Chapter 1

 

No one was home. It was one of those rare moments where Brad and I were totally alone, and we could do whatever we wanted to do.

Which, right now, was making out. His tongue was in my mouth, his hand was on my ass, and I was getting hot for him. I was always hot for him, but this was different. This time, we were alone, and I loved him more than I thought I could ever love anyone.

“How long will your mom be out?” I asked through our kisses.

“Long enough,” Brad said, and my stomach twisted into the good kind of knots, as I thought about where we were headed and what we would do.

We had done it once before. We’d had sex, but it hadn’t been the way I’d thought it would be. It had been awkward and uncomfortable. But it had made us stronger, and this time, I knew what to expect. I knew what he would feel like and how I would respond. This time, it would be magic.

Brad reached for the hem of my shirt and worked it slowly up my body. I was glad I’d put on the pink bra. It pushed my boobs up perfectly.

“God, you’re so hot, Carly,” Brad mumbled against my lips. “You’re my gorgeous princess.”

I smiled through our kisses. Brad paused to pull off his shirt as well before he lay down next to me and pushed the length of his body against mine. I could feel his hard cock up against me, and I shivered.

I would never get used to the feel of his arousal for me. It was such a thrill, a new world that had opened up to me. And Brad was the boy I wanted to share it all with.

Graduation was around the corner, and school would be over. We would go to college together. Our futures were pointed in the same direction. We hadn’t spoken about more than going to college together, but that was enough for me for now.

Brad’s hand slid down my thigh, and when he brought it back up, palm on my bare skin, he was under my skirt. My breath hitched in my throat when he put his hands on my ass again, fingers going farther between my legs than I’d expected.

“You have no idea how much I want you,” he said.

I nodded. “I think I have an idea.”

I ran my hand down his body, cupping his erection through his jeans.

Brad smiled at me with that cocky grin that I loved so much. It was different than the smile he flashed everyone else as one of the popular guys at school, the hot football player that everyone wanted. This smile was just for me.

I put my hand on his cheek and studied his face. I dreamed about this face, the golden flecks in his green eyes that danced when he laughed, the triangle of freckles just below his right eye, his nose, straight as an arrow. The way his blond hair was always perfectly messy. And his lips, perfect for kissing; not too thick and not too thin. Just right.

“Do you know how much I love you?” Brad asked. “You know this isn’t just about sex, right?”

“I know,” I said, and I meant it.

Everyone thought Brad was this playboy, the guy who pulled girls left, right, and center. When I’d met him, when I’d been a victim to his charms, I’d thought the same. This boy was trouble, everyone said.

But I knew the real Brad. I knew how kind and sensitive he could be. I knew sides of him that he would never show anyone else. I knew that he only acted big so that people didn’t mess with him.

And I knew that the girls wanted to date him because he was a bad ass, but I was dating him because he was the opposite— a total softie— at least with me. He liked Oreo frosting but threw away the cookie part.

He read forbidden books and liked going to parties full of strangers because then he didn’t have to worry about interacting with people one on one. He always said people thought he was an extrovert but it’s because he was good at putting on a fake face and performing in front of crowds.

When it came time to have an actual conversation with just one person, he turned shy— except with me. He’d rather stay home reading a book, although no one who saw him acting like a hero on the football field or like the life of the party on a Friday night would have believed that. That’s okay, though. Everything I knew and loved about him was everything no one else knew about him.

“I can’t wait to get out of here with you,” Brad said.

“As soon as we can, we’re out of here,” I agreed.

I wanted to get away from this town, too— with him. Laramie, Wyoming was too small for our dreams.

“And then we can finally be together the way we were meant to be,” Brad said.

Everything about our relationship was a secret. Not because we couldn’t be together in front of all our friends, but because my dad was a grade-A asshole. He refused to let me date. I wasn’t even allowed to attend parties where there were boys.

That didn’t stop me from lying about it, sneaking out, and doing what I wanted, anyway. But it made it harder to be with Brad. My dad had said I wasn’t allowed to date until I graduated. Not from high school, but from college. There was no talking to him about it.

So, Brad and I had been keeping it under wraps. Only my closest friends knew. And he had barely told anyone because all the guys on his team have such big mouths. The fewer people that knew, the harder it was for our secret to come out.

The last thing I needed was for my dad to do something stupid, like forbidding me from ever seeing anyone again, grounding me for life, or worse: homeschooling me. He’d threatened it before for less major infractions, and I wouldn’t put it past him. It was like my dad had sat down and made a list of all the things that would ruin my life, and he was sticking to them religiously.

“I want an ocean view, somewhere, as long as I’m next to you, I don’t care,” Brad sang our song off tune, and I smiled. That was exactly how I felt. And I loved his voice even if he wasn’t the world’s best singer.

Brad kissed me again.

“I’ll fight for you,” Brad said. “No matter what happens. You’re my girl, Carly.”

I smiled, wrapping my arms around his neck.

“Now, where were we?” he asked with a naughty grin, and my stomach twisted up in those pleasant knots again, thinking of how it would feel for us to have sex again. To have it be amazing this time. Brad pulled me against him and ground his hips, giving me a tease of what was to come.

The doorbell rang. Just one ring, then another. Whoever was outside was serious about it. The doorbell rang long and incessantly.

“What the fuck?” Brad asked and rolled onto his back.

“Who is that?”

“Beats me. But the cars are gone. If we pretend we’re not here, they’ll go away.”

We lay in silence. My heart pounded in my chest. Someone was out there, desperately looking for someone inside, and we were acting like we weren’t home. I told myself not to be scared, but I cuddled up to Brad, anyway.

“Open this door. I know you’re in there!” someone shouted from outside.

My blood ran cold.

“Brad, that’s—”

The door crashed open. We could hear it. We were both frozen as footsteps stomped through the house. Brad’s door flew open, and my dad charged into the room, rage, pure and raw, on his face.

Fuck.