Burning Down the House (26 page)

“
Good girl!” Erik lowered me back to the starting position. “Well, this is going to be easier than I expected. I can tell that you’ve partnered before.”

“
I did a little in my class last year in Greenville.”

“I thought so. You’re doing very well.
I think we may as well move forward. Let’s try it again, but this time I’d like to have you fall into a fish dive. Are you comfortable with that?”

“As long as you promise to catch me!”

“Well, if I don’t the floor will.” He laughed at my dicey look. “Relax, it was just a bad joke. I’ve never dropped a danseuse yet.”

“Good to know.”
I bent my knees in a plié and sprang upward while his hands supported me smoothly on his shoulder.

“And…here we go.”
Falling into his arm, I let one hand reach gracefully for the floor while he bent his knee to tilt me downward. “Beautiful!” he praised, gently lifting me upright and placing me back en pointe.

Approaching us from across the studio,
Miss Andrews clapped in approval. “Très bien, Reine des Neiges!”

Another pair of hands joined
in and I turned my head to see Rob applauding from the archway. He’d come from his break at work to pick me up. I could feel my face light up with a sunny smile. “Uh-oh, time to go. My ride’s here.”

Erik
patted my shoulder. “All right. Good job…see you Wednesday.”

“Plan to stay late
Wednesday if you can, Sara,” Miss Andrews added. “Maybe an extra hour? I’m hoping the costumes will be in by then.”

“Okay
, I will. See you then.” I scurried into the dressing room to change out of the pointe shoes and grab my things before joining Rob. He took my bag from me and carried it in one hand, throwing his free arm across my shoulders. Outside, the temperature had dropped and the air was icy cold against my sweaty skin. It felt good to be in the warmth of the SUV.

“How was practice?”
Rob asked, turning up the heat for me.

“
Well, I didn’t faceplant into the floor, so I guess I’d call it a success.”

“You looked good. I like watching you dance.
There’s something almost…erotic about it.” He glanced my way, a sly grin curving his lips. “So that guy from the university…is it like, psycho-possessive of me that I’m kinda hoping he’s gay?”

Hiding a smile, I reached into my duffel bag for a sweater and slipped my arms into
the sleeves. “He’s not gay. He does have a girlfriend though. She’s pre-med.”

“
Yeah? Good.”

“Although I’m not sure how serious they are.”

“Are you messing with me on purpose?”

“Me? Never.”

“Little devil. You hungry? Want me to stop at Taco Bell or something?”

“
I don’t know - are you getting anything?”

“No, I
have to get back to work. I’ll eat something later.”

“I guess not then. I’ll just fix a sandwich
at home. You still getting off at nine?”

“Yeah. If it’s a slow night, I might be able to skip out a little early.”

“I really hope it’s a slow night,” I said, reaching for his hand.

“So do I, babydoll. So. Do. I.”

Once he dropped me off at home, I headed straight for the bathroom and a long, hot soak in the tub. After drying my hair and getting into a pair of warm thermal PJ’s, I tried to focus on an English Lit composition that was due on Friday. But I couldn’t even start to concentrate. My mind kept wandering back to the conversation with Jordan. I tried to dissect her words and analyze them, but came up with nothing rational.

You still don’t get it, do you?

What the hell did she mean by that? Was she insinuating something targeted specifically at me, or was it just proof that she was losing her grip on reality? Out of curiosity I did a quick Google search, typing in “love is a rebellious bird.” The results were interesting. It wasn’t just random gibberish - she was quoting words from the famous opera aria, Habanera. I’d heard the solo before but since it was in French I never understood the lyrics. Why was she quoting opera lyrics to me, of all things?

Well, in my opinion that just confirmed what I
already suspected. The girl was mentally unbalanced. Those pregnancy hormones were making her overemotional and sappy or who knows what. From now on it would be best to just try and avoid her altogether. I had enough going on in my life without getting drawn into all her complicated drama.

By
8:30 I was having trouble keeping my eyes open, so I abandoned the essay to curl up in bed beneath the cozy blankets. I didn’t intend to fall asleep, but the next thing I knew Rob was sliding in beside me and cradling me with a strong arm.

“
What time is it?” I mumbled, lacking the energy to even lift my head and look at the clock.

“A little after ten.
”

“
Mm…you just getting home?”

“I’ve been home for about an hour.
I took a shower and got something to eat.”

“You shoulda woke me up…”

“Baby, you were out like a light. I didn’t wanna wake you.”

I stirred a bit, trying to rouse myself enough to talk to him. “
Um. How was work?”

“
Really good, actually. Too bad it’s a seasonal job. It’s kinda fun. Oh, guess who I saw tonight?”

“Who?”

“Your little mini-me from next door. The Westons came out to get a tree. She told me she wanted, and I quote, ‘a great big fat one like the one in my coloring book at home.’”

I smiled. Yep, that sounded like Peyton all right. “Well, did you find her a great big fat one like
the one in her coloring book?”

“I think she was happy with the one
they ended up with. Thing was huge. Took me forever to get it tied to the top of their car.”

“Oh yeah?” Rolling over to face him, I
folded one leg over his hip and asked flirtatiously, “How big
was
it?”

Grabbing
my backside, he pressed me against him and almost instantly I felt the answer to my question. “
This
big. And I thought you were tired.”

“
I was. But suddenly I feel…very wide awake.” One touch from him did more to revive me than a cardiac defibrillator. A week without him was seven damn days too many. Shimmying out of my pajamas in record time, I tossed them to the floor before reestablishing myself in his arms. “Show me how big it was, sexy man.”

“
It was a monstrosity,” he assured me before biting my lower lip gently. “Mm….far too much for a little girl like you to handle.”

“Is that right?”

“That’s right.”

“
I don’t believe you. I think I can handle anything you have to give me, mister.”

“
Oh, you think so?”

“I know so.”

“Well, why don’t we put that to the test.” Relinquishing my lips, he trailed kisses down my neck, pausing briefly at each breast before blazing a path down my belly until he reached my lower abdomen where I suddenly tensed.

“Wha…um, what are you doing?” I
squeaked nervously, my earlier bravado suddenly gone.

He lifted his head
slowly. In the pale glow of moonlight through the gossamer curtains I saw his roguish smile. “What do you think?”

“Oh.
Wait a second. I’m not…this is, um…”

“Backing down already?”

“No! I just…I don’t know if…uh…” I was at a loss for words. After everything we’d already shared there was no logical reason something like this should bother me, but somehow the idea of his face buried between my legs was really freaking me out. I hadn’t expected him to try this. It was a little intimidating. “Rob…”

“
Mm…?”

“I don’t
think this…ah…this is…I…ah…
oohhh
…”

So much for
freaking out. Getting my freak on was more like it.

H
is flicking tongue drove me to the brink of insanity until I literally couldn’t take it anymore and I found myself shamelessly begging, “Rob…
now
…please…”

He turned his head to
lightly kiss the inside of my thigh. “What, baby? What do you want? Tell me.”

“I want
you
.” There it was, spelled out in the simplest terms. I wanted him so desperately it hurt. He was the missing part that completed me, and every moment without him was like trying to breathe without air. I needed to be consumed by him, claimed by him. Fortunately he didn’t waste any time. His body covered mine in the space of a heartbeat.

“Like this? Is this what you want?”

“Oh, yes…that’s it…
yes
…”

Throwing one of my legs over his shoulder, he drove into me deeply, reaching places never before touched.
I rode the waves of pleasure that wracked my body while he lost himself in his rapid thrusts. “Is this…what you had…in mind?”

“Yes! Yes! Harder…”

“Harder?”

“
Please!
”

Like the gentleman he was, he
willingly obliged. I’ll be completely blunt here when I say that he rode me hard and by the time he was finished with me I knew what it meant to be owned - body, heart and soul. Exquisitely, exclusively owned.

I
t was some time later, sated and snuggled in the warmth of his arms, that my thoughts began to involuntarily stray again. They crept back to Jordan’s obscure words, to her erratic behavior in general. And the necklace she wore like an emblem, a tribute to someone who might or might not be Riley.

I couldn’t
prevent myself from speculating about the unspecified baggage that she wanted out of the way. As much as I didn’t want her in my head she was there nonetheless, planting thorny little seedlings of doubt.

You still don’t get it, do you?

I couldn’t ignore her voice any longer. It wouldn’t stop whispering in my head.

“
Rob?”

“Hm?”

“You don’t…you don’t happen to like opera music by any chance, do you?”

“
Not particularly. Why? Did you want me to take you to the opera?”

“I was just
wondering.”

“
I mean…if you really want to go, I’ll take you. Just don’t be surprised if I can’t stay awake through the whole thing. Not a huge fan, I gotta say.”

“
I don’t like the opera - it was just a hypothetical question.” I paused uncertainly before forging ahead with my inquest. “Um…Rob? You were telling me the truth about Jordan, weren’t you? That it was only the one time and it was two years ago?”

He met my gaze
with a troubled look. “Where’s this coming from? She been messing with you again?”

“No…not
exactly. It’s just some of the things she said -”

“
What
did she say?”

I hesitated. “
I’m not even sure. To tell you the truth, none of it made much sense.”

“
Sara.” His eyes never left mine. “Listen to me. I promise you, I already told you everything there was to tell. Whatever crazy shit she’s been feeding you, that’s all it is. Crazy bullshit. I don’t even talk to the girl anymore - you should know that. I’m not sure what’s gotten into her lately but I do know this. I didn’t lie to you. I would never lie to you, baby. Never. Okay?”

Sighing
contentedly, I offered up an apologetic smile. “Okay.” He wouldn’t lie to me. Of course he wouldn’t - he loved me. I never had any doubt of that.

“You’re the only
one I care about. The only one I want to be with. You have to trust me on that.”

“
I know. I just…you know what, never mind. You’re right. I swear - no more listening to Jordan.” No more eye contact, no more anything. She was nobody. She didn’t exist anymore.

“Good. Girl’s a wackadoodle.” Closing his eyes, he nestled his head against my
breasts. “You feel so good. I could stay like this forever. You have no idea how much I’ve missed sleeping with you.”

“Me, too.” I stroked his silky hair and listened to his
breathing as it slowed into a deeper and more relaxed rhythm.

“
I sleep so much better when you’re next to me…” His voice was muffled and drowsy. I continued to run my fingers gently through his hair as my own eyes closed. The last thing I heard him softly mumble before we both fell asleep was, “You keep the nightmares away.”

22

I managed to avoid
Jordan through the rest of the week. It wasn’t hard - all I had to do was make sure I didn’t look her way or do anything that might encourage her to approach me. Even so, I did notice out of the corner of my eye that she appeared livelier and way more cheerful than she had in recent days. I’ve always heard that pregnant women are supposed to have this glow about them. Must be some truth to that. Or maybe the MIA father had contacted her, which I sincerely hoped was the case. A good support system might help keep her grounded.

Friday night was
the dreaded performance of
Romeo and Juliet
, and to my tremendous relief I got through it without making a complete fool of myself. I swallowed my stage fright and managed to remember all the lines, and the only anxious part was when I stepped on the hem of my stupid costume and almost tripped. Thank goodness it was just a momentary stumble and Brady grabbed my arm to steady me, but we were both struggling hard not to laugh out loud for a long time after that. At least it served to break the tension. And with the final bow at curtain call, I heaved a huge sigh of relief that this colossal pain in the ass was behind me.

I couldn’t believe it when
we walked offstage and there was Riley Murphy watching from the wings, smiling and congratulating the cast members, shaking hands like he was the freaking prime minister of Assastonia. I slipped away from the crowd to search for Dana backstage, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Other than his pregomatic ex, Riley was the
last
person I wanted to bump into. I found her in one of the cavernous dressing rooms with Trent, gathering her stuff together.

“I
wish I could keep this dress,” she lamented, adjusting the flowing sleeves. “I don’t want to give it back. It’s so pretty. I feel so totally medieval.”

“
Give me a smile, medieval wenches,” Trent commanded, snapping a picture of us with his cell phone while we posed cheek to cheek.

“Did you see me almost fall on my face?” I giggled, bumping her with my hip.

“Was that what you and Brady were laughing about? I was wondering what was so funny. No, I missed it. What hap -” Dana halted in midsentence as her gaze fell on something behind me. “Well, well. If it isn’t Runaway Romeo,” she drawled. I looked over my shoulder even though I already knew exactly who she was talking about.

“Hello, ladies.”
Riley strolled up to us with a dazzling smile, bait-and-switch charm turned up to full power. “You both look absolutely enchanting this evening.”

Dana
and I exchanged wary glances. “Thanks,” she replied flatly. I let her tepid response speak for both of us.

Trent
was slightly more receptive. “How’s it goin’, man?”

“
Oh, you know…just hangin’ in there. Taking it one day at a time.”

“Yeah, I hear ya.
Gonna stop by the cast party?”

“
Nah. Something tells me Clarke wouldn’t be too thrilled to see me there.”

“
A’ight. Well, take it easy. Good to see you, man.” Trent placed a hand on Dana’s back, clearly impatient to be on his way. “Ready to go? You riding with us, Miss Juliet?”

I shook my head. “No, that’s okay. I’ll see you guys there.”

“Smoochies!” Dana blew me a kiss as Trent led her away. I waved back at her before awkwardly facing Riley again. Simply walking away wasn’t an option for me. Not when I had so many questions.

“So
. Looks like you pulled it off without any major problems.” He lifted up the end of his tie and inspected it, apparently reluctant to look me in the eye.

“
Mm-hm. Just glad it’s over.”

“Should
a been me out there. Brady made a sucky Romeo, if you ask me.”

“Well, whose fault is that?”
I demanded, my irritation boiling up. “You were the one who walked out, you know. And I don’t just mean on the play.” Maybe everyone else was willing to skirt around the issue, but I’ve never been into this PC crap. Golden Boy didn’t need to be coddled and pandered to anymore. He was screwing up more than just his own life. Lowering my voice, I asked, “Why are you doing this, Riley? How can you just disappear and leave her to face this by herself? Are you really that much of a coward?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He rolled up the end of his tie before letting go to watch it unroll against his
designer dress shirt.

“I know
you haven’t been at school. Did you really transfer to Cedar Grove?”

Roll, unroll. “
Uh-huh.”

“Why? Did your parents
talk you into it?”

“No. They didn’t
talk me into anything. It was their idea though.”

“Then you really are
planning to just run and hide from this. Aren’t you?”

No response. Roll, unroll.

“You unbelievable piece of shit…”

He
finally looked up at me, and I was stunned into silence by the hardened smirk on his face. “Hey. Listen.
I’m
not the piece of shit here. That little bastard in her belly isn’t even mine. Capiche? So why don’t you get off your high horse, prima donna, and get your facts straight before you start in with the name-calling.”

Shocked
, I just stood there staring at him like an idiot, not knowing how to respond to his revelation. Was it even the truth? Why should I believe him? Then again, why would he lie when everyone knew a simple blood test would provide the proof?

“Then
whose is it?”

“How
the fuck would I know? All I know is, it can’t be mine. The last time we had sex was the first part of May, not long before she broke it off with me. I don’t care how you fudge the numbers - that doesn’t even begin to add up. She’d have to be seven months along by now.” He glanced around, obviously worried that someone might overhear. The majority of people had already grabbed their belongings and cleared out. “Her parents called mine right after they found out she was pregnant, making all kinds of threats. She’s slandering my name all over school - well, maybe that’s not the right word for it. I don’t know if she ever came right out and said I was the father. But she’s definitely letting everyone believe it. That’s why I left. Nobody’s gonna take my word over hers. And I sure as hell don’t need this kinda shit!”

I frowned. “
Riley, all you’d have to do is get a DNA test…”

“
She’s refusing. And trust me, my parents have already consulted an attorney. If she tries to list me as the father on the kid’s birth certificate, we’ll get a court order for a paternity test.”

“
But…I don’t get it. Why would she try to lay this on you instead of the actual father? She has to know it won’t fly in the end.”

“Hell, I don’t know
! I think the girl has mental issues. Seriously, she hasn’t been acting like a rational human being since summer. You know, she never even gave me a reason for ditching me. She just shut me out completely, wouldn’t take my calls or talk to me - I don’t even know why she agreed to go to homecoming with me. All she did was act like a complete bitch the whole night. It was obvious she didn’t want to be there with me in the first place.”

“She told me she was trying to make someone else jealous,” I recalled.

His eyes sparked with interest. “She did? Did she say who?”

“No.
She never said who it was.”

“Huh.” He tilted his head thoughtfully.
“Interesting. So the bitch was just using me. I should have guessed. Well, it doesn’t matter who the sperm donor is. Before long everyone will find out what a lying, manipulative
slut
she is!” He practically spat the insult as he grew more and more agitated. “I can’t believe I ever thought I was in love with that…that gutter trash. Can you? Jesus Christ, she makes me sick. Nasty fucking whore…her future is shit now. It’s total
shit
. I hope she knows that.”

He sounded so spiteful, so overwrought with emotion, I wasn’t sure how much of what he was saying to take seriously. I’d never seen him like this before. The
look in his eyes indicated that there were about two seconds remaining on his timer before the bomb went off.

“I
should probably go now,” I told him, edging backward. “Rob and my dad are waiting for me in the lobby. So…you know.”

The fury disappeared so quickly I wondered if it had ever
really been there to begin with. “Oh…sure. I won’t keep you. Just wanted to let you know what a good job you did tonight. Hey, why don’t I give you a call you sometime. Maybe we can get together. Have dinner or something.”

Like hell!
“Uh-huh. Yeah. Well…I’ll see you around, okay? Take it easy.”

“
You too, princess.”

Making my escape,
I hurried off in the direction of the lobby while holding the long skirts up so I could avoid tripping over them again. Surprisingly, I was detained several times by lingering audience members who wanted to commend my performance. Which was pretty funny considering I’d basically giggled my way through the first act. A seasoned professional, I was not. Probably time to cross Broadway off my list of future endeavors.

Dad and
Rob were, as I’d predicted, waiting for me in the front lobby, both of them looking dashingly handsome in dress slacks and sport coats. I wanted to wrap my arms around Rob and breathe in his spicy cologne, but of course I couldn’t do that in front of present company.

“There’s my
Juliet!” Dad put an arm around my shoulder. “You did a beautiful job, ladybug. I don’t know how in the world you managed to remember all that Shakespeare, but I am truly impressed.”

“Lo
oootta practice.” I snuck a quick look at Rob, who was standing beside him with the rolled-up program in one hand, tapping it lightly against his thigh. His faint smile was barely discernable, hidden behind a masquerade that cloaked the secret we both shared. I felt my stomach flutter.

“I
got some of it on video - thought you might like to send it to your mom,” Dad continued.

“You did? Oh, that’s awesome
- thank you. I hope it wasn’t the part where I was laughing…oh my gosh, that was
so
embarrassing.”

“Yeah
- what were you two so tickled about? You had everyone in the audience cracking up.”

“I stepped on my dress and almost
wound up on the floor. I knew I should have had it altered. It’s way too long.”

Dad chuckled. “Oh, I see. Well, it must not have been too obvious. I didn’t even notice.”

“Good…”

“
Still going to the cast party?”

“Yeah, I should probably stop by since
Mr. Clarke went to all the trouble of hosting it for us. I don’t plan on staying long though.” That last statement was more for Rob’s benefit. I would have liked for him to accompany me, but that might seem strange to my dad. It probably already struck him as odd that Rob left work early just so he could come with him to see the play I was in. I hated that we had to keep up this charade. But the possible consequences just weren’t worth the risk.

“All right. I think we’re about to head on home
, sweetheart…you be careful driving back.”

“I will. See you in a little while.” I watched them walk away, smiling back at
Rob when he turned his head to wink at me over his shoulder.

Pushing
a draped sleeve out of the way, I checked my watch. It was right at 10:30. If I left now, maybe I could be home by midnight.

Later, for whatever reason, that simple gesture of checking the time would
return to haunt me. I didn’t know it then, but that hour began a countdown. A relentless pendulum ticking away the last carefree day before it would all fall apart. Not for me directly, though I was ultimately involved.

It was f
or the one who, at that exact moment, had a mere 24 hours left to live.