Designer Genes - The Boyfriend Cut (16 page)

"I'd like to tear seven pounds of ugly fat from your shoulders just to shut you up!"

I pushed my arms out, keeping the two of them separated. "Jesse, stop," I begged. By now, an audience had formed along the deck overlooking the parking lot and my reputation received another blow. I watched for Coach to barrel through, or the police to arrive any second. "Guys, we're being watched."

Someone started yelling
"Fight! Fight!
"

Sam tossed his tuxedo jacket to the ground. "Bring it on."

"No!" I shrilled, wrapping my arms around Jesse's waist and pulling him back. "Get in the car before there's trouble." He wouldn't budge. "I'm leaving with you, okay? Please?"

Jesse's eyes shifted from Sam to me. He picked up the broken heel from my shoe and grabbed my hand, slowing his stride to match my awkward limp across the gravel.

Sam yelled after us. "Fuck you, Davis!"

Jesse immediately locked his arms around me, holding my flailing limbs tight and forcing me into the car. We sped off, leaving my memory of Senior Prom hidden behind a curtain of dust.

9

GAME ON

R
ain pounded the top of the Ferrari by the time we reached my house. I stared at the droplets trickling down the passenger window and absentmindedly traced their squiggly trails with my finger. Jesse pulled close to the back porch and turned the car off.

"Mars? You okay?"

"I don't know."

"Want to talk?" Jesse's fingers drew light circles on my bare shoulder. "Or anything else? These seats do recline."

I smiled against the glass. "And my father's bedroom window is right above us."

"Right." His hand dropped. "Marli, has Sam ever physically hurt you? You acted afraid of him tonight."

I jerked my head his direction. "Huh?
No
. Sam hasn't ever been mean. This whole thing with Jordan and me has him a little nuts, that's all."

"He's not the only one."

Jesse climbed out of the car and ran to my side, keeping his leather jacket over our heads until we reached the back door. A ribbon of light from the lamp in the upstairs hallway drifted across the kitchen floor. Jesse reached for me and I settled against him.

He rubbed my arms briskly."Your skin feels cold. Have you got anything hot to drink?"

"There's some herbal tea in the cabinet above the beverage maker and cream in the refrigerator."

"Go tell your dad you're home and I'll brew a couple cups."

I paused at the top of the stairs, my heart beating two different rhythms; one for Jordan, the other for Jesse, both frightening me.

"Jess, thanks for being my hero."

"Anytime. It was the highlight of my day."

I tiptoed into Dad's room. The viewing screen played without sound. He lay asleep on his back, his mouth open and the beginning sounds of a snore rattling in the back of his throat. I kissed the rugged skin of his cheek.

"I'm home," I whispered.

"W-What?" He rose on one elbow, turning the clock to face him. "You're early. Is everything okay?" Something in my face told him
no
. He turned on the lamp, patted the edge of the bed for me to sit. "Things didn't go well with Sam, I take it."

"No. Tonight turned into a disaster."

He tucked my hair behind my ear, exposing my face. "Anything I should worry about? Do I need to have Sam arrested?"

Sam locked away sounded perfect. "No, nothing that serious." I stood and leaned against the corner of the wall, not sure how he'd handle my next revelation. "Um, Jesse brought me home."

Dad swung his legs off the side of the bed and put an old pair of glasses. He pressed his palms on his thighs ready to pounce if necessary, and I straightened, ready to run if that happened.

"
Jesse
? What was he doing there?"

Telling Dad Jesse answered a distress signal I triggered meant subjecting myself to a relentless cross-examination, possibly landing Sam behind bars. As angry as I was at him, I didn't want to jeopardize his scholarship to Ohio State. The lame explanation I quickly invented, however, didn't go much better.

"Jesse said he had a hunch he should stick around. I think he had my phone tagged so he knew if I even went to the bathroom," I joked to lighten the situation, which had the opposite effect.

"
Stalking
is what I'd call it. Why did he bring you home?"

"I didn't want to stay with Sam. Someone spiked the punch and I didn't trust him to drive."

Oops.
My revelation brought Rick to his feet.

"You're through with Samuel Jenkins, Marli, understand? Done! Over! Grounded forever if I hear you so much as talked to him, got that?"

"Fine with me. He's a total jackass, anyway."

Rick's finger shook dangerously close to my eye. "And another thing. You need to be on guard regarding Jordan's brother. He's got an agenda."

"Okay, we're not having this conversation. Jesse knows the boundaries." I lied through my teeth on that statement. Jesse only knew how to
cross
boundaries, not stay behind them.

"But do you?
Kissing
your assigned candidate's brother is a definite crossover. I'm sure Jordan wouldn't be thrilled if—"

"Enough already! You made your point. Go back to sleep. I'm going downstairs and sit with Jesse a while."

"He's not spending the night, Mars. I'm not running a hotel for the Mason brothers."

"I know! I know!" I marched across the hall to my room.

"And I'm keeping my door open!" Rick yelled before I slammed mine.

My cell receptor flashed on my bed.
Sam
. The guy had guts.

"Leave me alone!" I screeched and hung up, not waiting for a response. I deleted his number and muted my computer
.
I wasn't reliving my prom-night-from-hell with Alex or Brittany, either.

My satin dress hissed like a poisonous snake with my angry paces. I desperately needed someone to talk me down and only one person could do that. Jordan.

"Marli? What's wrong? It's barely eleven. Are you all right?"

"Yes," I answered, strangled by the word. "No, that's a lie." I bit my lip and the room rippled behind tears.

"Babe? What is it?"

"Things got ugly after I broke up with Sam tonight," I sniveled. "I left the dance early."

"Did he…hurt you?"

"Not like you're thinking. Things are a mess, that's all." I dropped onto the bed and kicked off my shoes. Mindlessly, I twisted a lock of hair around me finger.

"I wish I was there. From what I can see you look beautiful, but sad…like you could use a hug from a certain lonely guy I know real well." I blew him a kiss and he puckered one in return. "How's your heart?"

Jordan's question halted me.

"My heart?"

"Yes, your heart
.
You and Sam share a history. As much as I hate thinking about it, you must have feelings for Sam. "

"
Had
," I sniffed. "After tonight, all I feel is an urge to vomit when I think about him."

Jordan laughed. "That bad, huh? Care to enlighten me?"

"Pass. I'm wiped out." I'd only end up falling apart again. I also wanted to spend some time with Jesse before he left because Rick made it clear he couldn't stay
.

"Can I call you tomorrow?"

"I'd be crushed if you didn't. 'Night, Jordan."

"Good night Marli. I, I—" his voice caught on a word having the power to suck my last breath, but he quickly recovered, "—miss you. Talk to you tomorrow."

A shadow flickered along the walls of the living room. Jesse had found a candle and placed it in the center of the coffee table, alongside two cups of steaming hot tea.

"Ambiance," he smiled, gesturing for me to sit beside him on the sofa. He took the afghan draped over the back and wrapped it around my shoulders. "You were gone a while. I almost came looking for you."

"Dad and I had a slight disagreement, and...I called Jordan."

He leaned into the corner of the sofa, tipping me against him. "How is my brother?"

"Worried, like you. I still didn't tell him you were here. I decided to save that piece of information for when I have the strength to argue. I also begged out of telling him about tonight."

"About tonight…what happened?" His jaw snapped sharply against my forehead. "Obviously, you were running away from Sam. What did he do?"

I gave Jesse an overview of what happened. A more enhanced version of the story would be all over town by tomorrow and I'd have to deal with Rick's overreaction. I tilted my head to see Jesse's reaction, receiving a quick tap from his mouth on mine.

"What happened after I left for the dance?" I asked.

"Rick tortured me." I punched his chest. "Ouch! He interrogated me regarding my intentions toward his young, impressionable baby girl. He warned me if I hurt you, there wouldn't be a planet in the universe where I could hide. He'd find me and shoot me. You're right. He owns a gun."

"
Baby girl
? Ugh! I can't wait until I'm eighteen so he'll stop treating me like one."

Jesse set his cup on the table, squaring my shoulders. "Your father worries about you, Marli, and turning eighteen won't change that." A mischievous grin curled his mouth. "I talked to him about your graduation present, but it will definitely have to wait until you're eighteen."

"Oh?" My curiosity piqued, especially when his grin grew into a taunting smile. "What is it?"

"Uh-uh. It's a surprise, but I wanted you to know he said okay."

"That's so unfair. At least give me a hint. Please
?
" I walked my fingers along the edge of his open shirt collar, undoing a couple more buttons and sliding my hands inside. "Pretty please?" I pushed him back into the sofa cushions and placed my lips at the hollow of his throat.

He held me back. "Has anyone ever told you if you play with fire, you'll get burned?"

I placed my hands on the sides of his face and captured his waiting mouth. Slowly, his tongue drew a wistful line across my bottom lip and I hesitated. What started as a flirty tease changed when I cracked my lips and Jesse became the center of focus. All thoughts of Jordan disappeared when Jesse's tongue slid a deliberate line along the top of my mouth and intense, tingling sensations danced through my body.

Jesse's arm slipped around my waist, pressing my body in his curves. His legs wrapped over me and my heart hammered behind the ribs his fingers counted. Heated blood raced in my veins and I eased my leg out of the slit in the dress, flattening my lower body against Jesse.

Suddenly, he jumped up and moved to the chair across the room, leaving me struggling to calm my jagged breaths.

"What did I do?" Stupid question. I know exactly what I did.

Even in the muted shadows, I felt the intensity of Jesse's stare. "What
we
were doing—flirting with danger," he rebuked, equally breathless. "I won't cross that line with you, Marli. Not while Jordan's in the picture. You technically belong to him."

The statement smacked of dominance—something I feared. The need to prove my independence became urgent and the guilt building that I betrayed Jordan vanished.

"I
belong
to no one
.
In fact, Jordan wants to date until the end of the year and decide for ourselves what the next step should be."

Jesse slumped in the chair, his long legs almost reaching the sofa. A smile twisted inside his words. "Serious? No commitment?" He shook his head and scoffed. "Jordan's a fool. Leaving a life with you to chance is insane. If it were me, I'd make things permanent the second you turned eighteen."

The sudden spark of anger at his statement surprised me.

"Good thing my life's not in your hands then because I'm not getting trapped in anything permanent at eighteen, regardless of what The Program wants." I hugged a pillow nestled in the corner of the sofa. "Jess, I don't want a serious relationship with any one person right now. Not even Jordan."

He returned beside me, tossing the pillow to the floor. His fingers slowly combed through my hair and tangled in my curls, his lips brushing lightly across my collarbone. Slowly, he kissed a heated trail up my neck until his mouth touched my ear.