mallory-dodge

I like you, Mallory. And God knows you deserve a hell of a lot better than me._ He dipped his chin, laughing as he thrust his hand through his hair. __od. I suck at this. Can we just forget___ snapped out of it. __ou like me?__is gaze flew to mine. __eah, I do. And I know I__e been with Paige and I__ not going to pretend that meant nothing, but it__ not how I feel for you. Not remotely like how I feel for you. And it__ not because of our past__ecause of you and I knowing each other for so long,_ he said, and the words kept coming out in a rush. __t first, I thought that was why__his attraction I have to you. I thought it was because of everything we__ shared. And then the night I came to your place and you fixed me up, I thought it was just this physical thing._ Pink raced across his cheeks. __nd it is most definitely a physical thing, but it wasn__ just that. I think part of me knew that from the very first time you said my name.__ow my pulse was pounding. He liked-liked me. Oh my God, this was unexpected. This was totally unplanned. It was an infinite, vast sea of un

I...I haven__ done a lot of this._ His cheeks flushed pink and my eyes widened. __ mean, I__e done some stuff, but not a lot. I haven__...had sex.__or the longest moment I couldn__ respond. All I could do was stare at him. __ou__e a virgin?__ne side of his lips kicked up. __eah. You sound surprised.___ am. I thought... I don__ know. You were with...Paige. I just assumed you had sex before.___hat would be a negative,_ he replied, picking up my hand. __ou__e looking at me like you don__ understand how it__ possible.__e could really read minds.__t__ gotten close, but I just never_ I haven__ wanted to go that far._ He shrugged a bare shoulder.__ haven__ done it, either,_ I blurted out. __ mean, that__ super obvious since...you__e the first boy I__e kissed, but yeah, I don__ even know...what I__ saying and I__ just going to shut up.__ider chuckled. __on__. I love it when you ramble.___nly you would enjoy that._ I curled my fingers through his. __o you want to...go that far with me?__is lashes swept up and his eyes, with their greenish flecks, met mine. __eah. Yeah, I do. Someday.__armth swept across my cheeks as I whispered, __...I want that, too. Someday.__he dimple in his right cheek appeared. __hen we__e on the same page.

People are assholes, Mouse. You already know that._ He paused as he scooped some of my hair back, gently tossing the strands over my shoulder. __nd there__ nothing to be embarrassed about.__ glanced over at him. Everything about his steady gaze and the serious press of his lips screamed earnest. But he was wrong. __t is...embarrassing.___ot if you don__ let it be._ His leg brushed mine as he turned in his seat, facing me. Our eyes met. __ou have the power over that. People can say crap. They can think whatever they want, but you control how you feel about it.

I want to back up to this whole caring about me thing,_ he said, surprising me as he made his way back to the canvas. __ know you care about me, Mallory.__y heart started beating fast as he shook the can.__ care about you._ He knelt halfway down. A second passed and he moved his arm, spraying on the canvas. __nd I think this was missing something.__aving no idea what he was doing or where he was going with this, I waited until he rose and stepped back, to the side. My lips parted on a soft gasp. Rider had spray-painted a heart between our names. I saw it with my own

We__e probably leaving soon,_ Rider said. __ight catch a movie.__ayden leaned against the wall as he looked around the room. __ see how it is. You figure you don__ stand a chance with Mallory now that I__ here to show her what a real man looks like._ He winked as Rider just shook his head. __ine, leave. But no dumb movie will be as entertainin_ as the Jayden Show. And I don__ charge admission.

You__e given up on yourself before anyone else has a chance to.__ilence greeted me.I could feel Rider__ stare on me. Several moments passed. __hat__ bullshit, and kind of priceless coming from you. You gave up on me yesterday.__ started to defend myself, but I couldn__. I swallowed hard. __ know. You__e right about that, but I__ also right.___nd how__ that?_ Challenge hardened his tone.__ecause I give up on myself on a daily basis,_ I admitted. My cheeks heated but I continued. __ know.__e sucked in an audible breath. __allory...__ shook my head as I thought about all the conflicting emotions and needs and wants. __t__ true. It__ what I do. I don__ mean to. Or maybe I do. It__...it__ easier being scared of everything.___ow...how can that be?_ His voice softened. __ow can that be easier?__y smile was faint. Suddenly, I really wished I was at home, with my head under the blankets. __ou can__ fail when you don__ really try, right? You__ know that.

I don__ want you involved in any of that.___ecause you care about me?___f course._ I narrowed my eyes. __ don__ want to worry about you getting hurt.__e stepped in and his other hand settled just above my hip. __ecause you want to be with me?___es._ That word was easy to speak.Rider smiled then and the right dimple appeared. __ou want to be my girlfriend.__ opened my mouth and then I laughed. It sounded strange after the seriousness of our conversation, but the statement was sweet and silly.His cheeks pinked. __ot sure how I feel about that laugh,_ he teased. __ut I do love the sound of it.__y breath caught at the word. Love. Oh, gosh, was that what was happening here?__o do you? Want to be my girlfriend?_ he asked, and then chuckled. __robably should__e brought this up before I kissed you, but I want...I want to see where this goes, Mallory. I feel like we got a second chance, you know? I__e been thinking that since I sat down in speech and saw you sitting there. We have a second chance. And who gets second chances?__ searched his gaze, feeling a rightness deep in my chest. I had thought the same thing before, about second chances.__ don__ want to pass that up.

I wanted him to meet Ainsley. She was super important to me. I made my decision. __...I would like that.__ider__ reaction was immediate. He smiled and the dimple appeared. My breath caught. I__ actually invited Rider along to meet Ainsley. I wanted that. Really wanted that, but I had no idea what to do with that.Regardless, excitement hummed through me. Hanging out with Rider and Ainsley was normal. Something a million people probably did every day, because they were actually living life, but it was a first for me__ huge first. It was my best friend and it was the guy...the guy who__ been my best friend and who now, despite everything, felt like something deeper, richer and more intricate, hanging out together.It felt important.

I don__ want to...be like this,_ I whispered as I looked away, and once I said it, I didn__ even want to take the words back. A weird sensation hit me, almost like...like relief. That didn__ make sense. Or did it? __ don__ like who I am.__y gaze returned to his, and the concern was still there, filling his hazel eyes and thinning out his mouth. Tears crawled up the back of my throat. Humiliating actually, to admit something so intimate like that, but now I wasn__ the only one who knew this about myself. It wasn__ my secret.__t__ okay. You__e not going to feel that way forever._ Rider smoothed his thumb along my jaw. I closed my eyes, wanting to believe him. Needing to. He kept his voice low as he spoke. __othing lasts forever, Mouse.

Dropping his arm from my shoulders, he reached down and folded his hand around mine. It wasn__ the first time he__ held my hand, but there was an intimacy there that hadn__ been present before. A tight shiver curled its way down my spine as his thumb moved along my palm while we walked down to class.He had not done that before.Rider let go of my hand when we entered speech, and I stepped in front of him, walking toward my seat. I dropped my bag on the floor and started to sit when Rider swooped down, kissing my cheek once more.I flushed as I glanced over at him.He grinned as he sat. __ouldn__ help myself. Your cheek looked like it was missing my kiss.

You__e right._ A wicked little grin tugged at his lips. __ think we should celebrate._ Pausing, he waggled his brows at me. __e have fifty minutes now. I only need, like, five of them.___h my God,_ I laughed, shoving at his shoulders. __ou__e terrible._____ not terrible._ His eyes met mine, and the flutter was back, deeper and more dizzying. ____ in love.__h, gosh. My heart swelled like a balloon, and all I could do was stare at him for several seconds before I managed to whisper, __ love you, too.___ know._ Rider lowered his mouth to mine, and the kiss scattered my thoughts.

Rider made this sound in the back of his throat. It was deep and masculine, part groan and growl, and it made me shiver. He folded one hand along my cheek and lowered his head to mine, but he didn__ kiss me.No.His warm breath glided over my forehead as his hand slid across my cheek, his fingers spreading into my hair at the base. His other hand landed low on my back, and the weight did insane things to my insides. He drew it up my back, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. My eyes fluttered shut as his lips brushed over the curve of my cheek. It was the craziest torture. My entire body tensed, prepared for the moment when his lips met mine.And it was the sweetest pressure, a feather-light brush of his lips over mine. Once. Then twice. I felt the touch everywhere, a jolt to the system that zipped through my veins, and then the pressure increased.Rider kissed me then.It was a real one, soft and beautiful, and when the kiss deepened, it wasn__ a shy one. He knew what he was doing, and even though I didn__, an innate knowledge told me it didn__ matter. His lips mapped out mine, and my insides were in tight coils.Kissing was awesome. Amazing. Astonishing. I could probably think of a couple of more words to describe it. Kissing blew me away, and when he lifted his mouth, both of us were breathing hard. He rested his forehead against mine. Neither of us spoke for several moments.I still wasn__ thinking. I had no idea how my hands had gotten to Rider__ chest, but his heart pounded under my palm as fast as mine did. My mind was blissfully blank as I breathed in his scent, a mix of his citrusy cologne and the faint trace of paint.__id you like that?_ he asked, dragging his fingers out of my hair and over the line of my jaw.Screaming yes, oh, God, yes, would__e probably been a little too excessive, so I managed a somewhat subdued, __es.__s Rider grinned, his lips brushed mine. __ood. Because I really liked it.

Before I could protest, which wouldn__ be wise even though I did want him to hang out longer, he placed his hands on my cheeks. My breath stalled out somewhere between my throat and chest. Leaning in, he pressed his lips against my forehead, dropping a kiss that squeezed my heart into slush. My eyes drifted shut as his lips lingered against my skin. Knocked off-kilter, I didn__ move when he pulled back and stood.

You should be working on your speech instead of staring,_ Rider said, never taking his eyes off his notebook.Paige__ dark eyes flew to me and then narrowed.Heat exploded across my cheeks.__nd you should actually be working on, I don__ know, your speech?_ Hector grinned as he gestured to his paper, which appeared to have actual words on it. __nd please don__ stare at him, Mallory. Because of Paige, his ego is already big enough. He doesn__ need any help.

I__ glad...you texted.__ider tilted his head to the side. __eah?__ nodded, probably a little too eagerly, but as the dimple in his right cheek took shape, it was like being rewarded. Our eyes met for a moment, and I didn__ want him to leave. An urge took me like it had during lunch, and I all but bounced forward. Gripping his arms, I stretched up and kissed his cheek. It was pretty much just a peck, so I figured it wasn__ crossing any lines, but the feel of his skin under my lips was still unnerving and unexpected.__e careful,_ I whispered, backing off.Rider__ grin faded from his handsome face. A moment passed before he spoke. __lways, Mouse.

The drawings make you smile,_ he replied with a grin. __orking on the speech doesn__ do anything.__hat...that was so sweet, I wanted to hug him tight, kiss him, too. __orking on your speech will make me smile, too.__is brows lifted and then he flipped his notebook closed. __ know what else will make you smile.___hat? You actually doing some homework?___ope._ He glanced at the door again and then rose. __ think me sitting closer to you will make you smile.__he boy knew me well.He took a step closer. __ think holding your hand will make you smile.__ straightened as I watched him.__nd I think..._ He sat on the edge of the bed and twisted his body toward mine. __ think kissing you will make you smile, too.

I ate lunch with Keira today. Second day in a row,_ I told him, then winced at how stupid that sounded.Rider__ grin turned into a full smile, transforming his handsome face into the kind of masculine beauty that was like a punch to the chest. __hat__ really good, Mallory._ His voice dropped as he reached over, curving his hand over my arm. There was a near electric rush from his touch. ____ proud of you. For real.__iddiness surrounded my heart as I stared at his large hand, darker than my own. He knew how big that was, and I didn__ feel so idiotic. He got it. He got me. And that meant the entire universe to me.

So how long do I have before__hat were their names? Carl and Rosa? Yeah, that__ them. How long do I have before they come back?___ don__ know. Maybe...maybe an hour or so?_ My hands felt incredibly small in his.That lopsided grin was back. __ doubt they__ be happy to find me here.___hy?__is brows rose. __aybe I__ wrong. They used to coming home to find some strange guy sitting on their couch?__ rolled my eyes.__hat__ it, isn__ it?_ Rider tugged on my hands, and I rose, letting him pull me down to the couch beside him. He leaned back, sliding one arm around my shoulders and tucking me against his side. __ust par for the course with you, huh?__ didn__ know what to do with my hands since he__ let go of them, so I folded them in my lap. ____e never had a...guy here.__ider stiffened and then he twisted his neck so he was looking at me.Did I seriously admit that out loud? Squeezing my eyes shut, I sighed. ____ just...going to shut up now.__e chuckled. __on__ do that. I like listening to you talk.