Page 35 of We Thought We Knew It All
“How old were you the first time your dad hit you?”
He straightened up. “Eleven.” He glanced back. “Right now you’re trying to convince yourself that the guy who was your best friend all those years didn’t know his brother was being abused.”
“I-”
“I tried to do the same thing for years. I wanted more than anything to think that my brother just didn’t know. Now that I have the kid goggles off, I don’t see how that’s possible.”
“Back then I didn’t get why you guys never got along. I thought -”
“You thought it was because I was a jerk.”
“Well, that’s why we weren’t overly fond of each other before senior year.”
He started laughing, but I didn’t get it. “Cal, you weren’t overly fond of anyone. And for the record, I always liked you. I slept with so many girls just trying not to be in love with you.”
“Gee, how romantic.”
He grinned. “I aim to please.”
“Are you okay, Jamie? Seriously?”
He took my hand, flipping it over to trace the lines on my palm. “No.”
I nodded. “I used to come here a lot when I was upset. I’d stare at the ocean, letting whatever troubled me drift away on the waves.”
“Did that really work?”
I smiled sheepishly. “Not really. But I did a lot of thinking while I was waiting for it to work. That seemed to help.”
“Then will you sit with me?” he asked. “I have a lot to think through.”
I sat next to him, securing my dress underneath my legs so it didn’t blow up. He rested his arm across my shoulders, pulling me closer. My eyes were focused on the dark water when I felt his warm lips on my neck.
I turned my face toward him. “I thought you wanted to think.”
“Thinking is overrated.”
His lips crashed down on mine as my heart pounded in time with the waves drumming against the shore.
* * *
I unlockedthe front door as quickly as I could as his hands gripped my waist from behind.
Jamie. Me. This was happening.
I pushed open the door, and he spun me to face him, claiming my lips once again. I rose on my toes to wrap my arms around his neck, wanting every inch of our bodies connecting.
Jamie walked me backwards down the hall, knowing this house as well as I did. I nudged my bedroom door open with my butt and managed not to trip on anything on the floor.
“A bed.” Jamie grinned. “This is a first for us.”
The only time we’d actually gone all the way was on the beach. It’d been my first time, and a night I’d never forgotten. It’d been goodbye.
I didn’t know what this was. All I knew was that it felt good, and I wanted to feel good. I wanted to stop being the adult in the room and just act on my impulses, my desires. I wanted Jamie - even if there was no promise of more than tonight. He was leaving - again - and I needed to be close to him.
I raised my arms and Jamie slid my dress over my head, leaving me in a white cotton bra and matching underwear. I’d never pretended to be sexy, preferring simple instead, but his eyes drank me in all the same.
He reached out, running a hand up my side, leaving goosebumps in its wake. I unbuttoned his shirt, sliding it off his defined shoulders. Touching his sculpted arms, I smiled. “Quite a bit different from last time.”
