“You gotta throw those out,” I said as we stood there looking at them.
“No way.” She smiled even bigger, with her hand at her chest. “Oh my God, just looking at them gets me hot.”
I moved behind her as her sister and Shelby approached us. I’d finally managed to adjust my too noticeable boner. Hearing her say the incriminating photos of our kissing made her hot had it going again.
“Did you take pictures without us?” Shelby asked.
“Yeah, but I have more money. We can take some too.”
“Let me see,” Maggie asked, glancing up at me timidly.
It amazed me that, as identical as their eyes were, Maggie’s gaze didn’t even touch what Madeline’s did to me. Maggie’s eyes, while timid, seemed to be hiding something. At least it was the impression I got when she glanced at me but turned away quickly.
With that said, this close and in broad daylight I had to admit that, if it weren’t for the fact that I knew Madeline was standing right next to me, I might have had a problem not getting them mixed up as I thought I had earlier. They were so identical and even sounded exactly alike. Their contradictory personalities were likely the only way their mother could tell them apart. But I was too panicked at that moment to give that much more thought.
I had to refrain from grabbing the almost offensive photos as Madeline handed them to Maggie. No surprise Maggie’s jaw dropped when she saw them and her face even tinged with color. Shelby leaned in, her eyes going wide and jaw dropping as well.
Madeline laughed that laugh I normally loved to hear, but at the moment, I was too unnerved about the damn photos. What the hell was I thinking?
“Just a little innocent birthday kiss,” Madeline said heedlessly then turned to me with a grin. “I take it you’ll be joining us for the movie?”
With a gulp, I stared at her incredulously. Wasn’t she the least bit worried about this getting back to her mom? Madeline glanced down at the popcorn and sodas her sister and Shelby were holding. “No candy?”
“Oh, I forgot,” Maggie said, turning back to the concession stand.
“I’ll get it,” I said, starting to the concession stand before Maggie could.
I needed a breather, needed to gather my thoughts. What was I doing here? Where could this possibly lead? Was I really ready for this? Why hadn’t I anticipated this feeling so fucking profound? Why didn’t anyone warn me? But then I supposed my dad tried to.
I barely had time to ponder too long on this because Madeline was by my side again. “I want M&M’s.”
Just like that, all my worrying flew out the window, and I was asking for M&M’s and a large pop. My head was suddenly somewhere else. Soon I’d be spending the next two hours next to Madeline in a darkened theater.
As if it might’ve gone any other way, I couldn’t even recall which movie we’d gone in to watch. We sat in the last row of the theater with her sister and Shelby in front of us. The lights weren’t even off yet, when my arm was around her and she cozied up next to me with zero regard as to who might see us. Aside from a few panicked moments before the lights went off and I saw a few familiar faces enter the theater, the rest of the movie was heaven. We spent the entire two hours devouring each other’s mouths and stifling laughter and giggles every now and again when a moan escaped us.
When the lights were finally back on again, I was certain our lips were swollen. But it was so fucking worth it. Even with all the experience I knew I had over her, I’d never had that long of a marathon in heaven. I felt strangely drained, but in a good way, like all the pent-up frustration from having to refrain from doing more than just giving her rides and playing with her hands was finally released.
Cautiously glancing around as I walked them back to Shelby’s car in the theater’s parking lot, I was relieved that Madeline released my hand before we walked out. Already, I was feeling that unease I felt when I knew our time was coming to an end. But I had no idea what to expect from here on. Today changed everything.
Shelby and Maggie got into the car, giving Madeline and me a little privacy. I could finally say what had been sitting on the back of my mind from the moment I pulled her into the photo booth with me. “I’ve heard about your mom’s shotgun.”
Instantly, she laughed. “Oh yeah? What about it?”
“I’m serious,” I said, even though smiling back at those bright eyes couldn’t be helped. “I heard she’s pulled it out a few times on some people.”
She still wore the wide smile, but it felt strained somehow. Something so unlike her. “Twice.” She tilted her head. “And despite what you might’ve heard around town, it had nothing to do with Maggie or me. It was perfectly warranted. Some drunk guys pulled over by our driveway, and one of them got out to relieve himself.” She giggled this time, a bit more genuinely than earlier, and brought her hand to her mouth. “Mama said he pissed all over himself as he ran back to the car. The other time this old man decided to bang at our door at two in the morning. Scared the hell out of all of us. He took off running when Mama opened the door, wielding her shotgun. He had the nerve to go to the town sheriff and report her for threatening him.” The strange smile was back, but she shook her head and continued. “But it was for the best. The sheriff didn’t even bother coming down to talk to Mama until the next day, and that was only to check on us and see if we hadn’t been too rattled. But the word got out, and she hasn’t had to pull her gun out since.”
“Since,” I emphasized. “But if she finds out about today—”
“Well . . . she always did say the youngest she’d allow us to start dating was seventeen.”
“Even with a tatted-up, motorcycle-riding, almost twenty-year-old, big bad Cortez brother?”
Finally, she winced, making me feel less alone in this fear, but it was fleeting. In the next moment, she arched her brow sharply. “So, are you saying what happened in there was a onetime thing?”
“I’m just saying—”
“Maybe I should’ve made this clear, Nicolas. Things just happened too fast in there, and I got caught up in the moment. But I’m not a hit-it-and-quit-it kind of girl.”
“I’m not saying you are—”
“If that’s what you thought today was about—”
“I didn’t think anything,” I explained quickly. “That’s the problem. I wasn’t thinking when I decided to walk in there today. You just . . .” I exhaled, shaking my head, feeling utterly exasperated, and glanced around then looked back at her, lowering my voice. “You just do something to me, and I lose my mind.”
Finally, the annoyed expression softened but just a little. “You do something to me too.”
“But your mom—”
“Doesn’t have to know who I’m dating.” That sentence alone told me she, too, knew her mother would be against this, but she went on before I could comment. “We’ve been sneaking around already. If she knows anything or suspects anything, she hasn’t mentioned it yet.” She shrugged, tilting her head slightly again as her lashes slowly draped over those mesmerizing eyes. “In case you haven’t noticed already, you can ask anyone who knows me. I’m not one to hold back or not take risks when it comes to getting what I want. I’m telling you I can handle Mama, but if it isn’t worth the risk for you, I understand. All I’m saying is, as much as I enjoyed today, I don’t do the onetime deals you might be so used to. So, this would be the only exception, and it won’t be happening again. But I am free to date now.”
This time I felt my brow arch, but before I could spit out my thoughts on what she was implying, she continued. “My birthday isn’t over yet. Mama made a special birthday dinner for us, but afterwards, a whole bunch of us are heading out to Pike’s Crest for some rock diving and more celebrating.”
With that, she spun around and walked back to the car. Midway through that last part of her little spiel, I began to detect the hurt as if maybe she thought I actually didn’t think her worth the risk. Hell, I’d already risked way more than I ever would’ve for a
nybody else. But it was so damn worth it. Just the thought of tasting her mouth over and over again nearly had me groaning. Without giving it another thought, I called out for her as the car began to drive by me. It slowed to a stop, and Madeline, who was closest to me in the passenger seat, eyed me in question.
“Have a nice dinner,” I said, staring at her. “I’ll see you at Pike’s Crest.”
The smile alone would’ve had me leaning in for a ravenous kiss as if I hadn’t just spent the entire last two hours devouring every inch of that mouth. Instead, I blew her a kiss before walking off toward my bike.
It was still her birthday, and this was so new to both of us. I had no idea just how much I’d be willing to risk and for how long. All I knew was that I’d be damned if she thought, after our well-played and unspoken game, I was going to stand idly by now and watch her date.
I wouldn’t ruin her celebration tonight by getting into any heavy conversations. I still didn’t know exactly how this was going to work, but as soon as I had the chance, I’d be getting a few things straight with her. Regardless of what happened from here on—of what restrictions her mother might impose on us—any talk or even insinuation that she was free to date anyone else was not going to fly. Not after today. Not after the torturous almost entire year I’d been forced to endure coveting her from afar.
Chapter 5: Now You Know
When I arrived at Pike’s Crest, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Madeline had already made one thing clear. It was all or nothing when it came to us for her. My being here was confirmation that I’d agreed. But I had to stay mindful that even she knew her mom wouldn’t approve. Even if she did assure me she could handle Loretta, we couldn’t be too blatant about this. Though I had every intention of making it even clearer to any guy who thought before today maybe she was off limits, that she absolutely was now.
I was only happy this was happening on a weekend when all my brothers were gone. Nolan was still in Radcliffe, working his internship in the tattoo shop and would be gone for a few more months. Quino was out of town with my dad for the weekend at some techy convention, and Xavier had been disappearing a lot lately on the weekends. As private as that guy had always been, something told me it had everything to do with a girl. Regardless, I was glad none of them were here because even I wasn’t sure what to expect. I just knew, despite what a risk taker Madeline could be, I’d be doing my best to be discreet about this. At least when there were this many people around.
As I sat on my bike near a bridge that overlooked the river alone, staking the place out, like I was known to do, I pulled out what looked like a cigarette and lit up because I was nervous as shit. After just one hit, I felt slightly calmer, but I took one more just in case.
“I love the smell of that stuff.”
I turned to see Madeline and her crew walking toward me. There was one other girl with them, a girl I recognized from seeing her around Madeline and her sister before, but I didn’t know her name. I wasn’t sure what to think of the smile on Madeline’s face. I’d been watching her so closely for almost a year now. I was pretty sure I would’ve noticed or at least heard about her smoking weed. Even though it was legal in most states now, I knew it still had the stigma of being as bad as some of the more hardcore drugs. So it surprised me to see her smiling about this—and especially to hear her say she loved the smell of it.
“Care to share?”
“Hell no,” I said, sticking it back in my pocket.
As expected, her eyes widened, but I shook my head. It was one thing for our moving things forward to possibly get back to her mother when Madeline seemed so unconcerned about it. But to supply her with drugs . . . Even if it was only weed and legal here now, it was still not for anyone under eighteen. That was one chance I would not be taking.
“You shouldn’t be doing that anyway,” the girl whose name I didn’t know said. “It’s bad for you.”
“Alcohol’s worse,” Madeline said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
“It is,” Maggie concurred. “Marijuana is all natural. Trust me. I’ve done my research.”
“You guys use?” I asked, beyond surprised.
“Not yet,” Madeline said, lifting her chin. “I don’t trust the people who sell it on the down low, and the dispensaries won’t sell it to us until we’re eighteen. But as soon as I am, I’d rather do that than kill my liver with alcohol.”
“It’s not for everyone,” I warned her. “Not everyone reacts the same way to it.”
“We tried it once,” Madeline said, further surprising me, then nodded, obviously reading my thoughts. “Shelby’s cousin had some once when he came to visit and let us try it. I liked it. It was very relaxing and it’s true, June.” She turned to the other girl. “Her cousin’s pre-med, and even he says it’s nowhere near as toxic on your body as alcohol is.”
I smirked, and though this made me even more nervous, already I could tell I’d have my hands full with Ms. Risk Taker. Even this was something I was certain she’d wear me down about if she tried hard enough. I felt like I needed to watch my girl before she actually was, and it was about to worsen tenfold. Because there was no question about it now. Just standing here this close to her, I had to refrain from pulling her to me and kissing her. There was no way we weren’t moving forward with this—no matter what qualms I still had about her mom.
“Oh, there’s Autumn,” Shelby said, turning to a car that turned into the area where most parked their cars tonight. “She got an ombre highlight done down at Daisy’s today. I wanna see how that turned out. I’m thinking of doing the same.”
Maggie and June started off with Shelby, but Madeline stayed put. “I’ll be there in a minute.” She turned to me with that mischievous smile, and just like that, she had me smiling from ear to ear too.
“How was your birthday dinner?”
“Delicious.” She took a few steps closer to my bike. “Mama made all my favorites: barbequed ribs, creamed corn, macaroni, even baked me a homemade sweet potato pie. So far this has been my best birthday ever.”
“Ever?” I asked, smiling even bigger as I opened the saddle bags in front of me on my bike. “That’s a pretty bold statement. I’m sure you’ve had plenty of good ones.”
She shook her head, and I hesitated to pull out the gift I had for her, but once again I was struck by her beautiful gaze. “The absolute best,” she said softly. “I was afraid you might change your mind about coming here tonight. So driving in and seeing you already here made it even better.”
There was no way I’d be able to go much longer without pulling her to me, so I took a deep breath and pulled out the tiny gift bag and handed to her. Those big eyes went even bigger. “Oh my God. You didn’t have to get me anything. Just being here is enough.”
That had me smiling big again as she took the bag, and I knew now the gift wasn’t a mistake. “I don’t know a whole lot about what you like yet. But I know you like painting. So I drove out to Fayette to the mall, hoping I could find something that had to do with it.”
She pulled out the small box in the bag, her eyes growing even bigger. I knew what she was thinking, so I explained before she freaked out. “I wasn’t having any luck, and then I saw this in one of the windows and thought it was perfect. At least I know for sure you’ll like this.”
I watched as she opened the box, knowing full well she was thinking it was a ring and that I must be insane. So I was relieved when she finally saw it and pulled it out with a huge smile. It was a necklace with a red M&M character charm. The little M&M character was holding a gold heart.
As if that weren’t perfect enough, when I walked into the jewelry store to ask about it, the lady showed me the cheesy inscription on the back. I almost didn’t get it but then decided actions speak louder than words. What I was feeling for Madeline felt so much heavier than it should have this soon. If my dad picked up on it weeks ago, it was just a matter of time before Madeline did too, if she hadn’t already. So maybe the inscription
would help tone it way down.
“This is too cute!” She turned around as if anxious to show someone else, but her sister and friends were too far, so she turned back to me.
“Turn it around.”
She did and read what it said. “I’m sweet for you.” Bringing her hand to her mouth, she looked up at me, her eyes suddenly flooding, and instantly, I was panicking.
It was meant to be my lighthearted way of admitting I had a thing for her. “Don’t cry, sweetheart,” I said, getting off my bike, and as soon as I was off, she wrapped her arms around my neck.
I glanced around nervously, but powerless to keep my arms from wrapping around her, I squeezed her. “Happy birthday,” I whispered against her ear, but she turned, and instantly my lips were on hers.
Before the kiss could get too deep, I started to pull away, and she gazed at me. Touching my tensed arms, she slid her hands up and down them. I closed my eyes, dropping my head because I was feeling dazed again just as I first was in that photo booth. I knew this was a huge risk I was taking here, but I was helpless to stop this. I felt her kiss my temple once, then again softer, then a third time, and I was magically giving into this. Just like that. I glanced up at her. “You think your sister and friends will mind if we disappear for a while?”
Smiling big again, she shook her head. Within minutes, she’d told them she’d be back, and we were off. It was the first of many rides I was sure we’d be taking away from the gaping eyes of those around us because I needed to get her alone and devour that mouth for much longer than just that measly kiss.
Instead of cliff diving the way she thought she’d be spending the evening, we spent it rolling around in a nearby secluded meadow. It hadn’t even been one full day of this, and already I knew I was hooked.