Dare to Kiss (The Maxwell Series Book 1) (6 page)

I stepped closer to her. “As I told your Barbie robot, I don’t take kindly to threats.”

Grace walked backwards, never taking her eyes off me. I waved, wondering what other drama was in store for me. I’d only been at this school for a week, and already I’d managed to bully a badass dude and one of the cheerleaders.

Chapter 5

O
n our way to chemistry the next period, Becca had explained that Kelton was one of a set of triplets. While Kody certainly looked like Kelton with blue eyes, the same black hair and strong features, he had a quieter personality. We talked about the assignments he’d missed. Class was quiet, thank God. Kelton was paired up with Grace, of all people. Her face lit up when Ms. Clare switched out her lab partner. When Kelton sat down, Grace sent me one of those ha-ha looks that said
I got him and you didn’t
. Little did she know I didn’t want anything to do with the guy.

I was content with Tyler as a lab partner until the teacher switched him out and told me to sit with Kelton’s brother Kody. Tyler frowned. He got stuck with a nerdy girl who glowed ten shades of red when the hot quarterback sat down next to her. I laughed as I watched the exchange. She kept pushing up her glasses as she ogled Tyler.

Toward the end of class, we were working on a short experiment when Kody turned and gave me the strangest look, as though he were trying to read my mind.

“Lacey,” he said, “are you sure you want to play baseball?”

Now that had me scratching my head. Normally people ask me why I want to play baseball. Not
are you sure
? “Absolutely. Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” he replied. “Boys can be assholes, that’s all.”

“Oh. I can handle them,” I assured him. He reminded me of my conversation with Principal Sanders, and how she had to reprimand a few of the boys on the team. “Does your question have anything to do with Mandy Shear?” I whispered.

His knuckles turned white around the pen he was holding. The bell rang. He hurriedly gathered his books and stormed out.

Later that afternoon I sat in the gym, still puzzled by Kody’s reaction to my question. But when the pep rally began, I pushed the thought aside for now and focused on the event. The cheerleaders entered first, performing a cheer in the middle of the basketball court. Once they finished, Tyler and the football team ran in, decked out in their blue and black football jerseys. The crowd exploded, whistling and clapping.

Since Tyler was the captain, he stepped up to the microphone. “Are you ready to beat Northwoods’ butts tonight?”

More whistles and claps and cheers.

“Good. This is the beginning of our season. And we’re taking this school all the way to state this year,” he said.

Stomp stomp stomp.
The bleachers rattled with excitement. Then cheerleaders jumped into a routine, ending the cheer with a human pyramid.

After the rally, I went to my last class of the day. I’d found out from Kody that neither he nor Kelton had psychology. I’d thought I’d be free from the Maxwell brothers, but then Kade walked in, chin up and confident. Next to him was a guy who looked exactly like Kelton and Kody—I assumed that was Kross.

I slithered down in my seat as I buried my head in my psychology book.
Great. Just freaking great.

“Looks like your boy is proud of his shiner,” Becca whispered over her shoulder.

She was in most of my classes. I was thankful for her presence, although Tyler seemed to be shielding me from all of the Maxwell brothers, for some reason. I had to have a talk with him, especially after the little possessive act in English this morning.

“Turn around,” I whispered.

“Maybe you should. Your boy has eyes on you.” She waggled her eyebrows.

Becca and I sat in the first row. Kade and his brother had taken seats in the last row near the window in the very back.

My brain told me not to turn. My body didn’t listen. Sneaking a peek, I froze. Kade was staring at me intently. After my heart stopped sputtering, I glared at him.
Two could play this game.

“I told you,” Becca whispered.

“Shut up,” I muttered under my breath.

“I would say he wants you bad.” She giggled.

What guy would like a girl who pulled a gun on him and kneed him in the balls?

The teacher, Mr. Dobson, a gentleman of fifty, walked in at that moment. When he spoke, I tuned him out. The class went by in a blur. If we had homework, I wouldn’t know. My brain was so consumed with how it would feel to have Kade’s lips on me. I replayed each event from the first day I met him. Then I couldn’t shake what Kelton had said. “My brother was right, you’re freaking gorgeous.” I bristled when I remembered his other comment. “Kade doesn’t share his women.” Who did these guys think they were?

I didn’t realize that class was over until Becca nudged me. “Are you staying here?”

Blinking, I scanned the room. Except for Becca and me, the room was deserted.

“Whoa! You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she said, with her hands on the straps of her backpack. “He’s not going to kill you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

I let out a nervous laugh. “Did you see the way he looked at me?”

She snorted. “Yeah, Lacey. The guy wants to do something to you, but I don’t think it has anything to do with killing.”

“Ha ha. I’m sure he has lots of girls he can go out with.”

“Oh, you’re right. But Kade Maxwell doesn’t do steady girlfriends. I don’t know if the triplets do. They haven’t been here since their freshman year.”

I sat up straighter in my seat. “Where have they been?” I asked.

She walked to the door and closed it then sat down in the seat next to me. “You’re new, and you should probably know some of the history.” She made it sound like knowing whatever she was about to tell me would condemn me.

“Yeah, like Mandy Shears. Are you ever going to tell me about her?”

She flinched. “Not at school.” Her gaze darted to the door then back at me.

Wow! Something bad must’ve happened to that girl
.

“Anyway, a guy named Greg Sullivan hated Kade. Actually, they despised each other. It was an ego thing. You know how guys are. They both competed against each other for the same spots in football, basketball, and baseball. Each time, Kade won. They would always get into fights. When they both started their sophomore year, Greg thought a new year, new tryouts, and maybe this would be his year. But when Kade won again, Greg had a freaking cow. He destroyed the boys’ locker room—threw a trashcan at the mirrors. Then to top it off, the triplets got positions on the varsity baseball team that year as freshmen, even over some of the returning seniors. Then Greg made it his mission to get back at the Maxwell brothers, especially Kade. They said that Greg and his buddies beat the shit out of Kody, because he was the weakest of the brothers. When Kade found out, he went nuts. The rumor—and it was never verified—was that Kade, Kross, Kelton, and some friend of Kade’s, Hunter, jumped Greg and put him in the hospital.”

I gasped.

“I know, right?” she said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “But there’s more. Kade ended up in jail. Greg’s family pressed charges against him.”

“So why didn’t Kade go to the police when Kody was beaten?”

“I don’t know. All I know is when school started up again the next year, the triplets were gone and so was Greg. The triplets went to some military academy. Now, they’re back at Kensington, to graduate with Kade. They tested out of most of their junior subjects. At least that’s what I heard.”

And Kelton called
me
smart. “What happened to Greg?”

“No clue.” She shook her head slightly.

“Why didn’t Kade go with his brothers to the academy?”

“Don’t know that either. Listen, Kade’s hot. And as a friend, I warn you. He spits out women left and right. Not to mention that he’s known for his temper.”

Tempers didn’t bother me. I had one. “Is Kade dating anyone? Like Tammy Reese?”

She laughed. “He dated her last year. I think it was one date. Why? You like him, don’t you?”

I shrugged a shoulder, playing with my notebook. “He’s hot, like you said. But if he’s anything like Kelton—”

“Nobody’s like Kelton.” She giggled. “So, why did you punch Kade?” She studied me intently.

I hardly knew Becca, so I wasn’t ready to tell her about the panic attacks I got because half my family was violently murdered—not yet, anyway. “He was being an ass. So you don’t want me jumping his bones?” Laughing, I changed the subject quickly, hoping that she wouldn’t probe.

“Girlfriend, I would love for you to jump his bones. But I like you a lot, Lacey, and I don’t want to see you get hurt. You don’t seem like the kind of girl that does one night stands.”

She was so spot on. I’d only had sex once, and that had been with Brad. I thought he loved me. Boy was I wrong.

We left and talked all the way to our cars. She filled me in on how she thought the triplets would be a shoo-in for this year’s baseball team. Kade was awesome, too, she said, and the last time the team had won a championship was when Kade and his brothers had played.

When we made it to our cars, the parking lot was completely empty except for our cars. I wasn’t surprised, since it was Friday.

“Is Kade trying out, too?” I asked with a hand on my car door.

“No, I don’t think so. He hasn’t played since his sophomore year.”

“Because of the Greg Sullivan thing?”

“Yeah. Since that incident, Kade hasn’t played sports. It’s a real shame because the four of them were a force to be reckoned with on the field.”

“What position did Kade play?” Not that it mattered. I was just curious.

“Third base. He was awesome. He had a great batting average. He was always hitting homeruns. He was major-league good. Scouts would be all over him after the games.” She leaned against her VW bug.

A lump lodged in my throat. My brother Rob had been scouted by the major leagues when he was playing at ASU. In fact, he was ready to sign with the Dodgers’ organization when he’d found out about Mom and Julie. He had just driven back to Arizona to pack up his apartment when Dad called him after the police left our house that night. I still held out hope for Rob. Like me, he was still grieving, although he dealt with the deaths a lot like Dad did, keeping himself busy at the club in LA. I’d told him that he should pursue his dreams, but he’d said he just needed time. He was still in touch with the Dodgers. I was praying like hell that he would take their offer.

“Are you okay, Lacey?” Becca rubbed my arm. “You have tears in your eyes.”

“Yeah, just thinking.”

“You want to talk about it?”

“No. I have to go,” I said, blinking away tears. I silently berated myself. I didn’t want anyone to see the weaker side of me. I had to be tough. I had to make the team.

After Becca and I parted, I rushed to my psychiatrist appointment. This was the first time I was meeting Dr. Davis, my new shrink, and I was looking forward to it. My former psychiatrist had nothing but great things to say about him. I was also anxious to talk to someone. I would’ve met him sooner, but he’d been booked during the last few weeks.

I parked in the lot behind a gray two-story building in the town of Lancaster. I snatched my purse, got out, and locked my door. As I was walking around to the entrance, I caught a glimpse of a black truck stopped at the red light on the corner of Fifth and Main. I did a double take.
Please don’t let it be Kade.
He was the last person who I wanted to know that I was seeing a psychiatrist. Dad had been specific when he asked Dr. Meyers to find a therapist who didn’t have an office in Ashford.

I squinted to see if the truck had the hearts on the passenger door, but I couldn’t tell from this distance—although this truck had tinted windows like his. What were the odds? Not wanting to look like a lost idiot, I strode right past the entrance to the building as though I was headed to one of the other shops in town. Several establishments and restaurants lined Main Street. I crossed over the side street. Up ahead, a small boutique like the ones my sister and I used to shop at in California caught my eye. Well, she shopped. I just went along with her on our way home from school occasionally. She would always say, “Lace, you need to dress like a girl.” I hadn’t cared much about clothes, and still didn’t. But the more Dad’s words rolled around in my brain—“I would like see my little girl wear a dress or a skirt every now and then”—the more I considered giving the girlie-wear a try, to bring one of those elusive smiles to his face.

I was so deep in thought I’d forgotten why I was walking this way until a couple of beeps sounded from behind me, indicating someone had unlocked their car door. I flicked a quick glance over my shoulder, and I shouldn’t have. The black truck idled, waiting for a pedestrian to cross the road. I still couldn’t tell if it was Kade or not. The picture I’d taken didn’t show his license plate. Regardless, I put some energy in my step and practically ran into Darla’s Boutique.

“Something wrong, miss?” the sales clerk asked.

“No,” I said, and I swallowed.

“Can I help you with something, then?” She wore a tight red dress, tons of old-fashioned jewelry, and she smelled like a nursing home.

“I’m sorry, I was looking for the deli. I must have gone too far.”

“No, you didn’t. Just one more block down,” she said, pointing to her right.

“Oh. Thank you.” I didn’t move. I had to wait a few minutes to be sure the coast was clear.

“It looks like you’re running from something. Can I help?” Her thick mascara lashes stood out over her smooth, pale skin. Her soft tone made me relax a tiny bit.

“Uh…no. I was just trying to dodge a friend.”

“Why don’t you look around? Give the friend some time to realize you’re not here.”

She had a point, but I needed to get to my appointment. I checked my phone. Crap. I had two minutes to run down to Dr. Davis’ office. He charged by the hour whether I was there or not. If I didn’t show, Dad was going to have my hide. “Thanks. I do need to go though.” I’d been in here a few minutes. The truck had to be gone by now.

She shrugged as I turned for the door.

Once outside I turned left, and my heart sputtered. The black truck was parked on the street, to my right. I could almost touch it. My pulse started to sprint.
Freaking hell
. The five hearts painted on the passenger door above the handle—
oh, it
was
Kade
. I dropped my head and sped past the vehicle. I was just about to cross the side street when someone grabbed my arm. I spun around. I was ready to swing my purse when the guy let go.

“Hey, chill, lady,” the blond-haired dude said, holding up his hands.