Swept Away (24 page)

Thirty minutes later, freshly showered and dressed, Lilly shouldered her overnight bag and put her pillow under her arm—if she were spending the night at the church, she’d want her pillow. Where would she sleep at Jason’s? The couch? The floor in his room? In his bed while he slept on the couch? No way she’d sleep in his parents’ room, and their guest room had workout stuff and a computer desk—no bed for her to use. Did Jason plan for them to sleep together? Probably.

She flipped off the light in her room and skipped down the stairs.

Grams slipped her jacket over her arms. “Oh good. I’m on my way out, and you’re parked behind me. Now we can leave together.”

“Great. Bye, Mom.” Lilly gave her a quick kiss. “I have my phone, and I’ll be home before noon tomorrow.”

“Sounds good. Call me when you get there.” Mom slipped her a twenty-dollar bill. “Just in case.”

Standing in the driveway, Lilly hugged Grams and kissed her cheek. “Have fun tonight, Grams—but not too much fun.”

“You, too, Lill.” Grams swatted her behind and slipped her another twenty-dollar bill. “Just in case.”

“Mom gave me some money. You don’t have to.” Lilly tried to hand it back to her.

Grams already sat in her Saab with the engine running. “Put it in your purse. You never know when you might need it.”

“Thanks!” Lilly sighed as she backed out of the driveway. Grams would be so disappointed if she knew what Lilly had planned. All the more reason to make sure no one found out.

After a quick stop at the grocery store for ground beef, noodles, sauce, garlic bread, a pre-mixed salad, and frosted brownies for dessert,

Lilly turned down Jason’s street. She could still go to the church and skip this crazy plan. What was she thinking? Jason—she really loved him. Time with him meant more than anything. God had brought them together, right? No one would find out.

She pulled into Jason’s driveway, turned off the car, and quickly sent a prepared text to her mom: I
‘M HERE
.

The front door opened, and Jason came bounding down the steps over to the driver’s side. He took Lilly’s hand to help her out. She handed him her groceries and grabbed her bag from the backseat.

“Ready?” He looked like a little boy on Christmas.

Lilly took a shaky breath. “R–ready.”

They went straight to the kitchen where they put the groceries on the butcher-block island. “We’ll get to that stuff in a minute. Let’s go put your other things away.” He led her down the hallway and stopped outside his room. “After you, madam.” He gestured with a flourish and bowed as she walked into the room.

“Where are you going to sleep?” Lilly had a feeling she knew the answer.

“Huh? Well … with you, of course.” Jason looked bewildered. “Isn’t that okay?”

Lilly eyed the twin-sized bed and shrugged. “I don’t know, Jase.”

“Look, I told you that nothing would happen you weren’t comfortable with. But wouldn’t it be nice to sleep next to each other all night, even if nothing else happens?”

Divine. But could it stop at that?
“I’d love that. As long as we’re careful. I’m not ready for certain things, Jason. I don’t think premarital sex is right.” Had Jason already done it? Lilly didn’t think she wanted to know the answer.

“I’m not talking about tonight, but if two people love each other, you still think it’s wrong?” Jason sat down on the bed.

“Yes. I mean, the Bible says it’s wrong. My mom, Grams, my Sunday school teachers—everyone says it’s wrong. Plus, don’t you want to have that special thing to look forward to for your wedding day?” Granted, that was a long way off.

“What if I wanted to marry
you?”

Really? Could what he was saying be true? Was he her Prince Charming? They could get married after high school and help each other through college. They could do it together. “Well, if that were the case, I don’t know about right or wrong. Still, sex before marriage takes away from the wedding day, don’t you think?”

Jason shrugged.

“Well, we don’t have to solve this today. We’ve got dinner to cook.” She grinned and threw her hair over her shoulder as she bounced from the room.

In the kitchen, she pulled out a big pot from under the stove and filled it with water. While that heated, she browned the ground beef then added the sauce to the meat and the pasta to the boiling water. While they simmered, Lilly put the garlic bread on a cookie sheet and slid it into the oven. “Why don’t you light the candles, Jase? Oh, and can you fix us a Coke or something?”

Jason slid off the stool where he’d been perched and set to work.

The candles he lit cast a warm, romantic flicker over the adjoining dining room. Lilly wished she could take pictures—but evidence of this night would not be wise. She heaped a serving bowl with steaming pasta, poured meat sauce over it, piled the garlic bread on a serving tray, and carried it all to the dining room. She sat in the chair Jason held out for her and reached for her napkin to put in her lap.

Right next to her napkin stood a wine glass full of a bubbly pink liquid. “Jason? Is this wine? Where’d you get it?”

“Oh, I have more than a few tricks up my sleeve.” Jason winked. “We can’t have a romantic night like this without champagne.”

“You know what? I think I’ll pass. I hope you don’t mind. But I’ve never had a drop of alcohol, and I’m not going to start tonight.”
Not when I need to keep my head on straight
.

“Okay, well how about just a sip for a toast and then I’ll get you a Coke.” He held up his glass.

A toast couldn’t hurt anything. “Okay.” Lilly held up her glass and waited.

“To the love of my life and our night together.” He clinked her glass and took a drink.

Lilly lifted the glass to her lips and sipped. The bubbles tickled her nose, but it tasted sweeter than she expected—kind of like a fruity 7UP. One sip, no more. Lilly put the glass down and slid it as far away as she could reach.

The clinking of the silverware was the only noise in the room for a little while. Neither of them knew what to say. Jason sipped on his champagne—he even got Lilly to take a few more sips. When they were finished eating,

Lilly headed out of the dining room with a load of dishes, but Jason stopped her. He took the plates from her, grabbed both of her hands, and pulled her around so she faced him. “Lilly, I need to ask you something. Am I pushing you?”

Lilly sat down beside him. “I don’t know. This is all so much to take in. I mean, at sixteen, I know most of our friends have had sex already. I know you, at seventeen, might have—but I hope not.” She held up her hand when he opened his mouth. “I don’t want to know—not now.” She rolled her napkin between her fingers. “But I haven’t—not even close—and I truly plan to wait until marriage. Not that I ever planned to get married—until you … Oh, I don’t know, Jase. I’m confused.” Lilly felt her eyes welling up with tears.

“Okay, listen. I’m really sorry. I’ll back off. I don’t want to push you. Let’s get things cleaned up and go watch a movie. We’ll just hold hands. I won’t kiss you again tonight. If you want to kiss me, you can—anytime. Fair?” He waited expectantly.

Phew
. “That’s fair. But if I do kiss you and then want to stop …?”

“We stop. And I’ll sleep wherever you want me to. Okay?”

“Okay. I feel so much better now.” They cleared the table and cleaned up the kitchen—laughing, joking, teasing. Lilly felt so comfortable she even swigged down the rest of her champagne and giggled at the feel of the sparkly bubbles on her upper lip.

A few minutes later, after changing into her comfy sweats, Lilly went to the family room where Jason had a fire roaring in the fireplace and a movie ready to play on the big-screen television. Boy, he moved fast.

He patted the seat next to him, so Lilly sat down close and he covered them both with a fleece blanket. A bowl of popcorn sat in front of them, and to each side of the bowl stood a freshly filled glass of champagne.

Lilly chuckled and shook her head. She could no longer say she’d never had any alcohol before. Her first taste had already happened, and she didn’t have to drive until morning—so why not? She lifted her glass and tipped it toward Jason, then took a teeny sip. She settled back in his arms, and he started the movie.

True to his word, Jason didn’t touch her in any way except for holding her hand. With the pressure off, Lilly felt like she could really relax. She barely paid attention to the movie as she thought back over her relationship with Jason. He’d been a part of her life forever. She’d loved him since they were little. He suffered with her when her dad left them. Then suffered equally when her mom married Stan. Jason showed her how a woman should be treated. He was so gorgeous, and his kisses … oh, his kisses.

Hmm
. Could she steal a kiss now and not have it unleash a firestorm she couldn’t put out? She snuck a quick glance at Jason.

He smiled down at her.

Losing her nerve, Lilly leaned forward and took a sip of her drink.

Do it, Lilly
. She raised her eyes to Jason and then pulled him toward her in a kiss. This time she didn’t let go. It went on for minutes until finally, she pulled away, breathless.

“I need some air.” Lilly headed for the bathroom.

“Me, too.”

Midnight came and went. One o’clock chimed on the clock. Finally, out of movies, conversation, and champagne, she had to make a decision.

“Well, Lilly, what’s it going to be? You sleeping with me, or are you banishing me to the couch?” Jason’s voice teased but also held an edge—a hint of a challenge.

Lilly knew what would happen, though. She knew that if they got into that bed and cuddled up, one thing would lead to another and everything would change. She knew the alcohol, the sleepy, heady feeling she had, the way she felt about Jason, and the intimacy of being in the bed together would be too much for her. She should say no. She should sleep on the couch—or let him.

But she didn’t want to do that. She wanted to sleep with Jason in the bed. That
was
what she came over here for, right? To be a grown-up? Jason was her love, her hero. But wasn’t God her ultimate hero? Memories of how she used to feel about God flooded her mind and tried to drown out her thoughts of Jason.

No!
She pushed those thoughts away. She didn’t want that right now. Or did she? What if she told Jason no and then he thought she was too immature for him? What if he dumped her? But if he dumped her, then she didn’t want him anyway, did she?

Yes, I do
.

What to do?

The time has come to make a decision. Think long and hard about what you would do if you were in Lilly’s situation. It’s easy to assume you’d make the right choice. But are you sure you’d risk losing your boyfriend, especially one you thought you loved and might marry one day? Are you sure you could withstand your own temptations and desires?

Once you make your decision, turn to the corresponding page to see how it turns out for Lilly—and for you.

Turn to page 304 if Lilly chooses to say no to Jason
.

Turn to page 337 if Lilly decides to give in to Jason’s desires—and her own
.

The next three chapters tell the story of what happened to Lilly when she rejected Jason’s advances
.

What was she thinking? Reality washed over Lilly like a bucket of ice water poured on her head. Mouth hanging open, she stared at Jason—shocked at what she’d considered doing. But how could she tell him? “Jason, I … I …”
Lord, give me the strength to do what’s right
. “I can’t. This is all wrong.”

“What’s
all
wrong?” Jason stood with his arms crossed on his chest.

Lilly gestured around the room and at the two of them. “This. Us being here like this. That.” She pointed at the bedroom. Clarity rushed at Lilly. What if she had …? She shook her head to clear her thoughts, squared her shoulders, and faced Jason. “I’m going home.”

Jason stared at her.

Lilly held his stare without blinking.

“Now? You’re going home
now?”
Jason peeked at his watch and then laughed. “No way you’re driving. First of all, you’ve had a few drinks, and you can’t take a chance like that. Second, if you think you can leave and then we’ll be fine like nothing ever happened …”

“Never mind. You’re right. I forgot about the drinks. Of course I’m not going to drive.” Lilly went to the kitchen. She could hear Jason’s footsteps right behind her.

“Well good. At least you’re being sensible.” Jason put his hand on her shoulder. She shuddered at the smell of his musky cologne—a scent that
used
to make her swoon.

Lilly shrugged his hand off while she pressed and held the speed dial number for her home phone. She lifted her cell phone to her ear and looked out the window while she waited for someone to answer.

“Wait. What are you doing?” Jason tried to grab the phone. “Who are you calling?”

She held up her hand to quiet him. “Stan? Could someone come pick me up?”

“Are you okay?” Stan actually sounded concerned.