Page 33 of Spar
He wore dark jeans and a white button-down shirt that was open at the neck, hinting at the tan, broad and defined chest she knew well. His hair was wet on the ends and drops of water had fallen on the shoulder of his shirt like he’d put it on before running a towel through his hair. When he’d said two minutes, he’d meant two minutes. He was ready to go in record time and looking as handsome as ever.
She was silently cursing her female genetics that had caused her the anxiety to spend hours preparing for the evening and worrying about her outfit when he had so easily and quickly gotten ready. Not to mention he was causing the exact same reaction in her that she had wanted to elicit from him. She was stunned.
He grabbed her hand and led her toward the door, never taking his eyes off her. A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth as he spoke to his brothers. “Don’t wait up.”
“You made them lasagna?” he asked once they were settled in the truck. He backed out of the driveway and then moved a hand to her thigh.
“I was bored this afternoon.”
She bit the inside of her lip at the half truth. Restless, anxious, nervous — those were more accurate adjectives for how she had been feeling.
“You keep that up, and I’m going to have to start fighting them off you.”
The wordfightinghung in the air. They both remained silent. Tori struggled for something to say to move the conversation forward, and Chris squirmed in his seat. Was he deciding whether or not to fill her in on his meeting with Benny?
“So where are you taking me?” she asked.
He looked at her with a mischievous smile, and she breathed a sigh of relief that they’d moved past the elephant in the truck. At least for the moment.
He tapped her leg lightly as he spoke.
“I’m taking you back to where it all started.”
She suppressed a gasp. “The bar in Carroll?”
Images of him and the blond hussy at the bar flooded her mind. She clamped down on the door handle where her hand rested. She looked over and caught a frown on his face.
“No. I mean theverybeginning.” The playful look had returned.
When it was clear he wasn’t going to elaborate, she sat back and enjoyed the ride down the winding road to the heart of Sweetbriar. The days were getting longer and the sun setting later, but only a faint hint of light remained in the dark sky when Chris pulled into Sweet Snow.
“Sweet Snow was the very beginning?” Tori asked. She chewed a nail as she raked over her many memories of the place, trying to make the connection to Chris.
She had hung out here a lot as a teen. Everyone had. It was located in town along the cruise strip. It wastheplace to see and be seen, particularly in the hot, summer months.
The owners tolerated the noisy and most certainly obnoxious crowd of teens because the kids were loyal to their hangout. They pulled in every Friday and Saturday night, grabbed a snow cone, and sat on hoods and tailgates while they watched cars drive around the strip and eventually come to park alongside them.
It was mostly deserted tonight. The snow cone stand was closed for the winter months, but a few boys were gathered in the parking lot with their bass pumping and cigarettes hanging from their mouths.
Chris left the truck running as he pointed toward a corner of the parking lot near the snow cone stand.
“I was standing right over there with a tiger’s blood snow cone in my hand the first time I realized I had a crush on my best friend’s little sister.”
Tori listened carefully, hanging on every word.
“You and Claire showed up, teeny tiny cut-off shorts and matching red bandanas tied around as tops, barely covering more than your tits. Ryan nearly had a heart attack at the sight of you two.”
She covered her mouth and giggled at the memory. They had only been fourteen at the time and were dying to go to Sweet Snow with Ryan and his friends. Ryan had always let her tag along, but after he got his license, he’d refused to cart her around to high school hangouts. Taking matters into their own hands, Claire had convinced Tori they should ride their bikes and stash them at the grocery store nearby and then walk over to hang with the high school boys.
“I remember,” Tori said, once she’d recovered enough to speak. “He dragged us kicking and screaming out of that parking lot so fast.”
“Not fast enough. The guys were making some pretty lewd remarks about the two of you, having a good laugh about all the things they wanted to do. Ryan was laughing right along with them until he got a good look at you and realized who they were talking about.”
She stared diligently at his eyes, trying to remember the night like he had told it.
The hard look on his face softened as he continued. “But before all the commotion, I spotted you walking up, and my heart dropped to my stomach, and my dick stood up at attention. I kept those thoughts to myself after I saw the way Ryan reacted.” He chuckled. A smile played at his lips as he stared out toward the parking lot. “I’ll buy you a tiger’s blood snow cone this summer if you promise to dig out those old cut-offs.”
He winked before putting the truck in drive and pulling out of the lot. He headed to the high school next and pulled into the old gravel lot behind the football field.
