What the hell is happening today? First my mom, now skanky Jessica?
“Um, thanks, but I don’t need advice from girls who sleep with anyone. Guys don’t like used trash either.” She looks startled, and at first, a pang of guilt hits me, making me want to take it back.
An ugly sneer appears on her face as she moves in close, smelling like smoke and cheap flowery perfume. I want to gag.
“I fucked him, Charlie.”
And there goes the guilt.
“His cock is huge.” She gestures with her hands. “Trust me when I say he knows how to use it.”
Before I can process what she said or think of a self-redeeming comeback, she turns and sashays over to another table.
What the? This day has gone from average to absolute shit in a matter of two hours. The stinging sensation in my chest makes it seem as though my heart’s been burned.
“Fuck this.” I run over to the counter where we hold all our stuff, grab my purse, and head for the door. I need to get away and don’t even care that it’s getting busy. Maybe Jessica will end up swamped, so far in the weeds she quits. As I breeze past a couple coming in, I grab my sunglasses and fish around for my keys. It’s hot outside, and the sun instantly attacks my legs, which are clad in black skinny jeans. I’m going home to throw on my bikini and sunbathe by our pool in the backyard. Might as well try to forget this whole day. I reach for my phone to turn it off. I have no desire to hear my mom call and lecture me. Or even worse, another round of her trust me advice. It’s not like she’s going to fire me.
“Charlie.” I freeze. Turning slowly, I blink at the sight. He stands in front of me, blocking the sun. Holy shit. My heart thuds so loud he can probably hear it.
“You okay? You seem upset.” Holding his helmet and keys, he stares down at me, his eyes like sparkling diamonds in the blue sky.
An uncomfortable laugh escapes my lips. “You could say that.”
We stare at each other, and I wonder if he feels this pull between us. It’s there. I may be young, but I know this feeling is special.
Looking down at my shoes, I say, “My day is not going well,” then straighten my shoulders trying not to look like an adoring puppy. “Where’s your bike? I thought you left.” My voice sounds breathless, no doubt because I am. He takes a step closer and I lean back, barely noticing my ass getting hot from the side of my Prius. But I don’t care. He smells like smoke, and as I close my eyes, for a split second, I inhale.
“Welcome to my world, Beautiful.” He sounds tired, way older than his twenty-one years. “Listen… your mom bitched me out and I’ve got personal shit going on.”
I can’t breathe and I’m not really listening to him. His smell is addictive, like I want to bury my nose in his neck. I wonder what kind of soap he uses.
“Charlie?” He brings my eyes to his, and I realize that once again, I’ve been staring at him like a weirdo.
He grins. “You’re leaving soon, right?”
I nod. “Two months.”
“I wanted to say goodbye in private.” He places a hand on my hood and brushes the hair out of my face. And I’m dead. Gone. My heart skips a beat and that sensation of needing to pee returns.
“I’m so sorry… about my mom. She watches a lot of Sons of Anarc—” Thankfully his phone rings and stops me from making even more of a disgrace out of myself. God, Jessica might be right. I’m ridiculous around this guy.
“Fuck, I have to go.” His silver eyes caress my face like he wants to memorize it.
“You eighteen yet?” He’s so close and he’s leaving. I don’t want him to leave. I might never get this close again. So, I do the bravest thing I’ve ever done in my seventeen years. I reach up and touch his soft black vest.
“In a month.”
“Close enough.” Before I can process the fact that I’m standing in the middle of my parents’ parking lot with the hot sun melting us, his lips take mine in what I can’t fully describe. It’s like an electrical charge went through his body and entered mine. I move closer and feel his strong, delicious tongue demand mine. And it’s amazing—better than amazing. It feels like the universe, God, goddesses… whatever, are shining down, letting us know this is right. I drop my bag and allow my hands to dig into the soft leather of his vest. I can’t breathe and yet here I am, still breathing. He tastes like sweet sugar from the Coke. I groan as my core clenches and I move as close as I can. His strong hand holds the back of my neck as if I’m his prisoner. Then he deepens the kiss, stealing the very air from me.