Hooked (12 page)

   
“
There were some problems where I used to live
,
”
h
e said giving me nothing.

   
“Oka
y
, we’ll come back to that in a minute, why were you mean to me?”

   
“I wasn’t mean to you, I was just trying to keep my distance from you.”

   
“Again, why?” I asked impatiently.

   
“
Because…
you’re
too good for me
.
”
H
e grabbed my hands and put them into his.  “You’re a good girl
,
Millie…innocen
t, sweet.
  I’m so far from that.”

     “Okay, I’m going to trust that you believe that because you have given me no reason not trust you
,
but I feel like
you’re
not telling me the exact reason
,
” I said looking down and waiting for his answer.

     “Millie,
”
he said as he put his hand under my chin,
“look at me
.
L
ike I said
,
I had some trouble where we used to live and I
wasn’t trying
to get involved with anyone because it was just easier to get through these next few months until I could be on my own.”

     “So
,
where does that leave us?”

     “I’ve tried to stay away from you
,
but it’s too hard.  It’s like I am drawn to you.  When you are around, my world gets brighter.  I
can’t
explain
i
t
,
but I just want to be around you, learn more about you
.  Hell, I love just looking at you
,
”
h
e says as he rubs my arms on both sides.

    
I looked at him with a raised eyebrow
and said
, “You cuss a lot.”  It was merely an observation on my part. 

    
He laughed a bit before he said, “I didn’t realize it.”

     “Well, you do.”

     “I like you
,
Millie
.  Y
ou are special, different from anyone I’ve ever met.”

     “I like you too
,
Cash and I’m not scared of you.  Your past doesn’t scare me.  I will admit that whatever this is between
us
is a little scary just because I feel the same way you do.  I can’t explain it either, but it is like it has taken over my whole life, I can’t think of anything other than you,”
I said
unexpectedly.

  
  He leans over and gets right next to me.  “I never said you were.”

     I
interrupt his attempt to kiss me again and put my fingertips on his lips.  “So, what are we going to do?
”
  I ask keeping my fingers firmly on his lips.

     “The first thing you are
gonna
do
,
sweetheart, is remove your fingers from my lips.  I’m only human and
you’re
making me very tempted right now
,
”
h
e says as he nibbles my fingers. 

    
I pull them away and blush.  He brushes my cheek with his hand and it lingers there for a minute before he grabs a
strand of my hair and softly, very softly
,
plays with the lock until he gets all the way down to the end of it.  The whole time he never took his eyes from
mine
.  It felt more intimate that anything I’ve ever felt before, like he could see inside me. 

    
“I love your hair, it’s so long and soft
,
”
he whispers in that spot right below my ear.

     “Thank you, but explain to
me how me putting my fingers on your mouth is tempting you.”

     “Because, when I’m around you, all I want to do is touch you and kiss
every square inch of
you
,
but when you touch me?  It puts a whole new spin on it
because then I start thinking you want the same thing.”
I smile as I realize I have more power with him that I originally thought.  He notices my
smile and
apparently
read my mind.  “Don’t tease me sweetheart, it
only proposes a challenge for me and you should know
,
I never back down from a challenge
,
”
h
e says teasing me.
“
Teasing isn’t very nice
and you are way too sweet to be mean
.
”
H
e
winks
at me.

   
I laugh at that, “Why do you call me sweetheart?”  I realize after I asked the question that I sounded like a little kid when I said it
.

    
“
Because
,
it suits you.  You are sweet, beautiful, caring, everything I could dream of.  Here lately, all I can think of is putting that beautiful smile on your face.  I knew from the moment I first saw you, you were a sweetheart, and I wanted you to be my sweetheart.”

    
“I’m so sorry you got arrested last night.”

     “Millie, don’t worry about it, it’s cool.  It was worth it because that dumbass deserved it.  I’m good, I promise
,
”
h
e says as he takes my hand.  I love that he is always touching me.  It’s not really sexual, it’s just like he can’t be around me and not touch me.

     “It’s not cool
,
Cash.  I’m upset about this.  If I wouldn’t have been
drinking
, none of this would have ever happened.”

    
“I’ll admit that I don’t like it when people drink or do drugs and that’s for personal reasons, but what that
dumbas
---sorry, douche bag (he cocks and eyebrow
as if to say was that better,
I nod and he keeps going) what he was trying to do pissed me off.  Sorry, I don’t like it when people take advantage of other’s weaknesses.  I’ll admit that it made me mad as hell that he was touching you.”

    
“I understand everything you said, I just feel so bad for the way everything happened.”

     “Don’t.  I think it’s a good thing
,
”
h
e says and
winks at me and gives me that sideways smile that makes me melt inside.

     “What?”  I
ask. 
“How in the heck was getting into a fight and getting arrested a good thing?” 

    
He puts his hand around the back of my neck and pulls me into him
.
“Because, you being you,
you
felt the need to come to my house and make sure I was ok
ay
, therefore, I get to do this.”  He pulled me into him and kissed me. 

    
It feels so good being in his arms and I really feel like I could stay there forever.  I realize that I have been here for over an hour.  I pull away and our
foreheads
touch.  He has both hands in
a
strand of my hair on each side
of my face. 

     “Well, you better have enjoyed it because when I get home and face my dad…I’m going to be grounded.
”
  He chuckles.  “Why do you always laugh at me?”

     “
You are too cute, sweetheart. 
It doesn’t matter how long
you’re
grounded.  I just got my chance to be with you, I’ll wait for however long it takes.”

     “Who said
y
ou had a chance to be with me?”

     “Ah, I see how it is
.  Y
ou southern girls expect to be courted
,
huh?”

     “No, but I expect you to ask me
,
” I say honestly.

     “Done
,
”
h
e says matter
-
of
-
factly.  “Millie, I’m not going to ask you out on a date becau
s
e I want more than that with you.  I want you to be mine
,
”
h
e says
.
“So
,
will you?”

     “Will I what?”  I ask as I stand up looking at the ceiling as though he’s wasting my time. 

     
He stands up with me and pulls me close to him.  I can feel his hard chest up against me and I feel like jell
-
o in his arms. 

    
He runs his nose from my collarbone all the way up to my ear so slow, I swear five minutes went by before he whispers
in my ear, giving me chill bumps from my toes all the way up my body, “Will you be my girlfriend?”

     “Yes,” I say breathlessly.  He pulls his head back and winks at me. 

    
“Good, because it would really suck
,
following you around for the next six months beating every
guy’s
ass that looked at you.”

    
I laugh at him, “
You’re
silly.” 

    
“Sorry
,
about cussing
.
  M
an
,
this is going to be a hard habit to break.”

     “Well,
”
I say walking to the
front door, “since I’m going to be grounded l
ater today, you’ll have
some time
to work on that.” 

    
He chuckles a little and gives me a peck on the
lips, “I’ll
see you at school though, so it won’t completely suck.”

     “Yeah,
you’re
right, okay, I better go before my dad gets home.”

     “Alright, I wish you didn’t have to go, but I’ll see you
Monday
at school.” 

    
He walked me out the front door and gave me the biggest hug I have ever had including hugs from my parents
.
H
e hugged me like he meant it
,
i
t felt so good.  I felt small next to him, safe, like he would take care of me no matter what.

     “Hey, take my number and call me before you
go
to bed
,
”
h
e says as he writes his cel
l number
down.  “We’ll just have to get to know each other over the phone
these first couple of weeks
,
”
h
e says grinning. 

    
Alright, I’ve been around him enough to realize that he is being sarcastic.  He’s making fun of the fact that my dad is about to ground me.  That’s when I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. 

     “I know, I really wish we could spend more time together
.
”
I pout pushing out my bottom lip just the slightest
.
“
I know what could really make our time apart more interesting though, why don’t we write letters to each other every
night until I’m able to go out again?  It would be really romantic and fun being old fashioned.”  I paste the biggest smile on my face so he could see that this was exciting for me.