It was part naivety and part stubbornness on my part to think her mama wouldn't catch wind of it too soon. It was why, ever since the first ride, I'd also gone above and beyond not to be seen with anyone else but her on my bike.It may have been reckless to continue doing so, but I wasn't stupid. Despite the unrelenting temptation, and knowing about the age of consent now, I was still too damned scared to lay a hand on her. I wasn't sure what I was more afraid of: her mother raising hell or falling even harder.Only time our bodies touched was when she was on my bike, and she was doing most of the touching. Aside from the unspoken understanding we clearly had now, I'd neither done nor said anything inappropriate that could have her mother trying to put an end to us.Afraid or not, I was helpless to stop what was already happening. Each time I got a moment alone with her, it only sucked me in deeper. Still, I made sure to cover my ass. Without actually spelling it out, just like our

When I arrived at Pike's Crest, I wasn't sure what to expect. Madeline had already made one thing clear. It was all or nothing when it came to us for her. My being here was confirmation that I'd agreed. But I had to stay mindful that even she knew her mom wouldn't approve. Even if she did assure me she could handle Loretta, we couldn't be too blatant about this. Though I had every intention of making it even clearer to any guy who thought before today maybe she was off limits, that she absolutely was now.I was only happy this was happening on a weekend when all my brothers were gone. Nolan was still in Radcliffe, working his internship in the tattoo shop and would be gone for a few more months. Quino was out of town with my dad for the weekend at some techy convention, and Xavier had been disappearing a lot lately on the weekends. As private as that guy had always been, something told me it had everything to do with a girl. Regardless, I was glad none of them were here because even I

Jenna started toward the park, but I balked. "Not that way. It'll be too crowded soon."We started the opposite way toward the dairy on the corner. "Yeah, this way's better," Jenna agreed. "I'm craving some chocolate milk anyway."As soon as we were far enough from Jerry's earshot, which was why I assumed she didn't say anything at first, Jenna started. "It's not yours," she said, and no three words had ever sounded like such music to my ears.I had to refrain from hugging her or thanking God at the top of my lungs. Visuals of me jumping in the air, fist-pumping, danced in my head as she explained about a stupid argument she'd gotten into on Facebook. Her baby's dad's ex-girlfriend accused her of screwing her man while they were still together."My sister Nicole"—Jenna rolled her eyes, shaking her head— "in her infinite wisdom decided to chime in with a comment, bringing up the fact that I was still hanging with you at that time. One comment led to another to speculation that it mi

"Aside from you, I've only ever been kissed by two other guys," she said without hesitation. "Roy Evans was my first kiss ever, two years ago, and then Aster Williams kissed me last year on the haunted hay ride."I squeezed my eyes shut, along with my hands on her waist, willing the visuals away. "You shouldn't have told me that.""Why not?""Because I'll hate them both now. Just like I hate that fucker Shane."When I opened my eyes to look at her, there was a hint of humor in her eyes and a twitch at the corners of her lips. "I'm just saying I have nothing to hide. I'm not asking about all the girls in your past. All I'm asking is who and when was your last, before me?""You don't know her. She's not from Huntsville."That was partially true. America wasn't from Huntsville, and technically, Madeline didn't know her. But America did say she'd frequented and enjoyed her time at the Smoke Wagon. With her living just an hour away, the possibility of her coming into town again was ju

My stomach dropped just as Madeline glanced at me, and to my surprise, now she laughed. "Oh my God, your face got as white as mine.""What did she say?"What the fuck are we doing here? was what I really felt like asking. Why was she still risking this if her mother was onto us?"You knew she was bound to hear the rumors, but I've also told you how much she hates how easily stories get turned into something completely different around town. She was livid when she heard about the stories going around that she'd pulled a shotgun on boys who either me or Maggie had tried sneaking in late at night.""I never heard that one," I said with a frown.I really hadn't. I sure as hell would've asked her about it if I'd heard that version of the stories."Well, of course, it wasn't true, but it was out there, and there've been others about her. Haven't heard any lately, but every now and again, there's a new speculation about who our daddy really is."Now those I had heard, but I didn't comm