed his knee into the bed,
next to my waist. My butterflies swarmed. His smell anchored low in
my body. When he leaned over me, his hair angled forward across his
forehead and his eyes soaked me in his presence.

“
Hi Wilson,” he whispered,
wetting his lips with the taste of mine.

He pulled up slightly from our kiss.
My arms still stretched out by my sides.

“
How long have you been
here?” My words tickled his mouth. He pulled further
away.

“
Just long enough to hear
you talk in your sleep.”

He smiled and his eyes followed
suit.

“
What did I
say?”

I curled my arms around his neck and
tangled my hands into the back of his black shiny hair.

“
Something about a guy
you’re supposed to meet tonight,” he teased.

“
Did I mention his
name?”

His hands slid under my shoulders and
pulled me to his chest. The sounds of our desires rose from deep in
our bodies. We could have picked up from where he left it on the
phone and I would have been perfectly fine. He opened his mouth and
gently caught my lip between his teeth. I really liked when he did
that.