Second Chance (Cruiser & Lex, Book 2) (4 page)

Last month, when Lex and I weren’t talking to each other, I tried not to think of the memories. Sometimes I looked out my window and saw her sitting by hers, staring at the moon, just like I did. I wanted to say so much to her. Wanted to be close to her again. I can’t believe my wishes came true.

“Hey, beautiful,” I say.

“Hey, handsome.”

“You sure you’re not tired? You got dance practice tomorrow morning.”

Lex waves her hand. “As if I can sleep. I can’t get you out of my head, Cruise.”

“And I can’t get you out of mine. If I were able to, I’d fly right into your room, gather you in my arms and kiss you so hard you won’t be able to sleep no matter how hard you try.”

Lex covers her mouth and giggles. “You’re making me blush.”

“Good. It’s working.”

She giggles again. I’ve always loved her giggles. She thinks they’re annoying, but they’re one of the greatest things I’ve heard in my life.

“Still have a flashlight?” she asks with another laugh.

“Want to?” I ask.

She laughs again. “Yeah?”

“Okay, be right back. What do you want to play?”

“I always loved
Guess That Word
.”

“Ah, good choice. But I have to warn you. I can’t guarantee the words won’t be a little dirty.”

“Cruise!” She grabs a small ball off her desk and throws it at me. Except, it doesn’t get enough momentum and hits the ground.

“You killed an innocent ball,” I say.

“Well, maybe if you behaved yourself I wouldn’t have a need to murder any balls.”

“Admit you like it.”

“I’m not admitting anything.”

“Just you wait until I kiss you. You’ll be admitting more than you think.”

I hear her sweet laughs as I search my drawers for a flashlight. I love playing around with her like this. It’s like…I don’t know how to describe it. She’s my best friend, but also the girl of my dreams. The love of my life. I’ve known her since we were five years old, have loved her since I was thirteen. I want to make her the happiest girl on the planet.

After I find the flashlight in my bottom drawer and make sure the batteries are working, I return to the window. Lex flashes her flashlight into my eyes, blinding me.

“I see you found yours,” I tease.

“You go first,” she says.

“Okay.” I tap my chin as I think for a few seconds. “I’m going for a sentence.” I tuck the flashlight under my mouth. “You,” I whisper.

Lex leans closer. “Again.”

The rule is that you only have two chances until you lose the round. “You,” I say a little louder.

“You.”

I nod. “Are.”

“Are.”

“The.”

“The.”

“Most.”

“Post?”

“Nope. Most.”

“Most, duh,” she says. “Okay, you are the most…”

“Amazing.”

Her voice wavers when she says, “Amazing.”

“Beautiful.”

She swallows. “Beautiful.”

“Girl.”

“Girl.”

“I.”

“I.”

“Have.”

“Have.”

“Ever.”

She swallows a few more times. “Ever.”

“Met.”

“Met.”

“And.”

“And.”

“I.”

“I.”

“Love.”

“Love.” Her voice is pretty shaky.

“You.”

“You.”

“Soooo.”

“So.”

“Much.”

“Much.”

“I.”

“I.”

“Think.”

“Think.”

“I.”

“I….”

“Might.”

“Might.”

“Die.”

D…die…”

“If.”

“If.”

“I.”

“I.”

“Don’t.”

“Don’t.”

“Kiss.”

She swallows again. “K…kiss.”

“You.”

“You.”

“Right.”

“Right.”

“Now.”

“Now.”

I shut my flashlight. So does she. We just stare at each other. Despite the darkness, I see her chest rise and fall heavily. Mine does, too. Lex leans as close to me as possible. “Meet me downstairs.” She disappears from the window.

I slip out my room and tiptoe down the stairs. Mom’s a light sleeper. I doubt she’d appreciate me waking her up at this late hour. When I reach the door, I slowly and quietly unlock it. Lex is standing on the ramp in front of her house. I rush toward her and she runs to me. She leaps into my arms and I collapse to the ground. Her lips seek mine. My fingers get tangled in her wavy curls as I kiss her. Her moans ignite this crazy-ass fire in me that makes me want to do so much to her.

“Cruise.” She pulls back, her eyes blazing, her lips swollen, her chest rising and falling wildly.

“T. Rex,” I moan, closing my mouth over hers. She lets me continue kissing her. Lets herself get swallowed in this amazing feeling we only get to experience with each other. I’ve kissed more girls than I’d like to admit, but none of them made me feel the way my T- Rex does. I can go days without food and water, as long as I have this girl in my arms, hear her giggles, taste her lips.

“Cruise,” she whispers.

“It’s okay, darlin’,” I say, my own voice a whisper. “I’ll go slow. I won’t do anything to hurt you.”

When we first started going out, Lex was nervous. Said she liked me so much and was scared of getting hurt. I told her we’d go at whatever pace she wants. I’m not in any rush to seal the deal with her.

I gather her closer to me and scoot back until I hit the wall of her house. I stare down at her and she looks at me. I get just enough light from the street lamp to see those beautiful, big, expressive blue eyes. Every time I look into them, I feel like I’m falling into another world. Crex Land. Yeah, still gotta work on the name.

My thumb brushes across her lips. “I can never get enough of you. Even if we lived a million years.”

She rests her cheek on my shoulder. “Do you think about it a lot?”

“It?”

“You know.”

I tuck my fingers under her chin, lifting her head so I can gaze into her eyes. “Of course I do, darlin’. But like I told you, I’m not rushing you. I’ll wait forever.”

“I doubt you’ll wait forever.”

“I swear I will, if that’s what you want.”

Her arms come around my neck. She lowers her head onto my shoulder again. “It won’t be forever. I can tell you that.”

I bury my nose in her hair, breathing in her delicious smell. “If it was up to me, I’d fall asleep with you in my arms. That’s what I think about every night.”

“Me, too,” she whispers.

We sit like this for a little while. I run my hand up and down her back. Her eyes flutter closed. She dozes off after a few minutes. I can’t help but stare at her. My beautiful Lex. There’s no way in hell I could fall asleep. Not when she’s sleeping in my arms like this. I look around, waiting for something to end this. To yank me out of this dream and force me to face reality. Because this doesn’t feel real.

But no one’s around to stop this. No anvil is hanging over my head. Maybe a guy like me can be happy. Maybe good things really do happen in life. Maybe this Cruiser doesn’t have to cruise solo for all eternity.

Lex

Cruiser emerges from the garage, wheeling his motorcycle toward me, his helmet tucked under his arm. He stops before me and leans forward to capture my lips with his. When our mouths come apart, I say, “You didn’t have to wake up early just to take me to dance practice. I can ask one of my teammates for a lift.”

He bends forward again to press another kiss on my lips. “I want to. It makes me feel good to do this for you.”

My stomach muscles clench. The things he says…he really knows how to melt my heart. I step closer to him and squeeze my cheek against his. Running my lips from his nose to his ear, I whisper, “You really know how to turn a girl on. With those velvet lips of yours.”

“Did you just say velvet?”

I cover my face with my hands. “I did?”

“You did.”

I groan. “I should stop reading romance novels.”

He chuckles, wrapping an arm around my waist and hauling me to his chest. “Don’t get any ideas from those books, darlin’. They’re nothing compared to what I give you.”

I burst out laughing. “You’re so funny, Cruiser.”

He hands me a second helmet. I love riding with him. I remember the first time I did, when he and I skipped school last month to go to the beach for a talk. I’m not sure if he sensed how nervous I was, how much I was freaking out inside. Not only was I scared for the actual ride, but I was freaking out due to his close proximity. I felt the strong muscles of his chest when I wrapped my arms around him. I inhaled his wonderful Cruiser scent throughout the entire ride, getting buried in it. It felt like we shared such an intimate moment.

Since we’ve started going out, I’ve ridden behind him many times. I feel the same tingly sensation every time. It starts at my fingers, travels up my arms, down my torso, my stomach, my legs, until it reaches my toes.

Just as I’m about to slip on my helmet, Cruiser takes me by the waist and tugs me to his chest. He lays a strong kiss on my lips. “I need to talk to you after practice. That okay?”

I brush some hair off his eyes, trying to read his expression. He looks a little worried, maybe nervous. “Of course,” I tell him.

Once my helmet is on, Cruiser climbs onto his bike and helps me up behind him. To tease him, I place one hand on his chest, then slowly—very slowly—bring it up until I reach his neck. Then, I bring it back down, just as slowly. I hear something form in the base of his throat. I start over, lightly bringing my hand up his chest.

His hand closes over mine. He moans my name. I lean forward and whisper against the back of his neck, “You like that?”

He moans my name two more times.

I slip my helmet off and press my lips to his skin. “I like that I have such an effect on you.”

“More than you think, darlin’,” he murmurs.

I run kisses down his neck. “I’m tempted to screw practice and do this all morning.”

His head falls back and he groans.

“Mmm?” I press my lips to his skin.

He takes off his helmet, spins around on the bike, and yanks me to him. “You little temptress.”

His lips trail kisses down my neck. My insides turn to soft candy. “I’m…going to miss practice…”

“Mmm. That’s the plan.”

I laugh. “Cruiser.”

“Saying my name just makes me want to kiss you more.”

“Mr. Dalton.”

“No…” He skims his lips lower down my neck. “Mr. Dalton is my dad.”

A beep makes us jump. I turn and see a car stuck behind a van. It beeps again. My gaze meets Cruiser and we start laughing. “I thought it was my mom,” I rasp.

“Me, too.” He runs his fingers through my hair. “We should get going.”

I nod reluctantly. We put our helmets back on and Cruiser kicks into gear. My arms lock around his middle as we speed off. I love the feeling of the wind blowing through my hair. Cruiser’s hair tickles my nose, and I sniff in its scent. It’s gotten a little longer over the past few weeks. I tighten my arms around him, hugging myself as close to him as possible.

We get to school and Cruiser parks his bike. He slings his arm over my shoulder as we make our way into the building. “You mind me watching you practice?” he asks.

“No, just don’t laugh when I mess up the routine. I can’t seem to get it right.”

“You’ll get there. All it takes is perseverance and dedication.”

I slide my hands through his. “Thanks for all the support.”

He brings our hands to his mouth and kisses the back of my palm. “I owe you for all those years you were supportive of my violin. You don’t know how much that meant to me.”

I stop outside the entrance to the gym and look up at him. “Really?”

He nods. “I felt like such crap every time I screwed up my piece. But then you were there, all smiley and telling me how awesome I was. It made me feel really good. My parents were never happy with my performance, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to impress you.”

I snake my arms around him and lay my head against his chest. “I love finding out all these things about you.”

He rests his chin on mine. “Me, too.”

Someone taps my shoulder. I raise my head to find Holly Bedford, captain of the squad. “Hey. Coach is waiting.”

I peer into the gym and find all the girls ready with their poms. “I have to go,” I tell Cruiser.

“Kick some ass.”

I change into my gym clothes, grab my poms from my locker, and join my teammates. We start the routine. I’m finding it a little hard to concentrate with Cruiser sitting in the stands. He has his earbuds lodged in his ears, shaking his head to the beat of the music. His eyes are fastened on mine.

Dance has a more special meaning to me than it did a few months ago. Because it was one of the tools that broke the ice between Cruiser and me. I contemplated putting an end to my dance dream to focus on a new one—to become a spinal cord injury specialist and help kids like Rosie. Dani and others tried to convince me to stay with dance. A part of me really wanted to, but I was consumed with guilt for what happened to Rosie. At Hamilton’s dance meet, no one showed up to support me. Rey had his after school activities, Dani had her karate, my dad was working, and Mom was with Rosie at some doctor. I was used to it because it happened often, but it still hurt every time I looked out at the audience and couldn’t find a familiar face. Then as we were on stage doing the routine, I saw Cruiser in the corner of the gym.

He ditched work to cheer me on. It melted some of the ice surrounding my heart. It meant so much that he came for me. Even now when I think about it, a warm feeling enters my heart.

He understood how much I love dance. He made me realize that my guilt for the accident was clouding my judgment. He made realize how much dance means to me.

When practice is done, I climb the bleachers and sit down near Cruiser. “Enjoyed the show?”

“Mmm.” He pulls out his earbuds, leans toward my ear, and whispers, “Still the hottest on the team.”

Giggling, I punch his shoulder. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

His face turns sour. Sweeping his hands around my waist, he pulls me onto his lap. “You know what I find very sexy?”

“What?”

“When a hot girl tutors me in math.”

I pull my head back to look into his eyes. “You need a tutor?”

He shifts in his seat.

I touch his cheek. “Sorry if I embarrassed you. I’d love to tutor you. I think it would be lots of fun to study together.”

He lips nuzzle the side of my face. “I can think of a million other things that would be more fun.”

His fingers dig into my rib, tickling me. I yelp. He lays me over his lap and closes his mouth over mine. I can feel the smile tugging on his lips. I bring my hands to his side, returning the tickle. He’s not as ticklish as me, which sucked when I was a kid because I never could get him back. He’s squirming a bit under my hands, but not as much as me.

“I win,” his whispers in my ear. He rights me up and stares into my eyes. “Those Rice Krispie eyes.”

“What?”

He bends closer to lightly press his lips on my right eye, then on my left. “Your eyes. They get as small as Rice Krispies when you laugh.”

I touch my right eye. “They do?”

He murmurs, “They’re as sexy as hell.”

My heart pounds in my chest, sending a million butterflies into my stomach.

He rests his cheek against mine. “I love when you get that look.”

“What look?” I rasp.

“Like you’re melting.”

“I am melting. You might have to carry me all the way to history.”

He chuckles. “I would do that.”

“Everyone would stare at us like we’re crazy.”

“Mmm.” He nuzzles my throat. My eyes flutter closed.

“Woods, Dalton, off the bleachers and out of each other’s arms!” Coach Lewis orders.

I open my eyes to find her glaring at us. I look around the gym and see a few students standing there, including my teammates. They’re snickering.

I untangle myself from Cruiser and jump to my feet, smoothing down my shirt and shorts, my face on fire.

“If I see that again, you’re both getting detention,” she says.

I grab my poms and Cruiser grabs his bag, and we flee the gym. We both laugh as Cruiser wraps an arm around my waist and tucks me close to him. “Screw her.”

“I can’t get detention, though. I’ll miss practice. Not to mention I could be out of the running for the dance scholarship.”

“Oh, not good.” He sighs like the fate of the world is on his shoulders. “Guess I’ll have to keep my distance from you.” He pouts.

I giggle. “You’re so cute, Cruise.”

“No, I’m sexy.” He flexes a muscle.

I laugh again. “You are totally sexy.”

“Mmm. How’s the scholarship going, by the way?”

I shrug. “I won’t know for another few months.” I glance down at my clothes. “I need to change. Meet you in the caf at lunch?”

He winks. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”