Chapter 43
Sam
I watch the leaves fall, the trees becoming shades of orange and brown. The parking lot is nearly empty now as I sit on the curb outside of school and wait for Jameson to pick me up.
The first few weeks of school have dragged by now that I’m all on my own. It was bad enough without Jameson, but now I’m missing Billy, too. Even all of my friends were their friends, and with everyone already graduated, it’s back to the way things were before.
But I won’t drop out.
I won’t give up.
Not after I promised Johnny.
The rumble of an engine pulls my attention, and I stand as Jameson slows in front of me. I slide into the passenger seat, dropping my bag. Before I can even turn to him, his hand is on the back of my neck, guiding my face to his.
“Sorry I’m late,” he says before crashing his lips against mine.
It takes me a second to catch up, but once I do, I grip his shirt, fisting the fabric and deepening the kiss.
His hold on me tightens, the possessiveness of his touch fueling me. I pull his bottom lip between my teeth, biting it lightly, a low hum spilling from my lips as he groans. When I lean back, he drops his hand, his eyes roaming over me.
“I have a surprise for you,” he says, a slight nervousness in his voice.
“You do?” I ask excitedly. “Can I have it now?”
He shakes his head. “Not here.”
“What is it?”
We pull away from the curb, and he looks over at me. “Wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I told you, now would it?”
“Am I gonna like it?”
He laughs. “I really fucking hope so. It’s not exactly something I can return.”
“What does that—”
“Baby.”
“Yeah?”
He lowers his hand down on my thigh. “It’s a surprise, remember?” He squeezes once. “So stop asking questions.”
I let out a huff. “Fine.”
“How was your day? How’d that physics test go?”
“My day was okay,” I tell him, fidgeting with my ring. “And the test was pretty good. Only one question I wasn’t sure about.”
“I’m bet you aced it,” he says.
“How about you?”
He turns onto his street. “Things were slow today. Pretty easy.”
“Good,” I respond. “You need a break.” Pulling into his driveway, I look up at the house. “And here?”
He clears his throat, running a hand through his hair. “She’s at work now, but she was fine this morning.”
“Was she—”
“I really don’t want to talk about it,” he says softly. “I just wanna be with you.”
I glance over at him, seeing that the burdens he carries are so obvious in the way he holds himself. It’s been a few weeks since the whole money incident, and he’s been even more on edge.
“I wish I could make it easier,” I whisper.
“You do,” he says. “Sometimes, I just can’t …”
“I get it,” I tell him. “Trust me; I really do.”
“Let’s go in,” he says, forcing lightness into his voice. “Don’t you want your surprise?”
I nod eagerly, pushing my door open and following him inside.
He leads me to his bedroom where I look around for anything that’s different.
“Sit,” he tells me, motioning to the bed.
I drop down, and he stands over me, running a hand through his hair.
“You look nervous,” I murmur.
He stares back at me as if he might say something, but then he just strips off his shirt.
Confused, I let my eyes rake over him, pulling my head back when I see plastic wrap taped to his chest. “You get a new tattoo?”
He nods.
I inch forward, realizing it’s a word, but I can’t make out what it says.
He keeps his eyes on me as he slowly peels off the wrap.
I suck in a breath. “Jamie … that’s …” I look up at him. “Jamie, that’s my name.”
“Yeah, baby,” he murmurs. “I know.”
He steps forward, and I move up to my knees, bringing me eye level with my name written in script over his heart. It’s right above the Loyalty piece that spans his chest.
“Do you like it?” he asks, his voice achingly vulnerable.
I trace my fingers up his bare chest, circling the tattoo, careful not to touch it. “I love it,” I whisper.
His shoulders drop, stepping into me even closer, and I gasp when he pushes me back onto the bed. I watch as he slowly climbs over me, moving until his hips are straddling mine, his arms caging me in.
“I can’t believe you …” Reaching out for him, I study the tattoo. “This is permanent.”
He snorts.
I smack his chest playfully. “I’m serious. Jamie, this is …”
“It’s what?” he asks, leaning in so close that I can feel his breath tickle my skin.
“Forever.”
“Yeah,” he says. “Well, so are we.”
“Then I want one, too.”
He pulls back. “You want my name on you?”
Biting my lip, I nod, watching his eyes heat.
“I think I’d lose it if I saw that,” he mutters. “Saw my name marked on your skin.”
“I better get it done soon then,” I rasp, my gaze locked on his. “I love when you lose it.”
“Keep talking that way,” he says against me. “And I’ll show you right now.”
I drag my hands up his chest, my eyes fixed on my name scrawled over his heart. “I still can’t believe you got my name tattooed on you.” I feel his fingers flex on my hips. I shake my head and laugh. “You’re fucking crazy.”
“For you,” he nods. “Yeah.”