“I’m not going anywhere.”
That night, she slept in my arms, her back against my chest, and her body molded into mine. I buried my face in her hair and inhaled the scent of Lila. Spring rain and honeysuckle.
It felt like only minutes later that I woke to the sound of my phone alarm buzzing. Rolling over with a groan, my hand reached for my phone on the bedside table to silence it. It was still dark outside and Lila was sleeping soundly.
I wanted to stay in her downy soft bed, with her warm body wrapped up in mine, my hands skimming over every inch of her silky soft skin.
Scrubbing my hands over my face, I yawned and sat up then grabbed my clothes from the floor and got dressed, formulating my escape plan. There were two ways to leave Lila’s room. Number one. Creep down the hallway and hope nobody heard me. A few weeks ago, I’d run into Gideon coming out of the bathroom. I had a feeling he knew where I’d been but he’d just given me a blank stare and said nothing.
Number two. Exit via her window, jump down to the porch roof and slide down the pole. Then round the side of the house and climb the trellis to my room. Home free. Because of my ankle, I hadn’t gone that way since before the state championship game but I was feeling confident that it was strong enough now. So I decided that was the stunt I’d perform for today’s disappearing act.
I kissed her goodbye and told her to close the window after I left. Still half-asleep, she mumbled “Love you” and told me she would. I hesitated a second when her eyes drifted shut. “Don’t forget to close the window.”
“Baby, it’s cold outside,” she murmured with a little smile and a yawn. “Go. I’ve got you.”
On that note, I was out her window and on the roof.
Ignoring the shooting pain in my ankle, I hobbled around the side of the house to the trellis and made it back to my room in record time. As I was closing the window, I heard my bedroom door open then close. The footsteps crossing my bedroom floor were too heavy to be Lila’s.
Oh. Shit.
“Jude.” I suppressed the urge to laugh. I don’t know why I wanted to laugh. I had a feeling this confrontation wouldn’t be funny in the least.
Wiping the stupid grin off my face, I turned from the window to face my dad. I raked a hand through my hair, trying to decide if he knew I’d just come from Lila’s room and had any idea how long this had been going on. I quickly deduced that he wouldn’t be standing in my room if he didn’t know. I could come up with an excuse for climbing into my own bedroom window at six in the morning. Like, hey, I was just getting in an early workout. Didn’t want to wake anyone.
Or I was playing Santa Claus and hid some presents in the barn. Which was actually true. I had hidden my presents in the barn. But I knew it wouldn’t fly.
So I opted to say nothing and play it by ear, my response contingent on what he accused me of.
“Get Lila and meet me in the barn in five minutes.”
My eyes widened and I drew in a sharp breath. Not what I’d expected and not how I wanted this to play out. “Can we just leave her out of this? It’s not her fault—”
“I’ll be waiting for both of you in the barn.” He headed for the door then turned around, his voice low. “Do that ankle a favor. Use the door. And try not to wake anyone. No need to alert the entire household.”
I nodded in agreement. It was the last thing we needed. But I hadn’t expected him to drag Lila into this. I’d prefer that he didn’t involve her and let me take the punishment for both of us. But he was adamant that she was there. Grabbing a hoodie from my closet, I pulled it over my head then crept down the hallway to deliver the good news. We’d been busted. My dad was waiting for us in the barn.
No doubt there would be hell to pay but I’d bear the brunt of it. Or so I told Lila as we crossed the field a few minutes later, our breaths coming out in white puffs of smoke, the frost coating the grass and trees glowing silver in the pre-dawn.
“We’re in this together,” she said. She was wearing my old baseball hoodie like a declaration of our love. “I’m just as guilty as you are so don’t you dare try to take all the blame.”
I grabbed her hand and tugged her toward me. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I pulled her flush against my chest, not even caring if my dad saw us. “I forgot to tell you something.”
“What?” she asked, her brow furrowed. She’d been in such a rush to get ready that she hadn’t even stopped to brush her hair. I loved it like this. It was sex hair. The long waves tumbled down her back and framed her perfect little face.
“Tonight was perfect. You’re perfect. And no matter what happens, or what our punishment is, it will be worth it.”
She smiled, her body sagging in relief. “I feel the same way. You’re totally worth it.”
My hands wandered down and cupped her ass as I pressed a soft kiss on her lips. Reluctantly, I released her before this kiss turned into something more. “Let’s get this over with.”
Her shoulders sagged, a bit of her bravado flagging as she looked over her shoulder at the barn.
I squeezed her hand. “It’ll be okay. My dad won’t be mad at you.”
“That makes it worse. I don’t want special treatment. And I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
“It’s no big deal. We’ve got this.”
“Okay.” She
