Until Alex - J. Nathan Page 0,56

the parking lot on the open tailgate of my truck, my foot bouncing like it had a mind of its own. Alex should’ve been home thirty minutes ago.

Down deep I knew her delay was only partially to blame for my nerves. After the way things got intense in my bedroom, I had no clue what to expect. What to say. How to act. She’d been through hell. Could I really expect her to make rational decisions?

I followed her lead at school, keeping my distance. But I stayed close enough to know if she needed me. She handled herself like a champ, ignoring the stares and whispers. That took major balls. Some of the toughest guys I knew would’ve snapped under such scrutiny. But not Alex.

I just wished she wasn’t so stubborn and set on doing it alone. I would’ve driven in with her. Stayed by her side. Told off the masses.

But I got it. She needed to prove she could do it.

I suspected her courage and show of independence had a little something to do with me. More like me telling her we couldn’t be seen together.

The purring of an expensive car’s engine sent my head twisting. Alex’s BMW zipped into the lot, taking the spot next to mine.

Flashing me a big goofy smile, she stepped out. Her sunglasses concealed her pretty eyes. I didn’t like not seeing them. They were always so expressive, telling me what her words wouldn’t.

My tailgate dipped as she hopped onto it, bumping her shoulder into mine. “Hey.”

I matched her grin. “Have a nice day?”

She lifted the sunglasses to the top of her head. “The morning wasn’t so bad.”

I arched a brow. “Wasn’t so bad, huh?”

She shrugged. “Mediocre.”

I laughed, deliberately eyeing her up and down. “Well, you made it through the rest of the day unscathed I see.”

She nodded, her eyes lifting to the cloudless sky. It must’ve been the first opportunity she had all day to escape the chaos. “But, as you can see, Hayden Martin, the day isn’t over yet.”

Loving the way my name rolled off her tongue, my smile widened. Since meeting Alex, I’d never smiled so much in my entire life. She brought it out of me in spades. That and some other things that were completely new for me.

“I did run into a little problem on my way out of school.”

The muscle in my jaw tightened, my molars grinding. Who did I need to hunt down? “That why you’re running late?” My fists clenched at my sides.

She nodded, her eyes narrowing. “Were you out here waiting for me?”

“Maybe.”

Her smile stretched wide. “Good.”

Her excitement over something so small caused my fists to unclench, my anger to ease, and my body to relax.

“Anyway…” she bumped my shoulder again. “Professor Smith really wants me to stay in the competition.”

“You should.”

Her head pulled back, jarred by my agreement. “I’m not so sure about that.” Her attention moved to the shifting trees. The late September days had grown slightly cooler, and the coastal breezes had given life to the landscape. The wind stole a few of her waves and whipped them across her face. She let them blow, her eyes still focused on the scenery. “Taylor must have other pictures, huh?”

I couldn’t lie. Especially when trust and honesty were what Alex needed most from me. So when her eyes shifted to mine, I twisted my lips and nodded regrettably.

“So if I don’t do what she wants, she’ll keep sending them out until I’m driven back to Austin.” She wasn’t asking. She knew the chances were high it could happen. She gnawed on her bottom lip. I could practically see the wheels turning. “How much worse could they really be?”

No. Fucking. Way.

I stared at the ballsy girl seated beside me. If anyone could pull off the gutsy move, Alex could. She’d already faced everyone at school knowing what they’d seen. And here she sat. In one piece.

“I mean, what are they gonna get next time? A different angle? They’ve already seen all of me.”

The severity of her words jolted me in the center of my chest. Looking her dead in the eyes, I shook my head, not wanting her to feel any more exposed than she already did. “They’ll never see all of you, Alex.”

She stared back with narrowed eyes. I couldn’t decide if she believed me or not. She probably thought it was another attempt to get in her pants. But if she only knew how truly amazing I thought she was, she’d realize something