CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“SO THAT’S REALLY WHAT YOU WEAR?” CHRISTIAN asked, grinning as I approached his car. It was nice out tonight. Warm, clear. It was comfortable. The wind blew through my hair, whipping it out behind me as Christian held the door open.
“Well, we are undercover,” I said, climbing in the passenger seat. “You should have tried a disguise maybe.” Although he did look nice. Light blue sweater, khakis, very sexy cologne. I, on the other hand, was wearing my black turtleneck and leggings, along with a black down vest that I had lined with pockets to hold wiretaps and handheld audio equipment.
Christian laughed and closed my door softly before walking around his Honda. It was odd being in his car again. Almost familiar. Hm. I didn’t want any of this to be familiar. No. I wanted it to be decidedly unfamiliar. In fact, I was going to end this little adventure tonight. I would tell Christian that this was it. Over. Finished.
I was going to call his bluff.
The driver’s side door opened, and Christian smiled as he got in, glancing over my body as he did so. He may not have thought I noticed, but my peripheral vision had gotten very good. And he was checking out my C cups. Totally inappropriate.
“Well,” he said, starting the car. “Even though you’re dressed like a bank robber, you’re still the cutest thing I’ve seen all day.”
I chewed on the corner of my lip, maybe blushing a little. “Thanks.”
I gazed out the window as he pulled onto the tree-lined street, wondering where Aiden was. Wondering if he was thinking about me.
“Oh, by the way,” Christian said, snapping his fingers like he’d just remembered something. “I talked to Kira earlier, told her that we had this assignment covered on our own.”
I gasped, swinging to face him. “You did what?” He wasn’t serious!
He smiled, shaking his head. “It’s not like this is a major mission, Tessa. I’m pretty sure we don’t need a chaperone. Unless you’re worried that you won’t be able to keep your hands to yourself.”
Candy canes and unicorns! Had he lost his mind? “Pull over,” I said. Obviously, he underestimated the damage a size-seven sneaker could inflict.
“Come on.” Christian was laughing. “I can’t even joke around with you?”
“No. Not on assignment.”
He straightened his mouth, trying to be serious. “You’re right,” he said. “I need to get my game face on. I’ll be good. Promise.” He crossed his heart.
I watched him for a minute, and he didn’t pull the car to the curb. “Okay,” I said. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
We were quiet as Christian continued to drive, bringing us toward the movie theater one town over. SOS had intercepted a call that Isaac Park was meeting a girl there tonight for the midnight showing. He thought he was crafty, but he had no idea that SOS had been on to him for days. And his girlfriend was a total sweetheart, too. Poor thing.
The parking lot was nearly deserted as we pulled in. Not many people went to a midnight movie during the week. Not wanting the car to get recognized, I had Christian park toward the back. After he turned it off, I took a minute to go through my backpack, making sure I had my camera with the night vision lens. Christian was smiling as he watched me twist on the cap.
“You couldn’t care less about the mission, could you?” I asked, sliding some of the pieces into the inside pockets of my vest. Theaters usually frowned at bringing in backpacks. He laughed. “Do you want the honest answer?”
I turned to him, not sure that I did. The streetlights filtered in, illuminating his face and throwing shadows over his eyes, making him look almost sinister.
“Check the time,” I said, feeling uneasiness creep over me. I didn’t want to be alone with him anymore. I wanted to hurry, and then go find Aiden.
Christian leaned his head back against the seat, staring at me. “We don’t have to go in,” he said quietly. He licked his lips, and I could see how hard he was trying to be smooth, suave. But he looked nervous.
My heart raced and I was completely uncomfortable. And yet there was a small part of me that was attracted to him. At least, to the attention from him. I’d been feeling so bad lately, so imperfect. And Christian was looking at me in that way—the way Aiden used to.
Christian’s hand moved from his lap and touched my fingers softly as they lay on the seat.
“Don’t,” I said quickly, moving my hand from under his. “You can’t touch me.”
He yanked his arm back, straightening up. “I’m sorry. I can’t help it sometimes. I find you fascinating.”
Was I a science experiment? Did he want to pin me down and dissect me?
I slid the camera into my purse and pushed the door open so hastily that I nearly fell out. I could barely catch my breath as I started speed walking across the parking lot barely able to catch my breath. Christian was immediately behind me.
“You’re freaked out, right?” he asked, sounding apologetic.
“No more talking,” I said. I didn’t care about the assignment anymore. I just wanted to get the pictures and leave.
We got inside the old-fashioned theater, and Christian rushed ahead to the glass-enclosed ticket booth. I let him buy the tickets as I scoped the scene.
“Do you want popcorn or a soda?” he asked as he came over to me, motioning toward the concessions. I curled my lip.
“Christian, this is absolutely not a date.”
“Right,” he said, smiling. “Forgot.”
I stared at him, not sure if I could trust him to stay undercover. We still had to find Isaac. It figured that he’d talked about seeing some horror movie. I hated them. I wasn’t easily scared, but I just felt so bad when people got murdered. It was gross.
Christian agreed to be quiet, but I couldn’t help but feel like he was mocking me. Like this was all just an excuse to be around me. I mean, I knew it was, but I also thought he wanted to help a little. It was pretty clear now that he didn’t.
We found theater eight, and not surprisingly, it was nearly empty. I let the door close, blocking out the harsh light of the hallway, and searched over the backs of heads. I found Isaac. He wasn’t really hard to spot. He wore his hair in a faux-hawk, not a huge one, but a short, brushed-up one. It was sort of cool. Very individualistic.
“They’re two rows up,” I whispered to Christian and glanced at the screen. It was opening with a murder. I sighed. So sad.
Christian nodded and took my arm, leading us to the back row. We got the corner seats, and I reached into my inside pocket. It struck me that this might just be my last SOS assignment. I swallowed hard, feeling a bit nostalgic. But then I thought of Aiden and how much more time I’d have for him. It calmed my nerves a little.
My camera was poised and ready, night scope on. I zoomed in. Isaac was whispering in the girl’s ear, looking sweet. It made my stomach turn. He’d been with his girlfriend, Angela, for close to a year. She was an absolute doll: perky and petite.
I used the camera to push in on the accomplice’s face. She was pretty enough—blond and busty. My eyes narrowed. She sort of reminded me of Chloe, but I tried to block that thought. The last thing I needed was to think of Chloe as an accomplice in a cheat. Because I knew exactly who she was after.
“Did you want me to move closer?” Christian whispered. He bent his head dangerously close to mine. His spearmint breath was hot on my cheek.
“Yeah,” I said, mainly to get some distance between me and his ridiculously attractive cologne. “Take the recorder and get some audio. I need to know what they’re talking about.”
I reached in my pocket and pulled out the mini-recorder, passing it to Christian. His fingers touched mine as he took it. I met his eyes.
Okay, so we were pretty close to each other’s mouths. His smelled like mint, mine, Jolly Ranchers. My breath was caught. He looked like he was about to kiss me. I didn’t move away.
He smiled. “Be right back. Get some good photos.” Then he winked and ducked down as he got up and crept down the aisle. I watched him, feeling my heart race.
Brooklyn Bridge! Would I have just let him kiss me? No. I … wasn’t attracted to him. I loved Aiden.
I shook my head and took aim at Isaac. He was a cheater. I’d never be like that. I wasn’t like that. Only, I found myself zooming in on Christian’s face… admiring it. Then, before I could begin any unwanted fantasy, I shut off the camera, got up, and walked out.
It took close to twenty minutes for Christian to meet me outside. He jogged up to the car as I leaned against it. I was chilled from the cooled air but thankful to now have my wits about me.
Christian stopped in front of me, panting. “What the hell, Tessa?” he said.
“Don’t say ”hell.’”
He stared at me for a minute, then, “Sorry. What in the h, e, double hockey sticks happened to you?” He grinned.
I couldn’t help but smile back. I liked the double hockey sticks thing. After an intense second of looking at each other, I exhaled and put my fists on my hips.
“I’m sorry, Christian,” I said. “But I can’t do this with you. And I’m done with SOS. I quit.” Wow. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever said the word quit in my life.
“You can’t,” he said. His eyes were wide. He took a step closer to me. He was now entirely too close.
“Tell everyone if you want,” I said, uncomfortable with his proximity. I didn’t care about SOS anymore. I needed to get my life back. Things had gotten too mixed up, and if the school hated me, fine. I couldn’t be perfect anymore. It was just too hard.
“Tessa,” Christian said softly, tilting his head. “I’m not going to tell anyone. I’m not trying to hurt you.”
My face was tingling. “Then what are you trying to do?”
Christian closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he focused on my mouth. “This,” he said, reaching out to put his palms on my cheeks, pulling me toward him. He pressed his lips to mine, forcefully, passionately.
And for a second, I stood there, shocked, stunned, guilty. His mouth felt so foreign to me that it was almost like they weren’t my lips he was sucking on. It was like an out-of-body experience. At least it was until he tried to put his tongue in my mouth.
“Stop,” I said, bringing up my hands to try to push him back. He was resistant at first, still going for it, so I pushed him hard enough to make him stumble. John Deere tractor! He’d just kissed me. He just… kissed me! “You’ve gone batty,” I shouted. “You can’t—”
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I couldn’t help it, Tess.” He licked his lips. Ew. Was he trying to still taste me? My stomach took a violent turn.
“I’m not going to tell Aiden about this,” I said, holding up my finger to him. “Because if I did, he would seriously cream you. But don’t effing touch me again. Got it?” The adrenaline pumping through my veins was making my entire body shake. And my mouth tasted like spearmint. Leaping lizards! I needed Aiden.
I turned around and yanked open the passenger door with a creak. I’d never kissed anyone other than Aiden. Ever. This had been a huge mistake. A big, ginormous mistake.
Christian ran around the car and got in, looking unsteady, sort of shaky. He should. He’d just assaulted my mouth with his. So what if his lips were pillowy soft? It was still wrong! He didn’t even ask.
We were silent as we drove back through the streets of Washington toward my house. I stared out the window, happy the night was over but worried about its consequences. Surely Christian would out the Smitten Kittens now.
After he’d turned on my street, Christian pulled into my driveway, bumping the curb on the way in. I looked over at him, not sure if he was mad or flustered. He killed the engine and turned to me, his eyes lowered.
“You were completely out of line,” I said. I should have slapped him. That’s what a real Smitten Kitten would have done.
“I know,” he said, his brows pulled together. “I’m really sorry. I promise it’ll never happen again.”
“It sure as heck won’t! Because we’ll never be alone together again. Understand?” This was the tone of voice I used when the Smitten Kittens were distracted while I was trying to teach a routine. I sounded very authoritative.
“So you’re not going to let me have my second mission?” he asked, sounding like a stubborn child.
Blazing saddles! Was he was serious? “Uh … no. You made it clear that it wasn’t the missions you were trying to accomplish. It was me.”
He tilted his head. “So? Is that wrong? Did you not like it at all?” Christian looked worried, and I appreciated his insecurity about his kiss. It was vulnerable, and I understood that. But it didn’t mean he could walk around putting his mouth on mine.
“I have a boyfriend. I do not want or enjoy anyone’s lips other than Aiden’s.”
“Does he follow that same philosophy?”
My heart stopped. “Excuse me?” I glanced toward my darkened house, feeling like that comment deserved a swift walkout and a car door slam, but I couldn’t really move.
“You don’t think your boyfriend kisses other girls?”
I glared at Christian and held up my hand for him to stop. “Zip your lip, buddy. Aiden doesn’t touch anyone but me!” I waited a second, feeling my nostrils flaring. How dare he? How flipping dare he?
Christian’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t open his mouth. Shoot, why would he? It wasn’t like he was trying to stick his tongue down my throat. He’d already done that. Jerk.
“Stay away from me,” I hissed, grabbing my backpack off the floor. I got out of his car and slammed the door as hard as I could. I smiled to myself, proud of my bravery, as I stomped toward my house. Then, just for good measure, I tossed my hair over my shoulder one last time before I went in.
Nobody was home. I noticed how Christian’s cologne seemed to be clinging to my clothes. I needed a shower and maybe some mouth rinse. But as I walked toward my bathroom, I grabbed my phone off the side table. No missed calls.
Oh, my. Aiden hadn’t called. Not since he’d hung up on me. I glanced at the clock, and it was late. But after my shower, I had one other mission. To make up with my boyfriend.
I paused at Aiden’s lattice, looking up at his window. Hm. It was closed. I couldn’t call the house, not without waking his mother. But I needed to see him. I needed to be with him.
My sneaker slid into the wood panels as I began to climb, fighting back my urge to cry. I just wanted my sweetie. I wanted to pull it together.
As I reached the top, I steadied myself and grasped the bottom of the window. Locked. I exhaled. I tapped my fingers on the glass. Why did I feel so nervous? Did… did I think someone was in there with him? The thought nearly made me lose my balance. Just then, the window slid open, startling me.
I screamed.
“Tessa?” Aiden asked, poking his head out the window and looking around. I was clutching the lattice, adrenaline pumping through me.
“You almost made me fall,” I whispered, trying to catch my breath.
Aiden scratched his head, staring at me, confused. Then he held out his hand. “Get in here,” he said. “You’re going to kill yourself.”
The minute my hand fit into his, I felt an immediate sense of relief wash over me. I let him help me inside his room. Once in, I watched as he reached behind me, closing his window. He wasn’t wearing a shirt. Kettle corn! The boy was half naked and looking fantastic.
I ran my hand over his stomach as he came to stand in front of me. He smiled softly, but his eyes were squinted, drowsy.
“Let’s go to bed,” he exhaled, taking my hand from his body and pulling me forward. But the minute he sat on his bed, I nearly jumped on top of him. I was on my knees next to him, covering his mouth with mine, tangling my fingers in his hair when he pulled back, breaking our kiss.
“Tess,” he whispered, his eyes still closed. I paused, looking down in his face. I didn’t understand.
“What?” I was panting, feeling desperate. Panicked.
“Baby,” he said, looking at me before taking me by the hips to sit me on his lap. He wrapped me up in his arms, holding me as he rested his chin on my shoulder. “I’m super-tired. It’s like two in the morning.”
“So?” When had the time of night ever affected my boyfriend’s stamina? Cheese and crackers! What was happening?
He chuckled. “Look, I’m glad you’re here. And I’m sorry we fought earlier. I want you to stay, baby. I’ve missed the shit out of you… .” His voice was raspy, sleepy. “But my mom’s home.” He collapsed back on his bed and then opened his arms for me to join him. I stretched out next to him as he snuggled up behind me, resting his mouth against the back of my neck. “She’s going out of town tomorrow,” he murmured, tickling my skin and sounding halfway to sleep. “We’ll be together then.”
I swallowed hard, not just because I had tingles that were going unsatisfied, but because I was relieved. I was happy to be in his bed. I was happy to smell him, clean and natural.
“I love you so much,” I said, but I was ready to cry before I finished.
“Mm…” he said, brushing his lips against the back of my neck. “Stop talking, baby.”
“Tell me you love me first.” I needed to hear him say it. “You have to tell me.”
Instead, he took me by the shoulder and turned me toward him. “I love you, Tessa,” he breathed, putting his mouth over mine like he was proving it. “I love you. I love you,” he mumbled into my lips again and again. And every time he said it, I tried to pull him closer.
I knew he must have felt it too. Felt that we were losing each other.
I successfully ignored Christian through history class. He “pssted” me once, but I didn’t flinch. Kira was going wild, dying to know the details of the mission. But I told her that Christian waited in the car. I hoped she wouldn’t ask him his version of the night.
When I left class, I practically ran to my locker to meet Aiden, but he wasn’t there. He never seemed to be there anymore.
“Hey,” Christian said from behind me as I stood, feeling lost, at my locker. I exhaled and turned around.
“What?”
He smiled, his cheeks a little red. “Your recorder,” he said, holding it out.
Oh. I’d forgotten about that. “Thanks.” Okay, that was a little embarrassing. Not all of his interactions with me ended with a kiss.
“There’s some good stuff on there,” he mumbled. His brown eyes met mine, and I felt that same uneasiness I had the night before. “I’ll see you at lunch, Tess.” He pressed his lips into a smile and walked past me down the busy hallway.
I stood for a minute, not sure how I felt about it. I mean, I didn’t want to see him again, but jeez, at least he was making an effort. Albeit a completely overboard, slightly scary effort. Still, I wished Aiden would try this hard to see me.
Before the tardy bell could ring, I jogged ahead to class and promised to get my attitude right-side up. I’d tell the Smitten Kittens tonight. SOS was over.
I waited at my locker before lunch, watching as the halls slowly emptied. No Aiden. I waited even after the bell rang, hoping he’d come trotting down the hall, all apologetic for not finding me earlier. Instead, he just didn’t show. I dropped my head and made my way to the lunchroom.
It was packed as I paused at the door, looking over the room. It smelled like sloppy joes, one of Aiden’s favorites. He was there at the table, adorable as always in track pants and a T-shirt. But a sharp pain twisted in my chest as I noticed Chloe. She was sitting in my spot, next to him, with her hair pulled up into a high ponytail. They were laughing.
I watched for a minute as she twisted dangling bits of hair around her finger, leaning into him as she spoke. Aiden wasn’t touching her, but did he need to? Did any of the cheaters that SOS tracked do their dirty work in public?
I took a few steadying breaths. Things were so unusual now that I started to wonder if they’d ever get back to normal. Slowly, I walked toward my table.
Kira clapped excitedly when she saw me; her face lost its worry. Chloe glanced over her shoulder but didn’t move. Her rear was firmly planted in my seat.
“Hey, baby,” Aiden said casually as I walked up. He didn’t stand or reach out for me.
I watched him as I rounded the table and took the only available seat, between Christian and Kira. Goose bumps lifted on my arms.
“Here’s your lunch,” Kira said, sliding a tray to me. “Aiden already ate your sloppy joe. Why are you so late?”
I looked across at Aiden, my face tingling with the start of a cry. “Where were you?” I asked. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chloe smile.
“Oh.” Aiden pulled his eyebrows together. “I’m sorry, Tess. Mr. Grimes sent me and Chloe to pick up some slides from the office. I texted you.”
I blinked rapidly. My phone was on my side table at home. I’d forgotten it. But the thought of them roaming the halls together made my blood boil. Aiden roamed with me. Only me.
I clenched my jaw. “So how’s lab been going?” I was sure my raging, uncharacteristic jealousy was obvious, but no one seemed to notice. In fact, Aiden just smiled at me.
“Good, baby. How’s cheer practice going?” There was a prickle up my arms, but I held his stare. He looked so calm, but there was something in his words. Something… odd.
Chloe giggled. “Things have been fantastic,” she said to me, not sounding at all like herself. That deep, raspy voice was gone. Instead, she sounded perky. Sort of like… me. “He’s really the best.” She beamed at Aiden and touched his arm.
She. Touched. His. Arm.
Aiden shifted in his seat, moving away from her politely, but he continued to watch me, almost curiously. I’d nearly forgotten that Christian was next to me until his leg brushed against mine. It was enough to make me lose my appetite. It reminded me that he’d touched me last night. Aiden’s eyes narrowed at me when I shifted uncomfortably.
“Check this out,” Chloe said to him, and he broke his gaze from me. They started glancing through a notebook as she giggled. They were next to each other. That was my seat. I didn’t want to be catty; I was a Kitten, but I was about five seconds away from scratching her eyes out.
“Tessa,” Leona said from down the table. “Are we having practice later? I really need to talk to you about a new cheer.” She widened her eyes behind her glasses. New cheer was code for a new assignment. Or sometimes it just meant a new cheer. The look on her face told me it was the first one.
“Sure,” I said, exhausted. I was going to tell them SOS was over anyway. They would be devastated, but I needed to get my life back.
Leona bit her lip, looking antsy. She never seemed nervous. She was naturally cool and collected, the opposite of Kira. But right now she was freaking out.
“Peachy,” she said, and I knew it was bad. Leona never, and I repeat never, ate foods with fuzz on them. Nope. This was a bad one. My stomach dropped.
“You okay, baby?” Aiden asked.
My eyes shot up to his, but before I could answer, Chloe snapped her fingers. “Shit,” she said, looking at Aiden. “We’d better go, A. The library’s holding those books for us.
A? She called him flipping A?
Aiden stood up and looked down at me, his face unreadable. “I’ve got to finish this project, Tess. Do you think you could get a ride home?”
I squeaked but didn’t actually answer. “I’ll take her,” Kira spoke up for me. She was always there when I needed her. Besides, I couldn’t move; I was too busy trying not to cry.
Aiden stared at me for a second, shifting his gaze between Christian and me. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. Instead, he slowly backed away and then followed Chloe as they left the cafeteria.
“Christian, sweetie,” Leona said, leaning forward to look at him. He seemed startled. He hadn’t said a word the entire time.
“Uh, yeah?”
“Would you mind giving us girls a moment? We have some super-secret cheer stuff to discuss.” She winked at him.
Crocodile Dundee! Was Leona lying to him? I could tell she had a secret. And then I wondered if I was the only one not in on it.
“For sure,” Christian said toward Leona, standing up and grabbing his tray. “Tessa, I’ll—” He stopped and looked around at the table of Smitten Kittens, all staring at him anxiously. “Never mind,” he said. “I’ll catch up with you later.” I didn’t answer as he walked away, his Birkenstocks flopping on the cafeteria floor.
I turned to Kira as Leona jumped up and sat in Christian’s seat. Both she and Kira took one of my arms. I was flanked by cheerleaders. This could not be good.
“Show it to her, Izzie,” Leona said like she was offering up my last meal. Only it wasn’t lobster; it was McDonald’s.
Leona put her hand protectively on my low back, but I still wasn’t sure what they were protecting me from.
Izzie’s eyes were glassy as she stood up to lean her body across the lunch table and handed me the SOS phone. I jetted my eyes between all of them.
“What’s the big?” I asked in a tight voice. I almost didn’t want to look.
Suddenly, Izzie burst into tears, covering her face with her hands. What the eff was going on? I shook my head and held the cell up in front of my face.
It was a text. It was… Oh, no.
SOS SUSPECT CHEATER FORM
SUSPECT: Aiden Wilder
ACCOMPLICE: Chloe Ferril
Dear SOS,
Another one for you to add to your possible cheater roster. Who would’ve thought, right? Aiden cheating on Tessa? She’s head cheerleader! And I totally thought they were in love. Oh, well, I guess you never know. Hope it’s not true.
Cassandra
SOS
Text: 555-0101
Exposing Cheaters for Over Two Years