Page 79 of Off Limits

I want her to go away and leave us alone. And I hate myself for it. In sixteen years of friendship, I had never lied or hid anything from Chelsea. Until the night Lochlyn kissed me. I’ve been lying to her ever since. It would ruffle my insides and eat away at me more if I wasn’t so happy.

“This is perfect. I was going to head over to Brendan’s after dropping Shay off at home. Loch, would you mind?” She turns to me. “That okay?”

I raise my eyebrows. Have I willed this into existence? "Yeah, that’s fine.”

“Not a problem, Chels. Have fun.”

Chelsea puts her hand on Lochlyn’s arm and skips off. We watch her golden ponytail bob away until she’s out of sight. I’m in his arms in seconds, my cheek pressed against his chest.

“I missed you,” he murmurs against my hair.

“I missed you too.” I can’t pull myself away to even look at him. In this moment, all I want is to feel him against me, to hear his heart beating, to breathe him in.

He gently pushes my shoulders back, tilts my chin up, and kisses me softly. My eyes widen. “What if somebody sees and tells Chelsea?”

One shoulder lifts as if it’s no big deal. “We’ll lie. Or, ya know, actually tell her the truth. We’re running out of time for that.”

I frown back at him. “We’ve been doing enough of that, don’t you think?” I choose to ignore his ludicrous suggestion of telling her the truth. I know time’s not on my side, but now that I’m so deep in it, I can’t see a safe way out.

“Let’s get out of here so I can kiss you how and where I want to.” The familiar sensation of wanting stirs between my thighs.

He opens the door for me, fingers grazing my lower back as I slide into the seat. Once he’s in the car, he leans across the middle and kisses me again, hand reaching behind my head to pull me closer, mouth parting mine.

Separating with a smile on his face as he adjusts his pants, he starts the car. Once we’re out of the parking lot, he laces his fingers through mine, bringing my hand to his lips.

“Hey, turn this up.” He juts his chin toward the radio.

My eyebrows scrunch. “Why can’t you?”

He holds up our hands. “I’m not letting go anytime soon. Come on, hurry up.”

Reaching forward, I spin the dial, cranking the radio, a Breaking Benjamin song filling the car. Lochlyn’s fingers drum against the steering wheel.

His fun, easy-going personality shines through and makes me smile. I’d always watched from the sidelines, not sure how he lived that way when I analyzed everything I did both before and after I did it. But now I’m part of it. I’m part of his fun, carefree life. He’s shown me how to let go, at least a little. To enjoy the moments for what they are.

When Chelsea had noticed the shift in me, she’d questioned it. I just told her I was getting ready for college, that I wanted to be more fun and embrace the experience, like she’s always telling me. She’d let it go, not asking more questions. But what I’m really embracing is Lochlyn and his influence on me.

His carefree attitude is surface level, though. People think he just breezes through his life, not taking anything seriously. But he works hard and studies a lot. It absolutely astounds me how whip smart he is. Sometimes I’m convinced he knows everything. And just like anybody else, he overthinks and worries about a lot of things, but he just doesn’t let it bother him on the surface. It’s because he wants to make the most of his life, and that includes having fun.

For years, he’d made Chelsea his priority, taking care of her while their parents were gone. Then there’s the whole path ordeal, the plan for his life that’s laid out for him. In between those things, he’s striving for happiness, for joy. If that means blasting music while cruising down the highway, he’s going to do it. If that means getting tattoos, he’s going to do it. If that means lying to his sister to be with me, he’s going to do it.

His parents don’t care anymore. As long as he stays the course, gets good grades, they feel like he can do whatever he wants.

“Hey, where are we going?” We just drove past the turnoff to head home.

“Somewhere special.” As he looks at me with raised eyebrows and a smile on his face, I melt into my leather seat.

We drive with the music blaring for close to twenty minutes before Lochlyn turns onto a gravel driveway. On both sides of the car are sprawling fields, green and lush, that seem to go on for miles. What appear to be tennis courts and a playground are off to one side. The river is right ahead of us, sun shining and reflecting off the gentle waves. It’s clearly a park of some sort, but one I’ve never been to.

He parks under some trees, car pointing toward the river. It’s breathtakingly beautiful; the greenery mixed with the sparkling sunlight, especially as it peeks through the trees, sending glints of light in every direction.

“Nice spot. Bring a lot of girls here?” I tease with a smile. It’s the perfect make-out spot. At least.

“Ha. No. Actually, I’ve never brought anybody here.” His eyes lock on mine as he rubs his fingers across his lower lip.

“Why are you nervous?”

He drops his hand immediately. “I’m not.”

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