Because of You (7 page)

I’m so excited that Hunter’s teaching me how to drive. Since I was sixteen I’ve wanted my license, but my mom wouldn’t let me. She didn’t have the time nor the money to send me to Drivers Ed, so I had to depend on Ashley or her mom to drive me to school.

Hunter and I had so much fun this past weekend and he did tell his friend Craig that I was his girlfriend. But am I, really? Why would he let me continue to see Parker? If it was the other way around I wouldn’t want Hunter seeing anyone else, even as friends.

It’s such a beautiful day, so I convinced Parker to hang out at the beach. He’s not supposed to get here until lunchtime so I decide to go running first. Strapping on my iPod, I search for one of my favorite playlists and begin my jog. I concentrate on the beat of the music and my breathing as I make my way down the coast.

When I get to the spot where I normally turn around I see a familiar face ambling their way towards me. I never get tired of looking at him, he’s even sexier with his lifeguard trunks and his whistle around his neck. The only thing missing is his tattoo, which makes me miss the smiling face of his brother.

“Hey beautiful, fancy meeting you here. ” Hunter cups my face and crushes his mouth to mine, leaving me a bit light-headed.

“I’m all sweaty, babe. ” Chuckling, I pull away.

“Can’t a guy be glad to see his girl?” He smiles down at me. “I picked up your manual this morning. Is it okay if I stop by later to drop it off?”

His girl, well hell.

“Yeah, Parker and I will be hanging out at the beach all day. Just stop by after work. ” Looking up at him I try to gauge his expression, but he doesn’t look angry.

“Sounds good; I’ll see you later. ” He pulls me in, kissing me senseless. He has my toes curling. Damn.

I watch him jog down the beach before turning around and heading home. He called me his girl, what does that mean? He never flinched when I mentioned that Parker and I would be hanging out. I don’t get it. I pegged him for the jealous type—guess not.

After showering, I change into my most modest bikini before heading down to the beach so I can soak up some sun before Parker gets here.

“Hey Riley, thanks for waiting for me. ” Glancing up I see a staggering Parker heading my way.

“It’s not like the beach is so crowded you won’t find me. ” What’s with that look on his face?

“Even if the beach were crowded I could pick you out immediately, gorgeous." He leers at me as he sits down too close to me. Trying to scoot over I realize my blanket has ended and I’m right near the sand. Great!

I’m not comfortable with him this close. “Could you move over a bit? I’m almost off the blanket. ”

“Why don’t you just lie on top of me. You can be my blanket?” he snorts as his hand shoots out to wrap around my waist.

When I try standing up I stumble, landing flat on my back, which gives him the perfect opportunity. He straddles me, pinning my wrists to my sides before he asks, “Did I interrupt your little moment with Hunter on the jet ski the other day?” He wiggles his eyebrows, taunting me.

That Bastard!

I’m so angry that I can’t catch my breath when he forces his mouth on mine. I’m starting to hyperventilate so I try biting hard on his lip before passing out. When he presses his arousal against my core I realize he thinks I’m turned on. Dear God, help me or I’m going to be raped on this very beach. There’s no one home but when his mouth wanders down my chest I scream bloody murder, praying someone will hear me.

I asked Alex if he would mind finishing my shift for me today. After running into Riley on the beach, I don’t want her hanging out with Parker anymore. She’s mine. I’m getting out of the Jeep when I hear the cry of the gulls flying over. Then I hear it again but the gulls are long gone. I go racing around the corner to see Parker on top of Riley by the edge of the water.

What the Hell!

Racing across the yard I fling open the gate as I sprint down to the beach. He’s got his mouth against the curve of her breasts, I’m going to fucking kill him! Putting him into a choke hold causes him to let go of Riley as I jerk him off her. When I stand him up in front of me I see the fear in his eyes before I punch him in his preppy face. Hitting the ground he throws his hands up in surrender. He doesn’t want to fight me, the pussy.

My body’s shaking from the adrenaline rush that’s pulsating through me. “You have ten seconds to get the fuck out of here, or I won’t be responsible for what happens next. ” Riley steps between us, wrapping her arms around me. I nuzzle my face in her neck and breathe her in. I realize at this very moment that I couldn’t survive if anything happened to her.

Glancing up I see that preppy’s long gone. “You know I could have kicked his ass with one hand tied behind my back?” She smiles against my chest.

“I’ve no doubt in my mind you would have won, but I don’t want you getting in trouble because of me. ” She gazes up at me and my heart melts.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I want to know if he tried this before.

“That wasn’t the same Parker who hung out with me last week. It was almost like he was drunk, but he didn’t smell like alcohol. ” She stares into space as she trembles.

“Maybe he’s high on drugs or something. You should talk to your dad about it. ” I watch as she picks up the blanket.

“Maybe I will; he can talk to Parker’s dad. What are you doing home from work so early?” Her smile lights up her face.

“After seeing you earlier today, I wanted to talk to you. ” Grabbing the blanket from her I lay it on the ground. Sitting down I pull her onto my lap, circling my arms around her. My chin rests on her shoulder as she snuggles against me.

“Riley, before you came there was an emptiness inside of me. But the moment I saw you sitting by the pool that morning, I knew what I was missing.
You
. I have never wanted anyone the way I want you. I don’t want to fight it anymore. You already stole my heart, now I
need
you to take the rest of me. ” My heart’s thudding inside my chest, I just bared my soul and I’m hoping she feels the same.

This is the moment I’ve been longing for. For him to admit that he wants me as much as I want him. But after what just happened on the beach with Parker, it feels wrong. There’s no way I’m telling him it was Parker who caused the jet ski debacle. He would lose it.

Grabbing his hand I place it over my heart as I gaze into his anxious eyes. “I want you to know that you already own my heart. I gave it to you the day I looked in the mirror and discovered the person you see when you look at me, not the devil my mother made me out to be. You know I’m the one who’s been pushing you to take this to the next level, but after everything that happened today with Parker, I don’t want our first time to be a reminder of that. ” Suddenly I think of Parker’s lips on my breasts, causing me to shudder.

He leans his forehead against mine. “I would never push you to do anything you’re not ready for. You know that, right?”

“I know, I trust you completely. Would it be okay if I spend the night with you after the bonfire on Friday night?” I ask nervously.

He rubs his hands up and down my arms. “If that’s what you really want, then I would love for you to stay.” He gazes tenderly at me. “All I want is to spend the night with you curled up in my arms and to be the first person I see when I wake. I won’t be the one to rush you into anything you’ll regret later. ” He kisses me gently on the lips before he stands up, placing me next to him.

As we’re walking to the house it finally sinks into my pea little brain what he just said. “Do you think I’m still a virgin?” I ask, stunned.

He turns to me while he shrugs his shoulders. “I know you led a sheltered life, so I assumed you were. ” He brushes my cheek with his thumb while trying to hide his embarrassment.

“Well you know what happens when you assume, right Hunter?” I’m smiling like the cat that ate the canary.

“Yeah, I do, but please don’t make me say it. ” He starts laughing while his cheeks turn a nice shade of red. Finally, he’s blushing instead of me!

“You make an ass out of you and me. ” As I say the word ass I slap his for good measure. Wow, talk about buns of steel! Now I have to fan myself.

“I knew you had to go there. You couldn’t drop it, could you?” He lowers his eyes, shaking his head.

When we get to the kitchen, he leans down and whispers in my ear. “I don’t want to spoil the moment, but I think you should see if your dad’s home and talk to him about Parker. If you want me there all you have to do is call. ”

His hands are splayed tightly around my waist as I turn my head, capturing his mouth with mine. I hear his sharp intake of breath when I taste
him
for a change. When I pull away, I look up into those steamy blue eyes. “Thank you for rescuing me today. I don’t want to think…”

He puts his finger over my lips to quiet me. “I will do anything to keep you safe, you know that. ”

“I know you want to protect me, but I don’t want you getting in trouble because of me. I will talk to my dad about what happened. ”

“Talk to me about what?”

Shit, I didn’t know Dad had walked into the kitchen. I’m so busted.

I left Riley so she could talk to her dad about what happened. It’s up to her now how she wants to handle the situation. Although, I know Scott won’t force her to do anything she doesn’t want to. She’s basically been on her own since she was six, which has given her a maturity beyond her eighteen years.

I wonder how old she was when she lost her virginity, how many guys she’s slept with, if she’s on any form of birth control. I have a million questions running through my brain. Damn I need a beer.

Grabbing one out of the fridge I flop down on the couch and put my feet up on the table. Then it hits me like a ton of bricks; I’m crazy about a girl I don’t know jack shit about. I don’t know what her favorite color is, what kinds of music she likes to listen to, what her favorite food is. Wow, this is starting to bother the living shit out of me.

After finishing my first beer, I realize that these are trivial things that you learn about someone after you’ve dated them for a while.

The reason my heart beats faster and I get this stupid grin on my face when I see her is because she’s courageous, forgiving, gentle and kind.

The thought of being on my own when I was six years old terrifies me, yet she did it, and that makes her courageous. The fact that she has forgiven her father for walking out on her and her mother makes her a much better person than I ever could be. I see the gentleness in her eyes every time she looks at me, touches me, or kisses me.

When I told her about my family, she didn’t pity me; she showed nothing but kindness and affection. Now I feel like a dick because I haven’t been totally honest with her but if I tell her the truth, I could lose her. I’d rather die.

Getting up to grab another beer my cell phone vibrates in my pocket.

“Hunter, could you please come to the house?” she’s hysterical. “My dad wants me to press charges against Parker. ” She’s sobbing uncontrollably.

“I’m already out the door. Don’t cry baby, it’ll be okay. ” Taking the stairs two at a time I open the kitchen door and she flings herself into my arms. Slipping my hand under her hair I rub the nape of her neck while stroking her wet cheeks.

She has her arms securely around my waist and I can feel her hands fisting my shirt, trying to pull me closer. “You have to make him understand, I can’t do it! I won’t do it!”

Cupping her face in my hands I use my thumbs to brush away her tears. Tilting her head so she’s looking up at me I say, “Riley, why don’t you let me talk to your dad, alone? I’ll give him my version of what I saw and we’ll go from there. ” I kiss her forehead, the tip of her nose and then her pouty lips.

“He’s in his office,” she says as I’m walking out of the kitchen.

I get ready to knock on his door when it opens. “I only have a few minutes, come on in. ” He walks over to his desk, leaning on the corner. “First I would like to thank you for being there, I don’t even want to think…” He shakes his head, too upset to finish.

I hold my hand up to stop him. “You don’t have to thank me. Just give me some time to tell you what I saw.” He nods, so I start talking.

My jaw clenches as I tell Scott what happened. I don’t want to sugar coat it so I tell him about the way Parker was acting—as though he were high.

“I’m leaving now to talk to Jim, Parker’s dad. I will see how this meeting goes first before we do anything drastic. My main concern, and it should be Riley’s also, is that this doesn’t happen to any other girl. The next girl might not be so lucky; she might not have a hero to save her. ” He walks over to shake my hand before heading out the door.

After Hunter talked to my dad, he took me out for another driving lesson. I know he did this to take my mind off of everything, that’s why I’m crazy about him. We went to the same lot as before and when he thought I had practiced enough, he let me drive on the road. My hands were sweating so much I had to wipe them on my shorts every time we stopped at the light. I could hear him chuckling as I kept my eyes straight ahead.

He had me drive to Jake’s so we could grab a burger for dinner. I didn’t realize how famished I was until all the smells assaulted me as I walked through the door. The last thing I ate was a muffin and a cup of coffee before my run this morning.

Feeling a warm hand glide over mine, I look up to see Hunter staring at me. “What are you dreaming about, Riley?” He lifts my hand to his mouth, pressing a kiss to my palm.

“I just want to close my eyes and have this nightmare over with. ” Shrugging my shoulders I give him a weak smile.

“Your dad will make sure Parker will never do this to you, or anyone for that matter, ever again. He’s a good lawyer. Let him handle it. ” He looks at me with those baby blues, making my heart flutter.

When the waitress brings us our food, a comfortable silence fills the air. I’m so hungry at this point, I can’t shovel it in fast enough.

When we finish eating I lean back in the booth and close my eyes. I feel myself drifting off to sleep when a pair of strong arms wrap around me. I can barely open my eyes when I feel Hunter scoop me up and carry me to the Jeep. Cradling my head against his neck I take in his manly scent, along with a hint of coconut against his sun-kissed skin.

I open my eyes only when he buckles me up and closes the door.

“I’m sorry I dozed off on you, my belly was full. ” A giggle erupts from me as I stifle a yawn.

“I won’t take it personally. You’ve had an emotional day. ” He rests his hand on my leg and fans his fingers out, touching the inside of my thigh. The heat from his hand ignites a path directly to my girlie parts, which in turn makes my nipples instantly hard. I’m awake now with my body on high alert, begging for more.

When he pulls into the driveway, I can’t wait until the vehicle comes to a complete stop before jumping out. “I have to use the bathroom. I’ll call you later. ” A smile fans across his gorgeous face as I race through the front door, slamming into my father.

“Here you are. I’ve looked everywhere for you. I just came home from Jim’s; it seems like Parker started using drugs again. ” He leads me into the den, so I sit down on the sofa. “Jim assured me that he was placing Parker into rehab and this would never happen again. They both wanted to apologize in person, but I told them I didn’t think that would be appropriate under the circumstances. ” He pats my leg like I’m two years old.

“It’s a good thing they didn’t come here. Hunter would have kicked his ass and I wouldn’t have stopped him. If you don’t mind I’m going up to bed. I’m exhausted. ” As I start to leave, I turn to look back at him. “Thanks for going there to talk to them… it means a lot to me. ” He nods as he gives me a sad smile.

I’m so tired, I don’t even bother to call Hunter. Going in the bathroom I brush my teeth before throwing myself on my bed, fully clothed. It doesn’t take long before I feel myself slipping into oblivion.