Bad Boys & True Love

“So how do you two know each other?” Natalia intervened. She leaned on her elbow and angled her body towards him, batting her eyelashes at him. I chewed on my bottom lip.

“We’re neighbors,” he said with a smile. “I moved here when I was fourteen.”

I grinned back at him. Never in a million years would I have imagined sitting at Tony’s and talking casually with him. I thought it would be more likely that I’d been a witch my whole life and my mom had stolen my acceptance letter to Hogwarts when I was eleven.

Yikes—Harry Potter nerd moment.

We all talked happily while I was just thrilled to be included. Even when my eyelids felt heavy I didn’t want to leave. Too bad Sean noticed.

“You’re tired,” he stated.

I shook my head, feeling sleepier by the minute. Sean ignored me and slid out of the booth, much to Natalia and Abby’s chagrin. “I’m not leaving,” I protested wearily.

“Say bye to your friends,” Sean said teasingly. I stuck my tongue out at him. He grabbed my hand in response and tugged me up. “C’mon. It’s almost ten and I bet you’ve had a long day.”

“Aw,” I heard Christina coo from where her head was comfortably resting on Mike’s shoulder. I wanted to glare at her, but I yawned instead.

“Fine,” I pouted. He led me out of Tony’s, still holding onto my hand. I couldn’t help but lean against him and we walked towards his Mustang. “I’m tired,” I admitted.

Sean grinned cheekily. “Yeah, I noticed.” We reached it and he opened the door for me. “Get in and try not to pass out.”

“You try not to pass out,” I retorted stupidly.

He laughed and closed the car door behind me after I jumped in then walked to his side. When he got in and started the car, his radio started blaring rock at an earsplitting volume. I clamped my hands over my ears instinctively and watched him turn the radio off. His cheeks were a bright red. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I gave my friend a ride here.”

I giggled. My eyes felt like weights and I struggled to keep them open. I wanted to enjoy riding in his car—not falling asleep in it. With the darkness and soft silence, I thought I’d fall into a coma.

“Thanks for this,” I mumbled and watched him drive.

His lips curved into a smile. “Anything for my little neighbor.”

“Ugh,” I heard myself groaning. That was totally unsexy. And it made me feel like his little sister—a feeling I didn’t welcome. I was madly jealous of Megan Walters and her fake boobs.

“What?”

I sighed and closed my eyes. “Nothing… I’m just tired, you know.”

He stayed quiet and let me fall asleep. I dozed off in seconds.

*

“Hey,” someone mumbled and then prodded me. I groaned and rolled away. I didn’t like being touched when I wanted to sleep. I was so comfy… “Get up, Stella, c’mon.”

Shuttttt uppppppp.

The person sighed and then it felt like only a second later when someone opened the door I’d been laying on and I almost fell face-first into the driveway of the Winters’s house.

“Fuck!” I squealed in surprise, waking up instantly.

Sean caught me before I crashed and picked me up, carrying me bridal-style. I looked up at him. My vision was still blurry—but he was still hot. I smiled and might have accidentally purred as I snuggled into his chest. He was warm and soft. “Why am I so sleepy?” I mumbled. “Did you drug me, Sean?” Then I started laughing hysterically like it was the funniest thing I’d ever said.

“Even if I did, I would have learned my lesson,” he replied.

“Ouch. That hurt, Sean-y.”

He crinkled his nose at the pet name. Well, it sounded adorable to me. Whatever.

Sean cut across to my house. He stopped at the door and then looked at me. I felt it coming and quickly pretended to be asleep again. I didn’t want to leave his arms; they were too comfortable. It took him a moment to ring the doorbell with me in his arms, but it managed.

Mom answered and I cracked my eyes opened just slightly and saw that she was in her robe and out of her makeup. How late was it?

“Sean,” she breathed, “thank you, sweetheart. She didn’t call.”

“No problem, Mrs. Preston. Do you want me to carry her to her room? She pretty much passed out on the ride here.”

I had to use a great deal of willpower to not crack a smile. The only thing that could make this moment better would be if Sean confessed his feelings about me to my mother while I faked a slumber and overheard everything. Sigh.

Mom sighed heavily. “That’d be great, Sean. I really appreciate this.”

“Anytime, Mrs. Preston.”

“Sweetheart, you can call me Virginia,” she replied, to which he said, “Yes, ma’am.”

Sean carried me upstairs, barely jostling me, and I felt like I was a princess being rescued from some scary-ass dragon. I buried my face in his cotton shirt. He smelled like…rainbows.

He reached my bedroom. When he approached my bed, I contemplated clinging on to him so he’d be forced to bring me home with him…but then I realized it probably wouldn’t work out that way. I let him lie me down. Since I hadn’t made my bed this morning, my covers were kicked down by my feet. He graciously pulled them up to my bellybutton.

I should fake-sleep more often.

“Night, Stells,” he whispered. A thrill ran down my back at him saying my name so tenderly. I wanted to open my eyes and see his lips caress it.

I felt something brush against my forehead and then the creak of his footsteps leaving my room. My eyes snapped open just in time to see him walk away.