“But …” I fight to get away from the girl who is tugging on my arm. Causey gives me a wicked grin, misreading the situation.
“Just bring her and let’s go.” He nods at the girl who presses her impressive rack further into my side. I look down and her smile widens.
“I’ll ride with you,” she volunteers in a sultry voice, and I stare at her, my brain too slow at processing her words. Taking advantage of my hesitation, she stands on tiptoe and captures my mouth in a lingering kiss. Shocked, my eyes widen and lips part; her tongue darts inside my mouth and her hands fist at the side of my jacket, drawing me closer.
Causey lets out a low whistle. “Let’s go.” He slaps me on the shoulder and climbs into the Chevy with Ryder. The girl beams at me and I give her a well-practiced smile in response. It never reaches my eyes, and I know it’s fake, but she doesn’t seem to notice. She’s pretty, but I felt nothing, not like I did when I kissed Leigh. This girl has effectively erased Leigh’s kiss. I run my tongue over my bottom lip, but I can’t taste her fruity lip stuff anymore. The girl looks at me, waiting for me to make a move.
“Come on, man.” Ryder leans out his window and slaps the side of the car. I flip him off, and because it looks like I’ve no choice, I indicate for the girl to climb into the car. I turn, but my eyes meet Leigh’s. Her gaze hardens when she realizes this girl is riding with me. I stand there useless, unable to do anything. She doesn’t know I wish it were her, that I want it to be her. I am trying to fit in here and find acceptance.
I hope she won’t hold this against me, but something in her icy stare tells me she will.
Chapter Six
Meghan is still up when I let myself through the front door. Obviously not expecting me as she dances out of the bathroom to ‘Baby I’m Yours’ and stops with a start when I slam the door. Her hair sticks out in all directions and there is white stuff at the roots.
“Jeez, Max, you scared the crap out of me.” She clasps her hand to her chest to demonstrate her point.
“Whatcha doin’?” I drawl, fighting a smile at the sight of her.
“Coloring my hair. You on your own?” She peers behind me.
“Yeah.” Who else would I be with?
“Good.” I scrunch up my face in confusion, but she carries on. “Have fun?”
“Yeah.” I keep my tone light; don’t want her picking up on anything.
“Meet anyone your own age?” It’s an innocent enough question but my mind immediately pictures Leigh Storm, and I hesitate.
“Met Causey’s cousin, Ryder ...” I don’t mention Leigh, but my earlier pause is a giveaway.
Meghan’s hazel eyes settle on mine to look at me properly for the first time since I came home. “And ...”
“And what?” I avert my gaze, but it’s too late.
“And you met a girl.” Her eyes light up with triumph, and she does this little jump clap thing and moves closer.
“Fuck’s sake, Meghan.” I laugh nervously, but she’s paying close attention to me now. “What makes you say that?”
“It was a guess, but now, seeing the way you’ve reacted, tell me who she is.”
“No one.”
“Come on, tell me.” She moves closer and pinches my sides, making me jerk and laugh. Satisfied, she sits down on the sofa and curls her feet underneath her.
“Don’t you need to take that shit off your hair?”
She shakes her head. “Not for another thirty minutes. Stop avoiding the question.” She stares at me expectantly. With a sigh of resignation, I flop down beside her.
“Okay, there was this one girl … but I think I pissed her off,” I grumble.
Meghan chuckles softly. “You mean she didn’t fall for the famous Max Morgan charm?”
I glare at her but shake my head. “She looked like she wanted to knee me in the balls, to be honest.”
“Ooh, I like her already. What did you do to warrant that?”
“What makes you think it was anything I did?” I’m more than a little offended that she jumped straight to the right conclusion.
“You’re my brother, Max, and I love you, but you can be a dick sometimes.”
“Thanks for that,” I grumble, and Meghan flashes me an apologetic smile.
“Remember those two sisters who you dated at the same time?”
“Yeah, the twins. I couldn’t help get them mixed up.” I don’t see the pillow coming until Meghan hits me on the side of the head.
“They were not twins. Granted, there wasn’t much difference between them, but they weren’t twins.” She fumes because this is an old argument between us. She clutches the cushion to her stomach, ready if she needs to hit me again. “So what did you do to piss this girl off?”