Part 18 (1/2)

My heart went into overdrive.

(Would he hear it?) (Would he feel it?) His mouth then covered mine.

Yes!

Soft lips, soft kiss.

I tippy-toed up closer to him, deepening the kiss, giving him my all. And taking from him his very best.

Then after a couple of minutes he broke the kiss, slung an arm across my shoulder, and led me toward his mom's SUV. Where he pressed his backside against his hood, and pulled me close.

Warmth spread through me. From the engine. From him.

”Holding you feels so good,” he said, his voice rumbling through me.

Tucking my face into his neck, I made a mmm noise. Part agreement, part yum!

”You may be small, Nic, but every inch of you is s.e.xy. I've been hung up on you as long as I can remember.”

I pulled back to stare into his eyes. Dark, s.h.i.+mmery ”You're kidding.”

”Hardly. But it wasn't until I saw you with that guy on the beach that I knew it. I've never been so jealous in my entire life. Made me realize why I'd been in such a bad mood all those hours I drove you around to buy a dress to wear with ...him.”

I laughed. I mean, it wasn't funny, but it made me so darned happy to hear this. ”I'm sorry. Especially because I didn't know at the time you and Rascal hated each other.”

”We hated each other all right. Because of you.”

”Me?”

”Of course. I mean, his bragging always bugged me. But didn't make me insane until he started talking about you.”

I studied the planes of his face in what little light emanated from the porch lamp. ”So the threats? The punches? The broken windows?”

”You. You. You.”

A smile spread across my face. I was the kind of girl that guys got all worked up over!

But my elation was short-lived when my ever-active mind took hold. Jared wasn't doing what Rascal had tried to do, was he? Win me as some sort of twisted grand prize?

I squinched my eyes. ”I guess this makes you the official winner, huh?”

”That battle's already over,” he said, and frowned. ”It's just me chasing you now. And I'm more determined than ever. I want to go out with you, Nic, to be your boyfriend.”

Be still, my heart!

After a breath and a h.e.l.l-yeah smile on my part, his mouth found mine again.

And I wondered if love could be this simple. A series of perfect moments that go on and on ...

”And I want you to go with me to the homecoming dance,” he said when our faces pulled apart.

I pressed my palm against his and folded my fingers with his. I wanted that more than anything, too. But first, I had to be sure of something.

”Nothing to do with my dress, right? With feeling sorry for me because I haven't gotten to wear it? With feeling sorry for me, period?”

”Nothing. For all I care, you can wear the same bikini you're going to wash my car in.”

I swatted him. ”When are you going to forget about me was.h.i.+ng your car?”

”Never.”

He grinned, and I squeezed his hand.

”You know what, Jared McCreary? My dress and I would love to go to the homecoming dance with you.”

My mom appeared in the doorway a few minutes later. ”Nicolette?” she called in a harsh whisper. ”What in the world are you doing out there?”

Still pressed against Jared, I kept my tone down, too. ”Jared and I are just talking, Mom!”

”Can't you talk tomorrow? In the daylight?”

”Be right there!”

He released his hold on my waist and inched a respectable distance away. ”Call me when you wake up.”

My thoughts spun. In all the heady excitement, I'd completely and totally forgotten the Alison angle. It had to be handled delicately, not just a ”So guess what? I'm with your brother now.”

I frowned. ”Um, maybe you better call me. When Alison's not around.”

His lips pressed into a hard line. ”Yeah, we'll work on that. I took care of Mitch and Harrison and those guys, didn't I?”

I nodded. I hadn't gotten a call or a long look from one of them in days.

”Okay,” I answered. I guessed if I was going to trust the guy, now would be as good a time as any.

We shared quick good-nights, and I ran on tippy-toes across the wet gra.s.s, carrying enough feelings/ thoughts/worries to rival my body weight. Still, when I met Mom in the doorway, I threw myself into her surprised arms.

”I'm going to the homecoming dance with Jared!”

She quietly closed the door. ”That's wonderful, honey. But I didn't realize you even liked him.”

Where had Mom been?

With no interest in attempting sleep, I plopped on the couch and spilled. I told her everything-about Jared, his winds.h.i.+eld, Kylie, and my talk with Coach Luther.

”Nicolette, I never thought I'd say this, but you're getting more like your father every day.”