Chapter Two

Jared leaned against the side of the building with his arms crossed and watched the woman walk off.

There were so many emotions going through him, he didn't try to concentrate on just one.

He'd not lied to her about her bugging the shit out of him, but what he didn't say was she made him curious about her. He knew her name was Skye, and she was two years younger than him. She came from the richer part of town, and he'd grown up by the tracks, which most of the townspeople considered the slums.

That made him smirk because the whole town wasn't anything fancy. It stayed alive because of the packing plant where two-thirds of the residents worked. His dad had been there his whole life, which had worn him down to nothing. His life was going to work, coming home, drinking twelve packs of beer, and passing out, only to do it again the next day.

He hadn't been a horrible parent. It was only when he was drunk he'd get angry and used to beat Jared until he became bigger than him. He'd never known his mother because she had split when he was a baby, and he had never seen her since.

In his drunken stupors, his father would curse women and talk about how evil and greedy they were, that they would only hurt you in the end. He'd grown up with that in his head and sometimes found himself thinking it. Logically, he knew all women weren't bad, but there was no way he would get involved with one because as soon as he could, he was getting out of there and never returning.

He'd already talked to a Navy official and signed the papers. Jared was even lifting weights, swimming, and running to get in shape for boot camp. He didn't want to be one of the pussy guys that either puked or passed out from the hard, grueling training.

In less than two months, he'd be gone. Looking toward his future was enough to calm him and slough off the other emotions he didn't want to take time to decipher.

The next day Jared sat in his usual spot in the lunchroom with a book and ate. He heard her voice and looked up to see her halfway across the room with her back to him. His brows pinched together. Every other time he'd spotted her in the room, she was facing him, and he'd caught her staring a few times. Now, she didn't show any sign of wanting to.

He set his book down and waited. She and her friends laughed about something before they stood and took their trays to the garbage. His eyes followed her until she was out of the room.

He couldn't understand the blinding fury that swept through him. He'd told her not to look at him, and she didn't. So, why was he pissed and wanted to shake her until she begged him to stop?

Jared wiped a hand down his face in frustration. Graduation couldn't come soon enough. The quicker he got away from the town and her, the better off he'd be.

The last bell rang. He shoved his books into his locker and headed outside. Instead of turning left to get to his car, he found himself going toward the inside pool where they were having swim practice.

He snuck in a side door and then up onto the balcony. He sat on the very top in the shadows. A person would have to look hard to find him, so he relaxed and watched.

His body tightened when Skye and a few other girls walked out in their bathing suits. The suits were one-piece and would be considered modest, but they were plastered to her body, so he was able to see every hill and valley on her.

Her tits and ass were what he stared at mostly, and he imagined his hands on her, learning every curve of her body. The shadowed valley between her thighs made sweat break out over his forehead.

What about her got his attention in the first place? He had no idea. But it looked like he was quickly becoming obsessed with her, and he didn't like it. There was no way he was going to let her change his mind about leaving, but what if he could have her just once before he left? He could get her out of his system and move on without regrets. The fact that he'd take her cherry made it even sweeter.

Now, he had to soften her enough so she'd voluntarily spread her legs for him because there was no way he'd force her. He was a bastard, not a rapist.

After practice, the girls walked out of the pool area, and he went down and outside. He stayed around the corner and waited. It seemed to take hours when she finally came around the corner like the day before. He grabbed her and pressed her up against the side of the building. The only sound he heard from her was a gasp.

One of his hands went to her neck again and the other to her hip to control her motions and keep her in place. Her books and purse dropped, and she pressed her hands against his chest, trying to push him away.

"What the hell are you doing, Jared?" she hissed.

"I don't like it when you ignore me." He almost laughed at the disbelief and then the fury that crossed her face. He bit his lip when she hit him on the arm. Jesus, the woman had spirit and balls. No one he knew would ever have the guts to try to hit or sass him.

"You said you hated it, so I stopped looking at you, and now you want me to … what?"

"Yeah, well, I changed my mind."

He chuckled when she growled and yelled.

"You changed your mind?"

"Yeah."

"So, you want to what? Go on a date? Eat lunch together?" she asked sarcastically.

He snorted. "No, I just want to fuck you."

If he thought he'd shocked her before, she looked flabbergasted and then appalled now.

"Dammit, you're an asshole. You know that?"

"Hey, I'm just saying what you've been thinking," he said.

She rolled her eyes and then tried to shove him away again. "Get the fuck away from me."

"I'm not ready yet."

The hand he had on her neck slid down and cupped her breast. He leaned forward and whispered against her ear. "You know you want it. I can make you feel so good."

She swallowed. "I … I'm not a whore."

He loved the way her breath caught in her throat, and her eyes slid closed for a moment. "Oh, I know that."

"You're leaving, right?" she asked.

He could tell she was having difficulty concentrating on the conversation because he kept gently cupping and squeezing her breast and kissing her neck.

"Yes. Nothing will keep me here."

Skye tried to pry his hand away from her chest. "So why in the hell would I start anything with you?"

Jared grunted in annoyance. "You're not getting it, are you? I just want a few hours with you."

Her eyes widened and then narrowed. "You bastard. You want a one-night stand."

He shrugged. "If that's what you want to call it."

"You know that I'm a … virgin."

He nodded. "Yeah."

That seemed to make her angrier. "Why the hell would I give you my…"

"Cherry?" he asked helpfully.

"Yes … that, when I'll never see you again?"

"Because you know I'll make you feel good. I'm not like the children in this high school. I actually know what I'm doing."

"I don't care."

"You will care when you spread your legs for one of the fuckers in school, and he rams his cock into you, and then humps you a few times and is done."

"God, I don't want to talk about this. It's not going to happen."

"Oh, I think I can get you to change your mind, Sugar," he said.

Skye started hitting him again.

"Fuck, woman, settle down."

"You want me to settle down!" she screeched. "You just asked me to give you something I can only give once. It means something to me, Jared."

He sneered. "What? Are you going to wait until you get married?"

"It's none of your fucking business."

He cupped her ass in one hand and then gripped her face in the other. "You need to cut the attitude, little girl."

She tried to struggle, but he had a good grip on her.

"Is there a problem here, Jared?" a voice said several feet away.

He turned to see one of the female swim coaches. He should have been a bit embarrassed since he'd just fucked her the week before in her office after he had practiced. She knew the score, and it was a one-time thing. He released his grip on Skye and stepped back when she pushed him.

"No, Ms. Burke. We were just having a lover's quarrel," he said.

"Oh, really? Is that right, Skye?"

He watched Skye pick up her things before she turned to the teacher. "I wouldn't call it a lover's quarrel, but we were having a disagreement."

"Are you sure? It looked like it was physical, and you were struggling?"

"He just pissed me off," Skye said. "Look, I really have to get home. I'll see you tomorrow."

"That's fine, but I want Jared to stay. I want to talk with him."

He almost rolled his eyes. He looked at Skye. "This isn't over."

"It is, as far as I'm concerned." She turned and walked off.

"We'll see about that," he said.