Facade by Nyrae Dawn

that led to them making things better for themselves.
    I even tell her about Colt getting hurt and how Cheyenne stayed by his side the whole time.
    “And you,” she says when I’m finished.
    “And me, what?”
    “You were there too…”
    I shrug, because it doesn’t really matter. It’s not like I did much. “What about you? Where are you from? Why’d you move here?”
    She gasps and I know I hit a nerve. It almost makes me snatch the question back, but instead I turn to look at her, watch her face, as so many expressions play across her feminine features.
    She’s really fucking beautiful.
    “I’m from Stanley.”
    About an hour from where I grew up. “And why did you move here?”
    Delaney pauses. “My mom tried to commit suicide,” she finally says. Her voice is the softest I’ve heard it.
    “Shit… I’m sorry.”
    “It’s not the first time. I’m hoping it’ll be the last. I just… Have you ever wanted to believe you could make it better? That you have the power to fix so many people’s lives, so you set out on this path and then you’re not so sure? Don’t know if you’re doing the right thing, but you’re already on the path to making it happen, so you have to find a way to see it through?”
    Delaney turns her head and looks at me. Her eyes are wet and I feel like shit for bringing all this up. “No,” I tell her. “Absolutely not.”
    She laughs and I realize that’s what I wanted. That I’d hoped she would find humor in my semitruth. “I mean, I
know
I’m just going to fuck it up.”
    “No!” She covers her face with her hands, but I can hear the giggle behind it. It’s a mixture of a real laugh, laced with seriousness.
    The moon is bright, giving us unexpected light. When she pulls her hands away and looks at me with those haunted-house eyes, and I see that sexy little mole on her face and her pink tongue sneaks out and licks her plump lips, blood surges through my body. Heat comes alive beneath my skin and I know I’m going to try to kiss her.
    I lean closer. Put my hand on her cheek.
    “Adrian…”
    “Shhh. It’s okay. I just want to taste you again.”
    I pull her toward me and I don’t have to pull very hard before my mouth is on hers. She somehow tastes like apples, too, and I suck her lip, bite it gently, and let her explore my mouth.
    In two seconds flat I’m hard. I want nothing more than to bury myself inside her. To lose myself in all that sweetness.
    “Can I touch you?” I ask her. “That’s all. I promise.”
    “We shouldn’t… This isn’t what I came here for. God, it’s just…”
    I feel like shit because she moved here to try and deal with her mom’s issues. Or maybe she ran like I did, but it doesn’t stop me from wanting her. From seeing that same need reflected in her, but there’s more there too. That’s what scares me. She’s attractive and a distraction, but she’s intriguing too. I think of the way she cared for my hand and the fact that I keep opening up to her. It makes me unsure if I want to keep going or get out of the car right now.
    I’ve never claimed to be strong, though, so instead of walking away, I ask, “Do you want me to touch you? Don’t think about anything else. Just tell me if you want it.”
    Slowly, she nods.
    “Then take it. Take what you want.” I have a feeling she doesn’t do much for herself.
    This time, it’s her lips that come down on mine. Not wasting any time, I palm one of her breasts. “I can’t feel nearly enough with your jacket on. Turn the car on.”
    She does and I turn up the heater before I unzip her jacket. She eases out of it and for the first time, I thank God for good luck because she’s wearing a button-up shirt.
    “I want to see you,” I tell her as I push one, two, three buttons from their holes. When she doesn’t stop me, I keep going until her shirt is open, and a pink lace bra cups her breasts.
    “You’re so pretty,” I say as I trace the swells of each breast with my