In the Heart of Forever (16 page)

“Rave. Stop.” I gripped his shirt, his body shaking under my touch.

His nostrils flared and his breathing ragged but I held on.

I placed soft pecks on his lips, trying to calm him down. I didn’t know what else to do.

“Get control of your boyfriend, Jesse. He’s fucking nuts.”

I turned to the girl who spoke and snarled. “You’re lucky I’m here in the first place.”

“Whatevs.” The girl and some of her friends grabbed the kid that Rave had almost beat to a bloody pulp and brought him into the school.

“Have fun dealing with the police asshole. I’m fucking charging you.” The bloodied kid threatened.
Great
. That was another thing we needed.

“Rave.” I grabbed his hands. His knuckles were bloody.

“It’s not my blood,” Rave said gruffly.

“They look sore, though,” I said, rubbing my thumb over them.

“They’re not.” He rose to his feet and grabbed my hand, pulling me up. “Let’s go to class.”

“But…shouldn’t you be getting a lawyer or something?” I asked, trying to keep up with his quick pace.

“I’ll deal with it when the time comes.” We walked into the school and headed to my locker. My eyes kept flicking to Rave’s. I was worried for him. He had a temper and he needed to control it. Too late.

Chapter 21

Rave

God, she’s beautiful.

I leaned against the locker and watched Jesse grab her stuff.

Her thin frame, pale and ashen made an ache form in my throat. Her big brown eyes looked at me every so often, a teasing hint in the deep depths.

I looked down at my hands, my knuckles red and swollen and clenched them into fists. I’d hit the asshole again that said those things about her.

My muscles jumped, straining under my skin as I tried calming the fury that tore through me.

Jesse fisted my shirt in her hand, forcing me to look down at her. “Are you alright?”

I nodded. I cupped the back of her neck and kissed her forehead. The scent of soap and flowers invaded my nostrils, making my body stir.

The feeling to protect Jesse overpowered me. It controlled me and when that kid said those nasty things about her, my temper took over. Possessing me with hatred. After she had pushed me off of him, the look on her face surprised me. She wasn’t scared of me or my anger. She was worried for me. I knew I needed to get control of myself but when it came to her, I was lost.

Since being back, my brother, Ren taught me everything he knew about fighting and controlling your anger but I could only deal with so much before it took over my body.

Jesse grabbed her stuff from the locker and I wrapped an arm around her waist. She looked up at me and smiled softly. I needed to touch her. I couldn’t help myself. She was like a drug and I needed my fix. I wanted to dive into her and stay there forever. She kept me sane. She protected me from myself and I loved her for it. If only she felt the same.

She’d been hurt way too much in her young life but I would do everything in my power to make her see that we were together.

I would prove that I did not kiss Melanie. She kissed me but Jesse wouldn’t let me explain what had happened. My stomach clenched at that thought. “Jesse.”

She grabbed my hand. “Let’s go to class.”

I nodded and followed her into Mr. Deel’s History class. I sat behind her instead of beside her like I usually did.

She turned to me, her eyebrow raised.

“I don’t want Melanie sitting behind you.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

I smiled as she turned back around. Her brown hair was pulled back into a messy bun and she wore tight jeans that begged me to stare at her ass. She used to dress in clothes that were unflattering to her but since meeting me, she opened up and changed her style slowly. She also wore band t-shirts and that made my heart flutter. A girl who liked the same music that I did, was definitely the one.
The one.
I was only eighteen. I couldn’t think about that yet. What was wrong with me?

A moment later, a folded up piece of paper landed on my desk. I opened it, my eyes flying across the page and I had to stifle a laugh.

Stop staring at me.

Jesse xx

I grabbed my pen and wrote something underneath her note and handed it back to her.

She opened it and gasped, the back of her neck turning pink. She slowly turned to me, her brown eyes dark with desire.

I smirked and motioned for her to turn around as Mr. Deel walked in.

The Triple M’s filed into the classroom and paused when they saw me sitting behind Jesse.

“Girls. Take your seats,” Mr. Deel told them.

They walked by us and headed to the back of the room but not before I caught Melanie licking her lips suggestively at me. My skin crawled remembering her mouth on mine. But I wasn’t the guy she was making out with on the step. I didn’t know who Jesse saw but it definitely wasn’t me.

***

I leaned against the locker and crossed my arms under my chest.

“You don’t have to look like you’re going to kill everyone that walks by, Rave.”

I turned to Jesse and sighed.

She shook her head, her jaw clenching.

I reached out and pinched her chin, gently stroked her full bottom lip. I leaned forward and moved to kiss her but she released her head from my grasp. She was still pissed at me. Even though nothing had happened with Melanie, she wouldn’t allow me to explain. I would probably act the same way if I thought I saw her kissing some guy. Actually, I would have gone after the guy but that was me. Jesse was different. She closed herself off whenever she got mad or upset and she wouldn’t talk about what was bothering her.

I wrapped an arm around her shoulder as she closed her locker and kissed her head. She wasn’t going to fight me off forever. She would forgive me and I would make sure of it. “Come on, I’ll drive you home.”

Her back stiffened. “I think I’ll walk.”

“I don’t fucking think so.”

Her body tensed and she glared up at me. “You can’t tell me what to do, Rave and you don’t have to keep protecting me. We’re not…”
Together
. She didn’t say it. She wanted to but she couldn’t because she knew it wasn’t true.

I bit back a cheer and walked her to my car. She didn’t protest. Not having much choice in the matter. I wouldn’t let her walk home alone. What kind of guy would I be if I did that even if we weren’t together in
her
eyes?

I opened the door for her and walked around to the driver side of my beauty. I had saved up for as long as I could remember to get this car and seeing Jesse sit in the passenger seat of it, made it that more gorgeous. She lit up the car and I don’t even think she realized it.

I drove out of the school parking lot and took a deep breath, heading in the opposite direction of where she lived. She didn’t seem to notice so I kept on driving. I needed to get her alone. To talk to her. We had to work this shit out whether she liked it or not and she was going to hear what I had…

“Rave.”

Ah…yes, she noticed. I turned to her and her dark eyes were filled with fire when she realized that she wasn’t going home yet. You think she’d be happy about that since living with her asshole stepfather.

I smiled. “We’re just going for a drive.”

She huffed. “I know what you’re doing.”

“Do you now?” She was hot when she mad and it made my body stir. A couple of minutes later, I pulled onto a deserted road that led to my favorite field surrounded by trees. It was beautiful, especially when the sun set.

I put the car into park, got out of the vehicle and sat on the hood. Jesse didn’t join me. I could feel her heated glare bore into the back of my skull. She’d get out eventually and until then, I would wait.

Chapter 22

Jesse

I wasn’t sure what the hell he thought he was doing but there was no way I was getting out of the car. I was antsy. I moved and shifted in the seat. On one hand, I wanted to join him. Talk to him about everything that had happened. Forgive him. But the hurt that I felt when seeing him kiss Melanie…I sighed.

Frustration settled in and I finally decided to leave the car but I didn’t join Rave on the hood. I walked a couple of feet in front of him, spread my sweater on the ground and laid on it.

I stared up at the late afternoon blue sky, the cool air washing over me. A warm front had settled in and surprisingly, you didn’t need to wear coats in February. The Valentine’s Day dance was the following weekend and everything at school was pink, red and everything to do with love. It was sickening.

I closed my eyes, letting the sound of nature soar through me. The trees rustling in the wind, birds chirping…something warm pressed against my mouth and my body stirred. My eyes fluttered open.

Rave lifted his head and looked down at me. “Hi.”

My heart thumped hard against my chest. “Hi.”

He ran a thumb over my lips, leaned down and kissed my forehead. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

Tears welled in my eyes at the soft contact. “Rave.”

He cupped my cheeks in both hands and kissed down my face to my lips. “Please kiss me.”

I sighed and opened my lips, letting him in. Our tongues danced, massaging the other. I tilted my head, giving him better access. Kissing at that angle felt different. It was like something had shifted in our relationship. The kiss was needy. Desperate. All of our feelings came crashing into it. I was in love with him. I realized it at that very moment. The thing with Melanie…I wasn’t sure what I saw anymore.

I curled my fingers behind Rave’s neck and deepened the kiss, igniting a deep groan from him.

He released my mouth and kissed along my jaw down to my neck, our breathing picking up. He ran his hands over my belly, his fingers grazing up under my shirt. The cool air mixed with the heat from my body, sent shivers over my skin. It was electrifying. I turned my head and he smiled down at me. His beautiful jade eyes filled with heated affection. He rubbed a thumb over my lips, kissing the corner of my mouth. “I didn’t kiss Melanie.”

My stomach cringed, remembering what I had seen. I sat up, pulled my shirt down and fixed my hair. “I know what I saw Rave.”

“I don’t care. I’m telling you that it wasn’t me she was kissing.” He wrapped his arms around, pulling me against his chest. “Why don’t you believe me?”

“I—”

“I wouldn’t kiss anyone else willingly except for you, Jesse.”

“But she came on to you.” I couldn’t help the burning sensation that flew through my stomach. I couldn’t stand the idea of someone else’s hands being on him. It may have been petty of me but it ate at me.

“Melanie comes onto everyone.”

“Did she kiss you?”

Rave tensed behind me but didn’t answer.

I sat up. “Did she kiss you?” I asked again.

His eyes searched my face and then looked away. “Yes.”

My heart pounded in my ears as jealousy rolled through me. “Did you kiss her back?”

“Baby, I—”

“Don’t
baby
me. Tell me, did you kiss her back, Rave?” We sat there, staring at each other for what felt like ages and when Rave didn’t respond, I rose to my feet. “Take me home.”

“Jesse.” Rave grabbed my shoulder but I shrugged out of his hold and pushed him.

“Don’t touch me. Just take me home.” I opened the car door when a hand slapped it closed. I spun on Rave and pushed him again but he didn’t budge. “Did you like kissing her?”

His eyes widened. “What?”

I shoved a finger against his chest, forcing him to take a step back. “Did you like kissing her?”

He grabbed my hands and pushed me up against the car. Lifting me onto the hood, he wrapped my legs around his waist and leaned into me. “No. I didn’t like kissing her.”

I squeezed my thighs around him and ran my hands up under his shirt over his soft skin. “No? Then why did you kiss her back?”

He gripped my hips and covered my mouth with his, shoving his tongue roughly in between my lips. He rocked against me as I pulled him closer. “I didn’t mean to kiss her back but I’m a guy. I was taken off guard.” He kissed my jaw and gently nibbled my chin.

I looked up at him. “Don’t kiss her again.”

“I don’t plan on it.” His hands roamed under my shirt, massaging and kneading as they went. He pulled away and let me down.

“Rave?”

He took a breath and shoved a hand through his hair. “We should go.”

I huffed. “Fine.”

Rave moved around to the driver side of the car. My skin buzzed as I entered in the passenger side.

He looked down at me as I straddled his lap. “What are you doing?”