Pivotal Moments (In Time #1) (12 page)

He took a shuddering breath and pulled me against him even more tightly. My softness molded to all of his hardness, and I inhaled sharply at the foreign feeling, reveling in it. My hands curled around the back of his neck, fingers tangling in his hair where it was cut short, drawing a soft groan from Teagan.

Lifting his head slightly, he gave me a small smile, and my breath caught. My heart beat frantically as he tilted his head to meet his lips to mine. I closed my eyes as our lips met in the softest of touches, barely brushing against each other. His hand moved from my cheek to the nape of my neck, pulling my face closer to his.

Suddenly, his lips were firmly against mine, our mouths moving in perfect sync, warm and smooth. Heat rushed through my body.

Teagan kneaded the back of my neck with strong fingers, lightly tracing his tongue along my bottom lip. The twin sensations had me gasping, and then it turned to a deep sigh when his tongue slipped in to tangle with mine. My fingers tugged on his hair, pulling him closer as I rose to my tiptoes. His arms wrapped around me, holding me in place as his tongue thrust in and out of my mouth, leaving me breathless.

Pulling back slightly, he traced his lips from my mouth, along my cheek, and to my ear. His breath coming out in harsh pants, he nibbled lightly on my earlobe. Then, letting go of my neck, he gently traced the line of my jaw with his fingers before resting his forehead on mine, drawing in deep gulps of air.

I opened my eyes and met his, finding the emotions running wild in me reflected in his. We both fought to get our breathing under control, and I smiled at him, suddenly shy. He ran the backs of his fingers across my cheek and I blushed. “What?” he asked, smiling.

I just shook my head.

“Now, we talked about this,” he scolded. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I’m not thinking about much of anything right now,” I retorted, still breathless.

He gave me a smug smirk.

I rolled my eyes at him. He was right, though. We had, literally, just spoken about this. It was time to woman up. Blushing like crazy, I cleared my throat so I had his attention.

“Thank you,” I said quietly.

He shook his head. “What for?”

I tightened my hold around his neck and took a deep breath. “For the most amazing first kiss ever,” I told him.

He flashed me a tender smile. “Anything for you, baby. Anything.”

Then he lowered his head to mine once again.

Chapter 11

“Aislinn?” came Teagan’s concerned voice beside me.

It took everything I had not to groan. Here I was, on the verge of embarrassing the hell out of the both of us, and he was worried about me. God, I wanted to cry. I was so tired of these situations.

I closed my eyes. “Yeah?”

His fingers intertwined with mine. “You’re in your head again, baby. Tell me what’s going on.”

How was I supposed to explain this without sounding completely pathetic? I opened my eyes and stared out the windshield of his SUV, into the windows of the restaurant. From their phone call just a few minutes ago, I knew they were already here. The squeeze of his hand brought me back again.

I swallowed and debated my possible answers. I wanted to preserve a little pride at least. The problem was, he’d see through any half-truths. It was unnerving how well he already knew me. Yeah…I’d have no pride left after today.

“Teagan, I don’t know about this. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” I admitted quietly.

“What? Why?”

I shook my head. I was about to do something out of my element, and my stomach was trying to rebel. “Because I already know how this is going to end.”

His brow furrowed. “I’m not following you here,” he said.

“It’s really kind of simple, Teagan,” I said patiently. “They aren’t going to like me, and they aren’t going to be too thrilled about you being with me.”

He stared at me for a moment, a strange expression settling onto his face. “And that would be because…?”

“Okay, let me spell this out for you.” I turned to face him. “One, I’m five years younger than you. If I were over eighteen, it’d be different, but I’m not. That’s not going to look very good on you.” I pulled my hand away, held up a finger, then pointing to the second finger that I held up next to it.

“Two, these people are all your age. They’re going to feel like they have nothing in common with me. To a point, they’re right. I’m okay with that, but who’s to say they will be?”

I held up a third finger and pointed to it. “Three, these people have known you for a while. They’re going to want to talk about stuff you’ve done, but I can’t contribute in any way. It’s going to be awkward for everyone. I haven’t been to any parties, gotten drunk, been in a bad relationship, or had a shitty professor.” I smiled sadly at him.

“We won’t be able to relate at all. It’s different than if you brought a girl your age with you. She’d have experiences to share.” I slumped back into my seat. “This just isn’t a good idea.”

Teagan sighed deeply, rubbing a hand over his face. His brow was furrowed in frustration. What if he agreed with me, decided all of that just wasn’t worth it? Oh, God, why don’t I ever think things through?

“Aislinn!” He paused, then shook his head. “Honestly? I don’t give a shit what they think. If they’re really my friends, none of that will matter,” he stated firmly.

“It’s not as simple as that,” I argued. “You barely know me. Why would you choose me over them?” I asked, baffled.

He gave me a small smile. “Trust me, baby. Okay?” He reached out and tweaked my chin. “Besides, this is all a moot point. None of this is going to matter.”

Well, he sounded confident enough. Not that it changed anything.

His hand closed firmly around mine, and I met his gaze, struggling to relax under his warm regard.

“Be calm, all right?” he soothed. “Give it a chance, and if you’re still uncomfortable after fifteen minutes, we’ll leave.” The back of his fingers smoothed across my cheek, and I closed my eyes, soaking up the sensation.

The leather seat creaked, and his warm lips pressed against mine. I began to immediately relax; the feeling must’ve had near-magical properties. His hand came up and cupped my face, thumb caressing my cheek bone, fingers splayed behind my ear, pressing against the nape of my neck.

I sighed, an eruption of emotions threatening to overwhelm me. Teagan licked my bottom lip, gently slipping his tongue in to play with mine. I moaned and entwined my fingers in his hair.

I must have been doing something right. Teagan let out a low groan, deepening the kiss and pulling me closer. Both of his hands held my face close to his, and I won’t lie, I thrilled at the strength of his touch. Teagan’s hands were rough, warm, masculine. I couldn’t get enough of them.

With another groan, he pulled away to press a soft kiss to my forehead, then resting his head against mine. My hands made their way to his wrists and gripped them tightly.

I opened my eyes, and he was watching me with a goofy grin on his face. I blushed, but smiled back at him. Oddly enough, I was more grounded. The man knew what he was doing, for sure. His words may not have helped, but his kisses damn sure built up some confidence.

Teagan grinned. “Feeling better, baby?”

My blush deepened, but I managed a shrug. “I suppose. If that’s the best you can do, I guess I’ll take it,” I teased.

His eyebrows shot up, then he gave a sharp bark of laughter. “Oh, really? That’s what you think, huh?” He grinned.

I bit back a giggle and nodded. “Yeah. I can see now I’m going to have to make do with sub-par demonstrations of affection,” I said with a wink.

He laughed. “I think I like this Aislinn, baby. Let’s keep her around.” He leaned forward, gave me a quick peck on the lips, and then sat back, flashing a sexy smirk. “But for the record, I refuse to do anything sub-par, sweetheart.”

My breath caught, and I flushed hotly. My mouth opened and closed, trying to come up with some sort of reply, but I was at a loss. It was amazing I’d been able to say what I had.

Despite the confidence I’d experienced in the truck, as we walked into the restaurant, it took everything I had not to cut and run. While Teagan located his friends, I wondered if I should find a reason why we should leave immediately. I debated between an unexpected hurricane spawning directly over Gainesville, and the kitchen being engulfed in flames. I was banking more on the hurricane. 

“Aislinn, baby? You’re cutting off circulation,” Teagan murmured. 

I flushed and loosened my grip on his hand, and took a deep breath, trying to settle my heartbeat. I needed to be calm if I was going to make a good impression. 

Teagan sighed and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me snugly into his side. I turned my head and pressed my face into his shoulder, taking comfort in his warmth and strength. As long as he was with me, I could get through just about anything. It was a nice feeling. 

“Yo, Teeg! Over here!”

I turned toward the male voice. The speaker sat at a table with five people. I swallowed hard. I was fairly certain this wasn’t what I had signed up for. I could use that hurricane. Right about…now.

“What the fuck is she doing here?” Teagan muttered.

I frowned. “What?” 

“Nothing, baby,” he said with a tight smile. “Just something I wasn’t expecting.” 

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what, or rather who he was talking about. There were three guys waiting, but I was pretty damn positive the issue was the second female sitting there in a chair, glaring daggers at me.

It would’ve been okay if she’d been average looking. But no, she was freaking drop-dead gorgeous. Even sitting, it was clear she was tall, with gorgeous skin, dark brown hair, blue eyes, and a body to kill for. She was my nightmare come to life. And given the hatred radiating off her, she was an ex of Teagan’s. 

“Hey, I’m Troy,” said the guy who had called out. “This one here is my better half, Cassia.”

I smiled and nodded.

Cassia smacked the back of her hand on Troy’s chest, rolling her eyes. “You can call me Cass. My parents were…I don’t know what they were thinking, calling me Cassia,” she said with a laugh.

“I think it’s a beautiful name,” I said. I grinned at the beaming smile she shot me. She and I would get along great.

Teagan turned to one of the guys and did the male-handshake thing that men do when they greet each other, then he jerked a thumb toward the other girl, who was blatantly ignoring me now. This wasn’t going to be a pleasant dinner.

The other two guys introduced themselves as Kevin and Tom. Tom was a bit shorter than Teagan, with brown hair and brown eyes, while Kevin was blond-haired with green eyes, built like a swimmer. They didn’t hold a candle to Teagan.

“Teeg, baby, where have you been?” a whiny voice demanded.

Frowning, Teagan turned and looked at the girl. “I told you, Renee. I was out of town.”

“But…you didn’t say you were going to be gone all this time,” she said, her lower lip sliding out.

“Cut it out, Renee,” Troy said. “He’s here to introduce us to his girl. Don’t start your bullshit.”

“Shut up, Troy!” she snapped.

“Anyway,” Teagan said, “this is Aislinn. She’s going to be coming to school here in the fall.” 

“How sweet,” Renee said with a sneer. “Following you like a little puppy.”

I stiffened.

“Let’s order dinner, shall we?” Cassia interrupted.

“You ready to eat?” Teagan said, gently moving the hair away from my neck and rubbing his thumb against my pulse point. I shivered, and he grinned at me with a glint in his eyes at the movement.

I was so not ready to eat it wasn’t even funny. But this was important to him, and I couldn’t call in that fifteen minute deal. I forced a bright smile. “Sure. I’m going to use the restroom. Could you order me a burger and fries?” At his nod, I made my escape. It was going to be a long evening, if the laser beams coming from Renee’s eyes were any indication.

I made it into the bathroom and turned on the water faucet, running the cool water over my hands.

“It won’t last, you know.”

I started, splashing water all over my blouse. Great. Just perfect. This material would probably keep the water stains, even after it dried. And of course, it was Renee who had followed me into the bathroom. I sighed. This was a great day so far.

Her words sank in. “Excuse me?” I already had a feeling about what she was referring to, but I liked to be a masochist in my spare time, obviously.

I watched her in the mirror as she strolled up to the counter and unzipped her purse. She rummaged around in it briefly before withdrawing a tube of lipstick. She leaned forward and began to expertly apply it to her lips, never once hesitating. Finishing, she smacked her lips together while dropping the lipstick back into her purse.

“You may have him now, but he always comes back to me,” she said, fixing a few strands of hair here and there. “At least I won’t have to wait long this time.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I demanded.

She turned to face me, leaning a hip against the counter and crossing her arms. “It means exactly what it sounds like.” She looked me up and down with a slight sneer. “I mean, seriously. What do you have to offer him? You look all of eighteen and you reek of inexperience…and believe me when I say Teeg is experienced.” She gave a slight shiver and a satisfied smile. “The simple fact of the matter is, darlin’, you’re not the first one he’s shown a passing interest in since he’s moved here.” She waved a hand at me dismissively. “But he always calls me in the end.”

My nose burned as tears threatened to make an appearance. I clenched my hands at my sides, refusing to run away and cry. My insecurities were being paraded before me at full speed by this bitch.

Renee smirked. “You see, I give him what he can’t get anywhere else. Anything, anytime.”

“More like you spread ’em anytime someone wants it,” came a second voice.

I spun around. Cassia stood just inside the door, hands on hips. I flushed; what exactly had she heard?

Renee glared at Cassia. “What’s that supposed to mean, bitch?” she demanded.

Cassia shrugged. “You spread your legs for anything with a penis. The only reason you want Teeg is because he hasn’t come panting after you, wanting something permanent. You’re just a scratch to his occasional itch. Nothing more, nothing less.” She gestured for me to come over to her, which I did.

“Leave her alone,” Cassia warned. “She’s done nothing to you. You’re jealous she has something you want that you can’t have. Don’t blame her for that.” She took my wrist and said, “C’mon, Aislinn, let’s go.” She tugged me out of restroom. I followed her blindly, thoughts whirling around in my head.

Once in the hallway, she led me to a small alcove just out of the way of the restroom traffic. Entering it, she dropped my arm and pointed at me, a fierce look on her face. “You better not let that bitch get to you,” she said, her voice almost a growl. “I’m serious.”

I took a step away and my back bumped up against the wall. “Huh?”

“Teeg likes you. As in, really likes you. You better not screw him over.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“What’s there to understand?” Cassia demanded. “Teeg’s with you, not her. If he wanted her, he’d be with her. Renee is who a guy calls for a good time. You’re the type they take home to meet their parents. You have nothing to worry about, so relax.”