Page 34 of Going Home

"Did you give her grape or apple?"

"Grape."

"She only likes apple," Hailey says. "Do you need me to come in and help you?"

Looking between them, Lucas smirks. "Were you two just about to start making out?"

"Lucas," she warns.

"Would you have a problem if I made out with your sister?" Gavin asks.

The comment earns him a glare from Hailey, but Lucas just laughs. "No, but you should be careful. The last guy she kissed ended up running away. Crying."

Her hands ball into fists, and she snaps her head to her brother. "Lucas—"

"I got it. You two go back to doing whatever you were doing. Just be careful, man."

The door shuts, and she groans. "I love having a little brother. I just fucking love it."

"Imagine having a little sister," Gavin says. "So... You made some guy cry?"

A proud smile appears, and she turns back to face him. "He thought I was easy after he found me sleeping in a car. That if I let him kiss me, it meant I was going to spread my legs for him. He pushed after I told him no, and I may have used my knee to prove the point that his hard-on was not making it past that particular joint."

"Smart girl."

"Am I going to have to use my knee on you?"

His hands lift in the air. "I understand that when a woman says no, it means no."

"Yeah, sure," she says but still laughs.

"Are you a... virgin?"

"Is that a turn on or a turn off?"

God, I think I'm in love with this girl. I love her fight."Well, there's something insanely hot about being someone's first, but I'm not Elvis or anything. I don't go out trolling for virgins."

"He had something to hide, didn't he?"

"Maybe. Guess we'll never know. So...?"

"No, I'm not a virgin," Hailey says, her arms crossing over her chest, "but I'm not a slut. I've had sex with one guy. Only one."

The defensive tone makes Gavin wonder if the fact she made a point to say only one has anything to do with the perception people have of her. He can't imagine sleeping in a car would be easy, and kids are terrible to each other. "Being comfortable in your sexuality shouldn't be something to be ashamed of. As long as you're not using it as some type of currency, do what makes you feel good. Literally."

Her eyes glance down to his fly, and he knows she can tell he's half hard just thinking about her in that way. "I take it you're not a virgin."

"Lost it when I was sixteen. I haven't been with a lot of women compared to most guys, but considering my parents married each other when they were seventeen, I have a different ideal when it comes to sex. Granted, though, Mom just found out Dad lost his virginity to her sister and lied about it, so I'm not really sure where my values stand right now."

Jaw dropping, she laughs. "You're kidding. Your dad slept with your aunt? And they're both still breathing?"

"Aunt died around the time I was born. Dad's sleeping at the clubhouse because Mom kicked him out. She took it hard when she found out he'd lied and said they lost it together."

"I'm surprised she didn't kill him."

"To be fair, Mom and Dad weren't together when it happened. And my grandma was just murdered."

Leaning back, she shakes her head. "You're fucking with me."

---