Laney by Joann I. Martin Sowles Page B

brushed himself off and looked in my direction—not directly at me. “I’m sorry, Laney.”

    I just nodded once, resisting the urge to flip him off.

    Ashton glared at Oliver and Carter as they walked back toward us.

    “That was really unnecessary, you know,” I said, as he walked up to us.

    “No one should talk to you, or about you, like that. Ever!” he said, holding his hand out to help me up. I hesitated. He’d scared the crap out of me, not literally, of course; but I also felt so safe with him, like he’d never let anything hurt me—including himself. I took his hand and he pulled me off the sidewalk. I stood, my eyes meeting his beautiful green ones.

    “Thanks,” I said quietly.

    “Any time.” Just the corner of his mouth pulled up into a smile. He stared at Zoey for a moment then asked, nodding toward her, “Is she okay?”

    “Yeah, I’m alright,” she said.

    “Can you walk?” he asked her. No one else was talking. I think maybe we were all in a little shock. Our new friend (Oliver) had just displayed some serious self-defense moves. Ashton had always been the strong, take-charge one—granted, his skills were rarely used for good.

    “I think so.” We helped her up. She swayed a little, steadied herself, and then seemed fine.

    We walked the rest of the way home quietly. I fell into the rhythm of my flip-flops again— flip, flop, flip, flop …

    We said goodbye to Zoey in the apartment parking lot, where her car was parked, and then headed upstairs. Carter helped Kiera into our apartment, telling her he’d help her clean up her knee. As I started to go inside, Oliver grabbed my hand and tugged at it. I turned to him and he smiled his breathtaking smile. He pulled me back toward the steps.

    “Will you sit with me for a while?” he asked in the sweetest voice imaginable.

    “Of course.” Who could say no to that?

    We sat in silence beside each other on the top step for a few minutes.

    Oliver leaned forward, resting his elbows across his knees. “Laney, I’m sorry if I scared you tonight,” he said quietly and sincerely.

    I didn’t know how to respond, so I just said, “Thank you again for dealing with him.” I leaned back on my elbows and looked up at the stars. It was a beautiful night.

    “I can’t believe you dated that guy,” he said.

    “Dated?” I sat up straight. “In what twisted universe did you get that idea?” I was defensive. “I went on one date. One!”

    “Okay, okay. Sorry. I misunderstood,” he apologized and looked at me sideways with a little smile.

    I leaned back on my elbows again and steadied my breathing.

    “That dude’s a flaming idiot,” he said with a chuckle.

    I laughed out loud, not necessarily at what he said, although it was completely true, but at how he said it.

    Over his shoulder, he gave me a crooked smile. My stomach dropped and my laughter died. Our eyes locked and he turned his body toward mine. He leaned toward me, resting a hand beside my elbow to hold himself up, and my heart rate accelerated. Holy crap! He’s going to kiss me! Then he stopped. What the…? He stared into my eyes, only inches from my face, his expression blank. Then he smiled seductively and focused on my lips. My stomach dropped again and my heart was beating so loudly it sounded like it had moved up into my head. He leaned in closer. I closed my eyes, ready to feel his lips on mine, and then I felt it—he kissed me on the cheek. Freakin’ tease! I opened my eyes as he pulled away. I was confused and a little irritated.

    “It’s late,” he said. His expression seemed a little hurt. He stood and held a hand out to help me up. He gently pulled me off the step. “I’d better get going.” He kissed the back of my hand. I couldn’t find words to speak.

    “Until next time, Laney,” he said softly. Then he backed away with a smile that made my whole body quiver. I stared after him, still at a loss for words. He gave me a little wave just before