Eddie and I had sat outside of her house at least five times waiting to see if anything interesting would happen. We’d seen Lexi once. She had been laughing with her mom about something and it had infuriated me. It was the week after my mom had been hospitalized for alcohol poisoning. She had told everyone it was the flu, but I knew the truth. I had heard the doctor talking to her, telling her to lay off the booze. He had suggested she join AA but she had said no, there was no way the Mayor’s wife could show up to AA.
I’m not really sure how we had come up with the plan. Eddie and I had just been sitting there and I had felt such hatred at that time. I had turned to him and made a simple comment about something happening to Lexi to make her mother back off of my father and to just leave him alone. I hadn’t told him to rape her. I would never have suggested such a thing. I never would have thought he could have done such a thing either. He was a good guy. A loyal friend. My best friend.
I sighed as I pulled up outside of her house. So many memories came to mind and I nearly drove away. The closer I was to telling her everything, the less I wanted to. I felt like she was my path to redemption, but I didn’t know if I deserved it. And, if she turned away from me, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I debated backing out and leaving, but I knew that the time had come. We couldn’t move forward in our relationship without her knowing the truth, and without me knowing if she wanted to be with Luke or not. I got out of my car and stretched, feeling more scared that I ever had when I was in the Marines.
I rang the doorbell with my heart in my throat. “Did you bring me pancakes?” Lexi opened the door with a huge smile. “Oh, Bryce.”
“Expecting someone else?”
“No.” She shook her head and waved me inside. “I’m surprised to see you.”
“I wanted to apologize for how everything went down last night.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” She smiled at me, sweetly, her brown eyes seeming to gaze into my soul.
“I should have known Suzannah was going to try to make trouble.” I rolled my eyes. “Heaven knows she always tried to when we were younger.”
“She is very beautiful.” Lexi was wistful and I grabbed her hand.
“Not as beautiful as you,” I said, sincerely, and her breath caught. “Can we go to your room to talk?”
“Talk?” She smiled, mischievously. “Let’s go to my room.”
“Is your mom here?” I looked around and she laughed.
“No, she’s at work.” And she grabbed my hand and ran up the stairs. “Now, just how sorry are you, Bryce Evans?” She pushed me up against the door and kissed me, her wet hair brushing across my face. “Your lips are so soft for a guy’s,” she whispered as she kissed me.
“And yours taste like cotton candy.” I crushed her against me and kissed her hard, running my hands up and down her back and savoring her smell. “And you smell like early morning dew, so fresh and clean.”
“Well, I should,” she smiled. “I just got out of the shower.”
“You did?” I raised an eyebrow.
“I did.” She grinned and pulled her top off and I stood there, staring at her body in amazement. “See. I’m still damp.” She grabbed my hand and pressed it against her bra. The fabric was wet. I slipped a finger in and touched her breast lightly and felt a drop of water. I pulled my finger out quickly and grinned at her.
“That you are.”
“You can touch me, you know.” She grabbed my hand again. “I don’t mind.”
“I would love to touch you, Lexi.” My voice was raspy. “I want to hold you close and feel every part of you.”
“So come.” She led me to her bed and pulled me down with her.
“We should talk first.”
“I don’t need to talk.” She pulled me towards her. “I just need us to be.”
“I know you sent the letters.” I held her gently and looked at the shock in her eyes. “Don’t ask how I know. I just know.”
“I ... I, don’t know what to say.” Her eyes were bright with unshed tears. “I had hoped you knew but, deep inside, I thought it was impossible.”
“Wait, I don’t think you understand. I know now. I didn’t always know.”
“But you figured it out.” She kissed me and pulled off my shirt. “You figured it out, Bryce.”
“Lexi, I think I love you.” My breath caught as I watched her take off her bra. “What are you doing?”
“I want to be with you, Bryce.” She looked into my eyes, deeply. “I want you to be my first.”
“I don’t know, Lexi.” I took a deep breath as she guided my fingers to her nipple. “I have something else to tell you.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Oh, but it does.” I sighed as I felt her tugging at my jeans and I leaned down to nuzzle her. She gasped with pleasure and, for a moment, all I thought about was pleasuring her and making her mine. All I wanted was for us to make a union that could never be broken. “Wait, Lexi. We have to talk before we go forward.” I took a deep breath. “There is something you have to know.”
“What is it?” She pulled her tracksuit pants down so that she was lying there in her underwear and I felt it hard to concentrate. She was so beautiful and so trusting. “Take your jeans off.”
“Wait, what?” I pulled them off and she grinned at me.
“You are as hot as I thought you were.”
“Yeah, right.” I laughed and stopped her hand as she tugged on my boxer shorts. “Wait, Lexi.”
“I don’t want to wait anymore.”
“It’s about the night with Eddie.”
“Huh?” She looked up at me in surprise and her hand dropped away from my shorts. “What about it?”
“It was the reason why I knew where you were going to be.”
“You mean, when you saved me?” She looked confused.
“Yeah.” I sighed and looked away in shame. “You see, I already knew that Eddie was going to get you away from the dance that night. We had planned it. Not the rape. I would never have agreed to that. But he was meant to sort of scare you. Rough up your dress with some mud. We just wanted you to rush home and be upset. That was it.”
“You knew he was going to try and rape me?” She looked at me with huge eyes and pulled away from me.