“I’m sure you can handle him just fine, Dally. See you tomorrow.” He gave me a smile and walked out the door, leaving me there thinking about him.
I left the room with memories I had pushed away for years clouding my mind, and a rapidly beating heart.
Dean
Then
The first time I saw Dallas Whitaker I was lounging against my lockers listening to Jon Reiner comment on every passing pair of tits and ass. I had to agree with him on a few but kept it to myself. I prided myself on that. It was a gentlemen’s view, and I wanted to be just that, a gentlemen. I wasn’t the kiss and tell kind of guy, and I could already tell Reiner and I wouldn’t see eye to eye on that. He was more than vocal as he taunted half the girls around us.
“Hot damn,” he crooned after a great set of legs as she looked at him, clearly irritated. Her attention turned to me and I smiled. The invitation was instant with her come-hither smile back. I laughed as Reiner followed her, briefly arguing his case. When I averted my eyes, I caught sight of her. I took in her long, dark brown hair and beautiful features and felt my entire body jolt. She was young, too young, but what I noticed most were her striking eyes. They were a pale green and seemed to sparkle as she noticed me, absently digging in her purse. Once she saw my attention was solely on her, she looked away.
That was a first.
When she finally looked at me again, I saw something else in her eyes. She seemed more confident than the girl who had just shied away from me. I stood curious as she approached. She was just about to address me when I saw her stiffen with Reiner’s swaying attention.
“Dallas, give me some sugar!” She half-masked her smile for Reiner as she scolded him, slapping his hands away as he pawed her.
“Get your hands off of me, Reiner! We went out once and it was a disaster. Stop molesting me in the halls!”
“Awwwe, Dallas it was not a disaster,” he reasoned as she fought his busy hands from around her waist.
Her eyes were glued to me for a brief second before she turned to him with malice. “You got drunk and threw up on me, idiot!”
I laughed at their banter, watching her without being noticed. She was completely animated as she put Reiner in his place. I could tell beneath her menace that she genuinely liked him. They had history. It was easy to tell. She also had a smart mouth on her that was for sure. I took in her perfectly glossed pink lips and the way she held herself with such confidence, and I instantly wanted to know her.
“Dallas, give me another chance,” Reiner begged.
“Nope, it’s a one shot deal,” she scoffed, shooting him down. She turned her beautiful green gaze back to me and I felt my heart rate pick up. She scrutinized me with her stare and I had to stifle a laugh. Who the hell did this girl think she was?
“Who are you?” she asked, demanding an answer.
I lifted my brow and peered down at her with a smirk before giving it to her. “Dean, Dean Martin. I just transferred.”
“Dean Martin,” she said with a snort, “sing us a tune.”
I shook my head with mild irritation. “Yeah, no one has ever used that line on me,” I replied, clearly unimpressed as I ripped my eyes from her to grab my history book from my locker. The truth was, I wanted to look at her, but for some reason it hurt. She was just a kid, not really a young woman yet. She was, however, absolutely beautiful and she didn’t know it. I loved that fact.
“Sorry,” she said sincerely, her confidence slipping slightly as she weighed my reaction. I felt a tug in my chest for her then. I could tell in that moment that she really wanted me to like her.
“Forgiven, and your name is Dallas. That’s pretty cool,” I said, closing my locker.
Long eyelashes, prominent nose and perfect lips…Damn, Reiner had it right with this one.
“I guess,” she said, glancing down at my history book before her jade eyes shot up to mine. The shyness was back and I was getting whiplash from the mixed signals.
“Martin?” She looked at my jet-black hair and olive skin with a question in her eyes.
“My mother is from Spain,” I said with a smirk. This girl was anything but subtle.
“Hmmm,” she mused, scanning my dress skeptically.
I had always made it a point to dress impeccably, just like my father. It was one of the things I had admired most about him. Dallas seemed to be amused by it. “Are you going to church later? A funeral, maybe?”
“Don’t even think about it, Martin. She’s mine!” Reiner interrupted as he scooped her up over his shoulder and began to walk away as Dallas protested, raising total hell and punching at his back repeatedly. I had no choice but to just laugh and wave.
Dallas the spitfire. God, I loved that.
Later that day, I was talking pretty heatedly with another senior whose name escaped me when I spotted her again. Reiner had briefed us all after track and laid his claim. ‘Dallas Whitaker was a freshman. His freshman.’ Fifteen and she already had the attention of the most notorious playboy in school, and the confidence of a courtroom prosecutor. I quickly left my conversation with…um—okay, I couldn’t remember her name—to catch up with Dallas. She froze in place as I approached and I didn’t mask my smile. Reiner may have already lost this battle. I knew it was arrogant of me to think Dallas was so easily swayed, but if I was weighing in on reaction alone, I would have to say she was as drawn to me as I was to her. I had no intention of stepping on his toes, anyway. I just wanted to know her.