New Year's Bang (2 page)

She was on the verge of crying.

He planted his hands on his hips to keep himself from
reaching for her. She didn’t cry unless things were bad – and he
didn’t handle it well when she got this upset. “Lita, are you
okay?”

She looked at him as if he were obtuse. “No, I’m not
okay! It’s late, I’m tired and I’m getting drenched. I want to go
home.”

Troy shifted uncomfortably. She thought he was doing
this to harass her. Much as that might have tempted him in another
lifetime, it wasn’t the case now. His job was to serve and protect.
He was treating her like he would anybody else.

So what if protecting had jumped to the top of his
list?

“No breath test,” he agreed. He let his voice drop.
“Just tell me what’s wrong.”

“It’s nothing,” she said tiredly.

“Try again.”

Her dark gaze fluttered up to meet his. The air
crackled before she glanced away.

“It’s just the winter blahs,” she admitted. She slid
her hands into her pockets, but he could see the way they clenched
into fists. “This isn’t helping, by the way.”

He took a step closer to her. “Have you seen somebody
about it?”

“Like a doctor?” She let out a snort. Absentmindedly,
she kicked at the snow. It puffed upwards before settling down
again. “I’ll perk up once the holidays are over.”

Troy itched to do something. What, he didn’t quite
know. All he knew was that he didn’t like seeing her like this.
Love her or hate her, she just wasn’t being
Lita
. “Maybe you
should think about taking some time off.”

She finally looked him in the eye. “And do what?
Watch the needles fall off my Christmas tree?”

God, she was killing him.

Reaching up, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Lita,
you’re worrying me.”

She looked at him skeptically. Her eyes widened,
though, when she realized he was being earnest.

He took the opportunity to try to get through to her.
“Depression isn’t something to mess around with.”

“Depression?
” She took a heavy breath and
nodded. “Right.”

“I’m serious.”

“I can see that.” She shook her head in resignation
before reaching for the door handle of her car. “I’m fine, but
thanks for your concern, Troy. It’s big of you. Especially
considering… Well, you know.”

No, he didn’t know. Reflexively, he reached out and
caught the door as it started to swing open. “What are you talking
about?”

She stared at his hand clenched around her doorframe.
“I know you don’t like me much.”

The quiet words rocked him, but he couldn’t say
anything.

Because it was true. Or it had been…

He stared at her hard and the fission between them
grew. “That was a long time ago, Lita.”

“I know.” She shrugged, but it didn’t come off as
nonchalantly as she wanted. “But I understand. I was terrible to
you.”

Terrible? She’d broken his teenage heart.

When she moved to get in the car, though, his
reaction was automatic. He blocked her way. She bumped up against
him and he caught her by the nape of the neck.

Their gazes locked. Snow continued to fall silently
around them, but neither of them noticed. They were both suddenly
caught up in a world of awareness. A world of might have beens…

Something inside Troy sent up a flare of warning, but
he ignored it. She just looked so sad. So repentant. So sexy…

“You don’t understand anything,” he said, his voice
gruff.

Then dropping his head, he did something he knew he
absolutely shouldn’t.

He kissed her.

Lita went stone still when Troy’s lips came down on
her own.

The kiss was slow, but almost cautious. His lips
brushed back and forth, driving her crazy with wanting. He felt so
good against her. So warm. So hard. Desire surged up inside her but
she tried desperately to rein it in.

She didn’t want to do anything that might make him
stop.

“Troy,” she whispered. Hesitantly, she laid her hands
against his chest. The way his heart thudded underneath her
fingertips gave her courage. Still, she moved slowly as she stroked
them up his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck.

The position brought their bodies together.
Intimately. Her belly bumped up against his cock and she gasped. He
was already as hard as the flashlight he carried on his hip.

“Damn,” he cursed.

He pulled back to look at her and, for a second, Lita
forgot to breathe. His amber eyes were blazing. Just when she
thought he was going to push her away, though, the hand at her neck
slid into her hair and fisted tight.

When his head dipped this time, there was nothing
cautious about it.

He took the kiss from hot to searing in two seconds
flat.

She groaned as his tongue thrust deep into her mouth.
She’d never expected this. Never in a million years. Yet it was
like a fire that’s glowing embers had just roared back to life. She
rubbed against him, trying to fan the flames higher.

“Does it feel like I don’t like you?” he growled as
he boldly slid his other hand down to her ass.

He caught her tightly and pleasure suffused her when
he ground himself against her. If not for all the clothes between
them, she swore he would have penetrated her right then and
there.

And she wouldn’t have done a thing to stop him.

“Oh God,” she groaned.

How could she have walked away from this? From
him?

Her fingers dove into his hair and nearly knocked his
police hat off his head. Her tongue batted against his in a
frantic, wet kiss. But that part of him rubbing against her belly…
She needed it more than anything.

Together, they stumbled until she was leaning back
against her car.

Troy hitched her higher so she was sitting on the
hood and she lifted her legs to wrap them around his waist. The
moment she trapped him, his body shuddered.
Hard
.

But then it went dangerously still.

“Shit.” He broke the kiss and their heavy breaths
clouded the air as they looked at each.

Suddenly, it was seven years ago…

Seven years earlier

The bell rang signaling the end of third period and
Troy swept his books off his desk. It was time to go to his locker.
Not that he needed anything… He just knew Lita Lopez’s schedule –
and that’s where she would be.

Using his right as a senior, he nudged the
underclassmen in the hallway out of his way. So, all right, he had
it bad for the little hottie. Most guys at Lincoln High did. He
just had it a little worse.

Of course, he knew he didn’t have a chance in hell
with her. His wallet was too thin and he lived on the wrong side of
the tracks. Literally. His family resided on the west side of town,
across the X&R’s main line. Even though Lita didn’t come from
money, her family lived on the right side of that infamous
demarcation. The fact that she was drop dead gorgeous didn’t hurt
either. The “in” crowd had accepted her with open arms.

She just didn’t belong there. At least not in his
opinion. She was too sweet and outgoing. She talked to practically
everyone.

Even him.

And he was just horny enough to get off every time he
heard her smoky voice.

The promise of hearing her laugh had him skipping
down the steps faster. He cut to the right and got out of the main
flow of traffic. His locker was one in a long line up against the
wall. Lita’s just happened to be in the row perpendicular to his.
Don’t think he hadn’t sent up a bit of thanks when he’d discovered
that little fact.

She wasn’t there yet, though.

He took his time fiddling with the lock. He could
waste time with the best of them. Still, when he heard her laugh
drifting from the main hallway, he fucked up the combination.

He shook his head. He was pathetic.

“See ya, Piper,” Lita called as her friend headed for
the bank of lockers at the other end.

Troy watched the blonde strut away, glad to see the
back of her. He’d yet to figure out why Lita hung out with that
bitch. They had nothing in common.

Thank God.

Turning, he pretended to thumb through his chemistry
book. Out of the corner of his eye, though, he checked out his
little fashionista. Oh Christ. She looked hot today. Snug T-shirt,
short skirt and knee-high boots. His cock started to swell.

She didn’t help matters when she opened her locker
and went up on tiptoe to grab her calculus textbook. His gaze
helplessly slid down her form. Good things did come in small
packages. Lita Lopez might be petite, but her body was tight.

He was just opening his mouth to say hi when,
suddenly, he heard something.

Voices rose at the far end of the locker area. Lyle
Ford and James Elliot. Troy rolled his eyes. The tension between
those two had been growing for weeks – prompted on, of course, by
one Piper
Duprés
. This time, though,
things seemed to be popping. Sounds of a scuffle broke out and he
glanced at Lita.

She met his gaze with a knowing look and acted
bored.

He couldn’t help but smile at her. That was what he
liked about her. For as entrenched as she was in the popular group,
she still seemed human.

“Boys,” she said impatiently.

Hell, he was a boy. Although at eighteen, he
considered himself a man. He began to remind her of that fact when
a loud bang cut through the air.

His head immediately snapped towards the fight. It
was getting out of hand, but he didn’t realize how much until he
heard another thud. And then a creak. Everything geared down to
slow motion when he saw a locker at the far end wobble.

“Oh fuck!” Troy didn’t know if he said the words out
loud or not.

Instinct just told him to move.

He pushed off his back foot, only it was like one of
those nightmares where he was running in quicksand. He couldn’t get
to Lita fast enough.

Bang. Bang.
Bang…

The sounds echoed in his ears as he literally tackled
the girl of his dreams.

Bang!
It was getting closer as he wrapped his
arms around her and carried her five feet out of the aisle. Limbs
entangled and her breath exploded in his ear as he landed atop of
her. His elbow took the brunt of a blow as he rolled, keeping her
body protected by his.

Two more bangs sounded and then it was scarily
silent.

At least fifty students stood frozen in place, gaping
at what had just happened.

Inside Troy’s head, though, everything suddenly sped
up. He lifted his head sharply and looked down at Lita. She was
struggling to breathe. He shifted his weight off of her, but
couldn’t make his arms let go.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She put her hand to her chest as if it hurt to
inhale. “Wind… knocked… out…”

Her dark gaze was confused as she looked up at him.
When she tried to get her bearings, though, she realized what had
happened.

And what he’d saved her from.

Her breaths went short again as she started to
hyperventilate.

Troy felt panic rise up inside him and he looked
around for help. All he saw was a scared sophomore. The girl was in
such a state of shock, she looked like a figure in a wax museum.
Still, her locker was open. Inside, he saw her lunch.

“Your lunch sack,” he demanded. “Hey you!”

The girl finally snapped out of her stupor. Realizing
what was happening, she dumped her lunch and handed him the paper
bag. Troy’s hands shook as he cupped it over Lita’s mouth.

She tried to push it away. “They fell,” she said,
stating the obvious.

He was insistent. “Try to breathe normal, Lita.”

He pressed the bag to her face and glanced over his
shoulder. The lockers had indeed fallen. They’d toppled like
dominoes, and all because of a fight between two of the
“haves”.

His blood suddenly ran ice cold. Those assholes could
have killed her.

Teachers began to flood the area. At first, they came
in slowly. Shocked intakes of breath could be heard everywhere.
Then, the mass of people exploded into chaos.

“Is everyone all right?” Principal Cruz demanded.
“Anyone hurt?”

“Who’s responsible for this?” Vice Principal Chastain
roared.

Troy’s focus honed in on Lita. Hell, he needed to
think. They’d just covered first aid in health class. What was he
supposed to look for? He started running his hands over her,
searching for injuries.

“Did you break anything?” he asked. “Did you hit your
head?”

He looked into her eyes closely, trying to see signs
of a concussion. He didn’t see any. Yet.

So help him. If he’d hurt her, he’d never forgive
himself.

He pushed himself back until he was kneeling and
helped her up into a seated position. She closed her eyes and the
paper bag crinkled and poofed as she tried to get her respiration
under control. It gave him a chance to look at her better.

They were both filthy from skidding across the floor.
Dust coated her clothes and her hair. He could feel the grime on
himself, but he only gave it half a thought as he brushed it away.
He froze, though, when he saw a floor burn on her left knee above
her boot. It made him almost sick.

“I didn’t mean to tackle you like that,” he said
hoarsely.

Her eyes opened and, when she looked at him, they
were damp. Shakily, she pushed the bag aside. “You saved my
life.”

Troy couldn’t move. God, he just wanted to bundle her
up and carry her away.

He watched silently as she began to take stock. The
red mark on her knee captured her attention, but then so did the
one blazing down her forearm. She shuddered as she brushed off the
dirt she’d picked up from the floor. Running a hand through her
hair, she fluffed it to try to get it clean.

When she leaned back, though, her back was against
the locker. Looking up, she saw another bank of them looming over
her.