9. Illegal Touching
9
Tessa
“Oh, God. Put me out of my misery. Kill me now.”
I grumble the words as I roll over and bury my head beneath the pillow to block out the light. Thank God I have the day off, because I am suffering some serious consequences for overindulging in Skye’s margaritas last night. My head feels like it could explode at any moment, and there’s a residual tequila and lime taste in my mouth that makes me want to vomit.
Pushing myself upright, I groan and pause to give my body a moment to find its equilibrium. My stomach heaves, and I breathe through the feeling until it settles. I throw my legs over the edge of the mattress and slide carefully to my feet. My hands cradle my pounding head as I make my way to the bathroom.
After using the toilet, washing my hands and face, and brushing the gross taste from my mouth, I make my way into the kitchen. Skye must’ve cleaned––she’s always had a high alcohol tolerance and manages to keep her wits about her when the rest of us become useless lushes. I make a mental note to text her later and thank her.
I grab the milk jug from the fridge and twist off the top before lifting the mouth to my lips and chugging down a few drinks. Don’t judge me. I live alone, and this is my prerogative.
Plopping down at the table with my jug of milk, I try to remember what happened last night. The girls came over and Skye made us take shots before mixing a batch of margaritas. I remember laughing a lot, and I vaguely recall Roxy calling a car to come pick them up. It was late. Or early, depending on how you look at it.
“What the hell did we do––”
The words cut off as the memories flood back in. I gasp and hop up, making my chair fly backward as I rush back into my room. Parting the blinds slightly, I peer out toward Riggs’ house. I freeze when I see him on his front porch talking to Miss Nelly. She jerks her head in my direction, and I yelp and drop to the floor when Riggs looks this way.
Rolling over onto my butt, I scooch backward until my back rests against the wall. I don’t know if Miss Nelly saw us last night, but it’s pretty obvious she was telling Riggs she thinks I’m the one responsible for his new lawn art.
Shit.
Keeping my head below the window and out of sight, I reach toward my night stand and slap my hand across the top of it. My breath whooshes out with relief when I feel my phone, and I snatch it down and furiously text the girls.
Me: What did we do last night?
Skye: Good morning, sunshine! How are you feeling?
Me: Skye.
Skye: What? We had some fun exacting a little revenge on your hot new neighbor.
Me: He’s not hot. And he knows it was me.
Roxy: Hey. Sorry, I just woke up. How does he know it was you?
Roxy: And stop kidding yourself. He is hot. An asshole, but hot.
Skye: If I didn’t know what he did to you, I’d let him get away with some illegal touching.
Me: Skye. Gross.
Me: I saw Miss Nelly talking to him. They both looked over here.
Skye: They can’t prove anything.
Hadley: Unless he has security cameras.
Roxy: No cameras. I checked.
Me: Are you sure? It was dark, and maybe you missed them.
Skye: Relax, Tessa. Even if he knows it was us, what’s he going to do?
Me: Call the police?
Roxy: He wouldn’t dare. He deserved that, and he knows it.
Me: Maybe I should just go over there and apologize.
Roxy: Don’t you dare.
Hadley: Maybe just wait and see if he calls you out?
Skye: And if he does, deny, deny, deny.
Me: I can try to avoid him as long as possible, I guess. Maybe he’ll let it go if he doesn’t see me for a week. Or a month. Or a year.
Hadley: How are you planning to avoid your next-door neighbor for a year?
Me: Very carefully.
Pushing myself up onto my knees, I peek through the blinds again. Riggs’ front porch is empty. I climb to my feet and stumble toward my bed. Falling onto it, I press my fingertips to my temples and attempt to massage away the pain.
After thinking about the situation for several minutes, I decide the girls are right. I don’t need to apologize to Riggs for the prank.
Hell, after the way he tricked and used me to win a fucking bet, he deserves whatever he gets.
Twelve years ago…
Who knew the star of the football team could be so sweet and romantic?
After our first date at the bowling alley, Riggs kissed me until I couldn’t think straight before asking me to be his girlfriend. When I said yes, his smile lit up this whole damn town. And I’ve been floating on air ever since.
Riggs holds my hand in the hallways at school. He pulls me into deserted corridors to steal kisses, and he sits with me and Hadley at lunch instead of asking me to sit with his football friends because he knows I’d be uncomfortable. He took me to the movies and lifted the arm rest between us so I could curl into his side. We went for pizza, and he slid into the booth next to me and rested his palm on my thigh, squeezing it every so often.
I’ve been walking on air for weeks, and I can’t pretend I don’t know what’s happening here. I’m falling for Riggs Malone, and I’m falling hard. He’s amazing. Sweet, sensitive, funny, and gorgeous. And he’s completely devoted to me.
Whenever we go out, he pulls up to my curb at the end of the night, putting the car into park so he can kiss me properly before I head inside. Those incredible kisses have gotten longer and longer, and last week, I let Riggs push his hand under my shirt to touch my boobs.
Okay, full disclosure, I grabbed his hand and shoved it under my shirt because he’s too much of a gentleman to do it himself. At least, he was the first time. After that night, things changed. Instead of waiting until the end of the night, we find somewhere secluded to park and make out. Riggs kisses me until I can’t breathe as his hands explore my body.
Last night, he pulled my boob free and sucked my nipple for the first time, shooting electricity to that spot between my legs no one besides me has ever touched. That’s when I decided––I want Riggs to be my first.
He’s given me so many firsts already, making each one feel special as he proves how much he cares about me. It just feels right, the thought of giving him my virginity. I know he’ll take care of me.
He’ll make it a night I’ll never forget. A night I’ll cherish forever in my memory.
Now, I just have to tell him.