Chapter Five
Debi
Being small town famous has perks—it also has drawbacks.
Everyone knows who I am in Pine Grove. With less than five thousand people, it often feels as if everyone knows everyone else. That means we know all the gossip about each other. With it being a smaller town, any piece of news seems salacious until it makes the rounds and is forgotten.
A few years go the hot news was one of the cheerleaders getting married to her best friend’s dad. It was forgotten fast before she divorced him and married his son. It is actually the sweetest story ever but when it made the rounds, it was blown wildly out of proportion.
When our band started making a mark, we were town fodder for a few months. I was labeled a wild rebel who had stolen the boys in the band from their good families. It could not be further from the truth—though I do have wild rebel tendencies—but none of us cared we were being gossiped about.
Right now, the hot gossip features me once again—and the sweet schoolteacher trying to lock me down.
“This is the cutest thing ever,” Jenna gushes as she sees Devin watching us from across the street.
It is cute, I won’t disagree. For the past few days, that beautiful boy has followed me all over town. I told him I kind of enjoyed the idea of him stalking me and I was not lying. When he showed up at the mall, I was thrilled to see him, but I bailed on him again. That night I saw him at a bar we had a show at, and it made my performance that much better.
After the show, he cornered me in a dark hallway, and we made out like drunk teenagers after prom. It was so hot I almost let him take me home with him. I am still terrified of him and what he makes me feel, so I walked away again. Every day he shows up where I am, and I love seeing him sitting there watching me with that hungry look in his pretty eyes.
Crossing the street towards him after telling Jenna to go to her birthing class without me, I am on edge. Each time I see him, I grow a little weaker. I know soon my fear will be no match for what he makes me feel. Grinning as he sees me coming, he stands from his perch on the bench, reaching for me.
“Morning rockstar,” he hums, pulling me to his chest as he bends his head to brush his lips over mine. I sigh against his mouth before the kiss becomes something more, his tongue tracing my lips, my little moan eaten up by his hungry kiss.
“Morning handsome,” I husk once I can breathe again, my fingers tangling in his golden hair as he holds me tight. God, he is so cute, and I love his preppy look. Hell, no one else could pull off a sweater vest and chinos the way this man can. He looks delicious in everything, he smells so good, and I adore his crooked smile and perfect lips.
“Could I take you two to lunch? I figure I ought to try impressing the best friend if I want a real shot with you,” he teases me before kissing me again, his hands sliding beneath my tank top.
Feeling his hands on his skin makes my brain malfunction. He is so sweet and shy until he touches me. Then he becomes hungry, his kiss turns demanding, his words grow filthy, and it turns me on until I am aching with it. How can I fight this man when he gives me no reason to want to fight?
“I mean you have impressed me so she would be the next step. Why do you want a shot with me, handsome? We don’t make sense, do we?”
And there it is, the thing that has kept me running from him. We do not make sense. I think we’re both aware of that. I am wild and reckless. He is cool and collected, he makes good choices, and has his life figured out. I am a mess still trying to figure myself out.
Part of me hopes it doesn’t matter to him that we don’t make sense. When I am with him, when we steal these moments together, everything makes sense for the first time. That empty ache inside of me is overflowing when he holds me or tells me how much he wants me, or when he kisses me until we’re both breathless.
“Few things in life do make sense, baby,” he responds, brushing his mouth over mine again. “This does not have to make sense for it to work. I am here all summer, Debi. Let me have you this summer. We can figure it out as we go. Let me take you out, let me spend every minute you will let me have with you. That makes sense to me, baby.”
“Have you really been telling anyone who will listen that you’re searching for Debi the rockstar?” I ask with a smile before I answer.
“Yes, I have. Because I am searching for you every single day. The whole town is near my side, if I can’t find you, they tell me where to look. They all love a good romance it seems. Can’t let Pine Grove down, baby.”
Laughing as I hook my arms around his broad shoulders, I nod. He is not wrong about that. Everywhere I go, they ask about him. About the handsome man looking for me at the mall, at the arcade, he even went to a new dance club and not only asked about me but gave them some of our records that he had gotten his hands on.
“No, I guess I can’t let the whole town down, can I?”
“Give me the summer,” he sobers, his pretty eyes serious as they hold mine. “If I get this right, we might not want it to end once summer does.”
Inside my chest, my heart thuds to a stop before taking off at a risky pace. That is what I am afraid of. Because he is not like anyone I have met before, nothing like any of the boys I wasted time hooking up with before. He does have his life figured out and it scares me that he might see a place for me in that life.
How can he see me in his life when I can’t see him in mine?
Oh, I can see him in my life, and I love what I see. It’s just that I am not sure it would be fair to him. It might help me grow up a little and find the path I keep straying from. What I am afraid of is wrecking his life. His plans. Shaking up the life he decided on long before we met at that fair.
“Let’s start with summer, handsome,” I tell him, letting him kiss me again as he backs up down an alley.
We’re in the shadows again, a place we always seem to wind up. First at the top of the world, then at that empty store at the mall, and the dark hallway at the club. We can’t help ourselves once we start kissing. His hands wander and mine do too and before I know it, he is tugging at my panties beneath my denim skirt and his fingers brush over my bare sex.
“Jesus, I love how wet you get,” he moans against my throat as he kisses me there, marking my skin with little love bites.
Just as my legs spread to let him touch me, a horn honks on the street. It reminds us we’re somewhere we could get caught. Something tells me we both love the idea of being caught. Still, he shakes off the lust hanging over both of us, smiling as he takes my hand to lead me out of the dim alley.
We meet up with Jenna—who is thrilled we show up together—and he takes us to a cute little bistro. He pulls out her chair for her then does the same for me before sitting down close to me. Beneath the table, he settles his big, warm hand on my thigh and we both sigh contentedly.
“So, tell me everything. Who are you? Why are you here? I need all the details, stranger,” Jenna warns playfully although I suspect she is not playing at all.
“Yes ma’am. I came here with my buddy Felix. We grew up together, but he came here during high school. It’s a beautiful place. We’re back for the summer before we go back to Baton Rouge for work.”
Hearing him talk about leaving cuts a sharp pain through me. Nothing lasts forever, I suppose. Having an end date on our time together stings. I am angry at myself for wasting these past few days running instead of being with him. Glancing over at him, I cover his hand with mine, lacing our fingers together.
I am done running unless I am running right to Devin.
We spend the entire afternoon together, all three of us. We go baby shopping then grab some fro-yo. Blame that on baby cravings. Jenna’s husband Jordan joins us when we decide to go to the arcade. Sure, we’re adults now but we can still act like we’re not.
“I am so good at skee ball,” I declare as I snatch up one of the heavy balls, grinning at Devin. “I will win any prize you want, baby.”
Devin chuckles, waving me on as he steps out of my way. I hurl the first ball down the lane, chuckling arrogantly when it sails into the one-hundred-point corner bracket. Turning, I smirk at him as I toss the other without even looking. Sure enough it hits the opposite one-hundred-point bracket.
Grinning, he comes up behind me, his hands dropping to grasp my hips. I try to ignore the heat that sizzles through me from his touch. From the way he presses his hard body up against mine. Lowering his head, he brushes his lips over my ear teasingly before he whispers softly.
“Keep showing off, rockstar. Seeing you win just turns me on. I am not some machismo male who can’t handle his girl being better than him. Show me how you do everything so good ,” he hums the last words as my ass rubs against his hard cock and we both sigh.
Holy hell, why is he so damn hot?
With him holding me, I toss a few more balls, though only one makes its mark. His mouth is all over my throat, my neck, and I can barely concentrate. Not that I mind at all. I love having his mouth on me and his hands drive me insane so he can toy with me all he wants.
Turning my head, I know he is there before he presses his mouth to mine. My hand goes back, cradling his face as the kiss deepens. I turn more to press against his chest, opening my mouth when he sweeps his tongue across my lips. His thick arms pull me roughly against his body as one of his hands comes to cradle the back of my head.
“You called me your girl,” I whisper when the kiss breaks for a moment.
“Yes, I did. You’ve been mine since we stood in line for that ride, rockstar.”
Then his mouth is on mine as if he wants to avoid me arguing. Not that I planned to because who would argue with that? We kiss until two young kids brush past us, heckling us for making out at the arcade. Then we get back to skee-ball and I show him I mean business when I play.
“If that were an Olympic sport, you would get gold,” he teases as the machine spits out a long ream of tickets for my wicked high score.
“It ought to be, right? It takes a special talent,” I agree with a laugh.
“Skee ball is not my game, perse, but I can show you what is.”
Taking my hand in his, he leads me from the rows of skee ball to a wall full of pinball machines. Grinning at me, he pulls out a handful of coins and loads up the first one he stops at. Mimicking what he did to me earlier, I press close behind him, letting my hands lay on the glass as he starts to play.
“Your turn to show off, teach?” I tease as I lick his ear playfully.
“Jesus,” he groans, tilting his head to grant me easier access. I kiss a path down the side of his neck. I can feel the thrum of his pulse and how excited he is. “Not if you keep using that mouth on me.”
Laughing, I throw my hands up and back up, letting him play. Shooting me a look with his pretty hooded eyes, he yanks me back to his side. I am all too happy to stick close as I watch him crush the high score. He never takes his eyes off the ball as it pings through the turns and bumpers. We could be here all night if I don’t do something about it.
Dipping my head, I brush my mouth over his ear before I whisper something obscene about him spreading me out on top of the pinball game. I get just a few words out before he scoops me up and sets me on top of the cool glass. I let out a squeal of laughter as I cling to him, afraid he might act on my teasing and take me right here.
“You want to get caught, don’t you? Did it make you hot how we played up on that ride? That they could hear your little moans or how you begged me not to stop fucking my fingers into your pretty little pussy?”
I am going to hell, but he will be there waiting, so I don’t even mind.
“Yes. Yes, it turned me on,” I admit shakily.
“You got so hot for me at the bar that night. I bet you would have let me take you to one of those filthy bathrooms and fucked you raw.”
“Yes, yes, I would,” I pant, my pussy soaked by his filthy words.
“Would you let me rip your panties off right here, right now, and bury my cock inside of you?” He is breathing heavy, eyes dark and hooded, his hands tight on my thighs as he yanks me to the edge of the pinball game.
“Yes, I want you so bad, Devin. I don’t care where you take me.”
“Good,” he whispers against my mouth, his smile cocky. “Good, because once I take you, I won’t get enough of being inside you. I’m going to need to have you whenever I need it. Whenever I want it. Look at me, Debi, I do not want you to doubt what I am about to say,” he commands, grasping my chin in gentle fingers to force my gaze to his.
“What…what do you mean?”
“I am going to fuck you raw at a bar if I want. Or spread you out on one of these pinball games if I need to be inside you. I might even take you back on that Ferris wheel and let you ride my cock while we’re stuck at the top. But, understand this,” his voice is dark, serious, his eyes holding mine.
“This is not about getting off. It is not about using you or letting you use me. The first time I have you will be in a bed, where I can spread your body out and take my time adoring it. It won’t be needy fucking or greedy getting off. Because when I take you the first time, I want you to know it is just the first time, just the start, just the beginning of us. Do you get me?”
Oh, yes, I do, and it scares the hell out of me. But I want it all. All of the sweet, sexy, salacious things he is promising, I want it all.
“Yes, I get you. I understand, baby,” I whisper with a slow nod.
“Good girl. Now, do you prefer Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter?”
We agree that Street Fighter is the best choice. We spend the rest of the afternoon playing almost every game in the arcade. Winning handfuls of tickets, he tells me to pick any of the corny prizes I want. I pick a cute little rockstar racoon I will cherish long after my summer with Devin.
At least I will have it to hold on once this is all over.