“What made you think of this?” I ask as Todd slides his hands down my waist and under the waistband of my jeans. He unbuttons them with one hand like an expert, and I return the favor by pulling his shirt off over his head.
We need to work fast. We cannot get caught. This thought keeps running through my head, and then I yell at myself to just shut up and enjoy the moment, for the love of God. Seeing his beautifully defined chest is worth all of the trouble I’m going to get in for doing this.
He slowly lowers himself down, so he’s on top of me as he pushes my shirt up. Then I feel his warm breath on my stomach and lose all control. He can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants.
I look up at the bright sun filling the light blue sky as I grip tightly onto the blankets that are covering us, trying to maintain some control.
Breathe, Ashley, just breathe.
His warm breath teases my skin as he slowly makes his way back up to my lips, keeping his kisses gentle, sweet. You would never know we had a time limit.
Locking my eyes with his, I see they are the same color as the sky surrounding us, so I know he’s happy, content—their color tells me everything.
He presses his lips back into mine with more urgency, and then his kisses move back down my stomach and trail down even lower. It’s incredible what he can do with those lips, that mouth. He gives me an explosion of joy that I don’t think I have ever experienced before. Then he makes his way back up to my neck, and I let my breath linger on his earlobe, knowing that drives him crazy.
Wanting to give him the same incredible exhilaration I’ve just experienced, I glide my hand down his stomach, and we turn over so I’m now on top of him. I’m not sure what I’m doing, but Todd gently guides me, and the look of elation that washes over his face brings me a happiness I can’t explain with words.
I love seeing him like this: relaxed, incredibly happy, and at peace. This is the Todd I fell in love with—not stressed or worried about our parents, but laid back, like nothing can stop him. I love him more than anything, and I love that I can make him this happy. The smile that spreads across his perfect lips is worth everything in the world to me.
He pulls me back up. “That was incredible, Ash. You were incredible.”
“Mark Francis Conner, why aren’t you in school?” We hear from what sounds like under the truck.
We both freeze mid-breath. Thankfully, we are under the blankets.
Todd’s eyes are huge as he mouths to me, “Francis?”
I try really hard not to make a sound, but I can’t help it; a small snort-giggle escapes. My hands fly to my mouth, but it’s too late. I already made a sound, and I just made another one.
“Ashley,” Todd mouths, trying not to laugh.
“A girl? You have a girl in there? Mark, I’m talking to you, and I know you can hear me.” What sounds like a wrecking ball bangs on the side of the truck bed over and over.
“It’s not Mark, Mrs. Conner,” Todd says calmly from under the blankets.
We hear a gasp and then silence as the shock turns to understanding. My face is burning hot, but thankfully, Todd is thinking clearly, and he keeps it together as he quickly puts his shirt back on.
“Stay down,” he mouths to me, so I do.
Todd pops his head up over the wall of the truck bed and gives her a small wave. “Hi, Mrs. Conner. Sorry, Mark lent me his truck for lunch. I hope that is okay.” He gives her a smile while I try to button my pants without making another sound.
“Oh, Todd. Hi. Well, I guess that is fine. Where is Mark?”
“He’s at school,” Todd says as if Mark is a saint and Todd is the one who should be crucified. Luckily, all parents love Todd—well, except for mine now, I guess.
I can practically hear Mrs. Conner melt. Apparently, he has the same effect on moms, too.
“Okay, well, carry on then. But you should still be in school.”
“Oh, I will. It’s lunch, but I’ll be back in time for class, I promise.”
Man, he’s good. He can turn on the charm like a light switch. I find myself smiling with pride while I hear her car start and drive away. I look up at Todd who is waving with that same oversized grin on his face until she is clearly gone. Then he turns back to me and totally breaks into hysterics.
“Shit. That was close! She’s friends with both our moms. I hope she doesn’t say anything,” he says through his laughter.
I can’t help laughing hysterically, too. “What is it with parents driving by this field? I mean, what are the odds?”
“One thing is for sure; Mark is not going to live down Francis.”
I roll over, laughing so hard my stomach hurts. “I bet he’s going to be glad he lent you his truck,” I say, still laughing.
When I turn back, Todd’s face is stoic before he slowly gives me that crooked smile that always causes me to make bad decisions.
He leans down so he’s inches from my face. “Where were we?”
I try to stay strong. “Going back to school.”
He looks at his phone. “Shit. Right. We’ve gotta go.” He gives me one last kiss before he helps me out of the back of the truck.
“Hey, what was she hitting the truck with? It sounded like a brick.”
“Must have been her purse. She wasn’t holding anything else,” he answers, half paying attention as he checks his phone. “Looks like Mark already got a text from his mom.”
“Oh, no. What did he say?”
Todd turns his phone to show me Mark’s text.
Run into someone?
“I’m telling Francis to calm down,” he says as he texts Mark back.
“And so it begins,” I say with a smile.
Todd laughs. “Yeah, that one is going to be our get out of jail free card for a while.”
Something about his words reminds me of my conversation with RTS.
“Hey, speaking of jail, I ran into Rebecca in the bathroom this morning.”
Todd drops his smile, obviously aware of what I’m going to say. His hand moves to my knee, and his eyes quickly shift to mine then go right back to the road. “I was going to tell you, Ash.”
“Then why didn’t you?” I try to stay calm. I don’t want to fight; I just want to know.
He shakes his head. “I don’t know. I just didn’t want the kiss thing to be a big deal.”
“It’s only a big deal if you don’t tell me, and I find out from her. I can’t say I love that you’re going to kiss her, but I’m excited for you. The lead in the school play is a big deal. I just want you to share it me.” I run my hand over his leg as he drives back to school, needing to touch him.
He’s going faster than he should since we’re running late, but I do enjoy seeing him drive a truck. There’s something exciting about being up higher than the other cars. Plus, what could be sexier than a boy and a truck?
Todd turns to give me a smile as we take a sharp corner, pulling into the school parking lot. “Thanks, Ash. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you right away, and for what it’s worth, I don’t like the kissing part, either. I wish you were in the play with me. Then I would have an excuse to kiss you every day in front of everyone instead of hiding in Francis’s truck.” His hand finds my leg again as his lips crash into mine, but we are interrupted by the late bell.
“Well, we almost made it.” I smile through our kiss.
He starts to laugh. “Tell Mr. Ramirez you have your period or something.”
“What?” I can’t even believe those words just came out of his mouth.
“What?” He smiles innocently. “I have a sister, and that’s something I know Mr. R. won’t touch with a ten-foot pole.”
“No way, not worth it. I’ll take the detention, thanks.”
“Or we can just stay here since we’re already late.” He pushes farther into me.
I love the feeling of his body against mine, but I cannot get into any more trouble, so I find the strength from deep within to push him back.