Page 57 of Off Limits
‘Stay with me,’ I say.
‘I’m sorry,’ she says, before she turns and walks out the door.
When it slams behind her, I stop and stare. I could bet my heartrate’s above 180 right now, the amount of adrenaline that’s coursing through my body.
I’ve fucked up. Badly.
I hear her car engine, and for a moment, her headlights dance across the room as she pulls away, the sound of her tires crunching across the track.
Then she’s gone.
I lower my body to the couch and cradle my head in my hands.
I groan, because I’m the biggest fucking idiot that ever lived.
How could I have got it so wrong? How could I have mistaken her for a virgin?
I raise my head. Because she’s sweet, and I couldn’t imagine any guy being good enough to get close enough to her. I was a long shot at best. Usually, my instincts are good, and I’m not gonna start doubting my judgement now. She passes the fucking Mom test. Hell, she’s practically aced it already. And not that it matters what my mother thinks, but I know for a fact that Mom would love Serenity. And she’s right, there are expectations on girls that I’ll never be able to understand in the same way. There’s more pressure on them. It’s the same reason I worry about River and teenage guys who are total horndogs.
She felt so good in my arms. Better than good. Incredible. Everything about her. Her scent, her soft moans, the way she reacted to my hands. How wet she’d gotten for me. My whole life, I’ve never been so revved up for a girl before.
Eight guys. Shit. Four times my own number. And probability states that at least some of those were good lovers. Irrational insecurity has taken hold of me, more than I’d like to admit.
Man, I’m such a fuck-up. I grab the new phone. I consider all the stuff I wanna say to her, but then I pause, knowing that I need to think about this before I just type in the first thing that jumps into my head. This requires a considered response.
First and foremost… an apology.
A short time after, I’m behind the wheel in the pickup, heading back into Canyon, a heavy sensation in my gut, weighing me down. The cabin is all locked up. I take it at an easy pace. The last thing I want is for Ren to think I’m stalking her on the roads, if I were to catch up with her. I only wish she’d stayed so that I could have asked for her forgiveness.
The lights are all on when I roll into my driveway. I frown at the sight of a shiny, black Buick SUV out on the road in front of the house, a driver waiting in the front with the window rolled down. I look back to the house. Something is off.
When I walk through the door, I freeze. My parents are sitting side by side in the den. Opposite them is Sam Conway. Dad’s back is straight, which it literally never is.
‘Jake!’ Mom squeals and jumps to her feet. ‘Sweetie, where were you? We tried calling.’
To my left, Sam Conway also gets out of her chair, real slow. She’s wearing a navy pant suit.
‘Uhh, I’m sorry… I was hanging out with some of the guys,’ I say.
‘Ms Conway paid us the honor of an unexpected visit,’ Mom says, the light in her eyes dancing.
‘Hello, Jake,’ Sam Conway says, her voice kinda breathy. ‘Please forgive me for dropping in like this.’
‘Not at all,’ I say, but my top lip twitches involuntarily as she shakes me by the hand. ‘I was hoping for a quiet word,’ she says, and my heart sinks, because I know what this is gonna be about.
‘We were all talkin’ about how well you’re doing on the field,’ Mom pitches in.
‘Absolutely,’ Ms Conway says. ‘My father is thrilled. We all are.’
‘All the way to the playoffs,’ Dad says out of support. ‘Then maybe all the way to the Super Bowl.’
‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,’ I say as I clear my throat. I need to get this conversation over with. ‘Did you show Ms Conway the back yard?’
‘No,’ Mom says, looking to our guest. ‘Would you like some more lemonade?’
Ms Conway’s lips are pursed together. I’m guessing she didn’t much appreciate the first round.
‘I’m fine, really, you’re too kind,’ she says to my mother, but the smile doesn’t reach her eyes. ‘Why don’t you let Jake show me the yard?’
