Beautiful Lies (The Beautiful Series Book 2) Page 6

  “Yo. You two. Enough with the PDA. Pick your prize and get outta here.”

  I released Ava and we both laughed as I set her on her feet and tried to catch my breath. Her cheeks were pink from the sun we’d caught earlier, her white-blonde hair tangled from the seawater. We’d come unprepared, winging it without a brush or towels, instead letting the sun dry our skin. Her gaze dipped to my board shorts that did nothing to hide my hard-on. She turned her back to me and leaned against my chest, her ass pressed against my dick which didn’t help matters. I watched her fingers, the nails painted indigo blue, adjust the strap of her red bikini top that had slipped down her shoulder. Red was my new favorite color, I’d decided earlier when she’d tossed her skull-print tank top and shorts onto the sand then raced me to the water, my longer legs easily overtaking her. I’d scooped her up, thrown her over my shoulder and waded into the water with her laughing and pounding my back with her fists.

  I wrapped my arms around her as she surveyed the prizes on offer before finally choosing a stuffed Hello Kitty.

  Next to us, a little girl with blonde pigtails watched us with interest. “I love Hello Kitty,” she said, her mouth forming a pout. She crossed her arms and glared at the man next to her. “Daddy, can’t you just try again?” She held up her index finger. “One more. Pretty please.”

  “It’s already cost me an arm and a leg. This place is rigged.”

  Ava turned in my arms and gave me a little smile, her eyes asking a question I understood without her having to say the words. “Go for it.”

  Ava knelt in front of the girl and held out the Hello Kitty. “You know what? I think Hello Kitty would rather go home with you.”

  The girl’s eyes widened. “You do?”

  “Yeah, I do,” Ava said. “Just promise me one thing.”

  “Okay.”

  “Give her lots of cuddles and make her feel special.”

  The girl nodded, her pigtails bouncing up and down.

  “We can’t accept that,” the man said, shooting me a look.

  “Sure you can,” I said. “My girlfriend wants your daughter to have it. And I want whatever makes my girlfriend happy.” Damn, I was whipped, but I didn’t give a shit. I was crazy about this girl and I’d do just about anything to make her happy.

  Ava smiled up at me and I wrapped an arm around her shoulder as we walked down the boardwalk, scented with hot dogs and French fries. The air was hot and muggy, heavy, like it was holding its breath and waiting for something. Or maybe that was just me. “You never called me your girlfriend before.”

  “You okay with that title?” I asked.

  She leaned into my side and wrapped her arm around my waist. I’d take that as a yes. “This is the best first date I’ve ever been on.”

  I laughed. “Compared to what? All your other first dates?”

  Ava laughed. “Good point. But even if I’d been on hundreds, this would still be the best.”

  “We haven’t gotten to the main event yet,” I said, guiding her toward the Comet. Ava loved roller coasters which was why I’d brought her to Coney Island today. That and the chance to see her in a bikini.

  “You’re the main event,” she said.

  “You’re really laying it on thick tonight,” I teased. But I loved it. I loved that she thought I was someone special. Someone worthy. I loved the way we could talk for hours about everything and nothing and never get bored with each other. I loved the way we could be silent. Our silence was never empty or awkward and neither of us felt the need to rush in and fill it up. With Ava, I felt like I was enough.

  “How many hours of stocking shelves did that Hello Kitty cost you?” she asked as we lined up for the ride.

  Five hours. But I didn’t give a shit about the money. I was just happy to spend some time with her. We’d only crossed the line of friendship into something more a month ago, on her sixteenth birthday when we’d kissed for the first time. Since then, it had been difficult finding time alone together. Her mother didn’t approve of me.

  “She quit her dance classes because of you,” she’d accused me.

  “Ava quit because it didn’t make her happy anymore,” I’d countered. What I’d left out was that her mother’s constant pushing had taken the joy right out of it for Ava.

  “Ever since she met you, she’s changed. Ava used to be reasonable. She used to…talk to me.” Her mom flapped her hands in the air. “Now she thinks she can do whatever she wants. And I know it’s your influence.”

  I grabbed Ava’s hand and gave it a squeeze as the line moved forward. We got lucky and were the last two to make the cut. We climbed into our seats, the safety bar came down and soon we were off and picking up speed. Ava raised her arms in the air and screamed bloody murder throughout the entire ride. I watched her face and saw the joy she used to get from dancing. As soon as the roller coaster ground to a halt, the safety bar rising, she grabbed the back of my head and tugged me closer, planting a kiss on my lips.

  We rode the coaster three more times, our kisses growing more frantic, our laughter and her screams getting louder before we took the subway back to Bay Ridge. On the train, we shared earbuds, one for her and one for me. We listened to the British playlist on my iPod. The Rolling Stones, The Smiths, Led Zeppelin, The Verve, Oasis.

  “Let’s go to your place,” she said, checking the time on her phone. “I still have time before my curfew.”

  “You sure?” I asked as the train screeched to a halt at my station.

  “Positive,” she said, grabbing my hand. “We just need to hurry.”

  As we exited the station, thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed across the sky. “I love summer storms,” she said, her face lit up.

  So did I. “The wrath of Zeus.”

  “You’re so smart.”

  I snorted. I wasn’t all that smart. But I’d gotten onto a Greek mythology kick last year. My favorite story was Odysseus, and I’d told it to Ava a few months ago, about how he’d come up with a cunning plan to get the Greek army inside the walls of Troy by hollowing out a wooden horse to hide the Greek warriors. After winning the war, Odysseus set sail for home. It took him ten long years to reach his home in Ithaca. Along the way, he passed through dangers and temptations, fought with gods and monsters, the sea, and magicians and men. No matter what difficulty was thrown at him, Odysseus battled through it all and never gave up.

  The first drop of rain landed on my nose. We’d only walked half a block when the skies opened and unleashed the rain. Ava spread her arms and turned in a circle, her face tipped up to the sky.

  “Come on, crazy girl. I’ll give you a ride.” I crouched, and she hopped onto my back, holding her flip-flops in her hand. She nuzzled my neck as I jogged the three blocks to the apartment I shared with Killian above a deli.

  By the time we got inside, our clothes were stuck to our bodies and Ava’s hair was dripping onto the uneven parquet floor. I kicked off my Nikes and retreated into the bathroom. I peeled off my wet T-shirt and hung it on the shower rail then grabbed a dry towel for Ava. When I returned to the living room, Ava had stripped down to her bikini. The tiny pieces of fabric left something to the imagination but not much. I swallowed hard as I handed her the towel. She thanked me and wrapped it around her shoulders as I picked up her wet clothes and hung them on the wooden chairs at the kitchen table to dry.

  “I’m just…I’m going to change into dry shorts,” I said. Now that we were up here, alone in the apartment, I didn’t know what to do with myself. She’d been here before, a few times after school, but we’d just hung out on the sofa and watched TV or did homework together. But she hadn’t been here since our first kiss and she certainly hadn’t been in a tiny bikini.

  Fuck.

  I went into my bedroom, a box room barely big enough to fit my double bed, just a mattress and box spring, and a beat-up dresser Killian and I had bought at the Goodwill. I changed into basketball shorts and hung my board shorts on the radiator. A flash of lightning illumina
ted my room and I heard her footsteps behind me, the floor creaking under her weight.

  “Can I borrow a T-shirt? Just until my stuff dries.”

  “Yeah. Sure.” I handed her a Rolling Stones T-shirt from my drawer and she slipped it over her head. It reached mid-thigh.

  She ran her tongue over her lower lip, her eyes trained on my bare chest. Then she lifted her eyes to mine and took a step closer. I cradled her face in my hands and her arms wrapped around my neck. I closed my eyes and kissed her and while the summer storm raged on outside, I felt at peace in a way I only felt when I was with Ava. Our hands explored each other’s bodies, her skin so soft and her kisses so sweet, my Rolling Stones T-shirt tossed to the floor as we fell onto my bed. She hooked a leg around my waist, pulling me closer and I rolled onto my back, bringing her down on top of me. Ava put her palms on my chest and sat up, her legs straddling me as she ground her body against me. I gripped her hips and guided her movements. I’d never been harder in my life.

  “Oh,” she said, her eyes closing and her lips parting. “Oh God.”

  Jesus Christ. This was the sweetest form of torture, watching Ava get off. Her legs trembled and she rode me harder, grinding her body against my erection, her short fingernails digging into my shoulders. “Connor,” she cried as the orgasm ripped through her, her lips parted on a gasp, her eyes closed as she rode it out. She collapsed on top of me, boneless, her head resting on my shoulder, her soft breath on my neck. I wrapped my arms around her and tangled my hand in her wet hair, my dick so hard it was painful. She lifted her head and kissed me.

  “Show me what to do,” she whispered.

  Something about the way she said it and the way she looked…like she was nervous, made me hesitate. “You don’t need to do anything.”

  “I want to make you feel as good as you made me feel.”

  I chuckled. “I didn’t do anything. I was just laying here.”

  “Then show me what you do to yourself. I want to watch.”

  “You want to watch me jerk off?”

  “Yes,” she said without hesitation. She rolled off me and lay on her side, her head propped on her hand, her eyes trained on the bulge in my shorts.

  It wouldn’t take long. I pushed down my shorts and wrapped my hand around my dick.

  I woke with a start and blinked into the darkness. Ava’s warm body was curled up against mine, her breathing deep and even. Instinctively, my arm around her tightened as the pounding on the door grew louder and more insistent. “Open the door,” Seamus growled from the other side.

  Fuck. I leaped out of bed and grabbed Ava’s clothes from the chairs, still damp, but they’d have to do. She sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes.

  “What’s going on?”

  My father was outside our door, pounding on it, and there would be hell to pay. “I need you to get dressed and stay in the bedroom. Understand? I’ll get rid of him and then I’ll take you home, okay?”

  “But why—”

  Her eyes widened as she checked the time on her phone. “Oh my God, Connor. It’s two in the morning. My mom is going to kill me. Five missed calls.” She fiddled with her phone. “The ringtone was on mute. Oh my God. I’m dead.”

  “I’ll take care of everything. Promise. Just stay here,” I said, closing the bedroom door behind me.

  I didn’t have time to explain. For all the talking we did and all my honesty, I’d kept Seamus’ dirty secrets. And for some reason, Ava had never questioned why I was living with Killian and not at home.

  I opened the door and faced the man who had raised me. Solid muscle with wide shoulders and slicked-back dark hair. His face was an alarming shade of red, jaw clenched, the muscle in his cheek jumping. It took me all of two seconds to assess the situation. His sweat smelled like a distillery. He’d been drinking, and this wouldn’t have a pretty ending.

  “What do you think you’re doing, boy?” he asked, his voice low and steely, cutting right through me. Seamus Vincent never shouted when he was angry. “Marie Christensen called me. She says her daughter’s with you. Was meant to be home hours ago. That right?”

  There was no point in lying. The outcome would be the same no matter what I said. “I’m taking her home now.”

  “She’s coming with me. I said I’d drive her home.”

  “You’re not driving her anywhere. You reek of whiskey.”

  “What did you say?”

  “You’re. Not. Driving. Ava. Anywhere.”

  He stared at me and I stood my ground, steeling myself for the impact of his punches. “Your job is the only thing you’ve got left. You want to jeopardize that? Fine. But you’re not putting my girlfriend’s life in danger.”

  Seamus’ fist slammed into my face. My head snapped back, and I heard Ava scream.

  “Watch your mouth, boy. Remember who you’re talking to.”

  “I don’t give a shit if you’re the Pope. My girlfriend’s not getting in a car with you, old man.”

  Seamus slammed me against the wall, pinned me down with his arm pressed against my throat and punched me in the stomach, knocking all the air out of my lungs. Little black dots floated in front of my eyes and I couldn’t breathe. I barely felt the next punch.

  “Leave him alone,” Ava screamed, grabbing Seamus’ arm and yanking on it. He looked down at her, confused, and loosened his hold on me. It was enough to give me an advantage. I shoved him as hard as I could, catching him off guard and he stumbled backward, crashing into the side of the sofa.

  “You little shit,” he said, his eyes narrowed as he came at me again.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” Killian roared as he came in the door. He grabbed Seamus by the shoulders and pinned him to the wall, getting right into his face.

  “Get your hands off me,” Seamus said, shoving him away. It was over. For now.

  “I need to get Ava home. He’s too drunk to drive.” I stuffed my feet in my Nikes, grabbed my keys from the coffee table and took Ava’s hand, leading her out of the apartment and down the stairs.

  “Connor.” Her eyes filled with tears and her whole body was shaking.

  “It’ll be okay,” I said, leading her down the sidewalk toward the subway station. Two stops on the R train and a four-block walk from the station to her house. We’d be there in twenty minutes. “Everything is okay.”

  “Hold up,” Killian called after us.

  I looked over my shoulder at Killian who held up a set of keys. “I’ll drive you. It’s faster.”

  Ava and I climbed into the backseat of Seamus’ SUV. He was in the passenger seat and I didn’t need to look at his face to know he was furious. Or that we’d pay for this little stunt. He’d humiliated himself, and there would be a price to pay. Seamus usually managed to control himself in public and mete out the punishment behind closed doors. This time he’d crossed over a line by allowing someone to witness his outburst. Not just someone. Ava.

  “Text your mom,” I said in a low voice. “Let her know you’re on your way.”

  She took her phone out of her pocket with shaky hands and texted, exhaling as she hit send.

  None of us spoke as Killian drove through the streets of Bay Ridge.

  “I’ll drop off your car tomorrow,” Killian said as he pulled up in front of the two-story house we’d grown up in. Seamus grunted, knowing he’d been beaten, and slammed the door behind him as he left.

  Five minutes later, Killian pulled up in front of Ava’s house. The porch light was on and Ava stared out the window, making no move to leave. “Come on, babe. Everything will be okay.”

  “It’s not me I’m worried about,” she said quietly, resting her palm on my cheekbone. “Connor…” Her eyes filled with tears again. I couldn’t bear to see her cry.

  “Don’t worry about me.” I reached over her and pushed the car door open. She climbed out of the SUV, turning to close the door but I wasn’t about to let her face this on her own.

  “Be right back,” I told Killian.

  “You
should go,” Ava said, her voice hushed as I walked next to her. “I don’t want you to get in more trouble. I can handle this. It’s no big deal.”

  I gave her hand a little squeeze as the front door opened and Ava’s parents stood in the doorway. Her mother stepped onto the front stoop and planted her hands on her hips.

  “Where have you been, young lady? Do you know what time it is? You didn’t even answer your phone.”

  “I just…lost track of time…”

  “I had to call Seamus.” She shot me a look. “Like your poor father doesn’t have enough to deal with. His job is stressful enough without you—”

  Ava’s hands clenched into fists at her sides. “Seamus—”

  “Drove us over here,” I said. A quick glance over my shoulder confirmed that the tinted windows and darkness hid the identity of who was behind the wheel of my father’s SUV. “It was my fault. All of it. I dragged Ava to a party. She was ready to leave but I wasn’t.” I shrugged like I didn’t give a shit. Her mom’s eyes narrowed into slits.

  “Have you been drinking?”

  “I had a few too many. Ava didn’t touch a drop of alcohol.”

  “Connor doesn’t drink,” Ava said.

  “Babe, you don’t have to cover for me.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “So yeah…my father insisted I own up and apologize because it’s the right thing to do.”

  “Connor, why are you—”

  “It’s all on me,” I told her mother. “Go easy on her. She tried to do the right thing, but I got carried away.” I gave her mom a mock salute and walked away.

  “Connor. Wait,” Ava called after me. I kept walking without turning around.

  “Get in this house right now, young lady,” her mom said as I yanked open the passenger door.

  “Connor. Wait.” Ava put her hand on my arm and I turned to look at her.

  “I love you, Connor. I…it feels like I’ve loved you forever. I don’t know. Maybe I have. In another life or something…” She shook her head and laughed a little. “That sounded crazy. But I just wanted you to know. You are loved.”