was reading in his favorite chair. “Should I be concerned that you two are home forty-five minutes before curfew?” he asked amused.
“Mr. C, is it really so strange that we value our sleep more than our social life?” Maya joked back like everything was totally normal.
My dad chuckled and said from that moving speech he was going to turn in early as well. The two of them high-fived and I just rolled my eyes. We all said goodnight, and my dad headed to my parents’ room while we went upstairs.
As soon as we walked into my room, Maya crumbled again. She really had gotten good at acting like everything was OK in front of people – scary good actually. How she could go from drunken tears to totally fine I will never know. Guess she has her jerk of a father to thank for that. If she ever shows she’s upset in front of him, it just makes it worse.
I got some pajamas out while Maya washed her face. When she walked out of my bathroom, I handed them over to her.
“Hey, will you be OK if I run back out and say goodnight to Jake?”
“You know me. I’ll be fine.”
“I do know you. That’s why I’m asking.”
“Whatever, biatch. Go say goodnight to your man.”
“Love ya, skank. I’ll be right back.”
“Hussy,” she called out as I walked out of my room.
I smiled to myself as I crept down my stairs. The day she looses that “Mayaness” is the day I’ll be really worried about her. Until that happens, I know she’ll always be alright.
I opened my front door as quietly as I could and made my way over to Jake’s truck.
“Maya OK?” He asked.
“She will be.”
“You didn’t run into your parents did you?”
“Yup. She even talked to my dad.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope,” I said popping the P. “It’s amazing how that girl can pull it together in a snap.”
“I would have liked to have seen that,” Jake looked amused.
“Hang around long enough and you’ll definitely get to see Maya’s famous pull it all together act.”
“I’m planning on it.” Jake pulled me closer to him and rested his hands on my waist.
“I was kinda hoping that you would say that.”
“Come to think of it, I’m starting to plan on a lot of things with you,” he said with a handsome smirk.
“Oh yeah? Like what?” I asked while absentmindedly brushing some of his tousled hair out of his eyes. His hands tensed at my touch, and I had to admit that I liked that I got to him too.
He cleared his throat, “Well. I would like to take you to the movies.”
“And?” I playfully demanded, while sweeping my hand through his hair, purposefully trying to get another reaction.
“And?” he questioned as a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. I bit my lower lip to fight back a smile as I nodded my head. “And I still need to teach you how to shoot.” His eyes were on my lips as he pulled me closer, gripping the back of my shirt.
“And?”
“And take you to get ice cream again because you’re adorable when you can’t decide what flavor to get,” he said in a hoarse whisper.
“And?” I managed in a heavy breath as he connected his lips to mine.
“And this,” he replied against my mouth.
His hands gripped the small of my back. As he deepened the kiss, he ran one hand up and gripped the back of my neck causing a moan to escape my lips.
“Emma,” Jake growled. Just like earlier, he began to pull away. But something about being out here, with only him, under the stars, I wasn’t ready to stop. I leaned back into him and kissed him again. He briefly hesitated before scooting back in his truck and lifting me up with him. He secured one of my legs on either side of him and kissed me like he needed me to breathe.
Chapter Seven
The next morning Maya was already awake when I woke up. She was sitting up eating cereal and watching the weekend installment of the Today Show.
“Morning, Maya,” I said groggily, sitting up.
“Finally, Em! I have been waiting for your ass to wake
“Mr. C, is it really so strange that we value our sleep more than our social life?” Maya joked back like everything was totally normal.
My dad chuckled and said from that moving speech he was going to turn in early as well. The two of them high-fived and I just rolled my eyes. We all said goodnight, and my dad headed to my parents’ room while we went upstairs.
As soon as we walked into my room, Maya crumbled again. She really had gotten good at acting like everything was OK in front of people – scary good actually. How she could go from drunken tears to totally fine I will never know. Guess she has her jerk of a father to thank for that. If she ever shows she’s upset in front of him, it just makes it worse.
I got some pajamas out while Maya washed her face. When she walked out of my bathroom, I handed them over to her.
“Hey, will you be OK if I run back out and say goodnight to Jake?”
“You know me. I’ll be fine.”
“I do know you. That’s why I’m asking.”
“Whatever, biatch. Go say goodnight to your man.”
“Love ya, skank. I’ll be right back.”
“Hussy,” she called out as I walked out of my room.
I smiled to myself as I crept down my stairs. The day she looses that “Mayaness” is the day I’ll be really worried about her. Until that happens, I know she’ll always be alright.
I opened my front door as quietly as I could and made my way over to Jake’s truck.
“Maya OK?” He asked.
“She will be.”
“You didn’t run into your parents did you?”
“Yup. She even talked to my dad.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope,” I said popping the P. “It’s amazing how that girl can pull it together in a snap.”
“I would have liked to have seen that,” Jake looked amused.
“Hang around long enough and you’ll definitely get to see Maya’s famous pull it all together act.”
“I’m planning on it.” Jake pulled me closer to him and rested his hands on my waist.
“I was kinda hoping that you would say that.”
“Come to think of it, I’m starting to plan on a lot of things with you,” he said with a handsome smirk.
“Oh yeah? Like what?” I asked while absentmindedly brushing some of his tousled hair out of his eyes. His hands tensed at my touch, and I had to admit that I liked that I got to him too.
He cleared his throat, “Well. I would like to take you to the movies.”
“And?” I playfully demanded, while sweeping my hand through his hair, purposefully trying to get another reaction.
“And?” he questioned as a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. I bit my lower lip to fight back a smile as I nodded my head. “And I still need to teach you how to shoot.” His eyes were on my lips as he pulled me closer, gripping the back of my shirt.
“And?”
“And take you to get ice cream again because you’re adorable when you can’t decide what flavor to get,” he said in a hoarse whisper.
“And?” I managed in a heavy breath as he connected his lips to mine.
“And this,” he replied against my mouth.
His hands gripped the small of my back. As he deepened the kiss, he ran one hand up and gripped the back of my neck causing a moan to escape my lips.
“Emma,” Jake growled. Just like earlier, he began to pull away. But something about being out here, with only him, under the stars, I wasn’t ready to stop. I leaned back into him and kissed him again. He briefly hesitated before scooting back in his truck and lifting me up with him. He secured one of my legs on either side of him and kissed me like he needed me to breathe.
Chapter Seven
The next morning Maya was already awake when I woke up. She was sitting up eating cereal and watching the weekend installment of the Today Show.
“Morning, Maya,” I said groggily, sitting up.
“Finally, Em! I have been waiting for your ass to wake
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