Never Say Never (15 page)

I’m pulled out of my desires as I hear my name being called,

“Cameron.”

It’s all I hear, recognizing the voice instantly.

I turn, Kat still wrapped in my arms, a bag full of pasta twisted in the other, “Mom, what are you doing here?”

“I’m having dinner with a friend. What are you doing here, I thought you were with Max?” she says, staring at the girl tucked under my arm.

“I will be, I’m just having dinner first.”

She looks right past me, stretching her hand out toward Kat.

“Hello, I don’t believe we met. I’m Cameron’s mom, Lily.”

I look down at Kat, her hand is reaching back.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Katherine.”

Katherine? I guess I knew Kat came from somewhere.

My mother studies her briefly. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you around before.”

“No, I...uhh just moved here a few months ago, from Savannah,” she mutters.

She looks really nervous. I fell the need to step in.

“Mom, this is Kat... my girlfriend,” I say, with my arm still draped over her shoulder, pulling her in closer.

I look down at Kat first to get a glimpse of her reaction, she seems more than happy that I referred to her as my girl. I quickly glance back at my mother, her face says something else. Here I am declaring I have a girlfriend, something I never declared to my mom or anyone else, not even myself before.

I had a slew of girls, but never once did I consider any one of those chicks my girlfriend or bring them home. This black hair, brown-eyed girl from Savannah, who I was crazy about, caught me completely by surprise back in January. Now, the only thing I can think of is the fact that my life will probably be different from now on, because I don’t want to let her go.

Deep in thought and waiting for someone to say something, I hear my mom say, “Well, Katherine it’s nice to meet you.” Two-seconds later, she says, “Cameron, can I talk to you for a minute...in private?”

I moan, this isn’t gonna be some sort of lecture I hope, because she can save it. I swing my arm off my girl, handing her the bag of food, “Give me a sec.”

She nods without saying anything.

My mom pulls me gently by the arm, walking several steps away from the person that I hate to walk away from.

“All right, Mom. What gives?” I ask, shoving my hand into my pocket waiting for her to speak.

She holds up her hand, “Cam, before you say anything, I just wanted to ask you a question.”

I shrug, “Shoot.”

“Do you really think getting involved with her is the best idea? I mean Colorado is right around the corner and you’ll be leaving.” She pauses, pulling my chin down to look at hers, “And, I’m not sure I like the way you look at her.”

“What are you talking about? Mom, I’ve had girlfriends before, well kinda, you know that. And as far as the way I look at her, that’s really none of your business. Just cause your unhappy since Dad took off doesn’t mean I have to be,” I say, knowing I probably just struck a cord that was way below the belt.

“Just be careful.” Another pause. “Cameron, I’m serious,” she says not looking at me directly. I see her wipe something from under her glasses. Great, I can’t do this anymore. If I see any tears, I’ll really feel like shit.

“No problem,” I say, starting to walk away. But then instead of keeping my mouth shut, I open it before I think it through. I turn back to her, “I’m having dinner with Kat, and then I’m heading to Max’s...I won’t be home tonight. I’m crashing there.”

She nods wearily.

I’m not going to Max’s. I have no intention of going over there and ditching Kat, when she’s alone. Sleepovers are something I haven’t done since I was twelve, but I figure what the hell. She probably knows that I’m lying straight to her face, it’s something I’ve become a pro at when it came to her. Don’t get me wrong, I love my mother. But ever since my dad took off five years ago, life has been different in the Tate household.

I can pretty much get away with anything, ask for anything, and it’s mine within days. Most kids would take advantage of the situation, but really all I wanted was to be with my Dad. I hated it when he left.

“What was that all about?”

“Ah, nothing. She’s just being motherly...she thinks you’re cute,” I say, lying. I only say it because the last thing I need is her running because of stupid crap my mom was dishing out.

“Are you really going to Max’s?” She asks, pouting those insanely amazing lips.

I swing my arm back over her shoulder, lean down to kiss her forehead and say, “Are you kidding? I have no intention of letting you out of my sight tonight.”

“But...you told your mom,” I cut her off. “What she doesn’t know, won’t kill her.”

“I don’t want you to get in trouble, so maybe you should,” she says, unlatching herself from my arm.

“Kat, trust me...it’s fine.”

“Promise?”

“100 percent.”

She smiles back at me, ducking her head back under my arm. As a breeze works it’s way through the air, I swear I can still smell the chocolate from earlier. And now, I can’t think of pasta or my mom, I can only think of kissing her again.

***

“What’s your pleasure? We have movies like Armageddon, Rocky, or a million chick flicks,” she says, as she bends over the drawer pulling different movies out.

I don’t answer because now my brain, and I’m not talking about the one in my head, has a mind of it’s own. I don’t want to watch a movie or eat pasta. The only thing I want to do is feel her arms around me and get lost in her lips, because I could easily lose it right now looking at her from behind.

She turns, facing me. “Which one?”

I shake my head, trying to erase the image of her naked that is still running through it.

“I don’t care, you choose.”

“I’m warning you...I’ll pick a girly movie if you don’t say anything.”

“That’s fine, whatever you want,” I say.

It’s not fine, but I don’t think we’ll be watching any movie for too long. Especially since she sporting the little sweat shorts and tight tee that she changed into.

She looks down at me sitting on the couch, her eyebrows go up, “Just hit play. I’ll go grab the pasta and some sodas.”

For a minute there, I thought she could see right inside of my head, the image of her half naked body still engrained inside. If she did, she didn’t let on. Of course, I have no idea what she looks like fully unclothed, but I have an idea. In my head, she’s perfect.

She waltzes back in with two plates of pasta and two glasses filled with soda on a tray. I can’t take my eyes of her, they follow her until she sits extremely close to me. I’m totally fine with that.

She’s holding her plate on her lap, “Aren’t you going to eat?”

I blink several times trying to refocus, “Yeah,” I say, as a grab the plate off the coffee table.

The movie starts, she’s obviously chosen a chick flick, but I don’t care. She’s watching the television, I’m trying to concentrate on my food and not her smoking hot legs stretched out. This girl can drive me crazier than anyone else. I mean, her legs are amazing. Suddenly I’m thinking, I don’t want any other guy to ever look at them or touch them, besides me.

As we continue to watch the movie she chose, I glance over to see if she’s looking my way. She’s not. She’s still chowing down on her gnocchi, intently watching the movie. I rest my arm over the top of the couch, slightly touching her neck.

“What’s it mean?”

She looks at me confused, “What’s what mean?” She asks putting her plate down on the table.

“The tattoo,” I say, as I pull her hair back and fling in to the other side of her neck.

“It’s just something my best friend and I did before I moved. Her name’s Jessica. I really miss her, she and I were like this,” she say, twisting her one finger around the other. She quickly adds, “Why? You don’t like it?”

“No, I like it, a lot,” I say, kissing the tattoo inked on her neck. “It’s sexy as hell.”

I continue to kiss her neck, moving my lips closer to hers. She tilts her head giving me a better angle. In between breaths she asks, “Do you have any?”

“No,” I answer as my lips find hers again.

She doesn’t say anything else, her lips and mine are mingling nicely, as I part her mouth open with my tongue. I can feel she’s getting into it as much as I am. Her moaning gives her away. Just as I’m about to tug on that little tie on the top of her shorts, she pulls away.

“I need to go brush my teeth.”

I pull back, slightly. “Now?”

“I stink like garlic.”

“So do I. Who cares? We’ll be stinky together.” Shit, did I just say that? I don’t even care. I keep moving, lying her underneath me, my hands prop up beside her head.

“I want you,” I tell her.

Silence.

She pulls me down closer, pulling my shirt over my head and tossing it over the couch. She studies my chest briefly before she pulls off her shirt. I’m lying on top of her, staring down to a black lacy bra that shows off her assets.

“You’re beautiful,” I say, as I lean down pulling the straps to her bra off her shoulders.

My heart is racing because I know that tonight she’s mine, and she’s giving me herself. Something she’s never given anybody.

She stops, “Do you have protection?”

Shit! I sit up grabbing the wallet from the back of jeans pocket and look through...nothing.

I look back at her, “Do you?”

“No,” she snaps back.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

Here I am with the most beautiful girl in the world, in my opinion, and I have no condoms.

“I can be back in ten minutes,” I say, jumping up.

“Don’t leave, we can do this another time.”

I run my hands through my hair, trying to think how we can make this work tonight.

I kneel down beside her and say, “I can pull out.”

“And risk getting pregnant on the first time. No thanks.”

She’s right. I know she’s right, but kneeling beside her with her black lacy bra staring back at me, my heart races even more.

The only thing I want is to feel her again. But, I can’t. If I keep at this, I’ll disregard every comment we just said to each other.

“You might want to put that shirt back on, otherwise...well I don’t think I can take it.”

She pulls me back down, “I want you, too.”

“Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.”

“I do. Just not tonight. We can do this another time, I promise,” she says, kissing my lips one more time.

Our night is over, just like that. I watch as she carefully pulls her shirt back over her head.

“Let’s just watch the movie,”she says, pulling a blanket off the top of the couch.

I lie behind her, my arms wrapped tight around her waist and watch the movie.

KAT

“Katherine Elizabeth Harper, wake up.”

I open my eyes, my father is standing over the couch, glaring behind me. Oh, my God. Cameron is still behind me, half naked. He’s now awake. We obviously fell asleep. I can’t even remember how that happened. I feel Cameron nudging me under the blanket. Worse, his shirt, crumpled in a ball is sitting in my father’s hands.

“Dad, it’s not what it looks like, I promise. We fell asleep.”

He throws the shirt to Cameron, “Put this on son and I think it’s about time you left,” he says, with anger in his voice.

My mind is going in all different directions, when I hear Cameron say, “Sorry, sir, er...it won’t happen again. We really did just fall asleep.”

I watch as Cameron scoots around me, pulling his shirt back onto his perfectly chiseled body.

“See you later, okay?” he says, kissing the top of my forehead.

I nod.

My father yells out, “Don’t think so son, she’s gonna be punished for quite some time.”

I look at him, by the look in his eyes he’s obviously disappointed in me.

“You can’t be serious?” I ask.

“Try me,” He pauses as I stand up. “Is this what happens when I’m not home?”

I don’t know where I get the fuel from, but I feel it leaping out of my chest and coming right out of my mouth.

“Let’s get this straight. You’re blaming me because you need a night with her. And somehow this is my fault? If you were home this would never have happened.”

He holds up his hand to stop me from talking, but I’m pissed now, so I keep going off on my tirade. “And another thing, I’m eighteen, you can’t punish me. I’m an adult and if I want someone to keep me company while your off doing exactly what you think I’m doing, well you have another thing coming.”

His eyes are glaring right through me, “Go to your room. If you ever speak to me like that again, Katherine...you’ll be punished until college.”

I storm upstairs, grab my purse and run back downstairs.