Trouble From the Start Read online

  Sometimes slower than I wanted.

  I tugged his shirt out of his jeans, glided my hand beneath the soft material, and skimmed my palm up his back. He groaned low, began pushing himself up—

  “Oh, God! Oh, God! My back’s cramping.” His hand flew to his side, his head reared back.

  “Okay, hold on.” I opened the door and clambered out of the car, trying to give him more room to maneuver. I pulled on his legs. He really was wedged in there. We’d already moved the seats up as far as they would go. “Here, take my hand.”

  Finally he was able to shift slightly so he could crawl backward out of the car. Arching with his hands pressed to his spine, he paced back and forth several times. With a look of contrition, he finally straightened and laughed with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “That car has got to go.”

  Although it was relatively new, it was the unsexiest thing I’d ever seen and looked like something my grandmother would drive to church. Walking over to him, I flattened my palms against his chest. “Maybe you could trade it in for a motorcycle.”

  “Where would we make out?”

  Good question. I’d have to talk to Avery about that. She pretty much became a motorcycle expert when she started dating Fletcher Thomas.

  I heard the beep of an incoming text on my phone. I opened the front door, reached in, and grabbed my phone from where it rested on the console. Speak of the devil.

  Avery:

  Going to B.S. Meet us?

  I almost said no but I was tired of the cramped backseat. I looked over my shoulder. “Want to meet Avery and Fletcher at the Burger Shack?”

  “Guess I kinda ruined the mood with my old guy, back-out-of-whack impersonation.”

  “It’s more the heat.” I slapped at a mosquito. “The bugs. And I’m a little hungry.”

  “Okay, let’s go.” He slammed the back door while I slid into the passenger seat. Then he closed my door before jogging around and slipping behind the wheel.

  He started off, slow and careful, backing away from the lake until we reached the road. I didn’t look to see what other cars were out there. This area was pretty much make-out central, but couples deserved their privacy.

  “You know,” he began, “you don’t have to say Avery and Fletcher. If it’s Avery, I assume it’s Fletcher, too, now.”

  Avery and Fletcher had started dating seriously just a few weeks ago. “I’m so glad she got a boyfriend,” I said. “I think she was starting to get a little uncomfortable hanging around with us all the time.” She’d been my best friend forever and Jeremy had always been good about inviting her to go places with us. I loved how considerate he was, but I had to admit it was nice that Jeremy and I had more time alone now.

  “The right boyfriend.” Jeremy cast a quick glance my way. “You didn’t just want a boyfriend, did you? You wanted the right one.”

  “Totally.” Reaching across the console, I touched his arm. “And you’re the right one for me. That’s what I wanted for Avery. Just didn’t expect the right one to be him.” Fletcher had a bad-boy reputation, had needed to take a summer class to graduate from high school. Avery was all smarts, ranked third in our class, and nearly always followed the rules. The ones she broke were harmless.

  “I like him,” Jeremy said.

  “He’s a lot different than I thought.” I knew Fletcher as a tough guy who often came to school looking like he’d been in a brawl. After getting to know him, though, I realized how sweet he could be—at least where Avery was concerned. The guy would do anything for her.

  Jeremy pulled into the B.S. parking lot, came around, and opened the car door for me. It had taken me a while to get used to him doing that. I’d never had anyone open the door for me, but his dad had taught him to be courteous. It was a little old-fashioned, but I liked it. When we got to the front door of the restaurant, he held it open while I walked through.

  Avery wasn’t here yet, so we settled in a booth near the back by the window so we had a view of the parking lot. We’d barely sat down, when I saw a motorcycle with two people on it roar into the lot. My heart skipped a beat at the recklessness. Jeremy would never take a risk like that. He was sure and steady—just like me. But I couldn’t help thinking about the thrill of the ride, noticing how brightly Avery was smiling as she got off the bike. Joy and happiness radiated off her.

  “Is that why you suggested I trade in my car for a motorcycle?” Jeremy asked.

  I’d been so absorbed watching them that I jerked with a little guilt at Jeremy’s question. “It just looks like it would be fun, doesn’t it?”

  “A car is more practical. What do they do if they have to haul a bunch of stuff?”

  Turning slightly, I looked at Jeremy with his conservative haircut. I put my hand over his, and he immediately turned his palm up and threaded our fingers together. I didn’t know why our mode of transportation was suddenly nagging at me. “But it would be exciting.”

  “As long as you don’t smile while you’re whipping along and get bugs between your teeth.”

  “I’ve never seen Fletcher with bugs.”

  “He doesn’t smile all that much, either.”

  “True.” Leaning in, I gave him a quick kiss. “And I love your smile.”

  “Love yours, too. Bet I wouldn’t see it at all if we got caught in a rainstorm while riding that thing. We’d be like drowned cats.”

  “I hadn’t considered that. It’s not very practical, is it?”

  “Not that I can see.”

  I wasn’t quite ready to give up on the thrill of having one. “Good gas mileage, maybe?”

  “Drowned cat,” he repeated.

  “Maybe we’re being too practical.” And boring.

  Hearing the door open, I looked back. Avery was walking in, Fletcher right on her heels. I couldn’t be sure but I wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d opened the door for herself. Fletcher was not as polite as Jeremy, not that Avery seemed to mind. She slid into the booth, sitting across from me.

  “Hey, guys,” she said, smiling brightly.

  Dropping onto the bench seat, Fletcher immediately put his arm around her shoulders and acknowledged us with a nod. Fletcher Thomas was a guy of few words.

  “What were you up to?” Avery asked.

  I felt myself grow warm, knew I was blushing. “Nothing special.”

  Fletcher studied me, shifted his gaze to Jeremy, and hitched up a corner of his mouth. I figured he knew exactly what we’d been doing.

  “We were down by the lake,” Jeremy said, and I wondered if I’d wounded his pride, if he felt a need to prove something with Fletcher around.

  “Skinny-dipping?” Fletcher asked, a devilish twinkle in his eyes.

  “Absolutely not,” I said with conviction. I gave Avery a pointed look meant to convey the question: Have you skinny-dipped?

  Laughing, she rubbed his arm. “He’s always trying to talk me into trying it.”

  “You don’t know what you’re missing,” Fletcher assured us.

  “Fish nibbling at things I don’t want them nibbling at,” Jeremy said.

  I loved that he considered all the ramifications of his actions. Which was one of the reasons he’d make a good lawyer. And one of the reasons that he hadn’t quite landed safely on second base yet. He put his hands under my shirt, but he never moved past my lower ribs. Limiting temptation and showing respect for me.

  That’s how he had explained it the night I thought we’d be going further, possibly even all the way. I’d told my mom that I was sleeping over at Avery’s and instead had spent the entire night with Jeremy. We’d checked into a motel at the edge of town, walked into our room, and watched a roach crawl across the wall.

  “This is not what I want for our first time,” he’d told me.

  It hadn’t been what I wanted, either. We were both virgins . . . and too broke to afford anything nicer. So we’d left, driven to the lake, spent the night in his car talking about what our first time would be like. And he’d told