Taking It All Page 8

  "This is nice," said Jade.

  "It is," said Leon. "But if you're still in the mood for thrills, I can go see if I can find a wolf and lead it into the water. That might spice things up a bit."

  Jade smirked.

  "I mean, it is a full moon," Jade said. "Maybe it won't be just any wolf."

  "Hey now," said Leon. "I'm fine with skinny-dipping with a wolf, but a werewolf might be just a little too much for me."

  "What?" asked Jade. "Afraid of some competition? I've seen Twilight; I know just how hot werewolves can be."

  Leon raised an eyebrow.

  "I didn't know that there was a competition. What's the prize, exactly?"

  Jade's eyes went wide and her face turned red once again. She realized that, without thinking, she'd let slip that she'd been thinking about Leon romantically.

  "Um, I don't know," she said. "I mean, being able to hang out with me, of course. I am such lovely company."

  God damn it, she thought. Why can't I ever learn to think a little bit before running my big fat mouth?

  But instead of being put off her comment, Leon instead swam over closer to Jade, stopping when he was only a foot or two away.

  "I think I'd be a match for anyone in this kind of competition," he said. "But I think I'd need a little bit more of a prize than to just ‘hang out'."

  Jade swallowed hard, her heart thumping in her chest.

  "Oh yeah?" she said. "And what kind of prize would be ‘motivating' enough for you?"

  "Let me show you."

  Leon closed the distance between him and Jade, slipped one arm into the water and around her waist, and then pulled her close. Jade's eyes went wide as she stared into Leon's baby blues, and at that moment she felt totally transfixed by him, as though she were under some kind of spell.

  Then, before she could think another thought, Leon moved in close and kissed her.

  Electricity seemed to run through her body as soon as Leon's lips touched hers. At first, Jade was shocked, but as the kiss went on she found herself falling into it, being taken away by the sweet sensation of Leon's lovely lips on hers. His hand moved down a bit further until it came to a rest on the curve of her ass, and his mouth opened slightly enough for his tongue to slip into her mouth. At the beginning of the kiss, Jade felt her body go stiff, the only motion being just the bare minimum of what she needed to stay afloat. But as she fell under the spell of Leon's kiss, she reciprocated his touch, allowing one hand to move down the hard lines of his torso and settle on his hip.

  Leon ran his hands through Jade's hair, one hand staying on the back of her head as the other moved further and further down. Leon explored her body, his fingers moving from the curve of her neck, then to her full breasts, then along the flat surface of her belly, finally coming to a stop at the patch of hair just about her sex. Tension began to build inside of Jade, a tight knot forming at the base of her stomach. And she felt a tight heat at her pussy, the feeling of Leon's hand above her causing the arousal to build and build. Her breath quickened as he kissed her, and in spite of herself, all she could think about was how much she wanted Leon to keep moving down, to touch her right where he knew she wanted to be touched.

  And he was happy to do just that.

  At first, he moved down around her sex, his hand moving over the smooth curves of her thighs. But then he moved inwards, caressing her inner thigh as he moved up, up, up. And when he finally touched her, Jade brought in a sharp draw of breath.

  "Oh God," she said, struggling to keep her head above water as the pleasure rushed through her body.

  The feeling was like nothing Jade had ever experienced. It was like electricity and heat all at once, and all radiating out from the same place, right where Leon touched her. He stared at her hard with those gorgeous blue eyes, his brows narrowed slightly in concentration, as if there was nothing more important to him at that moment than giving Jade the release she craved. He moved closer still until his stone-solid body was pressed against Jade's, one hand on the small of the small of her back and the other in her most intimate of areas.

  Jade felt something solid under her feet, and she realized as she looked around that Leon had brought them closer to the shore. Her fears of not being able to stay afloat eased, Jade allowed herself to slip into the pleasure that Leon's touch sent coursing through her body. Jade moaned and sighed as Leon touched her, the side of his finger rubbing against her clitoris in a manner that was nothing less than heavenly. A pressure had been building up inside of Jade from the moment that his finger made contact with her pussy, and it felt like she was on the verge of bursting.

  And as soon as Leon slipped his finger inside of her, that's precisely what happened.

  The orgasm was instantaneous and overwhelming. Jade let out a high-pitched squeal as the pleasure exploded from deep within her body and radiated outward until even the tips of her fingers and toes were hot with ecstasy. The feeling was so intense throughout her body that she had to make sure that her mouth stayed above the water as not to breathe in a mouthful of lake water. She leaned forward, resting her head on Leon's sturdy, strong shoulder as he continued to finger her, new pulses of pleasure exploding through her body with each stimulation.

  Finally, the feeling subsided, and Jade was left a panting, spent mess. She leaned all of her weight on Leon; she didn't know if she'd be able to support herself with her own legs if she had to. Soon, her heavy breathing slowed down and shifted into light, girlish chuckles.

  "What's so damn funny?" asked, Leon, a half-grin on his face.

  "Nothing," she said. "Just wasn't expecting all that to happen so…fast."

  "One of the perks of being a girl," said Leon. "No one minds if you cum almost instantly."

  "That a problem for you?" asked Jade with a playful tone.

  "No complaints yet," said Leon.

  Jade laughed again, and the two of them stayed in the water for a little longer, the moon hanging overhead like a silent witness to a budding love.

  Chapter Eight

  "OK," said Leon. "I think it's time to get going. I'm starting to get all pruney."

  Jade took her hand from where it had been resting on Leon's shoulder and looked it over.

  "Ha," she said. "Me too."

  Leon took Jade's chin into his hand and placed one more kiss on her red, sensual lips. Jade's eyes closed, and a small smile remained on her mouth as he took his lips away.

  Soon they were back on the shore and back in their clothes. After a brief drive, the two were back in front of Jade's apartment complex.

  "Well," said Jade, hopping off the back of the bike. "I'm not sure how you're going to top that as far as exciting adventures go."

  Leon flashed her a crafty grin.

  "I'm sure I can think of something."

  With that, he gunned the engine and peeled off. He could tell that Jade wasn't sure whether or not to expect a good night kiss, and Leon decided to make it easy for her. Besides, he didn't want to risk things getting too intimate, too fast.

  God, he thought, driving back towards his part of town. What the hell am I doing? The last thing I need is to get involved with some girl from school, especially one who thinks my life is some kind of urban adventure.

  He shook his head, realizing that he'd gotten too close.

  And doing what we did in the lake, he thought. Stupid, stupid.

  But as much as Leon realized that what he'd done might send a particular message, he couldn't help but realize that he wasn't playing any kind of game here – he genuinely was beginning to develop feelings for Jade. And this made him very, very nervous.

  So much of his life was centered around the idea of saving money and getting the hell out of his neighborhood, off to someplace where he could use his degree to get a good job and leave this old life behind, bringing Hunter along when he could. Starting a new romantic entanglement this close to being done with everything just wasn't part of the plan. He didn't know what to do.

  As he drove, h
e slipped his hand into the inner pocket of his jacket and felt for the bundle of money.

  I still can't believe that Anton paid me this much for the job, he thought. This is more than I'll be making in a year at a regular job. I gotta do something smart with this, get next year's tuition taken care of, maybe start setting aside something for Hunter's college. Lord knows Dad isn't going to have the money for that.

  He turned his thoughts back to Jade.

  I need to take care of this little situation first, he thought. I need to put some distance between the two of us. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm going to have a hard time keeping my hands off her if the two of us are alone. Getting tangled up in something like this is the last thing I need.

  After a time, he arrived at his house. Approaching the front door, he heard the familiar sounds of muffled yelling through the door, and Leon realized that he wasn't going to be lucky enough for tonight to be an evening where his father passed out early on the couch. He took a deep breath and opened the door, the sound of yelling hitting his ears as soon as he walked it.

  Leon ignored it as best he could, stopping into the kitchen where his mother and father were and making sure that they weren't coming to blows. Once he confirmed that it was a standard screaming match, he stuck his head into Hunter's room to check on him. Just as always, he was playing Minecraft with his headphones on.

  "All good, buddy?" he asked after tapping Hunter on the shoulder.

  "Fine," said Hunter, taking the headphones off one ear. "Mom and Dad are at it again."

  "Oh, I know," said Leon. "I could hear it before I walked in."

  Leon looked over the new TV that he'd bought for Hunter and the new headphones, which Leon had picked out for their noise-canceling capabilities. Leon figured that if Hunter was going to have to be here for eight or so more years, he could at least not have to listen to the constant fighting.

  "Come by if you want to hang out, dude," said Leon, mussing Hunter's hair as he got up to leave.

  I gotta get him out of here, said Leon as he returned to his room. And that's where all my attention needs to be; I can't be sitting around daydreaming about some girl when I've got a little brother who needs my help.

  Leon took the money out of his jacket pocket and looked it over. He hated having this much money in his possession, but he knew that he couldn't exactly swing by the bank and deposit it. Squatting down, he pulled up the loose wood floor panel where he kept things that needed to be hidden and dropped the bag inside.

  Could be my ticket out of here, he thought. For me and Hunter both. Gotta make sure it stays hidden.

  Once the money was stashed away, Leon plopped onto his bed, folded his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. After kicking off his boots, he quickly fell into a deep sleep, the events of the evening catching up with him.

  His dream that night was strange. Leon had visions of being in the forest, in the same area where he walked through with Jade. But as he made his way through the trees, he realized that he had no idea where he was going. He looked around with frantic eyes, trying to spot some kind of landmark that he could use to orient himself. Nothing looked familiar, however. And just as the thought that he might be forever lost occurred to him, a figure stepped out from among the trees.

  It was Jade.

  She was as beautiful as ever, and dressed in some kind of flitty, white robe, like something from ancient Greece. In Jade's hair was a crown of leaves and flowers. The way she was dressed made him feel that she wasn't lost in the forest like him, but rather that she was a part of it, as though she could lead him out. She stepped out to Leon with a broad, warm smile on her face, as though there wasn't a thing he needed to worry about. Leon felt his heart slow as she approached. Jade extended her hand to him, and he knew that he needed only to take it. As soon as he touched the tips of her fingers, however, he woke up.

  The alarm of his phone beeped incessantly from the other side of the room, and Leon struggled out of bed to turn it off. He checked the time, and saw that it was already morning. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the date and realized that it was the day of a major test in one of his business classes. Leon rushed through his morning routine, realizing that, as usual, his father was likely out drunk and wouldn't be getting up in time to be useful. His mother, however, was putting together a simple breakfast for them, and Leon helped by getting Hunter dressed and ready to go. Once Hunter was prepared for school, Leon rushed out the front door, hopped on his bike, and hurried down to the library.

  Leon did his best to make use of the hour he had before his test, but all he could think about was the strange dream last night. Jade seemed to him like an invader in his thoughts, preventing him from focusing on anything else.

  This is exactly why I shouldn't be getting involved with anyone, he thought. I've got a major goddamn test less than an hour away and all I can think about is some stupid dream.

  Downing his coffee, he stared hard into the textbook, trying to soak up whatever information he could. But soon, the time to leave arrived, and Leon rushed out of the library and to the classroom where the test was taking place. He went through it effortlessly – despite not being able to study, the material was all subjects he was familiar with. The rest of the class day went as usual, and before he knew it, it was early evening and time to head back home. Leon's bike was parked on the other side of campus, and he decided to take the long way back so he could enjoy the pleasant, mildly chilly fall weather. As he walked, the sky began to darken and the clouds took on a thicker, soupier look. Leon realized that it was likely about to rain.

  Sure enough, a little while later the sky opened up and torrents of rain poured down.

  "Fuck, fuck," said Leon as he pulled the back of his jacket over his head in a vain effort to keep the rain from soaking him through.

  A little later, however, the beeping of a car horn from behind him snapped Leon out of his daydreaming. Annoyed, he turned around to see a sleek, luxury car stopped behind him. He squinted through the rain to see who was at the wheel. Sure enough, it was Jade.

  "Hop in," she said, sticking her head out of the window.

  "I'm good, actually," said Leon. "Just walking to my bike."

  "You're seriously going to bike in this?" asked Jade. "Don't be a lunatic."

  "I've biked in much worse," said Leon.

  "And look at you," said Jade. "You get on a motorcycle in this and you'll be soaked to the bone in minutes. Quit being stubborn and get in."

  Leon hated to admit it, but Jade was right. Sighing, he hurried to the passenger-side door and got in. The interior of the car was warm and dry, and to his shock, as he settled into his seat his butt warmed up right along with the rest of him.

  "What the hell?" asked Leon, scooting up in his seat and looking back.

  "Seat warmer," said Jade, a smirk on her face. "Never seen one before?"

  "Seat warmers aren't exactly a priority in the cars of people I know," said Leon. "You get anything fancy in your car and it'll get yanked out within a week."

  "Too bad," said Jade. "They're nice."

  She pulled out of her spot and headed back onto the road.

  "Thanks for the ride," said Leon, his eyes on the rain outside as he tried not to look at Jade.

  "No problem," she said. "Least I could do."

  A moment passed.

  "And there's more."

  "More?" asked Leon, dread forming in the pit of his stomach.

  "Yeah," she said. "You've been so great to me over the last week or so, and I figured that I could take you out tonight. Just for a little dinner to say ‘thank you'."

  "Appreciate it," said Leon, "but that's OK. I didn't do what I did with the expectation of getting paid back."

  "Well, duh," said Jade. "But that's why I want to do it for you. Come on – there's a perfect place near campus – nothing too crazy."

  Leon clenched his teeth. He'd decided to slowly push Jade out of his life, and now here he was, in her car and getting o
ffered dinner. Part of him knew that the best thing to do would be to ask her to stop the car, to get out, and to get back to his bike. But the greater part of him wanted to say…

  "OK, sure," said Leon. "But nothing too crazy. Just dinner."

  "Just dinner," repeated Jade, a pleased smile on her face.

  They drove through the part of town around campus, a burst of lightning booming in the sky above. Leon felt weak for accepting the dinner, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't happy to not be driving home in this.

  Not to mention, he thought, the company isn't so bad either.

  He scolded himself for this thought right away. Leon knew that he shouldn't be thinking things like that. Still, as he looked at Jade out of the corner of his eye, her lovely profile illuminated by the street lights just outside of the car, he couldn't help but be struck by just how goddamned beautiful she was.

  "We're here!" she said, pulling the car in front of a large restaurant with a curved driveway in front.

  Moments later, a valet came and Jade handed him the keys.

  "A valet?" asked Leon. "I thought I said ‘nothing too crazy'?"

  "It's not!" said Jade, preparing to get out. "Now, come on."

  Leon stepped out of the car and was presented with a large, stately restaurant decorated with Greek-style columns and other ornate design choices. He shook his head, realizing that what was a normal dinner out for a girl like Jade was likely very different than what he had in mind.

  Moments later, they were in from the rain and seated at a table near the window. The seats afforded a nice view of the city through the streaks of rain on the windows.

  "So," said Jade. "Now I get to treat you."

  "Don't get too used to it," said Leon. "Where I come from it's considered pretty bad form to let women pay for things."

  Jade rolled her eyes.

  "Come on," she said. "It's 2018; women can do stuff like that now."