“Sometimes they hit the spot.” I kept going, heading toward the bowling alley.
A moment later, I heard him following me.
Sophie and Jude are both 17
Sophie and Jude never go to each other’s houses.
She knows her father too well to bring Jude around. Her father is a bully, and he’ll try to intimidate Jude. And when that doesn’t work (because Jude didn’t seem intimidated by anyone) he’ll try to make Jude feel like a loser somehow. He’ll say something about tattoos being trashy or ask Jude where his mother is.
And they never go to Jude’s house, either. Whenever Jude speaks of his father, he refers to him as “that mess.” Sophie is pretty sure he doesn’t want her to witness the mess in person. So she never presses him on the issue.
“I got my father to promise me something,” Jude says one day out of the blue. “Next year after graduation, I can move into the room over the garage. It will take some work to fix it up, but I’ll like having my own place. You can come over, too.”
Now there’s a thrilling idea. She gets shivers just thinking about being truly alone with him.
For now, they spend a lot of time in his car, listening to music on the radio and talking. Tonight they’re parked outside the Colebury Diner, where she and Jude have planned to indulge in ice cream sundaes after a little time alone.
It’s December and awfully cold, so they hug each other to get warm.
Their making out has progressed from reaching over the gearbox to her sitting in his lap. Sophie’s lips glide up the side of his face. She takes a gentle taste of his temple before kissing his forehead, dropping kisses at his hairline.
Her cleavage is almost at the level of his face. She wishes he would touch her already. Her breasts are so full and achy whenever they’re together.
Sophie is tired of waiting. She’s wearing a V-neck T-shirt, too, damn it. Doesn’t he notice? She tips her head backward a little way, arching her back.
A low, guttural sound escapes his lips. Jude leans forward, his lips finding the base of her throat. Desire floods her as his lips tease this new, sensitive place. He raises a hand, caressing her ribcage. She wishes he would just stick his hand up her shirt and touch her, damn it.
What’s the use of having the sort of tattooed boyfriend who keeps fathers up at night if he won’t even get rid of her damned virginity for her?
Jude groans then tugs her chin down for a proper kiss. His tongue slides against hers, his tongue piercing torturing her. She forgets her frustrations, because Jude is perfect. His eyes are open as they kiss, taking her in, not missing a thing. He makes her feel cherished. If she said that word out loud it would sound silly. But his touch is reverent…
There’s a loud bang on the door of the car and Sophie jumps half a foot in surprise.
Jude just tips his head back and grits his teeth. “If your asshole brother dented my car, I’m going to fucking punch him.”
Sophie grabs the lever and opens the car door. She jumps out and faces her brother, who’s laughing with his idiot lacrosse friends. Usually Gavin is busy doing keg stands at his frat house, but the asshole is on a month-long Christmas vacation at the moment. “What is your fricking problem?” she demands. Is there no place on God’s green earth where she and Jude can be alone?
“Thought you needed an interruption. Don’t do anything stupid with your trailer-park boyfriend.”
Even without looking at him, she can feel tension rising off Jude. He’s too smart to start something with the police chief’s son and his loyal posse of heavies.
Gavin leans in to take a look at the interior of the Porsche. “Have you thought about selling me this car yet?”
Jude shakes his head slowly. “I told you already. Too many hours of my labor in this baby. I could never do it.”
“Maybe if you’d quote a price, I won’t tell my father what it is you two do in this car.”
“There is nothing to tell,” Jude says easily. “We’re on our way inside for ice cream.” He pats Sophie on the hip. “You can pick the flavor.”
Sophie gives her brother a glare. Not that he notices.
Jude nudges her gently out of the way so that he can stand up, too. He doesn’t look Gavin in the eye, but he makes a careful show out of locking the door and pocketing the key. Mine, his actions say as he closes the car door with a click.
Mine, his hand says when he palms her lower back.
They go inside and find a booth, but his face is stony now.
Sophie finds his feet with hers under the table and finally gets a smile. But it’s only fifty or sixty watts.
Chapter Four
Jude
Cravings Level: 7 and rising
Ninety-six hours in Colebury. And every one of ’em hard.