Taming Chloe Summers (Grover Beach Team #7) (29 page)

August

Justin:
Guess who’s going to fill in for you at camp?

Chloe:
Sam.

Justin:
How do you know??

Chloe:
She’s my cousin. We talk. Duh.

*

Justin:
The kids were great at the performance today. You would have been so proud.

Chloe:
Can you send me pictures?

Justin:
Sure. I’ll include one of myself for you to remember me by. ^^

Chloe:
I’ll drool over it every night. :P

September

Justin:
How was the test?

Chloe:
Nailed it!

Justin:
Awesome. Are you girls going to celebrate?

Chloe:
Yes. I’ll have a
J. Andrews Sour
. ;-)

*

Chloe:
What a strange party…

Justin:
You didn’t like celebrating?

Chloe:
Les and Kir know a lot of weird people.

Justin:
Give them a chance. You might find you like them.

Chloe:
One tried to sell me weed. Another offered money for a blow job.

Justin:
Book a flight. Go to the airport. Leave the country!

November

Justin:
How are you?

Chloe:
Knackered. That is proper British for exhausted. :P

Justin:
Another word like ‘blimey’ that you’re using all the time now? Don’t turn too British. I might not recognize you when you come back.

Chloe:
I’ll wear a name tag upon my return. ;-)

*

Chloe:
Way too many people live in this place. Kir keeps eating my white chocolate with strawberry bits. I might have to kill her or go find another apartment soon.

Justin:
Could be interesting. Don’t move in with the drug dealer.

December

Justin:
Met anyone you want to spend the rest of your life with yet?

Chloe:
With texting you all day, there’s hardly enough time to meet anyone.

Justin:
Mission accomplished.

January

Justin:
How was the time with your parents?

Chloe:
Great! Drove around England a lot. Mom puked when we made her ride a roller coaster at a fair in Brighton.

Justin:
Nice.

Chloe:
Yep. And she brought so much stuff for me from home. I half expected YOU to jump out of her giant suitcase. :P

Justin:
I half expected you to ask me to come.

Chloe:
Would you have come if I’d asked you?

Justin:
Would you have liked me to come?

Chloe:
Maybe.

Justin:
Then maybe I would’ve come.

March

Chloe:
Good morning.

Justin:
Good night. ;-)

April

Chloe:
What are you doing?

Justin:
Help me dead.

Chloe:
LOL, what??

Justin:
Helping my dad!
Jeez, can somebody f**k autocorrect?

May

Chloe:
I’ve been thinking of you all morning.

Justin:
Really?

Chloe:
Yes. Aren’t you thinking of me, too?

Justin:
I’m at this fraternity party with way too many girls trying to seduce me. Not much time to think about anything right now. ;-)

Chloe:
Ha. Ha. Very funny.

Chloe:
You’re not really, are you?

Justin:
LOL! I’m studying for finals. In my room. All by my lonesome.

Justin:
Miss you, tiger.

June

Justin:
When does your plane land?

Chloe:
6:20 p.m.

Justin:
Need a ride home from the airport?

Chloe:
Nah. Brinna wants to pick me up. She insists. I think we’re gonna have some best friend reunion time at her new apartment. Should be nice. Meet Sunday at home?

Justin:
Sure. Have a safe flight.

Chloe:
See you soon
.


Chloe

I get off the plane, tired and stiff and smelling of the Coke I doused my front with when we hit some turbulences two hours ago. Kirsten and Lesley went on a tour around Europe while I headed back here to the States, so the journey was boring and seemed to last three times as long as the one last fall.

With a wide yawn, I stretch, unknotting the muscles in my back, and then follow the crowd to the baggage reclaim. Most of my things were shipped back home a week ago, so there’s only one suitcase with my name on it waiting to be picked up from the carousel.

Right outside the sliding doors leading out of the secure area of the airport, a tall young man in a leather jacket and jeans is waiting for me with a white sign held in front of his chest. “Chloe” is spelled out in all caps on it in black Sharpie. He cracks a smile when he sees me.

“Hi, Jace!” Hugging Brinna’s boyfriend hard, I laugh. “Thought I wouldn’t recognize you after a year away?”

He runs a hand through his black strands then strokes the stubble dusting his cheeks and chin with three fingers. “Well, my hair is shorter now, so I couldn’t be sure.”

“Shorter? Like what? An inch?”

“And a half.” He playfully wraps his arm around my neck, grabs my suitcase, and hauls us both toward the exit. Outside is Brin’s Camaro, but she isn’t in it nor anywhere in sight. “The princess says sorry, but she couldn’t come along to pick you up,” Jace explains, answering my puzzled expression.

“Why? She was so stubborn when I told her my parents could pick me up.” A confused frown on my face, I slip into the car when Jace opens the door for me.

He slams it shut and gets in on the other side. “She’s at home. She wanted to prepare a few things before you got there. You know”—pulling up his nose in a manner of fake haughtiness, he rolls his eyes—“the guest room.”

“You two have a guest room in your apartment? No shit?”

“Oh, you’ll like the place.” He cuts me a quick glance as he rounds the corner to the exit of the airport parking lot, then he leans far out his window to insert a card into the machine that raises the barrier for us to leave. As the car window rolls up with a low hum, he buckles in and threads into the San Francisco evening traffic. “Brin is sure you’ll want to move in next door as soon as you see it.”

I haven’t yet made new living arrangements for the coming year of school, but since Brinna gave up our old apartment after Easter to move in with Jace, I think maybe a single room on campus would work best for me. I’ve been living with
loud
people for eleven months; some peace and quiet will be nice for a change. And real American peanut butter.

We drive up north, past the area where our school and also our old apartment is located. My eyes nearly pop out of my head when Jace drives into an underground parking garage in the Golden Gate area. Taking care of my baggage, he leads the way to an elevator and pushes the number five of eight possible stories.

The elevator doors slide open with a ding, and we walk out into a wide corridor with doors on both sides. As he slides the key into the lock of apartment number 37, I read the small rectangular sign under the doorbell. Brinna McNeal & Jason Rhode. There are two small hearts next to their names, without a doubt Brin’s doing. Chuckling, I follow Jace into the apartment.

“Princess, she’s home!” he calls out, putting my suitcase aside and closing the door after me. The sound of people talking in another room stops abruptly. Next thing I know, a bouncing ball with pink hair zooms around the corner and flies into my arms, screeching my name. Behind me, Jace catches us before we topple to the ground.

When the reunion screams cease, I keep my voice low and ask, “Who were you talking to? Do you have guests?”

“Uh, not exactly.” Her mouth stretches wide. “But
you
do. I thought you’d like to meet a few people from school. They were all dying to see you again.”

Excitement floods me. “Frankie and Jennifer?”

“Plus Sebastian, Tonya, Mirabelle, and then some,” she adds as she helps me out of my jacket and hangs it up on the coatrack.

“Jeez, you’re throwing a party?”

“A welcome-home party, yes,” Jace confirms, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “So, welcome home, girl!”

It’s so sweet of them, I want to melt on the spot. But a moment later, embarrassment fills me as his gaze drops to my purple blouse, reminding me of the mishap with the Coke. “Accident on the flight,” I whine. Then I turn to Brin and whisper, “Is there some place I can change before joining the party?”

“Of course. Come on.” She grabs the handle of my suitcase and pulls it along. “I’ll show you to your room. You can change there.”

Jace goes ahead of us, disappearing into the living room where this whole thing seems to be taking place.

Immediately, a woman squeaks, “Where is she?”

“Oh my God,” I hiss to Brinna as excitement spikes my heartbeat. “Is that Julie? You invited her, too?”

“Yes. And also her boyfriend, Greyson.” She winks at me. “What’s a welcome party without some old friends?”

“The star of tonight will be with you shortly,” Jace announces like a presenter at a movie premiere, making me giggle. “A mishap on the plane forced her to retreat backstage and change her attire.”

As Brinna ushers me down the hallway past the living room, I dare a brief glance inside. So many people have come, folks I’ve missed quite a bit this last year. My cousin Sam sits on the armrest of a low, comfy chair near the window, her fingers intertwined with Tony’s, who stands next to her. I can’t believe they came all the way to San Francisco to welcome me back tonight. There would have been plenty of chances to meet up at home in Grover Beach in the next few days. Overwhelmed with emotion, my heart swells a little.

And then I see them. Butterscotch.

Momentarily halting in my tracks, my stomach does a flip. Sam is talking to Justin, but I know he doesn’t hear her, because the edges of his mouth lift in the tiniest smile that is for me alone. I’ve been imagining this moment every night since we kissed goodbye at the airport. Only, in my dreams, my knees didn’t wobble, and my heart didn’t give out.

I want to walk in there; I want it so badly. But it would probably take half an hour or more to get through the crowd to him. And I really don’t want to face them all with a large brown spot on my chest.

Quickly, I return the smile, then I rush after Brinna, who’s waiting for me on the threshold to a room at the far end of the hall. “For tonight, this will be yo—” She doesn’t get a chance to finish, because I hug her again so hard that the air from her lungs whizzes past my ear.

“Thanks for bringing him here!” I croak.

“Ah, you saw Justin?” She laughs as I release her. “Now come in and change so you can see your guests. In the meantime, I’m going to order Thai food. Shout if you need something.”

When she leaves, I push the door closed and tip over my suitcase on the rosé-colored carpet, kneeling to lift the lid. My favorite cream, knitted top is a perfect match to my dark jeans, so I take that out, drop it on the queen-size bed, and then walk to the bay windows, unbuttoning my stained blouse. The view from here is marvelous, straight at Buena Vista Park across the street. Brin was right with her assumption—I love this place. Maybe it’s worth checking to see if one of the neighboring apartments is free.

The sunset behind the trees of the park tints the room in a deep orange glow. A happy sigh escapes me. Shrugging out of the blouse, I turn around and toss it over the bed into the open suitcase on the floor, then I grab the cream top. Just as I smooth it down over my stomach, the door swings gently open. Justin leans against the doorjamb, one ankle crossed over the other.

“Hi,” he says, his tone so low that no one in this apartment but me would hear.

I offer him a shy smile. “Hey.”

Hands tucked into his pockets, his biceps stretch the sleeves of his white T-shirt, and the fabric molds over his pecs and abs in a mouthwatering way. Taking a step forward, he quietly closes the door behind him, his gaze never leaving me.

As he leans with his back against the door now, his tongue slowly slides across his bottom lip. A lovely set of dimples appears in his cheeks. “How was your flight?”

I blink a couple of times and then just croak, “Good.” Heck, I don’t know what else to say right now. This is such a surreal moment. As if you’ve been dreaming of flying all your life, but once it happens, you just don’t know what to do with yourself up in the sky.

He must be feeling my insecurity, because a soft laugh rumbles his chest. Then he lifts one hand and crooks a finger, beckoning me closer.

With the bed between us, the room suddenly seems like an impossible distance to overcome. Why is it so intimidating to just move forward? I gulp.

Justin angles his head, studying me with his brows drawn into a mystified frown. “Are you afraid I’m going to bite?” A second later, he pushes away from the door and slowly strolls around the bed. “Because, you know…” His nonchalant gaze strays off to the side, but it returns to me with fire in his eyes. “I just might.”

My feet have grown roots, and my throat is bone-dry. Can somebody open the window, please? Because the temperature in this room must have risen to frying point. Justin stops a foot away from me, his eyes eating me up with one glance swooping down and up my body, then his gaze moves to the bed next to us for the briefest moment. He can’t be serious!

“Whatever you’re thinking now,” I warn him, taking a tiny step back, toward the bay windows, “is not a good idea.”

He notices my retreat with obvious amusement. “Why not?”

“May I remind you of the many people waiting in the other room?”

“Good point,” he grunts, shifting his mouth to one side with pretend disappointment. “Then can I just say how glad I am that you didn’t bring home a boyfriend from England?”

Oh, London definitely has some sweet guys, but none of them really interested me. And Justin certainly knows that, from the thousands of messages we sent back and forth the last year. Still, I can’t resist teasing him. “What makes you so sure about that? Perhaps I’m hiding one in my luggage.”

Darting a quick look at my open suitcase on the carpet, a smirk sneaks to his lips. “I don’t think so.” He takes one step closer.

Batting my lashes, I hold my ground this time. “I could be in a relationship, with my boyfriend still in London.”

“Your Facebook status says you’re still single.”

Now, that really makes me laugh. “Have you been stalking me, Justin Andrews?”

The mischief disappears from his eyes, replaced by determination, as he reaches out and hooks his forefinger around mine, gently pulling me closer. “Every day since you’ve been gone.”

After half an eternity, this first touch stuns me speechless. Shivers race through me as the tips of his fingers skim over the back of my hand, up my arm, over my shoulder, and to my neck. He strokes the ultrasensitive skin there.

Watching the trail of goosebumps his actions leave behind on my skin, Justin drawls, “Are you cold?”

Are you kidding me?

Just when I find my voice again, he cups my cheeks with both hands, leans in, and lays his lips on mine. “Welcome back,” he whispers into the tender kiss.

My heart knocks against the base of my throat and then excitedly zooms around in my chest. Blimey, it’s so good to be home again.

I exhale a breath through my nose and close my eyes. Slowly, my hands lift to his stomach, then slide around his body, moving us really close together. The tips of my fingers disappear in his jeans pockets, as I fully surrender to Justin and start moving my mouth in sync with his. Tiny electric bolts shock my body at the first leisurely touch of our tongues. He tastes so good… Better than white chocolate with strawberry bits.

The idea of being tossed onto the bed becomes increasingly tempting. The party can wait a little longer. “I’ve missed this an awful lot, you know,” I whisper against his lips.

He arches his brows in a taunting question. “Really?
This
?”

“
You
.” I roll my eyes, which earns me a gentle bite to my bottom lip. Then he deepens the kiss once again, pouring every unspoken word of the past into it. Passion swirls me onto cloud nine. I can’t get enough of him.

“Do you have everything you need?” Brinna’s cheerful voice shocks us apart as the door swings open. “Everyone’s wai— Oh! Oh my
God
, I’m sorry.” With an embarrassed grimace, she retreats backward, snickering, then makes a dash into the hallway.

I giggle, detaching myself from Justin, and run a hand through my hair. “Guess I should go see the others now.” With any luck, we can continue this welcome later.

“It’s your party,” he answers, swinging his arm around in a gentlemanly fashion, inviting me to lead the way. I brush past him, but he’s at my side again after I walk through the door, and together we head toward the celebration in the living room.

Happy beyond words, I look up at him and grin. “What are you doing later tonight?”

“No plans. Why?”

I bite my lip, briefly lowering my gaze but sending him a tentative grin the next moment. “I thought we could go for coffee?”