The Dating Tutor: Alec's Story Page 9

  Alec’s brows rose at this. Normally, he tried to stay out of Kara’s busy social life, but even he knew how gaga she was over the football player she’d been dating the past few months. They’d heard little of anything else lately. “I figured you’d be all over the idea of prom. You aren’t going with Tom?”

  “Tom and I broke up,” Kara said sharply. Angrily, she flicked at a straw wrapper on the table. “Apparently calling his sister a sleazy bitch was something he didn’t find very funny.”

  “You’re entitled to your opinion,” Alec responded lightly.

  “Yeah, well…” Kara cringed. “I shared it in front of her and the entire football team. They’ve been ragging him since.”

  “Ouch.”

  She nodded. “Yeah.” Her dejected expression let on to just how much she regretted the fall out with Tom. She’d been head over heels for him.

  As Alec watched her take a sip of her Coke, an idea began forming in his mind. It was awful, but yet in a way, it was perfect. “Why don’t we go?” he suggested.

  Kara looked up from her drink. “Go where?”

  “To prom.”

  She gave a sputtering laugh and shook her head. “Us? To prom? Have you lost your mind?”

  Alec waved this off. “Not as a real date. I just meant we should go together so I can keep an eye on Ellie.”

  She gave him a dry look. “As grateful as I am to be used as a means for you to make it through the doorway—”

  “Come on, Kara,” he wheedled. “It could be fun.”

  “Oh. Could be.” She rolled her eyes. “If you’re trying to convince me, you’ve failed.”

  He sighed and leaned forward to fully get her attention. “We’re friends. We’ll have a good time without there being any romantic pressure. Besides, Tom might be there. Don’t you want to keep an eye on him?”

  Kara frowned. “You have my attention.”

  Matt rolled his eyes at this unfolding development, but other than that, he looked rather bored by their scheme.

  Alec grinned. He knew he had her. It might have been low to use Tom as a means to get what he wanted, but it was too late to take it back. “We’ll keep each other company, and hopefully we’ll even have a decent night.”

  With a huff, she threw up her hands in defeat. “Fine. I’ll go.” She narrowed her eyes at him and pointed an accusing finger in his direction. “But if you so much as think about trying to kiss me, I’ll clock you. Understood?”

  Alec chuckled, bobbing his head in agreement. Both of their hearts were obviously in other places. Kissing was not an option. “Promise.” He only hoped they would eventually be able to figure things out with the people whose affection they sought. He and Kara both deserved as much. Man, high school could be a bitch.

  Chapter Eleven

  Every muscle in his body ached. Alec had just gotten finished with one of the most grueling practices of his life. The coach had pushed them all hard, but Alec had gotten the worst of it. Seeing as he would be missing two games due to his suspension, Grimmly wanted to make sure he stayed in top condition. That meant extra duties and extra laps around the high school’s track once everyone else had finished and gone home.

  He’d been so tired once he finished that even the steaming hot water of the school’s showers hadn’t been much relief. All he wanted to do was fall into bed and sleep until morning.

  “Alec? Alec, is that you?” His father’s unmistakably drunken voice called out from the living room. There was the clatter of something falling, and a moment later, Jerich stumbled out into the hall. “Alec, I’m so glad you’re home.”

  Alec stared at the mess of a man who doubled as his guardian. He did not have the energy for this. He didn’t have the patience anymore. “Why?” he asked guardedly. When his father got like this, there was never anything positive to take away from conversations. It was always painful and torturous.

  Jerich held up a framed picture of his deceased wife. Alec’s mother. He waved it in the air, his hands clutching the wooden casing so tightly his knuckles were white. “I found this wedged between the entertainment system and the wall. I’d just wanted to hook up that new DVD player I bought a few months ago. I didn’t… I never wanted to…” A sob escaped him that he quickly forced down and turned into anger. “Why is this even around? What have I told you about—”

  “Enough, dad!” The hollered words escaped Alec before he could stop them. All of the pent up frustration and agony over his father’s drinking, the situation with Ellie, his hockey suspension, and the misery of losing his mother all came pouring out in that one screamed sentence. He hadn’t referred to Jerich as ‘dad’ in years, and it obviously startled his father, because Jerich fell silent and simply blinked at his son in astonishment.

  “You can’t keep doing this,” Alec yelled miserably. His voice cracked on the last word, and he hated himself for it. He’d always been so careful to keep Jerich from knowing how much his words hurt. “It’s not normal, and it’s certainly not functional.” He waved a hand at the picture his father held. “I get that you miss her. I do. But…” His dark eyes searched his father’s face, truly wondering the answer to the question he was about to ask. “Do you get that I miss her, too?”

  A memory flashed in his mind of his mother, of the last time he’d seen her. The image was getting fainter as the years passed. He could barely remember her face, her voice. All he could remember was this. “I needed you, dad. And you weren’t there. You were never there!”

  At his screamed proclamation, a sob burst from his throat. He could feel the tears forcing their way past his eyelashes as they spilled onto his cheeks. He wasn’t sure he’d cried over the loss of his mother in front of Jerich since the funeral. He’d always held it in. His father’s pain had always been more overwhelming than his own. “I dealt with it alone, because you couldn’t handle your own pain. It wasn’t fair. Still isn’t.”

  Through his tears, he could see the horror on his father’s face. Had Jerich really not realized how much his drinking had affected their lives, how awful it had made things? For both of them? Had he not realized how messed up he’d allowed their family life to become?

  “You’re right,” Jerich said softly. “I wasn’t there.” The picture dropped from his fingertips to the floor, and he ran his hands over his face. His words, which had been slurred only moments before, now came out alert and mournful. It was as if his son’s accusations had lent a sobering effect. “I was selfish,” he continued. “So selfish. I never stepped back and realized that you were hurting, too.”

  “You’ve got to be better,” Alec demanded tearfully. “I need you to be better.”

  Jerich’s eyes filled with a determination Alec hadn’t seen in years, not since his father had been out on the ice playing professionally. “I’m going to get better,” Jerich promised. “Starting this moment.”

  Moving forward, he grabbed Alec and pulled him into a hug. “I promise you, things are going to change. First thing tomorrow morning, I’m going to see a therapist. I’ll start AA.” He pulled back from the hug to look down at his son. “But tonight, I start where I can. I’m dumping every bottle down the drain. Every last one.”

  He scooped the picture up from where it had fallen onto the carpet. “And these pictures go back up. All of them.” A tear traced its way down his cheek. “I shouldn’t have been hiding these pictures. I don’t want you to forget your mother, Alec. I never stopped to realize how my actions might affect you. Her pictures deserve to be up on our walls. She was a wonderful woman, and she loved you. Very much.”

  Standing, he reached out and hooked the picture onto a nail on the wall. He straightened it, making sure it was secure in its place. “Can you give an old man another shot?” he asked beseechingly.

  Alec stood almost numbly in place. This was more than he and his father had talked about his mom in years. It was normally a subject best avoided. Tearfully, he bobbed his head. “Yeah, dad,” he whispered. “Yeah. I’m willing to g
ive things another shot.”

  “Good.” Jerich reached out and squeezed his son’s shoulder. “Now you get upstairs and get to bed. I’m going to…well, I’m going to confront some of my demons. When you get up tomorrow, this house will be changed, physically and mentally. I swear it.”

  Swiping at his tears, Alec bobbed his head. He brought a hand up and clasped his father’s before turning and heading up the stairs to his room.

  Once inside, he found his emotions warring with one another. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to cry or laugh. He hadn’t thought he would ever get through to his dad and finally doing so had been emotionally draining.

  Stripping out of his clothing, he distracted his thoughts by changing into a fresh pair of boxers and a plain white t-shirt. Slipping into bed, he stared up at the ceiling. He tried to sleep, but after a half hour, he realized he was too wired to do so. He could hear the clink of bottles downstairs and envisioned Jerich pouring his stash down the drain. Listening seemed like an invasion of privacy.

  Sighing, Alec turned on his side and tossed an arm over his ear, but he could still hear the din from the floor below. Finally, he climbed to his feet and tiptoed over to the window. He would go to Ellie’s for the night. He would allow his father the solitude he needed to deal with a painful situation.

  Not even bothering with shoes, Alec slipped out the window and raced across the lawn. He was easing Ellie’s window open and slipping inside within the minute. He was so cold from his dash across the lawns that he didn’t even hesitate before hopping into the bed beside her when she scooted over and made room for him.

  As he lay shivering next to her, Ellie spoke with amusement in her voice. “Cold?”

  “Very.” With another shiver, he slid his hand toward her. “Feel.” He brushed his fingers against the exposed skin at the back of her neck, laughing when she gave a squeal of disapproval.

  “Alec! You’re freezing. Stop that!”

  He laughed and scooted closer. “But you’re so warm! Come on. Be nice. I raced through the cold to get here.” His arm wrapped around her shoulder, and he hugged himself to her back, allowing some of her warmth to seep into his shirt.

  She inhaled sharply with a jerk, he presumed at the sudden invasion of coldness. Then she squirmed against him as if to get away from the chill he’d brought into the bed with him.

  Snorting with amusement, he wrapped his hands around her wrists so she could feel just how cold his fingers were. Playing hockey as much as he did, he was used to the cold. He was accustomed to being out on the ice for hours at a time. Ellie, though? Ellie liked her warmth…which was why he had to torment her. That’s what best friends were for.

  Ellie gave another sound of protest. “Stop,” she begged on a laughed, wiggling again.

  “Okay. Okay.” He supposed he’d tortured her enough. Giving in, Alec became still. His grip relaxed on her wrists, and he no longer fought to touch her with his icy hands. He merely lay still in the bed, allowing the blankets to warm him up.

  It was only then that he realized their close proximity. Any other time he’d crawled into her bed, they never touched. It wasn’t because they were nervous or afraid. It was just that there’d been no reason to before. They’d gone to sleep and that was that. Now…

  Now was a completely different situation. The sexual tension lingered in the air, enveloping them in a bubble of unvoiced emotions and passions. As silence settled over them, Alec let his fingers trail along her arm until his hand came to rest on her hip. He froze there, afraid to do anything more.

  They lay in silence for a moment, wrapped up more like lovers than friends. It was Ellie who finally moved. She rolled onto her back to gaze up at him. “Kiss me,” she requested.

  Her simple invitation hit him like a shot to the gut. It was so unexpected, so intimate. He pulled back to look at her, afraid to hope that she might want him just as much as he wanted her right now. “Why?” he asked on a whisper.

  She gazed up at him for a moment, her green eyes locked onto his. She gave him that moment to hope before her cruel response filled the air between them. “For practice. You promised to help me some more.”

  His heart sank. It felt as if she’d just jammed a knife into his chest. He tried to keep the injured expression from showing on his face, but he knew he failed. How could she not notice how much she was hurting him?

  Seemingly oblivious to this, she asked, “So what do you say? No better time to practice than now. Right?”

  Alec paused. He wasn’t sure of what he should do anymore. He wasn’t sure of her; he wasn’t sure of anything. But if she didn’t give a shit, then why should he? “Yeah. Sure. Why not?” With that, his eyes lowered to her lips. He was close enough that all he had to do was lean down to place their lips mere inches apart.

  He hesitated only a moment more before pressing his mouth gently against hers. Instantly, his entire body jolted to life. Her lips were so soft and warm that they instilled him with a sense of security. He was alert, yet completely at ease.

  With a soft sigh of pleasure, she opened her mouth under his and brought her hand up to the back of his neck. Her fingers slid through his hair, tangling in locks still wet from his shower at the school.

  What had started out very gentle and tentative quickly became heated. Alec’s tongue dipped into her mouth as his hand caressed her hip through the thin material of her pajamas. He pulled her closer, his body shifting so that he was half on top of her. He could taste the minty flavor of her toothpaste, and it filled his mouth with a sensual coolness.

  As the fingers of her free hand trailed lightly along his waist, she shifted her hips to press them against his.

  Alec groaned at the erotic contact and deepened the kiss even further. His mouth pressed against hers with bruising force, his much larger body pressing her down into the mattress.

  With tentative fingers, Ellie eased her hand under his shirt. When her fingers made initial contact with his skin, Alec jumped with a startled gasp. The muscles of his stomach bunched with pleasure, and a shudder of arousal swept through him. He’d never been so turned on by a simple touch before in his life.

  She let out a breathless laugh against his mouth and playfully inched her fingers along the planes of his abdomen. “Ticklish?”

  “Very,” he said on a groan.

  As she giggled, her hand continued upward to caress along his pectoral muscles. When her fingers swept over a rough ridge of skin, she gave a small sound of surprise. Pulling her mouth slightly away from him, she said, “That’s the scar where you fell on our fence a couple years ago.”

  He’d been hopping over the metal fence that surrounded her backyard when his shoelace got caught. He’d fallen chest first on a jagged piece of metal at the top that tore into his skin deep enough to leave a scar. “Yeah,” he said distractedly. His mouth shifted to her jaw and he pressed a kiss just underneath her ear. He couldn’t imagine where she was going with this comment and couldn’t find the will to concentrate on anything other than the taste of her skin.

  Her hand skimmed down his chest, along his abdomen, until she came to a scar on his hip. “This is where you took a hockey skate to the side. You had everyone so worried.” Her fingers traveled along the bumpy ridge of scar tissue as she spoke.

  “Mmm-hmm…”

  When his mouth returned to hers, she kissed him hard. As their tongues fought for dominance, her hand moved to his newest injury - the gash over his eyebrow. Her fingers travelled gently along the tender skin. “The hockey game…”

  What she was doing finally filtered past his hormone-driven actions. She was cataloguing his injuries, pointing out just how well she knew his body. This was somehow more intimate than the kisses they were sharing. She knew every inch of him, every story behind his scars.

  Alec suddenly wrenched his mouth away from hers and sat up on his knees. Horror filled him as the full weight of their actions began to sink in. This was not something friends should be doing. This sort of thin
g had the makings to ruin their friendship. “This is wrong.” He shook his head and slowly backed off of the bed. “This is so, so wrong.”

  He could see the panic in her eyes as she sat up. “What…what’s wrong?” She took a deep, shaky breath that was followed by a ragged exhale.

  “This.” He waved a hand between them, feeling disgusted with himself. “What are we doing?”

  “We’re…we’re…” Ellie trailed off as if at a loss for words.

  Surely, she understood how wrong this was now that he’d pointed it out. They couldn’t keep doing this. It would destroy everything they’d built over the years. He couldn’t afford to lose her completely. Her friendship meant too much to him. “This isn’t right,” Alec said with a harsh sound of frustration. “You’re someone else’s girlfriend.” He shook his head as just how messed up the situation was became clear. “You should have stopped this long before now. How long are you going to let this go, Ellie? You gonna ask me to take your virginity, too? Just so you know what you’re doing? How inappropriate are you going to let this get? I’m your best friend for God’s sake, not a…a…a booty call.”

  He backed away from her, moving toward the window. He had to get out of here. He had to go home. He needed to reassess this entire situation. “How do you think Jake would feel if he knew what we were doing? You think he’d be okay with me lying in bed with you, with your hands exploring my bare chest?”

  She stared at him in silence, her mouth gaping with distress.

  That silence seemed to stretch forever. He kept waiting for her to make it right, kept waiting for her to make sense of this whole thing, but she didn’t. She just continued to gape at him as if words had escaped her.

  Her quiet made him wonder if it was already too late. Had he crossed an invisible barrier with her that was impossible to take back? The thought scared him. Just when he felt his family life was getting on track, things with her had exploded. It was like he wasn’t allowed to be happy, to live without tricky complications.