In This Moment (In Plain Sight Book 3) Read online

  He breathes in deeply and then lets it out. “Does that make sense? Am I insane?”

  Now I’m the one grinning. “No, I get it. Why haven’t we ever met before now?”

  “Probably because you were too busy to notice that kick ass soccer player with the great hair.”

  I elbow him in the ribs. “Yeah, right. You were probably too busy dating all kinds of hot girls to notice me.”

  “There’s a massive flaw in your logic,” he says. He reaches over and tucks my hair behind my ear, even though the wind from the beach will just knock it out again in a few minutes. “If I was dating hot girls, then I would have already dated you. So…flawed logic.”

  I snort. “Coming on strong with the compliments, eh?”

  He squeezes me closer to his chest. “I’ve got better ones than that.”

  I roll my eyes and look away, suddenly feeling very embarrassed. Unfortunately, that only encourages him.

  “Let’s see… You are definitely the hottest girl in the school.”

  “Lies!” I say.

  He talks over me, “You’ve got eyes the color of honey and I just want to look into them all damn night. You smell like a fucking angel. Also—yeah, that,” he says, nodding at me. “That smile. It’s adorable.”

  “Okay, okay,” I say, holding up my hands. “You’ve proven that you can sling around some compliments. I don’t need to hear anymore.”

  “They’re all true,” he says. “And trust me, I could still go on.”

  I fold my arms over my chest and give him a disbelieving look. “All of those compliments could have been used on any girl. Don’t ruin this awesome night by busting out your Casanova moves on me. Just be yourself.”

  “I am being myself, Clarissa.” His voice is a touch deeper as he leans over, his lips brushing against mine while he whispers, “You’ve been teasing me with that bare collarbone all night, so much that I’m surprised I haven’t spontaneously combusted yet.”

  “Wait, what?”

  I look down. My shirt has a loose neck that’s supposed to slouch down over one shoulder. I wore it tonight because the long sleeves would keep me warm without a jacket.

  “I didn’t know collar bones were sexy,” I say, absentmindedly touching mine. “I mean, boobs, yeah. Obviously. But a bone in your shoulder?”

  “Totally, unbelievably hot,” he says.

  I give him a look. I know he’s trying to pull out the big guns with his compliments, but I’m not buying it.

  He lifts an eyebrow. “Don’t believe me?”

  I shake my head.

  With one arm still around my shoulders, his other hand brushes my hair to one side. His eyes pour into mine as he leans closer, and then dips his head into the crook of my neck. I go completely still. I can feel his breath on my skin, hear my heart beat in my head.

  Gavin’s warm lips press to my collarbone in a slow, seductive kiss. I close my eyes as his fingers slide across my shoulder, his rough skin sending goosebumps down my chest. He kisses a trail from my shoulder up to my neck, keeping his movements slow, sensual in a way that makes me stop breathing.

  I’m not ready for this to end, but he pulls away, making me whimper in the back of my throat.

  “Told you,” he whispers into my ear.

  “Holy hell,” I breathe. Every nerve in my body is on fire, and it’s going to take me a minute to get back to normal. But deep down, I don’t want to go back to normal. I want him to wrap me back up in his arms and do that again.

  After gazing out at the ocean quietly for a while, Gavin reaches over and grabs my leg. In one smooth motion, he pulls my knees across his legs, and then suddenly I’m sitting in his lap.

  How the hell did he do that?

  I wrap an arm around his neck for stability, and keep the other one in my lap, even though I really want to run it down his chest. When I’d poked him in the stomach earlier, all I’d felt was hard, smooth muscle. I want to know if the rest of him feels that way, too.

  “I think there’s enough room on this bench for both of us,” I say playfully.

  “I like this way better.” His hand slides down my thigh, sending a shiver down to my toes. His eyes widen. “I mean, if you don’t like this, we don’t have to—”

  I shake my head. “It’s fine.”

  He looks relieved. “You just tell me if I’m moving too fast. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

  I know some guys say that shit, but right now with Gavin, it looks like he actually believes it. My heart warms a little more for him. And now I think I’m definitely in danger of falling for this guy. Like—hard. Head over heels, swoony-eye emoji, grinning all day, kind of falling.

  “Thank you for this date,” I say, still holding back on the desire to run my hand across his chest.

  “It’s after ten on a school night,” he says with a frown. “I should probably get you back home.”

  I nod, knowing my mom and grandpa are asleep and probably won’t even care what time I’m back. But deep down I know I need to maintain a little mystery, be a little inaccessible. If I want him to keep liking me, I can’t become clingy.

  And I definitely want him to keep liking me.

  Before I know it, we’re in my driveway, and Gavin is walking me up to the door.

  “You’re a real gentleman,” I say, batting my eyelashes at him. “Walking me to the door and everything.”

  “I’m just making sure you get home safely. For all I know, a murderer could be hiding in those bushes.” He points to the mostly dead bush by our front door. The summer heat wave didn’t leave many of our plants alive.

  I laugh. “Well, thank you for keeping the murderers away.”

  I know what comes next—the awkward goodbye after a first date. I had this with Shawn, too, and he ended up pulling me in for a quick hug and then jogging back to his truck. Eventually, things got more normal for us, but the awkward first date phase is the worst.

  Gavin takes my fingertips in his, our hands just barely touching as we stand here in the dark, facing each other. “I want to kiss you,” he says softly.

  “Why?” I ask. He lifts an eyebrow, and I realize I sounded kind of harsh. I let my shoulders fall. “I mean… why do you want to? Because it’s a first date and it’s like, tradition? Or—”

  “Because you’re amazing in every way,” he says, cutting me off. He takes a step closer and releases my fingers, then cups my face in his hands. “Because ever since you knocked my feet off your chair, I’ve been totally stuck on you, wanting you to like me. I felt like I had to win you over, and now it feels like I might actually have a chance.” His hands slide down to my shoulders. “I’m crazy about you, Clarissa. That’s why.” His tongue flicks across his bottom lip and he smiles at me. “But I can take my time. If you don’t want to, that’s fine with me.”

  I draw in a ragged breath. That little monologue of his has awaken something inside of me. This passionate, aching, hungry part of me that I don’t think has ever been awake until now. I peer up at him, silently thanking the Universe for making him taller than I am, for letting me bask in this moment like a normal girl who isn’t freakishly tall.

  “It’s just that first kisses are kind of a big moment.”

  “Is this moment big enough?” he asks softly. “I can come back on horseback, with flowers. A thousand flowers.”

  I chuckle and press my hands on his chest. “I don’t need pomp and circumstance,” I say playfully. “I just need—I don’t know—honesty.”

  “You are honestly the best thing in my life right now,” Gavin whispers, lowering his forehead to mine.

  “So do it,” I whisper back. “Kiss me.”

  And he does. Without hesitation, Gavin takes me into his arms and pulls me into him. Our lips press together, packed with all the anticipation of this whole night. I forget to breathe at first, all these thoughts of technique and skill making me nervous. I want him to like me and I want him to like kissing me.

  But Gavin knows what
he’s doing. His lips move over mine in ways that send heat coursing through my body. His lips part slightly, so I part mine, and then his head tilts and he’s kissing me gently, like he did to my collarbone. It drives me crazy. I bury my hands into his short hair, tugging him down closer to me.

  He deepens the kiss, and my knees nearly go out when his tongue flicks across my bottom lip. But he’s holding onto me tightly, his strong arms keeping me pressed against him.

  When we finally break apart, I am out of breath, and my lips are tingling. Gavin’s cute smile reaches his eyes. “Goodnight,” he whispers.

  “Goodnight,” I say back. He steps backward while I slip into my house, and as I close the door, I’m only thinking one thing.

  His chest does feel as amazing as I thought it would.

  Chapter 12

  I’m completely exhausted when I wake up the next morning, but I couldn’t be happier. Coach can make us do drills for twelve hours straight, and nothing will take away the thrill of meeting Clarissa.

  I lay in bed for way too long, reliving our perfect first date together. I can still feel her lips, taste her lip gloss, and remember the smell of her when I held her close to me.

  This is the start of something amazing. I can feel it.

  Mom’s made scrambled eggs this morning, and I scarf them down quickly and then give her a hug, which seems to surprise her. But I can’t help myself, I am in a fantastic mood.

  At school, I take the first parking spot I find, and then I rush into the building. I should have thought ahead and asked Clarissa if I could drive her to school. She lives just a few blocks down from me, so it would be no trouble at all, and it’d mean I get to spend even more time with her.

  But for now, my mission will be seeing if she’ll let me eat lunch with her and her friends. It dawns on me that I haven’t even told the guys that I’ve got a new girl yet. Oh well, they don’t need to know. They’d only make crass comments like they do with every girl I date. For now, this epic new beginning with the girl of my dreams is just between us. And I like it.

  Clarissa isn’t in her desk when I get to homeroom. I keep my eyes on the door, waiting for her to come inside, but soon the bell rings and she’s still missing.

  I take out my phone to text her but the teacher clears her throat. “No phones in class.”

  With a groan, I slide my phone back in my pocket. The announcements come on, and I’m still glancing at the door, wondering if she’s just late.

  And then the teacher’s office phone rings. “Mr. Voss?” she says, catching me off guard. “You’re wanted in the office.”

  I grab my bag and notice TJ glaring at me as I walk past him. He’s an idiot, though. If they’d actually caught us, they’d be calling him too. Who knows what this is about.

  The office secretary tells me to head down to Principal Walsh’s office. My heartbeat picks up pace because usually a visit to the principal is not a good thing.

  My heart nearly stops when I enter the room and see Clarissa sitting there as well. Relief pours over me once I know she’s here at school and not home sick, or worse—avoiding me. She looks surprised when she sees me, but then her lips tip into a sheepish smile. I wink at her.

  “Have a seat,” Principal Walsh says, pointing to the chair next to Clarissa. To her, he says, “It looks like Linda isn’t in town. She’s asked me to relay the information to you and you make the final call.”

  “Okay,” Clarissa says, her voice sounding a little choked. She looks over at me.

  I have no idea who Linda is, or why the two of us are called into the principal’s office. It’s not like making out on a girl’s porch is against school rules. It has nothing to do with the school.

  Principal Walsh laces his fingers together on top of his desk, and he focuses his gaze on me. “Gavin, you’re a member of the junior’s soccer team?”

  “Yes.” I’m barely able to hear myself talk over the sound of my own heart. Please, God, don’t let this be what I think it is. Not here. Not in front of Clarissa.

  The principal clears his throat. “I know it was you, Gavin. You destroyed the greenhouse.”

  Silence pierces through the room. I glance over at Clarissa, but she’s staring straight ahead, unmoving, and her jaw set.

  “I don’t understand,” I begin, trying like crazy to think up a good excuse. A reason, an explanation. She can’t hear this. Not here, not now. Not this way.

  “I think you do understand, Mr. Voss. We have video evidence that two soccer players wearing the hoodie that only the junior team has are the culprits in this vandalism case. After tireless inquiries, we have discovered that every other member of the team has an alibi for where they were that night. Everyone except you.”

  “You didn’t even ask me for an alibi!” I say, suddenly feeling so left in the dark. They’ve been questioning my teammates this whole time and no one told me? What about TJ? He shouldn’t have an alibi.

  “We also received three anonymous tips that name you as the culprit. One even said you were heard bragging about giving your extra hoodie to a friend to wear that night.”

  My mouth falls open. Of all the truth in this, that I did the vandalism, this is covered in lies.

  Clarissa still hasn’t said a word. I don’t even think she’s moved.

  “There is no point in denying it, Mr. Voss. I measured the height of the one remaining wall of that greenhouse. Six foot six inches. On the video, you can be seen standing right next to it. You are the only member of the soccer team who is nearly that height.” His voice gets higher with each word he says. “Are you really going to sit here and deny something that we both know is true?”

  Fear crashes into me. I am not afraid of the principal or the soccer coach. But I am afraid of one thing.

  “Please don’t tell my parents.” My hands shake with the mere thought of what my dad would do if he knew. “Please—I—my dad, he can’t find out. I’ll do anything.”

  “Perhaps you should have thought of the consequences when you were committing the vandalism, Mr. Voss. You are still a minor, and alerting your parents is the next thing on my list.”

  “Please don’t!” I’m begging. Crumbling in front of the girl I care about. I take a deep breath. “I’ll do anything. I can pay to have it fixed. I’ll do community service. Anything, please. You can’t tell them. Or tell my mom if you have to, but not my dad. Please, sir.”

  Principal Walsh gives me a curious look.

  For the first time since I got here, Clarissa speaks up. “Don’t tell his parents,” she says, her voice sounding resigned.

  I look over gratefully at her, pleading with my eyes for her to forgive me. She looks away.

  “Very well,” Principal Walsh says with a heavy sigh. “I won’t tell your parents at this moment. However, you will pay for the cost of rebuilding the greenhouse.”

  “Yes,” I say. “Of course.”

  He goes on, “You will help Mrs. Vale rebuild the greenhouse.”

  “I’ll be happy to.”

  She scowls.

  Principal Walsh continues, “And you are kicked off the soccer team.”

  The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Soccer has been my one constant since I was five years old. It’s where my heart is. Where my friends are. It’s the sole source of every friendship I have, both on the team and off it. I am a soccer player. That’s who I am.

  But the other option is impossible. I lower my head and swallow the lump in my throat. “Yes, sir.”

  “If you make good on your promise to fix the greenhouse, then I see no reason why your parents will need to be contacted. However, should they inquire about why you’re off the team—”

  “They won’t,” I say, trying not to snort sarcastically. “They don’t care what I do in school.”

  He nods once. “I will let Linda Bradley know that you’ve agreed to fix what you’ve done. You’re lucky that she doesn’t want to press charges, son. I hope you’ll learn a lesson from this.”


  “I have,” I say, glancing at Clarissa again, but she’s pretending I don’t exist. “I swear I’ll never do anything like that again.”

  “Good. You’re dismissed.”

  Clarissa bolts out of her chair and slips out of the office before I can even catch my breath.

  “Thank you,” I tell the principal and then I grab my backpack and rush after her. She’s already out of the main office and down the hallway, walking like she’s afraid a monster is chasing her.

  Is that what I am?

  I can’t be. I’m a good guy. I made a mistake.

  I lied to her. But that won’t happen again.

  “Clarissa!” I call out, jogging to catch up with her. “Hey. Wait, please.”

  She clenches her jaw but she keeps walking, even with me by her side. I was worried she might actually run away from me.

  “Please,” I say, touching her shoulder.

  “Don’t touch me.” Her words are venom, and I yank my hand away.

  “Clarissa, please. Let me explain.”

  “There is nothing to explain,” she says, stopping quickly. She meets my gaze, and her eyes are hard, angry, and nothing like they were last night. “You lied to me.”

  I go to say something but she holds up a hand, stopping me. “Don’t talk to me. I will get you a list of supplies for my greenhouse and then we are never speaking again.”

  She turns and storms off, leaving me right where I belong. Alone, with my mouth open like the asshole that I am.

  *

  Thursdays are always busy at Magic Mark’s Pizza. Sometimes they’re even busier than the weekend, and no one knows why. It’s just a pizza phenomenon I suppose. I keep my truck running as I head inside and grab the next delivery order. Then I rush out to my truck and take it to its destination.

  The night goes on, and all I do is focus on work. If I let my mind wander even a little, I feel my heart tear to shreds. I fucking hate myself.

  I want to call TJ and ask him what the fuck is going on. Why I got busted, and why he supposedly has an alibi. But if I talk to him now, I’ll probably explode. So for now, I focus on the pizza.