Chapter 14

Delilah

“Perfect,” I whisper with a quick pop of my lips.

I could lie to myself, claim dry lips as the reason I’ve slicked on tinted gloss rather than my normal chapstick, but it would do no good. Lawson hasn’t left my brain since the minute he showed up. Last night, after feeling his hot skin against my fingers, I tossed and turned, the interaction on repeat in my brain. There’s nothing I can do about the redness in my eyes from lack of sleep, but he doesn’t really pay me any attention, so maybe I’ll get lucky, and he’ll not even notice.

But, I want him to notice me.

Shaking my head at the ridiculousness of it all, I grab my keys and cell phone from my desk. I don’t get boy crazy. Yeah, I’ve found guys at school good-looking, but getting to the point I want to doodle their names on my notebook never entered my mind.

Making sure I pulled my door closed behind me, I make my way down the stairs with a grin on my face. I know most teens spend their summers vacationing in the sun, going to parties, and sleeping late, but I’ve enjoyed going to the animal shelter four to five days a week. Even though summer is coming to a close, and I’ve been busy with the animals, I still get excited about my volunteer work. There’s nothing greater than the smiles on the dogs’ faces when I show up.

In the kitchen, I find Dad, Pop, and Drew at the breakfast nook, each eating breakfast. Over the last week, Drew has stopped shoveling food into his mouth like someone is going to take it away from him. He’s growing comfortable in his skin here, acclimating better than I thought he would, after witnessing his first meal with us.

“Hey, Delilah,” Drew says with a quick smile before taking another bite of chocolate cereal.

“Morning,” I respond and head to the coffee pot.

“Coffee?” Pop asks noticing my change in routine.

“Yeah,” I mutter pulling two cups from the cabinet. Being nice, I decide to make a cup for Lawson. He hasn’t gotten out of bed before noon since his first night here, so I know these early days are going to be brutal for him. “I didn’t sleep very well last night.”

“Too excited about the party to sleep, huh?” Dad smiles over his own steaming cup of java.

“Something like that,” I answer. “Where’s Lawson? You told him nine, right?”

“He’s still sleeping,” Drew answers before Dad can respond to my question.

“I’m sure he’s awake,” Dad says. “Run up and grab him. You don’t have a set time to be there, but I know you hate being late, even if the schedule you're keeping is your own.”

I grumble to myself as I finish fixing my cup and refuse to be nice any longer. His cup sits empty when I turn and head back up the stairs. It’s rude to keep people waiting, and rudeness is a pet peeve of mine.

Knocking on his bedroom door goes unanswered. I look over my shoulder, noticing the bathroom door is open, and the light is off. Last night’s scene runs through my head again, and I do my best to ignore the full body shiver that runs up my spine and out of my fingertips.

Agitated, I turn the doorknob and swing open the door. The bang as it swings wide and hits the wall startles the sleeping boy on the bottom bunk. He jerks, his large hand shooting straight to his dick as if protecting it at all costs is priority number one. The sheets are tangled around his legs as if he got too warm in the night and kicked them off.

Unbidden, a small sigh escapes my lips at the sight of his straining penis, large and thick, behind his sweats. I swallow around the lump that is forming in my throat until his husky chuckle makes the lean muscles on his stomach jump.

Unable to pull my eyes away from his body quickly, my eyes take long seconds to meet his. White teeth clamp onto his bottom lip, and his eyes hold mine in challenge.

“Wanna help me take care of my little problem?” If I thought he had a sexy voice before, I can vouch that his early morning, throaty words nearly make me breathless.

“Little?” I squeak before catching myself.

Now is not the time to get all weird and awkward, spouting the words that have no place out in the open.

“I’ll be gentle,” he assures me, the playful smile never leaving his lips. “Unless you like being gagged until tears run down your beautiful cheeks? I’m more than willing to give you what you need to have those rosy lips wrapped around my cock.”

Cock.

Such a dirty word, but for some reason, it has that shiver reigniting over my skin.

“You look terrified,” he husks out, shifting, so his body is angled more in my direction. “Sweet really. The little virgin girl scared of me. The thought of you choking on my cock makes my nuts ache. Take care of it for me, Princess.”

My eyes are once again pulled to his hand gripping his length.

“No thanks,” I finally manage to say. “You disgust me.”

He really doesn’t, but the blatant sexual innuendo is being taken too far. I hate him for calling me Princess. I hate him for thinking he can say such awful things to me. But more so, I hate myself for wanting to open my mouth to a boy for the first time in my life.

“You’ll have me in your mouth eventually,” he promises.

I shake my head and turn back to the door. “You have five minutes to be downstairs, or I’m leaving without you.”

I turn right, heading to my room and into my en-suite rather than left to join the rest of the family in the kitchen. My cheeks are burning and much to my dismay, my mouth is watering.

“Vulgar, disgusting asshole,” I hiss as I splash water on my face. Next up is the wad of tissue paper that swipes the color from my lips. “This is never going to work.

I contemplate telling Dad that he’s going to have to find something else for Lawson to do, but I know that means explaining why I have an issue driving him to the animal shelter. Even though he acts like a total jerk every time we speak, I don’t want him to get into trouble. The last thing I want is to put my dad in a position where he feels like he has to choose between the two of us.

“I’m doing it for Drew,” I remind myself in the bathroom mirror.

I don’t know the specifics, but I’ve overheard enough to know that Lawson is on probation for something that happened a while back in Texas. He has community service hours, and if he doesn’t complete them, he’ll be in more trouble. If he is arrested, Drew will suffer, and I’m not petty enough to do something to compromise that. Drew’s nice to me, respectful and actually a pleasure to be around.

“For Drew,” I say with more conviction before turning around and making my way to the front door.

“Been waiting for you, Princess,” Lawson says as I descend the stairs. He glances at the screen of the phone to check the time.

“Have fun you guys,” Pop calls from the kitchen. “See you at dinner time.”

We walk outside, heading around the clubhouse to my car.

“Did you have to change your panties?” Lawson whispers, leaning in so close I can feel the warmth of his breath on my bare shoulder.

“Stop,” I warn.

“Personally,” he says with an audible smile in his voice. “I’ve never gotten off so fast.”

I glare at him. “You can’t be serious?”

I climb inside of my gently used Corolla and hit the unlock button for him. Cranking it, I blast the AC immediately. Even at nine in the morning, New Mexico is hot as hell.

“I can’t wait to get to New England,” I mutter and crack the windows to allow some of the heat to pour out.

“What’s that, Princess?”

“One,” I turn to glare at him. “Stop calling me Princess. Two, quit making sexual advances toward me.”

“You like it,” he counters as I put the car in gear.

“I don’t.”

“I bet if I slide my hand in your panties, you’ll be wet for me.”

I snap my head in his direction, pissed, less about his words and more so because he’d be right. “Try it, and I’ll break your fucking hand.”

In mock surrender, he holds his hands up by his ears. “Damn, Delilah. Chill the fuck out.”

“Please, just stop.”

“I’m just joking with you, giving you a hard time.”

I crinkle my nose oddly annoyed that maybe he doesn’t find me attractive enough to want to do dirty things with. It makes no sense, but I have no control over the emotions.

The trip to the animal shelter remains silent until I speak as we pull in and park in the employee lot. “You’ll be meeting with Dana. She’s the day supervisor. I know Dad spoke with her, but I’m certain he didn’t give her details of why you’re here.”

He nods, the only clue I have that he’s even heard what I said. With anxious energy, his fingers drum on his jean-clad legs. For reasons I don’t even understand, I reach over and calm his left hand by placing mine over it, the contact no less heated than it was last night in the hallway.

“Don’t be nervous,” I say when his eyes meet mine. I pull my hand away when his lip twitches.

“I’m not,” he assures me. “Just ready to pet some dogs.”

I laugh and climb out of the car. When he meets me at the front, I just smile over at him.

“What?” he asks, voice tinted with the agitation I’ve come to associate with him.

“There won’t be much petting for you today.”

“The hell does that mean?”

“You’ll see,” I tell him, the bounce in my step growing with the knowledge that he’s about to have an eye-opening experience.

***

The grumbling meets my ears before I round the corner to the kennels. We’ve been here for four hours already, and I haven’t seen Lawson since I dropped him off with Dana in reception. I went about my day walking the dogs and sitting on the floor while the cats surrounded me to get their ears scratched.

“How does something so little and cute make so much shit?”

I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face. Lawson thought he’d be doing what I come here to do every day, but the community service hours given by the shelter are a little more interactive than the ones of the volunteers. Dana’s take on the situation is that if probationers have to get down and dirty with the less shiny part of the job, then maybe they won’t re-offend. I’ve done my fair share of kennel cleaning when there wasn’t someone else here to do it, so I don’t feel sorry for him at all.

Rounding the corner, I find Lawson crouched low to the ground, coveralls doing nothing to make him any less appealing. He’s scratching at the head of a mid-sized dog of questionable breeding. The dog revels in the attention it’s getting, flopping to his back for a tummy rub when he’s had enough attention paid to his head.

“You didn’t deserve to be left to fend for yourself, did you, Buddy?” The dog yips in excitement. “I know exactly how you feel. Life sucks sometimes.”

My heart begins to thunder in my chest. The pain and understanding in Lawson’s voice are enough to make me take a faltering step back.

“He’s had a rough life. Treat him with kindness,” Dad’s voice rings in my ears.

He stands abruptly, the classic Lawson sneer marring his gorgeous face. He can’t even be real with himself. The thought saddens me.

“You gonna help me tomorrow?” The dog yips and turns in a quick circle. “You can’t spray a hose so maybe just shit a little less?”

He grins when the dog yips again and tries to bite at the spray coming from the end of the hose as he begins to clean the kennel.

I back away, giving him the time he needs, but knowing just how much it sucks to be stuck in your own head. He needs a friend, someone he can speak to without judgment, but his mouth ruins everything. His defenses are up so high he’ll destroy any form of friendship I try to offer.