Pivotal Moments (In Time #1) (10 page)

My thoughts were leading me nowhere but to trouble. I quietly cleared my throat. “So, what’s U of F like?” I asked, curious. Dad had graduated from there before he went into the Army. Connor had turned down several big lacrosse scholarships to go to his alma mater, and I had studied my ass off to get in.

“It’s big,” he said blandly.

I narrowed my eyes. “You know what I mean, smart ass.”

“Smart ass, huh?” He chuckled. “Well, if you’re going to be all abusive, I don’t think I’ll take you there tomorrow to show you around.”

My jaw dropped. Wait a second. “Wha…Huh?” Brilliant comeback, Ash. Just great.

He grinned and gave me a wink. The things those winks did to me…“Yeah, I figured since you were going to be there soon, I’d give you the real tour. Not that crappy Welcome to Campus tour they give the freshmen.” He glanced at me, then slowed down and pulled into the driveway. “I mean, if you want to go. And you think it’ll be all right with your mom.”

I nodded so vigorously I was surprised my head remained attached. “That’d be great! I’m pretty sure Mom won’t mind, if we leave here early so we could come back home the same day.” It dawned on me that we’d be driving for almost six hours. “Will that be too much for one day?”

He shook his head. “We can do that. We’ll get there, I’ll show you around, maybe have some lunch?” He put the truck in park, shut it off, and then turned to look at me, not letting go of my hand. He gave a shy smile. “I’d like you to meet some of my friends I work with, maybe show you the place too. Does that work?”

I felt my heart flip and pound at the uncertainty in his voice. A small thrill shot through me at his words. He wanted to share some of his personal life with me, meet his friends. Even I knew that had to mean something. I fought the urge to do a fist pump.

“I would love to see where you work,” I said excitedly. I had no idea what a bouncer really did. “Will you show me what you do there some day?”

He shook his head. “I can’t, Aislinn. At night it’s twenty-one and over only.”

I slumped in disappointment.

“Hey…” His voice took on a comforting tone. “It’s not a big deal.”

But it was. I gave him a wan smile. We were so different—personality, experience, and age. Did a relationship with him even stand a chance? I desperately wanted all of that to not matter to him, to not matter to me. I just wanted a chance.

“Your birthday is in May, right?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, it’s the fourteenth. Why?”

His smile was secretive as he just shrugged. “No reason. Just curious.”

Warmth spread through me. How did he know my birthday was in May? A smile started and I didn’t try to stop it. Connor, my own brother, barely knew what month my birthday was in. Teagan hardly knew me and he’d stored that information. That was a good sign.

“How’d you know that?” I asked.

“ESP.” The immediate reply came out smoothly. I shot him a look that spoke volumes, if the grin on his face was any indication. He looked through the windshield at the house before clearing his throat. “Connor said you’d be eighteen in a couple of months. Now, math isn’t my strongest subject, but I’m fairly certain that counts us up to May.”

“I’m impressed,” I said, smiling. “I’m surprised my brother even knows what month it’s in.”

His thumb softly brushed the back of mine. Then he let go of my hand and got out of the truck. I bent down and grabbed my purse from the floorboard. As I sat back up, my door opened. I jumped with a gasp of surprise, clutching my chest. Teagan was standing there, holding the door open, and he raised an eyebrow at my reaction.

“God, Teagan, you scared the crap out of me!” I exclaimed, flustered.

He flashed me a teasing grin. “I’ll be sure to wear a bell next time.”

I got out of the truck and stuck my tongue out at him before heading up the walkway to the front door. I fished the keys out of my purse and jumped again when Teagan snagged them out of my hand. He moved forward, unlocking and opening the door for me and as I walked in, he touched my shoulder.

“You don’t have to be so nervous around me, baby. Remember—just talk to me.” He stepped aside for me to enter first, reaching in to turn on the foyer light. I stepped into the house and was almost immediately pushed to the side. About a thousand pounds of canine mass had appeared out of nowhere to begin doing a wiggling happy-dog-dance.

I stumbled to a halt as Zver pranced between Teagan and me. Tail thumping and wagging, he was trying to shower both of his humans with love and affection at the same time. The result had me giggling. Teagan was laughing at his dog’s antics as well. “I think he missed us,” he said.

I nodded as he took Zver’s leash off the coat rack and leaned down to attach it to the dog’s collar, causing Zver to prance even more vigorously. Once done, Teagan stood up and took three long steps to my side. My breath caught at his sudden nearness and then stuttered to a complete halt when he leaned down and a placed a quick kiss on my cheek. As he straightened, he gave me a grin.

“Goodnight, Aislinn. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He then turned and was gone, taking his behemoth dog for a walk. In a daze, I turned and started up the stairs for bed. I was sorely unprepared for the lack of predictability Teagan constantly threw my way. I could only mutter as I prepared for bed.

One thing was certain. Spending tomorrow alone with Teagan was going to be interesting.

Chapter 10

I stared at my mother as if she had three heads. Out of every possibility I had planned for, easy acquiescence wasn’t one of them. I had planned the use of pleading, anger, guilt. I was a little disappointed I couldn’t use my arguments. But…why?

“Um, come again?” I questioned, suspicious.

“Ash, it’s two in the morning,” Mom grumbled, finishing leftovers from dinner the night before last. She had just gotten home, and I wanted to grab her before she went to bed.

“I know. But he talked about leaving early and I wanted to make sure you’re okay with it,” I explained, reaching over and grabbing her dirty dishes. A little sucking up never hurt anyone. “We’re going to be gone all day, and I’m not sure what time we’ll be home,” I finished.

Mom sat back in her chair and studied me, lips pursed. Then she asked, “Ash, do you want me to say you can’t go?”

“No!” I shouted before I could catch myself. Mom bit back a smile and I glowered at her. I had the distinct impression I’d just been set up.

Mom stood up, then leaned down and grabbed her purse and workbag, letting out a tired groan. I felt bad; she worked hard and I’d kept her up longer over a silly road trip. She straightened, smiled at me, and then headed toward the door. At the hallway, she paused. “Where’s your brother?”

He was an adult now; I didn’t have to cover for him like I did when we were younger. Mom could only get so mad at him these days. So I shrugged. “He went to that party and I guess he stayed the night there.”

Mom raised her eyebrows. “With who?”

“I don’t know, Mom. Maybe Scott? That’s who had the party, anyway.” I walked over to the sink and put the dishes in. It’d be daylight in a couple of hours. If Connor were coming home, he’d have probably been here already. I suspected he went home with some random girl he met at the party, but I couldn’t tell Mom that.

Penny would be devastated if she found out too.

Mom was gazing at the floor with a deep frown. I hated when she did that; she looked sad and defeated. Not coincidentally, she usually got these looks when it was something Connor had done. Go figure.

“You okay, Mom?” I asked her.

She gave me a tired smile. “Yeah, sweetie. I’m fine. Just been a long day is all.” She turned back to the hallway and started to walk to her room on the other side of the house. “Be careful driving to Gainesville, honey, and have fun.”

“Sure, Mom,” I answered. “I’ll call you when I get there.”

She waved tiredly and continued on her way.

Why did Connor have to be so thoughtless? But he was who he was, and he wasn’t going to change. Still, he caused Mom a ton of needless stress. I’d talk to him about it, but it wouldn’t make a bit of difference. I shook my head at my older sibling’s behavior and set about tidying the kitchen. When I finished that, I went on to bed.

I don’t know how long I lay in bed, unable to sleep, before I finally just gave up. Avoiding looking at the time—because it would just piss me off—I wandered over to my closet. I spent the next thirty minutes deciding what to wear. I needed to look nice; not only was I spending the day with a drop-dead gorgeous man, but I would also be meeting some of his friends. This was classified as a Big Deal, and the perfect outfit was going to play a big part in making a good impression.

I finally decided on a pair of distressed, dark-wash jeans, a cream-colored tank with a matching loose fitting top over it, brown boots, and a watch, earrings, and a bracelet. It wasn’t going to get any better than that, so I grabbed my clothes and went to take a shower.

After my shower, I wandered downstairs to wait for Teagan. I went into the kitchen and grabbed a soda from the fridge, then sat down at the table. My hands were shaking as I popped open the drink. It was taking everything in me not to call this whole thing off. Between the lack of sleep and my shot nerves, it was going to be a rough day. I’d be lucky if Teagan would even get back in the truck with me to bring me home.

I grabbed my phone and glared. It was only six in the morning. I had no idea what I should do. I didn’t know if I should try to wake Teagan up or not. Especially since I didn’t know if he was like me when being awakened.

He probably wasn’t.

I tossed my phone back on the table and exhaled in annoyance. There was nothing on it to entertain me; my desired entertainment was currently asleep upstairs. I crossed my arms on the table with a deep sigh and rested my head on them, allowing myself to fantasize about Teagan. There were worse ways to pass the time.

I don’t know how long I sat there, lost in my thoughts, when I got that feeling that someone was watching me. I jerked up to find the star of my fantasies standing next to me. He gave me that sexy Teagan smirk before sitting in the chair next to me.

“Morning, sweetheart.” He grinned. I shot him a glare and he snickered at me. I narrowed my eyes and glowered at him. “I see that your sunshine is firmly in place today,” he remarked, a teasing glint in his eye.

I snorted. “Yeah. Just with better hair this time.” I fought the urge to squirm in embarrassment.

“Oh, I don’t know…” he said, reaching over and running his fingers down a curl that had landed across my cheek. “I kinda liked the look you had going that morning.”

Was it hot in here? Mom must have messed with the thermostat again. I was on the verge of sweating and it was hard to breathe. However, I needed to respond to his teasing. I did the only thing I could think of—I rolled my eyes at him. I sure showed him!

“Uh huh. Medusa is quite the look these days.”

He leaned toward me until I could feel his body heat. “Only is when it’s you, baby,” he murmured.

My breath caught and a shiver raced through me. I was torn. Bolt from the room blushing until I burst into flames, or launch myself into his arms and kiss him senseless? I opted for squirming in my seat and giving him a shy smile. Yes, I am that in tune with my feelings.

He sat back with a grin, as if he could see my inner conflict. He looked around the room for a moment, and then returned his attention to me, studying me long enough that I began to fidget in my chair. Finally, I couldn’t take it any longer.

“Jesus! What?”

“Did you get any sleep?” he asked, a knowing grin on his face.

I opened my mouth, and then closed it, debating on my answer. I shrugged. “No.”

Teagan frowned. “Why not?” He stood and walked around the table.

I found my nails incredibly interesting, especially the cuticles.

“Aislinn?” He wasn’t going to let it go.

I sighed. “Look, I was too keyed up, all right? Besides, I wanted to talk to Mom before she went to bed and make sure it was all right to go.”

As I was answering him, I allowed myself to enjoy the view I was being provided as he moved over to the fridge. He was dressed similarly to how he was his first day here, but had a white button down on instead this time. He had rolled the sleeves up, left it untucked, and oh, my God, he looked good. How was it possible for him to always look good?

“—if that works for you?”

I was left floundering. I had no idea what he’d just asked me. I hadn’t even known he was talking. I opened my mouth to explain when he started laughing.

“You have no clue what I was just talking about, do you?” I pursed my lips and stared at the table. I didn’t have to look to know there was teasing amusement written all over his face. Little asshole.

I decided to follow Penny’s advice and just go for it. “No. I didn’t hear you, okay? I was too busy checking you out, if that’s all right.” A surge of self-confidence came when a flush stole over Teagan’s face.

It was his turn to be set off-kilter and struggling for balance. It was several moments before he got himself evened out. The self-satisfied grin that had plastered itself across my face slowly faded when a glint appeared in his eye.

“Well, I’m glad you approve, sweetheart. I wouldn’t want you ashamed to be seen with me,” he drawled with a grin.

I fully squirmed in my seat. Maybe I should just accept I was always going to be off-balance with this man. His grin turned to a smirk as he watched me, and I stuck my tongue out. Don’t judge—I panicked, okay?

He shook his head, and chuckling, he opened the fridge, reached in, and grabbed a bottle of juice. After closing the door, he leaned against the kitchen counter, studying me as he twisted open the bottle and took a deep gulp from it. His taut throat muscles slid beneath the skin, and I held back a sigh. I needed to distract myself. Like, right now.

“When are we leaving?”

“Well, I’m going to presume your mom said it was okay, right?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

I nodded, practically bouncing in my seat. “Yeah. I told her I didn’t know what time we’d be back and she just said to be careful. So…when are we leaving?”

Teagan let out a bark of laughter. “I guess we’re ready to hit the road, huh?”

I nodded enthusiastically.

“Just let me walk Zver and get him loaded up, and then we’ll head out, all right?” He headed toward the foyer to grab the leash.

I nodded again, barely able to contain myself. This was going to be so amazing.

***

This sucked. On an epic scale. This was the most horrid road trip of my life.

As it turned out, Zver was prone to being motion sick. Now, it’s bad enough when a Chihuahua gets sick. But imagine a one hundred sixty pound dog puking its toenails up. I will give you a hint. It’s disgusting. And it has to be cleaned up immediately. I was profoundly grateful that he hadn’t gotten sick when we went to the lake before.

Yes. I helped.

Which is why I ended up standing over a trashcan, dry heaving my lungs up. That was bad enough. But the part where Teagan stood there, holding my hair, rubbing my back, and murmuring softly to me—that I wanted to die from.

Luckily, I hadn’t eaten yet. There was nothing to come up with my lovely display. But I was still miserable. I lowered my head onto my arms, my legs weak, and proceeded to cry. Teagan continued to rub my back, and in a way, that just made matters worse. I said a silent thank you for the fact that I never wore much makeup. I wouldn’t have been able to handle looking like a raccoon from it running and smearing on top of feeling miserable.

I finally forced myself to stand, sweating and weak, and glared at the dog who was the cause of it all. Zver had the good sense to lower his head in shame, and for once, I didn’t feel guilty at the look on his face. “That’s right, mister,” I muttered, raising a trembling hand to swipe my hair off my sweaty forehead. “You should hide your face in shame!”

Teagan gently tweaked my elbow, laughing softly. His expression was gentle and concerned, and my faced warmed. I must look like a mess right then. God! Would the embarrassing moments ever end?

He jerked a thumb toward the gas station. “I have to run inside real quick. You gonna be okay for a minute?” he asked, concerned.

I nodded gingerly and slowly made my way the couple of steps back to the truck, and then carefully pulled myself up into it. Zver came over and flopped down on the ground next to the door, a huff of breath escaping as he settled. I gave him a wry grin.

“We’re a pair, aren’t we, boy?” I whispered weakly as the beginning of a migraine started throbbing behind my eyes.

Why today of all days?

I was about to dive headlong into my pity party pool when a shadow fell over the dog and me. I didn’t have the energy to look, but as he leaned closer, his scent washed over me, and I smiled. Only Teagan smelled like that.

I squinted up at him, backlit by the sun. He hunkered down to shield me with his shadow, and opened up the plastic bag in his hand. I swallowed hard and waited to see what he was going to do.

With a soft smile, he handed me a can of soda. “Here, baby.” I melted a little when I saw what it was; he’d bought me a ginger ale.

Shooting him a grateful smile, I slid my fingernail beneath the pop-top, but I couldn’t get it open, no matter how hard I tried. Between the stupid can and the coming headache, I was on the verge of tears. Did I mention I was an emotional sick person?

Teagan reached over and gently took the can from me, opened it easily, and handed it back to me. “I also picked up some motion sickness pills for Zver,” he said. “I figured you could take one too. It should settle your stomach, and hopefully help with that headache you probably have coming.” I didn’t know what to say. He was perfect. And I was as imperfect as they come.

He lightly stroked my cheek with the back of a finger, and then straightened. He opened a box up, pushed two pills out of the foil wrappers and fed them to Zver. He then pushed another out and handed it to me to take. I paused, gazing at the capsule.

“You know I’m going to be unconscious in ten minutes, right?” These pills were no joke; I’d had to take them before.

“If that happens, I’ll wake you up when we get to Gainesville.” He seemed genuinely all right with how things were going.