Shattered Ties Read online

  She grinned. “Fair enough. I’ll deal with Todd, I promise. He won’t bother you again.”

  “We’ll see about that,” I grumbled.

  The guy was an ass, and I knew he wouldn’t leave her alone just because she asked.

  “I need to go,” Jesse hinted as I stared at him.

  “Right. Of course. I’ll text you later,” I said as I stepped out of his Jeep.

  He waved as he backed out of the parking spot, and then he drove away.

  This was a mess. Jesse was suspended, and it was all my fault. Todd had attacked him over me. I had no idea what Todd had thought he’d gain from that, but it sure as hell had backfired. I was going to kill him the next time I saw him. Although, from what people were saying about the fight, I wasn’t sure that anything I would do was going to matter. Jesse had knocked James out, and Todd’s nose had been broken. I knew I should feel bad for them, but I didn’t. They’d brought this on themselves.

  Since we only had one class left for the day, I decided to just skip and go home. Hopefully, my mom wouldn’t be there, and if she were, I’d just drive around for a while. I pulled out of the lot without anyone noticing me.

  When I arrived home, I was relieved to see that my mom’s car wasn’t parked outside or in the garage. I parked my car in the garage and walked up to my room.

  I powered on my computer to give it time to start up as I changed out of my school clothes and into something more comfortable. After sending Lucy a quick text to let her know that I was “sick” and wouldn’t be at cheer practice, I sat down in front of my computer. I checked my Facebook and Twitter accounts first before signing into my email account. A huge grin stretched across my face when I saw an email from my dad.

  Emma,

  I talked to the label, and they have no problem flying you out. My pilot for my personal plane is on vacation this month, or I’d have him do it.

  Anyway, you know the drill. The plane is at LAX, and your flight is scheduled for eight in the morning on Thursday. I know that you’ll miss a day of school, but I want to have enough time with you. Plus, I’m sure you’ll be jet-lagged when you arrive, and you’ll need a good night’s sleep. I told them that you would have another passenger with you as well.

  I have a show that night, but I have a car scheduled to pick you up and take you to your hotel room here in London. The room has already been paid for, and it is in my name.

  If you have any questions, call me. I’ll see you Friday morning.

  Love,

  Dad

  I frowned. With Jesse getting in trouble today at school, I seriously doubted that his mom would let him come with me. I needed to think of something fast, or I’d be flying to London on my own. As I sat there, trying to figure out a way to get him to London, my bedroom door opened, and my mother walked in.

  “Emma, I saw your car in the garage. What are you doing home already?” she asked.

  “I wasn’t feeling well, so I left early.”

  “I completely understand.”

  I gave her a confused look. “Understand what?”

  “Todd’s mom called and told me what happened today. I would have left early, too. I’m sure you were upset over that.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I wasn’t upset because Todd got his nose broken. Actually, he deserved it for starting that fight.”

  “What are you talking about? He didn’t start the fight. That horrible scholarship boy did. I told the board that it was a mistake to create that scholarship program, and look, I was right.”

  “Why was it a mistake? It gave kids who can’t afford tuition a chance at a better education. It’s the best thing that the school has done in a long time.”

  “We don’t want our children associating with those kids. They don’t belong there. Of course, the board still won’t listen. They refuse to kick out those kids,” she said with a sour look on her face.

  “How are we even related?” I asked.

  I had no clue how this woman could possibly be my mother. We had nothing in common, and we never saw eye-to-eye on anything.

  “Don’t get smart with me. I have no idea where you get your opinions from—probably that father of yours. He could never understand why I would get upset when he would sign autographs and such when we were out. We are better than those people.”

  “Are you even listening to yourself talk? We are not better than anyone. Everyone is equal, regardless of how much money they have.”

  Flames flashed in her eyes. I’d really pissed her off now.

  “You listen to me, Emma. You are not to talk to those kids who are part of that scholarship program. If I find out that you’re friends with any of them, I’ll pull you from the cheer team.”

  “So what? Do it,” I said as I returned her glare. “You might be stuck-up, but I’m not.”

  I grabbed my keys, and I ran from the room. I could hear her yelling as she followed me through the house, but I had too much of a head start for her to catch up.

  I was already in my car and pulling away from the house by the time she made it to the bottom of the driveway. Screw her. There was no way that I was going to let her push her ridiculous values on me.

  I drove around town aimlessly as I tried to control my temper. My mom already hated Jesse, and she didn’t even know his name. What would she do if she ever found out that I’m not only friends with him, but I’ve kissed him as well?

  After driving for over an hour, I steered my car toward Jesse’s side of town. I had no idea where he lived, but I did know where he worked. Hopefully, he had to work tonight because I needed to be around him right now, and he wasn’t answering any of my texts.

  I pulled into a space in Rick’s parking lot. After making sure that my car was locked, I walked into the shop. There was no one around, so I stood nervously at the counter. A few seconds later, a guy came out of the back.

  “Can I help you?” he asked.

  “Is Jesse here?”

  He eyed me suspiciously. “No. Why?”

  This guy was obviously protective of Jesse. It was nice to see someone looking out for him. He always seemed so alone and closed-off from the world.

  “I’m his…I’m Emma. I go to school with him, and I needed to talk to him.”

  “I sent him home early. I’m not sure where he’s at.”

  “Oh.”

  “I would try his house or maybe the beach. He’s usually at one of the two. The kid doesn’t get out much.”

  “Can you tell me where he lives? I’ve never been there.”

  He shook his head. “No can do, kiddo. If Jesse hasn’t told you where he’s at, I’m not about to.”

  “Please,” I pleaded. “I really need to see him. I swear I’m not some weird stalker or anything.”

  “Do you know what happened to him today?” he asked.

  “I do.”

  “Care to fill me in? I’ve never seen him so pissed off.”

  “He got into a fight with two guys over…over me.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Jesse doesn’t fight over girls.”

  “Well, he did this time. Please tell me where he is.”

  He sighed. “If I tell you and he gets pissed—”

  “He won’t. I swear. If he gets mad, I’ll tell him I forced you to tell me.”

  He laughed. “I’m sure you could force me. All right, listen. When you leave here, go left. In about five miles, start looking for signs for the Santa Monica Trailer Park. His house number is thirty-two.”

  I could have kissed him. “Thank you so much.”

  “No problem. Now, get out of here, and go cheer the kid up.”

  I followed his directions as I went deeper into the poverty part of town. When I pulled into the trailer park, my stomach dropped. While some of the trailers weren’t that bad, others looked like they were falling apart. I prayed that Jesse wasn’t in one of those as I searched for the one labeled thirty-two. When I saw it, I let out a sigh of relief. His house wasn’t the nicest, but it al
so wasn’t one of the ones falling apart.

  I parked my car beside his Jeep and stepped out. Gravel crunched under my feet as I walked up the driveway. His trailer had a small porch with several hanging baskets. I stepped up onto the porch and knocked on the door. No one came, so I knocked again, louder this time. A few seconds later, the door opened, and there stood Jesse, shirtless and barefoot, wearing only a pair of shorts.

  “Emma? What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice thick with sleep.

  “I’m sorry to bother you. I just wanted to check on you. Plus, I got into another fight with my mom. I needed to get away.”

  “How did you even find me?” he asked in horror.

  I had no idea why he was so upset that I had shown up on his doorstep. “Um, the guy at the tattoo place gave me directions. Can I come in?”

  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

  My heart squeezed painfully in my chest. He must have someone in there with him. That had to be why he was so upset that I’d just randomly shown up.

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt anything. I’ll leave now.” I turned to walk back down the steps as tears stung my eyes. Why did we even have that conversation in his car if he planned on doing this to me? It had only been a few hours, and he’d already betrayed me.

  “What? Wait, Emma. It’s not what you think!”

  He grabbed me and pulled my body up against his. I tried to shove him away, but he held me in place.

  “Stop struggling, and let me explain.”

  “I don’t want to hear it, Jesse. Just let me go.”

  “Not with you thinking that I have a girl in here.”

  He pulled us both inside his house. He actually picked me up enough, so my feet weren’t touching the ground as he walked down a narrow hallway and stopped in front of a door.

  “This is my room. There’s no one in here.”

  He released me, and I turned to look at him.

  “If there’s no one here, why didn’t you want me to come in?”

  He walked past me into his room and sat down on his bed. “I didn’t want you to know where I lived, period.”

  “But why?”

  “Because I live in a fucking trailer while I’m sure you’re in a damn mansion. I don’t want you to look down on me.”

  “Are you crazy? I’d never look down on you. I thought you knew that by now.” I walked into the room and over to where he was sitting on the bed. I stopped when I was standing between his legs. “I don’t care where you live.”

  He looked away from me. “Sure you don’t.”

  “I don’t.” I grabbed his chin and pulled his face up to look at me. “All I care about is you.”

  I leaned down and kissed him. It was a gentle kiss, and I hoped it showed my sincerity. I didn’t care that he lived in a trailer. I wouldn’t care if he lived in a tent.

  “What was that for?” he asked when I pulled away.

  “No reason at all. I just wanted to.”

  “Come here,” he said as he leaned back on his elbows.

  “I can’t get any closer,” I teased.

  “I bet you can.”

  He sat up and grabbed me. I squealed as he pulled me down onto the bed with him. I straddled him as he grinned up at me.

  “I told you we could get you closer.”

  “I guess you were right.” I leaned down and brushed his hair from his eyes.

  “I’m always right.”

  “Mmhmm, sure you are.”

  He reached up and ran his hand across my cheek. I was positioned just right on top of him, so I could tell that he was aroused. I’d never been in this position with a guy before, and I was nervous. I didn’t come here for that, and I wasn’t sure what he was expecting from me.

  “Why are you so nervous?” he asked. “Your entire body is rigid.”

  “I’m not nervous,” I lied.

  “Bull. What’s wrong?”

  I sighed. This is going to be awkward. “I’m not sure what you expect from me when we’re together like this.”

  “Are you talking about sex?” he asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Look, I don’t expect anything from you. I also don’t think we need to have sex if you can’t even say the word to me.”

  My face turned bright red. I was so embarrassed by all of this, and he was not helping.

  “No way,” he said.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You’re a virgin.”

  He’d said it as a statement, not a question. He already knew, and there was no sense in trying to deny it.

  “I am.”

  He smiled as he pulled me down and kissed me. “That’s so cute.”

  “How is that cute? I feel like an idiot right now.”

  “It’s a nice change.”

  If that wasn’t a mood killer, I didn’t know what was. “So, after that comment, I think it’s safe to say that you’re not.”

  “No, I’m not. Does that bother you?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. Yes.”

  “Why?”

  He was enjoying this far too much.

  “Because I have no experience when it comes to that stuff, and you do.”

  “I could teach you if you want.” He winked, actually winked, at me.

  “I’m sure you could,” I grumbled. I’m so out of my league with him.

  He rolled me off of him and pinned me to the bed with his body. “It’s pretty simple once you get into it.”

  “I’m sure it is.”

  “No, seriously. Just watch.”

  “Jesse—”

  He silenced me with a kiss. “Just watch.”

  He kissed a trail from my lips to my ear. I sucked in a breath as he probed his tongue into my ear. Before now, if someone had told me that it was hot to do that, I would have laughed. But when Jesse was doing it…dear God. It was the most erotic thing I’d ever felt.

  “It’s all about the kissing…and where you kiss.” He bit down on my earlobe. “And biting.”

  His lips slipped farther down as he kissed and licked his way to my collarbone. My body was coiled tight in anticipation of where I’d feel his lips next.

  “And it’s about touch. You have to explore until you find those certain spots that make the person go wild.”

  His hands roamed down my sides and slipped to the bottom of my tank top. He raised it up until the hem was sitting just under my bra. My body jumped as his fingers skimmed across my stomach. His lips followed soon after, and I moaned as my body came alive. Everywhere he touched, it was like my skin was on fire.

  His hands traveled down to my hips. He rubbed small circles across them as he pulled my shorts down just a bit. My body was humming, and that ache between my legs was back. I didn’t care what he did at this point. I was enjoying it all too much.

  His lips slowly ascended the length of my body. He kissed between my breasts, just close enough to them to drive me nuts, and then he finally trailed his lips up to my neck.

  “See what I mean?”

  “What was the question?” I asked.

  I looked up to see him smiling at me.

  “I think that’s enough for one night. Next time, I’ll teach you the basics of undressing.”

  I sat up and did something I never thought I’d do. I pulled off my tank top. I could see the shock on his face. He hadn’t expected me to do something like that.

  “I think I have the basics down.”

  “What are you doing?” he asked as he stared at my chest.

  I thanked the heavens above that I’d worn my favorite Victoria’s Secret bra today that made my boobs look awesome. From the way Jesse was staring at them, I could tell that he agreed.

  “Showing you that I need the advanced class for undressing. I have the basics down.”

  “You should put your shirt back on,” he said as he looked up at my face.

  “Why? Is it bothering you?” I knew that it was. I could feel the hard length of him pressed against
my hip.

  “Nope.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked.

  “Yep.” His eyes were back on my chest.

  I took a deep breath as I reached around behind me and undid the snaps on my bra. He sucked in a breath as it fell away from my body.

  “Jesus, Emma. What are you trying to prove?”

  “You said it wasn’t bothering you, so I don’t see what the issue is.”

  “I’m a guy, and I have a really hot half-naked girl in my bed. I’m about to bust the seam of my shorts.”

  “How is that my problem?” I teased.

  It was nice to be on this side of the conversation for once. I felt completely awkward and embarrassed by doing this, but I wasn’t about to tell him that.

  He pushed me down until I was flat on my back again. “It’s definitely your problem.”

  The fire in his eyes told me he wasn’t kidding. By teasing him, maybe I’d bitten off more than I could chew.

  “Jesse—”

  “Oh no. Don’t Jesse me after you did this…” He grabbed my hand and ran it across his length. “To me.”

  His mouth was on mine then, and I lost all my reservations about the position I was now in. The sensation of his bare chest rubbing against mine made the ache between my legs almost unbearable. I pushed my body up tighter against him as I wrapped my legs around his waist. His hardness was right where I was aching, and I ground my hips against him to get some relief. Instead of soothing, the movement only made it worse.

  Jesse pulled his lips from mine. “Don’t do that, or I really won’t be able to stop.”

  “I can’t help it. I feel like I’m going to explode.”

  “You will if you keep that up. Have you ever had an orgasm before?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “Why don’t we take care of that?”

  His voice was deeper, and I knew he was trying to control himself.

  “I’m not ready to have sex,” I told him honestly. I wanted to—god, I want to—but I couldn’t. I had no idea how I would find the willpower to make him stop, but I had to. I didn’t want him to think I was easy.