Lost in the Moment (A Savioe Family Novel) (23 page)

“What’s going on?” I asked brushing a lock of my hair away from my face.

Drez spat out. “The ponce here is trying to bite off more than he can chew, pet.”

Beau placed his hands on Drez’s shoulders and gently pushed him back. “
No, man. His dad is the sheriff. He’ll bring you up on so many charges your future grandkids will end up going to court for it.”

I placed a hand on Drez’s back
and felt him tense up as I rested my head on his arm. “Shug, let’s sit down and get something to eat. Please.”

I felt the rumble of his growl beneath my head and hand. “Watch yourself, tosser. Next time you come at me, they won’t be here to hold me back.”

Hunter puffed up his chest. “Bring it. I ain’t scared of you.”

Drez turned back around taking a quick step forward. Hunter flinched before stumbling backward. Drez shook his head in disgust. “That’s what I thought.” He wrapped his arm around my waist pulling me closer to him.
“Let’s get you fed, luv.”

             
                                          *****

When school let out, I sent a text to mom quickly explaining to her that my French teacher wanted me to stay after school. Thankfully, she didn’t ask why. I know if I had told her it was for detention she would have grounded me and I really wanted to go to that party.
I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked into the commons. I handed the teacher standing guard the white slip of paper.

He pointed me to the back of the
room. “No sleeping. If you have homework, do it. Other than that I really don’t care what goes on as long as you leave me alone.”

My eyes widened
in apprehension as I headed over to an empty table by the windows. “Yeah. This is gonna suck.” I muttered to myself as I set my bag on the tabletop. I grabbed a notebook out of it and started doodling. Hearts and cartoonish flowers blossomed on the page.

“Whoa! Why did you get detention?” Jess ask
ed as she took a seat across from me.

“I disturbed my French class.” I rolled my eyes as I fiddled with my pencil.

She nodded her head and propped her feet up on the table. “That’s it? Well, don’t worry it’s really not that bad. Just don’t bug Mr. Nelson. Are you going to Scott’s party tonight?”

“I was thinking about it, but I’ll have to catch a ride with someone since I haven’t heard from Drez if he’s going to go or not.”
My hair slid over my shoulder as I turned my attention to the opening doors. “Speak of the devil. I swear Jess, I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Her head popped up in concern. “Oh
, about the whole fake thingy? Roxy filled me in during lunch after making me promise on my mom’s grave not to speak of it to anyone but yous guys.”

“
Yes! I mean he is so confusing. Last Saturday he said that he’d like to make it real and then well you know he’s been so standoffish until….” I ran a hand through my hair in frustration.

“Until you goaded him today by getting a lift from them.” She supplied.

I slapped my hand down on the table. “Exactly! I’m losing my mind here. It’s like he runs hot then cold. If it’s because he doesn’t want to piss Beau off or whatever then he should just tell me that instead of leading me on.”

“Have you told him that?” She leaned back in the chair precariously balancing
it on two legs as she pulled her frizzy auburn hair back in a low-slung ponytail.

“I haven’t had the chance to say more than a few words to him. I’ve been on twin duty all week, my brothers are usually around or he just leaves the damn room when I enter.” I leaned forward on the table resting my elbows against it.
“Then when we are together alone it just ends up….”

“With you two igniting.”

“Yeah and he says these things to me that just make my knees weak.” I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath before faking a British accent. “
I’d leave you unable to think. Only feel.
Well congratu-freaking-lations you’ve succeeded.”

“Sounds like he’s playing you.” She quickly leaned forward dropping the chair back on all of its legs. “I think you should start playing by his rules.”

A lump started to form in my throat as my chest tightened at the thought of being played. I quickly cleared it. “How so?”

She looked around the room then leaned forward to whisper. “Well, do exactly what he is doing. Lead him on. Whisper little things in his ear that you’d want to do to him or have him do to you. Then act like it never happened minutes later.”

I chewed on my lip and shook my head. “I couldn’t do that.”

“Yes
, you can and you will. Just because he looks like that doesn’t give him the right to treat you the way he has been.”

“No, Jess. I can’t do that. I blush at the mere thought of anything sexual.” I hissed at her trying to keep my voice down. There was no way I’d be able to pull anything like that off without losing my heart to him.

She must have seen my dilemma. “You’re in Theatre Arts, right?”

I nodded my head to her. “Yeah, but what does that have to do with this.”

She let out a disgruntled snort. “Marie, think of this as just another role. The character you will portray is a man-eating vixen that breaks hearts wherever she goes. She has her sights set on the local bad boy that needs his comeuppance.”

“But usually that girl falls for the bad boy and gets her heart broke.” I muttered before squeezing my eyes shut.

“Not in the movies I watch. Take a deep breath and channel your inner whatever because the show is about to start.” She stood up and waved her arms. “Drez! Over here.” She looked back down at me and whispered. “You can do this, Marie.”

             
                                          *****

Drez

I heard someone yell my name from the other side of the commons. I looked over to see Jess standing up waving her arms. I groaned slightly and started to ignore her when I noticed Marie sitting at the table.
Why’s she in here?
I slowly made my way over to their table.

She sat with her back to the window and her jacket unzipped exposing her thin tank top that hinted at the color of her pink and black bra
hidden beneath. I shook my head quickly to dispel what I did to her at lunch. That was a mistake, a glorious and tantalizing mistake. I should have known better than to approach her in such an unstable state. For the life of me though, I doubt I could’ve stopped myself.

When I spotted th
ose gits talking to her outside the bathroom before lunch after hearing that Hunter wanted her, it took everything in me to keep from barging over there and ripping her away from him. Then when she got in that vehicle, my blood boiled. I know she’s not really mine and that I have no claim on her whatsoever. But the visceral response to seeing her with another guy, even if her intentions were innocent, scared me. She was starting to matter to me, way more than she should.

Jess turned around and said something to her just as I arrived at the table. Marie looked up at me; her golden eyes alight with apprehension. She ducked her head and swall
owed before she looked back up with small shy smile developing on her lush lips. My heart stuttered in my chest. Yeah, she definitely meant more to me than I cared to admit.

Marie reached up and grabbed my hand pulling me down to the seat beside her. Her fingers intertwined with mine as she began to rub her thumb in small circles on my palm. “Are we going to go to that party tonight?”

Her soft touch sent a surge of lust straight to my cock. I shifted slightly in the seat discreetly trying to readjust myself and concentrated on deciphering her words. “What? Oh that. If you want to, pet.”

She leaned
toward me, her tank top separating from her skin allowing me a glimpse down her shirt. My mouth went dry. Her voice was barely above a whisper as she admitted. “I’d like to.”

I blinked a few times, removed my hand from hers and sat back. I c
ouldn’t fuck up my living situation by letting my hormones rule my mind.
Think of something else, mate. Dead puppies. Overweight bikini models. Hunter.
That did it. That ponce was just the thought I needed to cool my ardor. Of course, I now wanted to bash his head in but at least that wouldn’t affect my sleeping arrangements.

“How’d you get detention, Marie?” I asked leaning against the table with my arms against my chest. I needed to keep our talk to something simple while I regain
ed control. “More importantly, does your mother know you’re in here?”

She blushed ducking her head quickly. “Disturbing my French class by talking in it and no, she thinks my teacher just wanted me to stay after.”

I raised my eyebrows at her in surprise at her lying to her mother. “Really? What if she finds out?”

“She’s not going to find out. Well not unless Jess or you tell her.” She kept her head down as she toyed with the bottom of her shirt. The fabric pulled down an inch and exposed that tiny freckle above her breast.

I adverted my gaze clearing my throat, thought of the perfect way to help me stay where I was at and keep my wits about me. “Just how bad do you want to go to this bash?”

She gasped and looked up at my profile. I could almost feel her eyes narrow at me. “Wha’ are ya getting at?”

I hid my smirk at the emergence of her accent. “Well, if we go and you want me to keep this from your mum, you have to do something for me.”

I could see her hand clench in her lap
out of the corner of my eye. “Wha’ is it?”

I got her where I wanted her. This was a good time to have her promise to stay away from me. That was the only sane thing for me to have her do, since I obviously could not do it. With all intention of saying that, I turned to look in her eyes and immediately lost my train of thought. Those gilded flecks swallowed the rest of the light brown of the iris making her eyes almost glow in her agitated state. They were simply breathtaking.

My knuckles brushed against her cheek as I leaned down to whisper in her ear taking in the soothing scent of primrose coming from her hair. “Stay away from Hunter tonight.”

             
                                          *****

I’m fucking mental.
That’s all there was to it. I had the perfect opportunity to make sure we kept our distance from each other and I blew it by making her promise to stay away from… him. I slammed my hand against the lifted bonnet of Grace. Now I not only had to go to this party with her, I also had to stay sober enough to keep my hands off her and hers off me.

That
possibility never crossed my mind until the ride home today. She found every little chance she could to touch me. Nothing major, just small feather-light caresses on my arm when she laughed or wanted to get my attention. The worst one was when she removed an eyelash off my cheek and licked her lips before telling me to blow it off her finger to make a wish.
Yeah, that almost had me pulling over and dragging her onto my lap.

I leaned my head against my upstretched arm and groaned. This night
was going to be hell. My pocket vibrated. I pushed off Grace and wiped my hands on a rag before digging my mobile out.

Beau: You’re taking Marie to Scott’s party?

I sighed and typed back.
Me: She didn’t give me much choice.

Beau: Mom i
s okay with this?

Me: She didn’
t seem too bothered by it. Could you make an appearance when you get off work and help me keep an eye on her? I have a feeling she’s going to be a handful.

Beau: Tell her no if you think you can’t handle her.

I knew I could handle her. But I doubt he wanted to know exactly how I would accomplish that.
Me: I have found that it is very difficult to tell her no when she has her mind set on something.

Beau:
That’s f’true! Ok. I’ll swing by after work.

Me:
Ta.

Beau: Huh?

Me: Thanks.

I looked at the time. Shit, I better get cleaned up for dinner. I put the bonnet back down and grabbed my shirt off the
dash before I scrambled inside. I tossed my shirt in the hamper in my room and grabbed a plain white T from my drawer. I went to the loo to scrub the grease and muck from my hands and then pulled the shirt on.

Marie was supposed to cook tonight
as part of the agreement with her mother on going out, which had Charles and Luke terrified. Apparently, the last time she did most of the food was burnt to a crisp. I walked into the dining room and saw the twins looking very somber. I raised my brow at the little hellions as I took my seat across the table far away from them.

Dev ducked his head when he saw me. “I’m sorry for pranking you, Drez. It will not happen again.”

Remi rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sorry.”

I nodded my head in acceptance at Dev knowing full well that Remi did not mean a word of it. “I accept your apology.” I looked around the table to make sure Eva couldn’t hear me. “Though those pranks were
pretty hilarious. Kudos, mate.” Dev grinned big at me and nudged his brother who was reluctantly smiling.