Stupid Boy
Page 33“What the fuck, bro?” Brax said angrily. “You fuckin’ crazy? Harper?”
If Brax’s anger was vivid from across the yard, Kane’s was twice as furious. All rolled into a silent, raging storm.
Kane ducked his head, looked Brax in the eye; stern. Quiet. Authoritative. “Not here, bro. Not here.”
Brax rubbed his head, swore, and climbed on his bike. I could feel the tension in the air between the two brothers; heavy, like a sopping wet blanket. Kane glanced my way once more, gave me a nod and a smile, and headed for his truck. In seconds, both had disappeared.
I swiped the card through the key pad and let myself in. Delta house was still dark; no one had made it home yet. All the while I hurried through my nightly routine of getting ready for bed, Kane claimed my thoughts. Had he and Brax resolved their differences? Why was Brax so concerned about me? Was Kane really dangerous, and just a master of disguises? I was. Why not he?
As I climbed into bed, I stared at the ceiling and the shadows caused by the lamp I kept burning on my nightstand. Every sensation, every moment with Kane from the bluff came rushing back to me. The way his lips brushed mine, lingered, and how his tongue had felt like velvet. My skin tingled even now, thinking about it. How had he managed to stir so many feelings in me at once?
Just then, my cell phone buzzed where it sat on my nightstand. I reached over and picked it up, and while I didn’t recognize the number, the text was very familiar.
KANE: HEY, ARE YOU ASLEEP YET?
My heart leapt as I read his words.
ME: NOT YET. ARE YOU AND BRAX OK?
KANE: YEAH, HE’LL GET OVER IT. SO ARE YOU BUSY TOMORROW AFTERNOON?
ME: UNTIL FOUR, YES. WHY?
KANE: MEET ME AT YOUR FAVORITE PARK. AND BRING YOUR CAMERA.
My breath quickened at the thought of Kane wanting to see me again.
ME: OK. WHY?
KANE: YOU’LL SEE. HEY—I REALLY LIKED TONIGHT.
A smile fought its way past my lips, and even though no one was around to see it, a blush crept up my throat and warmed my cheeks.
ME: WHY?
KANE: BECAUSE I REALLY LIKE KISSING YOU.
Again, heat caught me off guard. Another smile. Two things I was unused to.
ME: I LIKED IT, TOO.
“I just had to hear that adorable accent of yours again,” he said.
I gave an embarrassed laugh. “You’re crazy.”
“’Night, Harper.”
“Goodnight, Kane.”
“Don’t forget,” he said, just before I hung up. “Four tomorrow. At the park.”
“And bring my camera,” I added. “I’ll be there.”
We hung up, and the smile on my face felt foreign; surreal. When had the Dare backfired on me so drastically? Actually, if I could get Kane to end the bets at Kappa house, it’d be a sure-fire win. But I hadn’t counted on actually liking him.
And I did. Surprisingly, I really did.
The next day, my usual schedule kept me pretty busy. I had one meeting in preparation for the Dash-n-Date, and one for the holiday bake sale. And, I studied two hours for upcoming exams in Calculus and Literature. All the while, though, the memory of Kane’s mouth against mine, his lips hungry, unfamiliar, tasting mine for the first time assaulted me, bringing a dreamy smile to my face that Murphy had caught more than once. At the bake sale prep my mind drifted to the night before on the bluff with Kane, with planes soaring over our heads, the night air draped over us like a blanket, and his lips exploring mine. My skin tingled. My heart sped up. I fought a smile.
“Jesus, Mary and Joseph,” Murphy whispered next to me. “The expression on your face is filling me with sheer terror.” She looked at me, peering close into my eyes. “Have you fallen ill?”
“Well tickety-boo, can we get on with this, then?” She shoved a list under my nose. “What do you think about these for the bake sale?”
My eyes scanned the list. Chocolate chip cookies. A definite must. I placed a check with my red marker. Mint brownies. Check. Snowballs. Check. Ginger snaps. Check. Rum. Rum? I looked up at Murphy and she gave me a sly smile. “Just making sure you’re in there,” she said, and tapped my head with her finger. “You seem to be off in Neverland.” Then her eyes widened. “Blimey, you like him!”
“Minus the rum, yes, I agree with all of these,” I answered. “What are you talking about?”
“You’ve fallen for your Dare,” she said quietly. “You little tart.”
I could do nothing but look at her. Blink. Keep silent.
“Gotcha,” she conceded. “Tight-lipped as usual. Right. Well I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a Dare-Meister to meet for drinks at MacElvee’s.” She cocked her head. “So, besides the nauseating grin on your face all the time now, how’re things coming along with Kane?” She wagged her brows. “Reforming?”
“Um, yes,” I stammered. “He’s…surprisingly moving faster than I thought.”
“Josh is picking me up after six,” she announced. “Talk about surprising. I even got him to quit dipping that hideous worm dirt the other baseball players do.”
We laughed, and she tilted her head. “Something in you has changed, Ms. Belle.” The Grinch smile returned. “I find I quite like it on you.”
“Keep it to yourself, why don’t ya?” I teased. “Wouldn’t want to ruin my reputation.”