This Beautiful Thing (Young Love Series) (7 page)

“You haven’t said anything or done anything I disagree with.” I smile back taking a bite out of my sandwich.

“Good man.” She states as she winks.

We eat everything and talk for hours. I think we covered every topic known to man. And I still feel like I could talk for hours more. We have so much in common it’s not even funny. We like the same music. We both love to read, but I don’t much care for the romances she is into. I like a good mystery. I also like that her family is just as crazy as mine. She doesn’t judge me the way that some people have.

I got her to lay down with me to watch the stars. She is cuddled to my side and I have been unknowingly running my hands through her hair. It has to be so late and we need to get going, but I don’t want the night to end. “We need to get going Teagan.”

No response. So I look down at her and she is fast asleep. I chuckle at her and think I must be the most boring person ever because this is the second time she has fallen asleep on me. I don’t want to wake her so I lay there a while longer stroking her hair and before I know it I’m asleep as well.

Chapter 8

Teagan

My alarm is blaring its annoying self but I don’t want to get up. I feel so warm and safe. Weird my bed feels a lot harder then I remember. That’s when I sit up. We fell asleep out at the lake in the bed of his truck. God I’m so lucky that I have my phone programmed to go off during the week.

I turn to look at Declan. I don’t think I will be able to wake him. He just looks so peaceful. His shirt is all rumpled and his arms look empty like they are missing me in them. I lie down on my stomach next to him and trail my finger down his perfect face. “Declan.” I whisper into his ear.

He turns over where he faces me and without opening his eyes he requests “Can we go back to sleep?”

I giggle like a little school girl. “No we can’t go back to sleep. I have class in an hour.”

He exhales and opens his eyes. They are looking at me so intensely I feel my whole body heat. Yeah it’s that kind of look. “Why don’t we skip class today and hang out?”

I shake my head no. “I can’t miss class this morning. Caden is in it and he would freak.”

“Fine.” He says grumpily and sits up rubbing his eyes. “Let’s go then.”

*****

When we arrive at my building I sigh because I don’t want to leave him. He held my hand the whole way and I don’t want to let go. I don’t know what is wrong with me. I never thought I would be the kind of girl to be so clingy.

“I’ll see you later right?” he says hopeful.

“I would love that but I have a ton of homework I didn’t get to work on this weekend.” And I really do. He took up my every thought and now I’m behind.

“Okay well then will you at least text me?” he flutters his eyelashes in a flirty way.

“Yeah I will do that, promise.” He grins and I can’t help but to return it.

“God you are so beautiful when you do that.” I guess it was the way he said it but I just couldn’t help myself. I let go of his hand and rose up leaning over the console. Cupping my hands on his cheek I lean in and place my lips gently against his. It is innocent at first but then as always I find his tongue in my mouth and things get out of control. My arms go around his neck and it’s like I’m trying to crawl into him, we are that close. He eventually pulls back and places little gentle kisses on my lips.

I let my arms slip loose and look into his chocolate eyes. “Why is it always so intense when we kiss?”

He full out laughs at me and I feel my cheeks grow warm. “It’s called attraction Teagan. It’s perfectly natural.”

I smack him gentle on the arm and lean over to kiss his cheek. “Smartass.” I give him a flirty wink and climb out of the truck to head up to my room to get ready for the day.

*****

The second I make into my room I have a squealing Grace hurdling into me. “Oh my god you have to tell me everything!”

“Whoa there chick.” I giggle at her and try to pry her off of me.

“Please tell me you got it on?” she looks at me hopefully.

“No Grace! We just fell asleep talking. We actually didn’t even kiss till we got to the parking lot.” I move away from her to gather my clothes for the day.

“What? That’s a shame, because I totally want every little detail of that experience!” She twirls around like a little girl and I can’t help but laugh at her.

That’s when I realize that something seems weird to me. It’s the way she acted last night when I asked her to go out with us Friday. “Grace what is the name of the football player you have a crush on?”

Her face pales. I knew it. “Umm…” she looks down at the floor before she mumbles. “Your brother.”

“This is so great! You can totally keep him preoccupied while I date Declan and maybe one day when we are already married and have kids I can tell Jaden.”

“So you’re not mad at me?” she probes.

“No Grace I’m not. I personally don’t care what he does and if you like him I’m all for it.” Plus it will be a great example if he finds out about me and Declan.

“Okay good! Well I’m going to get out of here I want some coffee before class.”

“Yeah I’ll see you later.”

Declan

The second I walk into the house Marcus is running down the stairs. “Where the hell have you been?”

“I’m sorry I should have called. We fell asleep talking.” I hope he doesn’t get all worked up. Marcus has abandonment issues. Hint the reason I didn’t go off to school.

“Okay. Good I was worried Jaden had found you and done away with your body.”

I ruffle his hair before I head up the stairs to get ready for class. “No buddy I’m still alive. Don’t worry I’ll be here for a long time to annoy you.”

He smacks my hand away. “Oh its ok if he does away with you because you will be dead and he will go to jail and I can have Teagan all to myself.” He grins from ear to ear after seeing my expression.

“Umm she is like three years older than you bro, give it a rest.” I turn from him and head up the stairs.

“Yeah but I like me a cougar plus I’m like way better looking than you!” he yells from the bottom of the stairs as I make it to my room.

I lean back around the corner and flip him the bird. I can hear him laughing as he gets ready for his day. I will never admit out loud but he is better looking than me. He got moms blue eyes and his long hair makes the girls go crazy. His features are softer and make him stand out more. Though I doubt that I have anything to worry about where Teagan is concerned.

I can’t believe that we slept in the back of my truck last night. I also can’t believe that we didn’t do anything but kiss this morning. We haven’t been able to keep our hands off each other since we met. I think it makes it all the sweeter. Makes me feel better that we can keep our hands off each other, you can’t base a relationship off of just sexual attraction.

I love how we have so much in common. We like the same music which is crazy because I haven’t dated a girl who likes anything other than pop and R&B. It’s refreshing to say the least. Claire wouldn’t have picked up a book if she had a gun to her head. She thought it made me nerdy but I think it had more to do with the fact that I paid more attention to the book than her. God she was annoying.

Teagan looked so beautiful last night. Her curly black hair wild and down, she looked like a goddess come to earth to steal my mortality. If she is then it is all hers. I wonder when I became such a pansy. I never used to think this way about a girl. I don’t think I ever took Claire on such a romantic date as I did with Teagan last night. I’m starting to think maybe who I was before I met Teagan was just a façade.

*****

I knew it was too much to think Claire would just go away. She is pissed and looking for a fight. That’s how I found myself outside the cafeteria with a five foot eight leggy blonde screaming at me.

“I can’t believe that you let some whore punch me in the nose. I mean does she not know who I am?” she is screaming so loud I think my ears are bleeding.

That whore comment just pissed me off and I find myself screaming right back at her. “Who are you calling a whore? That sure is calling the kettle black.”

She looks shocked for a second, but only a second. “I’m not a whore you asshole! You can’t talk to me like that!” she scoffs.

“I can talk to you anyway I want to, Claire. You’re not going to call her a whore and think that you’re going to get away with it. And you are a whore. You slept with the entire football team in high school. What you didn’t think I knew you cheated on me? I’m not fucking stupid” I sneer right in her face.

She goes sheet white after that. I might have over done it. It wasn’t the entire football team, but close enough. “Well your one to talk, don’t think I don’t know about all the girls you’ve fucked since I broke up with you.” And she’s back.

“What does it matter? I wasn’t dating anybody at the time. It’s a free fucking country!” I’m so tired of her shit. I feel like every ounce of control I had has spilled out of me.

“Well well Declan Sage seems like your hard won control has lost its reign. I think I want to see more of this out of you, it’s sexy.” She smirks as she trails her finger down my chest.

I give her a fake smile as I grab her hand and throw it away from me. “Don’t think for one second you’re going to weasel your way back into my life. I want nothing to do with you anymore. You lost your appeal long ago. Hell I shouldn’t have been with you as long as I was. All you are is a slut and a bitch.” I take a slow breath to will my control back in place.

“I like it when you talk dirty baby. It makes me all hot inside.” She has this fire in her eyes I wish I could scratch out.

“Claire take your ass and go. And stay away from me; I want nothing to do with you.” I turn away from her and walk towards my next class. Hoping to god my control comes back because I don’t like what just happened. The old Declan would never have done that.

Chapter 9

Teagan

I tell myself that it wasn’t what it looked like. But I fail miserably. He was holding Claire’s hand out by the cafeteria. She had trailed her hand down his chest, a chest that I had slept on last night. I’m in a daze as I walk to my first class. I don’t know what to do or think at this point. I have no experience where guys are concerned.

The class I am going to is my one and only art class. I pretty much took it for fun. I have always loved to paint and it’s something Caden and I do together. Have always done together. And that is exactly who I run into on my way in the door, my handsome brother.

Jaden and Caden might be twins but the only thing they have in common are the features on their faces. Caden is blonde and has the same pale blue eyes of his mother. He is huge like Jaden but not as huge. Jaden works out like nonstop and Caden doesn’t. But when I run smack dab into him my nose still meets hard muscle under his shirt.

“Wow Teag watch where you’re going will you?” he sets his hands on my shoulders to keep me from falling and that is when he sees my face. “What’s wrong?”

I try and put my poker face on but Caden has this way of seeing into you like no one I have ever met. “Nothing, I swear.”

“Yeah and I’m an only child. Spill.” He grabs my chin and pulls my face up so I will look him in the eyes.

I take his hand off my face and place it on his black t-shirt. “Nothing I want to talk about, okay? Why don’t you mind your own business? Why are you all always in my business? I’m nineteen years old I’m not a freaking baby!” I shout at him.

“What the fuck is your problem Teagan? Jesus talk to me. I know there is something wrong with you. And I will always be in your business. If you remember correctly I was the one who found you passed out on the bathroom floor. You can’t stress yourself out like this.”

“You know I was ten years old when that happened? I’m grown now and I really don’t want you trying to baby me. I can take care of myself.” I push past him into the classroom knowing he won’t start in on me in front of all these people.

I take my brushes out of my bag and start working on a landscape. I try not to feel Cade’s eyes on the back of my head but it is no use. He’s going to call dad and Sarah and there’s going to be a big deal over this. I wish they would realize that I’m not some little kid anymore who can’t handle anything. All I want to do is feel grown up but these assholes sure aren’t going to let me.

I try to paint my frustration, but it doesn’t help. I’m not used to blowing up like that at anyone in my family and I’m definitely not used to the jealously. I kind of feel like my head is going to explode.

*****

I have always had a terrible temper. Sarah says I get it from my mom. She was a fiery woman and I guess my step mom is right. She used to get mad at the littlest things and throw huge tantrums. I can’t help it you push my buttons and I go off. As you have witnessed alcohol just makes it worse. That’s when I throw fists and get into trouble. When I’m sober I’m not violent but I like to yell and scream.