Chapter 17
SEVENTEEN
Reagan and I get doughy pizza from the snack bar and take it to one of the kid-sized tables. My legs do not fit underneath, so I’m sitting sideways.
“This was fun,” I say.
“It was. Thank you.”
“Any time.” I’ve been waiting for her to tell me what spurred her sudden desire to skip class and come to the arcade, but it looks like I’m going to have to pry for information. “Want to tell me what happened while I was at class this morning?”
She wipes her hands on a napkin and takes a drink before answering. “Caught on to that, huh?”
“Hey, I’m not complaining. Pumped to spend more time with you.”
“I ran into Janine.”
“Oh.” I still don’t know exactly what the story is there. When I passed on Janine’s message last week that Lori was doing well, Reagan shut down and changed the subject. Whoever Lori is, she isn’t a popular topic.
“She still thinks we’re engaged.”
“Yeah, I’ve been meaning to tell Dr. Salco myself. Janine will find out eventually.”
“I am sorry again for getting so carried away and pulling you into the mess to start with.”
“Nah, it’s fine.”
I think that’s the end of the conversation, and I’m prepared to let it go for now, but Reagan starts talking.
“Janine and I have known each other our entire lives. Our moms were friends as kids and stayed close until I was two or three. It’s hard for me to picture.
They’re so different.” She says different like it’s a bad word, which has me swallowing and worrying about what that means.
“When I was in high school, I actually lived with Janine’s family for almost two years. ”
“You did? Why? Where was your family?”
Reagan shrugs. “My mom was in Vegas, mostly. She traveled there for work almost every week. Usually, day trips so she’d be home by bedtime, but then day trips turned to overnight trips because she’d stay at the casinos too long and miss her flight.
That turned to her booking extra days so she could sightsee.
” Reagan rolls her eyes. “I doubt she ever left the casino floor. After a while, she didn’t even make excuses.
I stopped asking when she was coming home, and I guess that gave her the freedom not to care. ”
“She just left you to fend for yourself? How old were you?”
Reagan nods. Her face is red, and I can’t tell if she’s on the verge of tears or ready to throw something.
“Nine or ten, I guess, the first time she didn’t come home for an entire weekend.
It wasn’t just that she was absent. I was pretty self-sufficient, even at an early age.
But every year, things seemed to get worse.
She gambled away all of her savings, then sold everything we had, which I guess was good because we eventually lost everything else.
She got in so deep. I only had a roof over my head because my great aunt left the house in my name. ”
“That’s fucked up.”
“Sometimes things were great. If she won, we’d splurge and celebrate—make plans for awesome vacations.
But of course, before we ever took any, she’d lose it again.
” Reagan shrugs. “Eventually, I realized it was going to be on me, and I found creative ways to pay the utilities and basic needs. Recycling cans, doing odd jobs, babysitting, I even did some modeling.”
I get to my feet and move to her side of the table.
“I’m so sorry.” I cradle her against my chest.
“I wanted to tell you the other night when you mentioned her, but it’s so embarrassing. Even now.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong. It isn’t your fault.”
“I know.”
“Do you?” I brush her hair away from her face and stroke her cheek.
“Yeah, but I’m still ashamed. It was so humiliating.”
“What about your dad? Other family?”
“I never knew him. He was gone long before I was born, and I was always too scared to press her for details. She got pissed when I asked about him, and she was home so little that I didn’t want to give her any reason to leave.
And as for other family, what was I going to say?
I didn’t want to tattle on my own mom. I missed her.
I just wanted her to be home. I didn’t want anyone else to take me. ”
“Fuck.” My chest splits wide open. “I’m so sorry, baby.”
“Janine says she’s doing better now. She even has a job at my old elementary school.” Reagan snorts. “Ironic, huh?”
“When’s the last time you talked to her?”
“She showed up at my high school graduation asking for money. I guess she knew that I’d have extra cash coming in from relatives.”
Damn, that’s cold. I stroke her arm as she continues, “Janine and I moved to Valley the next week and I haven’t been back. I can’t forgive her.”
“You don’t have to,” I assure her. I don’t know if that’s the right thing to say, but it seems to calm her.
“Thank you for letting me steal you away for a few hours. I needed this.”
“It doesn’t have to end. Come on, let’s go back to my place.”
“What about your lab?”
“I’ll make it up.”
“No, I can’t let you do that.” Reagan straightens. “My shitty childhood isn’t taking any more from me, and it definitely isn’t touching you. I want to be good for you. Your dedication to school is something I’ve always found really attractive.”
“It wasn’t my stellar personality or flowing locks?” I ask and shake my head to make my hair fall in my face.
“I like those things, too,” she says and slips her fingers through my hair. Feels good.
“Are you okay? Really?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. Seeing Janine brought it all up again.”
“Is that why you’ve avoided her?”
A small smile graces her lips. First genuine one I’ve seen since this morning. “How do you know I’ve avoided her?”
“You said you haven’t seen her in years. Valley campus isn’t that big, baby.”
Over the next two weeks, Reagan and I spend more time together than apart. I’m humming to myself in the locker room, looking forward to seeing her again just as soon as I get out of here. She should be finishing with rehearsal, and I’ll have her to myself all night.
Heath corners me before I can leave.
“We need to talk,” he says, looking nervous. Nervous can only mean one thing.
My heart skips several beats, and I see red. “What did you do to my sister?”
He flips me off. “Fuck you. This isn’t about Ginny.”
“Oh.” My shoulders relax. “What’s up?”
Heath laughs at me. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Noted.” I wave my hand for him to continue.
“It’s Rhett. I’m worried about him.”
I glance over to where he’s sitting on the bench, leaning forward and running a towel over his sweaty hair. “Seems fine to me.”
“Yeah, well, no offense, man, but you’re in a love bubble right now, so your judgment is shit.”
“Love bubble?”
“You’re completely engrossed in Reagan and this thing between you two, and you can’t see anything else.”
“I see you right now wasting my time.” Time I could be with Reagan. I leave that part out so I don’t add fuel to this love bubble theory.
“Let’s go out tonight.”
“Fine,” I relent, mostly to shut him up so I can be on my way. “Text me the details, and Reagan and I will meet you guys there.”
He grabs my elbow to keep me from leaving. “No girls. Just the guys.”
“For serious?”
Chuckling, he nods. “For serious. Shouldn’t be hard to get away since you’re not in a love bubble.”
“What about your love bubble?”
“Oh, I’m still in one, but after a while, you start to remember that other people exist.”
“Whatever. Text me the details.” I shrug out of his grasp and head for the door.
“Be in the living room ready to go in an hour,” he calls after me.
Reagan is cool about it when I stop by and tell her my plans for the night. It might help that I eat her sweet pussy until she screams my name and then drop the news that I have to go out with the guys. She’s picking up her discarded clothes around the room while I resist moving from the bed.
“I was hoping you were going to throw a fit and demand I stay here,” I say and pull her down onto the bed with me. Her oh so glorious, naked body.
“No, it’s good. I’ve been neglecting my school stuff and Dakota.” She lies on top of me, her tits pressed against my chest and my dick smashed between us.
“Love bubble,” I mutter.
“What did you say? Love bubble?”
“Heath told me I was in a love bubble.”
Her mouth drops to mine, and she sucks on my bottom lip. “More like a sex bubble.”
I flip us so I’m on top. It’s so much more than sex with Reagan. She’s a hunger I can’t abate. I tease her, rubbing my cock against her clit.
“You’re going to be late,” she taunts as her eyes flutter closed and her hands come up to tweak her nipples.
“I can be fast,” I say like I’m not about to explode all over her stomach just watching her touch herself.
She grabs a condom from her dresser. While she rips the foil open, she takes my dick into her mouth and sucks.
“Not going to need the condom if you keep doing that.” A tingle runs up my spine as her sweet mouth slides down to the base one more time. Fuck me.
“Baby,” I groan.
She keeps going. Obviously, she thinks I’m joking about how close I am.
“Reagan, baby, I’m not kidding.”
She stops long enough to look me dead in the eyes and says, “I know.”
Those two words alone are almost my undoing. I run a hand through her hair, guiding her gently down the length of my cock at a faster pace.
I give her one last warning, but she keeps right on swallowing my dick as I come down her throat.
“Holy…” I can’t even finish the sentence. There are no words.
Reagan smiles proudly as she wipes her mouth. “I’ve never done that before.”
“Well, I sure as fuck hope you want to do it again sometime.” I’m a little lightheaded as I sit back, trying to catch my breath.
She hums. “Definitely, but now you have to get out of my bed.”
“Kicking me out?”
“Only for a few hours.” She gets up and pulls on a shirt and panties. “Will I see you later?”
“I don’t know. It’ll probably be late when we get home.” Rarely does a guys’ night end early, and if Rhett really is having a hard time, we’ll go harder to try to cheer him up. Booze is the cure for heartbreak.
“I hope he’s okay.”
“He’ll be fine. He’s better off.”