Sins of the Innocent - Jamie McGuire Page 0,13
we didn’t leave, those guys from Saint Mary’s who came with Lacie were going to find a trash can to stuff you in, and I was going to have to stop them. This is preferable to all that drama, don’t you think?”
Morgan inhaled, his cheeks filling with air before exhaling completely. “Just for one night, I wanted to feel like I belonged, you know?”
“Yeah,” I said, “I know.”
The stars twinkled above us, and Bex’s scent mixed in with the smells of freshly cut grass and salt water from the bay. Besides my uncle, Morgan and I were alone with the lights of the stars above and the fishing boats on the Narragansett.
“I’m famished,” Morgan said. As if on cue, his stomach gurgled.
I took in one last breath of fresh air before my senses were filled with thoughts of after-midnight greasy fast food, but then I choked. I sat up, coughing, and Morgan sat up, too.
“Geez, you okay?”
“Yeah,” I said, feeling the burning in my nose and lungs.
No longer needing the drudens to cover his scent, Levi’s presence was full-strength. I braced myself, ready for a fight.
Levi strolled through the tall grass just beyond a knoll, wearing a white V-neck T-shirt and black jeans. This time, he’d paired it with the predictable black Converse.
“We should go,” Morgan said.
I could sense his discomfort.
“You smell,” I said to Levi.
He breathed out a laugh. “You should talk. I feel like I’m breathing in dime-store fabric softener to cover some scaly grandma’s cheap perfume.”
“Wow. That was rude,” I said, tucking my chin and turning toward my shoulder just enough to see if he was right.
“And a lie,” Morgan said, looking at me. “You smell like fresh laundry and summertime. Nothing better.”
Levi laughed once, unimpressed with my friend.
Morgan began to speak, but I touched his chest. “Don’t talk to him. Just get in the car.”
After some reluctance, Morgan did as I’d asked. He trusted me more than my parents did, and for that, I owed him not just protection, but my loyalty. He closed the passenger side and waited.
“Your uncle still comes with you on dates?” Levi asked, nodding in the general direction where I knew Bex was waiting.
“This isn’t a date.”
Levi gave me a once-over with his eyes. “Could have fooled me. That’s a very pretty, very short, dress.”
“I have a dad. Thank you.”
Amused, Levi bent down to wave at Morgan, and then he looked at me from under his brow, flashing his most charming smile. “What are you doing later? Surely not him.”
My mouth fell open, but I snapped it shut. “Do you need something?”
“Yeah. I’m hungry. I thought maybe I could take you out for a late graduation dinner.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Stop watching me.”
“I can’t.”
His admission made me pause. “Why not? Are you waiting for a weak moment? Because, you know, I don’t have those.”
He plunged his fists into his pockets and shrugged. “I think you know why. At least you have a feeling, am I right?”
“No.”
“You are the most beautiful when you’re stubborn. Thankfully, it’s often.”
I thought of several mean things and a few not so mean things I wanted to say, but they all fell over his compliment and face-planted in the back of my throat.
“Just say yes,” he said. “Yes isn’t hard. It’s easy.”
“I’m with Mor—with a friend.”
“Morgan. Morg. I know his name.”
“You leave him out of this,” I hissed.
Levi held up his hands. “Okay,” he said, his tone an octave higher. “I just want dinner. That’s all I want.”
“Too bad,” I said, opening the door.
“I’m not going to hurt him, if that’s what worries you.” Levi kept his voice low, so Morgan wouldn’t hear him. “I wouldn’t do that.”
“You are literally the spawn of Satan. You would hurt him, but I won’t let you. You’re also a liar, just like your father, so move along. I’m not interested—at all—in anything you have to say.”
“You wound me.”
“You have no clue how much pain I will cause you. Stay away from me.”
I ducked into my seat and slammed the door.
Levi leaned down, placing his palm on the window. Fog instantly formed around his fingers. “Does that mean no to dinner?”
I rolled my eyes and pressed the ignition. Spinning the tires, I backed away and whirled the car in a one-eighty. All the way to Morgan’s, I drove well above the speed limit, fast enough to escape anyone’s demons … especially mine.
“It’s just funny. That’s all,” I said, fingering the lid of my coffee cup.
Morgan looked down at his iced coffee