Filed to story: My Life with the Walter Boys Book (I & II) PDF Free
Kissing him now, I knew our feelings were genuine.
It started out chaste—a simple brush of his lips against mine to test the waters—but that was all it took to destroy the last strands of my self-control. My hand flew up of its own accord and curled around the back of his neck, which was all the encouragement Cole needed to pull me close and mold his mouth to mine. He must have snuck a breath mint on the way home, because he tasted like sugar and cinnamon instead of the beer he drank at the party. I didn’t know whether to be pleased or annoyed by his assumption.
When he drew my bottom lip between his teeth and bit down, electricity zipped through my veins. Desperate for more, I tugged on Cole’s hair. He responded by grasping hold of my waist and squeezing.
“Come here,” he rasped and gently hauled me over the center console. It took a bit of maneuvering, but once I was straddling his lap, he captured my mouth in another fervent kiss that stole the breath from my lungs. His fingers toyed with the bottom of my shirt, occasionally daring to slip underneath, but it wasn’t until Cole’s lips left mine and started trailing down the side of my neck that my addled brain kicked into gear.
Oh my God! What the hell am I doing?
“Cole, stop,” I said, gasping for breath. “I should go.”
He leaned back in his seat, chest heaving, lips swollen and glistening, and chuckled as if I’d said something amusing.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” he said, mouth quirking up as he shook his head. “It’s just…you’re like Cinderella—always running away from me.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. “Your family might get back soon.”
With a sigh, Cole placed a final kiss on my forehead and let go of my hips. “Night, Jackie,” he said, opening his door for me. “I’ll be back tomorrow for dinner.”
“Okay.” I slid off his lap and out of the car, gravel crunching beneath my feet. “See you then.”
Once he was gone, I crossed the yard and trudged up the porch steps, eyes on my phone as I messaged Alex so he knew I didn’t need a ride. Somewhere out in the dark, an owl hooted.
“Well, that didn’t take long.”
Without thinking, I shrieked and hurled my phone in the direction the voice had come from. Someone swore as it thumped against the siding of the house and hit the ground. A phone flashlight turned on two seconds later, revealing Isaac. He was lounging in one of the Adirondack chairs wearing only his boxers and a pair of slides. On the side table next to him was a lighter, a pack of cigarettes, and a sweating ice pack.
“Jesus, Jackie! That was almost a headshot.”
“Isaac?” I said, pressing a hand to my heart. My pulse was racing so fast, I could feel a vein throbbing in my neck. “You gave me a heart attack!”
“I don’t know why you’re complaining.” He rubbed his shoulder, then winced. “I’m the one who had a phone chucked at their head!”
“Sorry.” Spotting my phone a few feet to his left, I scooped it up and checked for any damage. Thankfully, the case had done its job. “I didn’t realize anyone was out here.”
He reached for his smokes. “That was obvious from the moment you and Cole decided to put on a show.”
If the leer on his face was anything to go by, Isaac wanted to get under my skin, but this knowledge didn’t stop my hackles from rising. “So you sat here in the dark and watched us like a creeper?”
“Oh, relax.” He lit up and took a deep drag before his gaze flitted to mine with a smirk. “You’re cute, but I’m not interested in watching you do my cousin.”
“That’s not—I mean, we didn’t!” I spluttered.
Isaac snorted. “God, that was too easy. You’re out of practice, Jackie.”
Folding my arms over my chest, I settled onto the porch rail across from him. “Any particular reason you’re being a dick?”
“Besides the phone that was chucked at my head? You should be more grateful it was me who witnessed your little moment and not someone else. Can you imagine if my aunt caught you? She’d blow a fuse.” Isaac turned his head sideways and exhaled a lungful of smoke. “Fair warning, she’s been a raging bitch lately.”
I’d spent many sleepless summer nights contemplating a potential relationship with Cole. I considered it from every angle, weighing the pros and cons. Or so I thought. Alex had been a small factor, but I never took the rest of the Walters into account, which felt like a glaring oversight on my part. Somehow, I didn’t think Katherine would be pleased to find me straddling her son and kissing the living daylights out of him. She wouldn’t be happy if she found Isaac smoking either, though I didn’t bother pointing that out. It was a miracle she’d never caught him before since the smell was a dead giveaway, but I suspected Katherine didn’t know because George sneaked a cigarette every now and then.
“Has she?” I asked, dismissing the hint of panic unfurling in my stomach. “Or are you just butt-hurt about being grounded and missing out on all the ‘wholesome bullshit’ you think you’re too cool for?”
“There we go.” Isaac stuck his cigarette between his lips and gave me a slow clap. “That’s more like it. If you keep putting in the work, I’m sure you’ll be back to crushing spirits and breaking my cousins’ hearts in no time.”
A headache was setting in, so I decided to let him take this round. “Whatever, Isaac. I’m too tired to deal with your crap right now. I’m going to bed.”
“Sweet dreams,” he replied, his tone saccharine and mocking.
“Screw you.”
“Isn’t that Cole’s job?”
I gave Isaac a long, measured look. Something was off. There was tension in the way he was holding himself, his words sharper than usual. “I might be out of practice or whatever, but you seem different. I don’t remember you being such a jerk.”
“Or maybe you didn’t know me all that well?” He stubbed his cigarette out on the table. “I’ll tell you what—once you get sick of Cole and decide to make your way through another one of us, let me know. We could spend some time getting familiar with each other.”
It was almost comical how backward tonight was going. I’d prepared myself to face Cole’s ire at some point—he could be so cruel when things didn’t go his way—but he met me with understanding and kindness and pulse-racing kisses. Isaac’s venom, on the other hand, was unexpected. Deep down, I knew he wasn’t mad at me, but I was currently in the wrong place at the right time, a convenient option to take his anger out on.
Headlights cut across the porch, and I glanced over my shoulder to see Katherine’s van rolling up the driveway.
“All right, that’s my cue,” I said, pushing away from the railing. “I’ll leave you to brood over whatever crawled up your ass.”
Isaac didn’t say anything as I moved toward the front door, but I could feel his eyes on me as I stepped inside and let the screen door slam shut. All his little digs may have been unwarranted, but there was one thing he’d been right about—Cole and I were lucky his parents hadn’t caught us.
***
It was the same nightmare I always had, the one about my family’s accident.
Mom and Dad were in the front seat, while Lucy and I shared a pair of earbuds so we didn’t have to listen to whatever boring conversation our parents were having.
Based on the scenery, we were somewhere in upstate New York, possibly Lake George? The sky was clear, and the trees had a light green dusting of new growth. These were the details I dwelled on every time I woke, because they weren’t accurate. My family died in the winter, but here it was spring, and the crash happened in the city, not on a twisting, scenic road. Strange how dreams could distort reality but feel so real at the same time.
When the song ended, I knew what was coming next.