The Hard Truth About Sunshine(33)

Settling my hip against the back corner of the Suburban, I cross my arms and lean in toward Connor. "How did that happen?"

While I didn't think it possible, Connor's smile gets even bigger. "Dude …  she just knocked on the door late last night. I thought she wanted to crash in your bed or something, but, well …  she must have had other thoughts because she started getting naked as soon as the door closed."

"You're fucking kidding me?" I ask in amazement. I mean, sure …  we learned that Barb likes sex, and she's warmed up to Connor over the last few days. But for her to actively offer to provide him such an intimate bucket-list item is beyond what I thought she was capable of.

Well, because she's not capably of intimacy.

Fuck.

"Connor …  you know …  Barb doing that with you, that was probably just-"

"-a one-time-only thing," Connor says with a laugh. "Yeah …  I understood that all on my own, but regardless …  we talked about it after."

"You did?" I'm stunned Barb would bother to have a conversation.

"Yeah," Connor says with a nod and obvious affection in his voice for what Barb gave him. "She was really cool about it. Told me that no one should die without having sex, and that she wanted to give it to me so I didn't have to resort to something seedier. Guess she was talking about a prostitute or something, but she was also clear …  it was just that one time. Well, twice. She had two condoms."

"Who had two condoms?" I hear Jillian say from behind me. I turn to see her standing there with a curious look on her face. She's wearing the pajamas she had on last night with her hair a tangled mess, but damn, she couldn't be any more beautiful.

Connor just stares at her, unable or unwilling to answer her question. So Jillian turns to face me, eyebrows raised in question. "Who had two condoms?"

Not my place to tell the story unless Connor wants her to know, so I keep my mouth firmly shut and give a shrug.

Bro code.

Jillian's gaze goes back to Connor, her eyes narrowing imperceptibly. "What's the big secret?"

After a long sigh, Connor says in a low voice that sounds a little ashamed, "I had sex last night."

I make a mental note to disabuse him of that emotion for busting his cherry. He has nothing to be ashamed about.         

     



 

"With who?" she asks with a stunned expression on her face, never once considering Barb to be an option.

At that same moment, the other room's door opens and Barb comes striding out with her backpack slung over her shoulder. She's clearly had a shower as her short, dark hair is slicked back. Connor's eyes shift her way and his face turns red. Jillian catches it, her head swinging back toward Connor.

"You didn't? Not with her." The slightly horrified tone to her voice is a bit offensive, but not my battle to fight.

"He sure did," Barb says tartly as she walks to the tailgate and slings her pack inside. "Got rid of a pesky bucket-list item. Didn't we, Connor?"

Jillian doesn't even give Barb the time of day. She sidles up closer to Connor and murmurs, "Connor, something like that …  it should have been special. And …  you're only seventeen for God's sake."

"It was special," Connor says, shutting her down. "And I'll be eighteen in less than a month. Stop being so protective of me. I don't need another mother."

Jillian's face flushes red, but she doesn't argue with Connor. Instead, she turns to Barb and glares at her, but before she can even open her mouth, Barb steps up and gets in her face.

"Save the hypocrisy," Barb tells her firmly. "And don't be a prude. I know you did the nasty last night too."

Barb then pushes past Jillian and walks up to Connor. She leans into him and places her mouth near his ear as if she's going to share a secret, but her words are loud enough for everyone to hear. "You were fantastic last night. All three times."

Connor's face turns a brighter shade of red, but he grins back at Barb. I cover my mouth and duck my head so I don't laugh at the blatant lie. Connor said it was only twice, but Barb is putting on a show for Jillian.

Barb gives Connor a wink and then walks back into the room, shutting the door behind her.

When I raise my head, I see Jillian staring after her with her mouth wide open in astonishment. I lift an arm and place my fingers under her chin, gently pushing up so she closes her mouth.

Jillian focuses in on me and asks, "Did you set that up?"

I hold up both my hands in surrender. "Nope."

Her head turns to Connor. "Are you two like …  together now?"

"God no," Connor exclaims loudly, and Jillian's body physically relaxes over his proclamation. "It was only a one-night thing. Just to clear that from the bucket list. She did me a solid, that's all. But she is totally not my type, and besides that …  she's way older than me and I'm dying, so-"

"Okay," Jillian interrupts with a chuckle. "I get it. Bucket-list item marked off. I need to get over it. We're moving on."

"Good," Connor says with an impish grin. "Because, no offense to anyone …  I mean, egging and camping and fishing have been super fun, but last night was definitely the highlight of my trip."

I snicker, and Jillian gives him an honest to goodness "I'm happy for you" smile before turning to me. She steps right into me and puts her hand on my waist. Her blue eyes give me an intimate look that solidifies the connection we forged last night. When she goes on her tiptoes, my head bends down automatically to accept her lips as they brush against mine.

When she pulls back, she says, "I'm going to take a quick shower, and then I'll be ready to go. I know we have some hard driving to do today to make Portland."

"Actually," I say as I look between Jillian and Connor. "I have another idea."

"What's that?" Jillian tilts her head in curiosity.

"Well, I know Connor wants to do something dangerous and fun like bungee jumping, and while I couldn't find anything like that around here, they have paragliding just across the border over in Jackson, Wyoming."

"Oh, man, that would be awesome," Connor exclaims.

"And they have whitewater rafting," I add. "We could do that too."

"It would add another day to the trip," Jillian muses.

"And on that thought," I forge ahead. "While we're on the West Coast, why don't we see a few things before we head back?"

"Like?" Jillian prods.

I shrug. "Let's head down south after Cannon Beach. We can do San Francisco …  maybe L.A., then down to San Diego. Afterward, we can drive back across the bottom part of the United States. Make a big old loop."

Jillian smirks at me. "Who are you and what have you done with the real Christopher Barlow?"         

     



 

I smile and reach out to take her hand. "Maybe he started having fun on this trip and doesn't want it to end just yet."

I thought I'd seen all the beauty that Jillian had to offer me, but at my words, her expression morphs. The look she gives me punches straight through the center of my chest to give my heart a warm squeeze.

Jillian takes a step toward me and puts her hand on my chest. "I'm glad you're having fun, and I'm not ready for this to end either."

Pure physical elation rips through the entire length of my body, igniting within me a surge of happiness that I haven't felt since before I was injured. It feels warm, bright, and engaging. It beckons me to step forward and take a risk on life.

Turning to Connor, Jillian says, "You should go call your parents and talk to them. They've been super cool so far, but this will add a few more days onto the trip if we do this. I know they're also anxious to see you, so you need to get their okay to do this."

"Yeah, sure," Connor says. "I'm sure they'll be fine with it, but if not …  I can always fly back and y'all can continue on without me."

Jillian and I watch him bound back up the steps and into the room. When the door closes, she turns to face me. Her smile comes off as sweetly sexy but with her eyelids drooping down a bit, she looks adorably shy at the same time.

"Any regrets about last night?" she asks me.

"Not a one," I tell her honestly. Well, except maybe that I didn't have more condoms. I will need to rectify that before the day's end.

"So …  um …  is this a secret?" she asks hesitantly. "Like do we keep this wrapped up in front of the others?"

"I think they already have a suspicion as to what we did last night." My tone is dry but teasing.

She shakes her head. "No, I mean …  how do you feel about spontaneous acts of public affection?"

"Huh?" I ask, completely confused.

"Well, what would you think if I just decided to lean over while you're driving the car and kiss your neck? Or maybe hold your hand while we're walking somewhere. Or even a spontaneous hug."

I just blink at Jillian, stunned she even has to ask such a question. She's never stopped before when she's had the urge to grab my hand. And she has never been one to hold back on her feelings. I'm assuming she must feel the need to ask because while she may be sure about the way she feels, she's really has no clue what's going on in my mind. Let's face it …  we haven't had a ton of serious discussions.