Kitty hamilton a high sc.., p.8
Kitty Hamilton: A High School Romance, page 8
I stare. Kingsley makes it look so easy to ride along while balancing on the back wheel. I’ll probably die.
He comes to a stop in front of me. “But first, you need to combat the fear of falling on your back. So, to do that, you’re going to practice jumping off your bike backward.” He demonstrates.
“I can’t do that, Kingsley,” I laugh.
“You can’t right now, but you will soon. Right, try it. Let’s see what we’re working with.”
Another laugh bubbles out of me, and I shake my head as I kick off the ground. “You’re crazy, Kingsley. Positively crazy.”
“Take it slow to start. Be careful not to catch your legs on the back pegs.”
I attempt to pull up on the bars, but it’s a lot harder than it looks.
Kingsley laughs. “Good try, but to pull up, you need to lean back steadily, bend your legs and keep your arms straight. Use your body weight to lift the front wheel.”
“Uh-huh,” I say drily.
Kingsley winks, motioning for me to try again.
I manage to lift the wheel off the ground this time, but the instinctual fear of falling backward has me squealing in fright.
Kingsley rides ahead of me and jumps off his bike backward. “Like that, babe.”
Okay, so I really like it when he calls me that.
I look at him skeptically and give it another go. This time I don’t lean back far enough, and as a result, I fail to lift the front wheel.
“You have to find the sweet spot.”
“Sweet spot, huh?” I grin and wink.
He chuckles deeply. “You have a filthy mind for a virgin.”
“What can I say? You’re corrupting me, Kingsley.”
I try a couple of more times. Kingsley is patient with me. He shows me where I’m going wrong and takes his time instructing me until I finally manage to jump off the bike backward. I squeal in victory like I won an Olympic gold medal and didn’t simply manage to jump off the back of a BMX. It’s not even the actual trick. It’s just a step I need to master to start learning it.
“Now, find your sweet spot.”
“What exactly is the sweet spot?”
“It’s the point before you overtip and fall. The spot where you can comfortably balance on the rear wheel.”
“Oh, okay.”
I don’t know how many hours pass. All I know is that I’m having more fun than I’ve had in a long time. I’m wearing clothes I’ve never worn before, doing something I never saw myself doing.
Mylo returns with his friend Adam and a couple of girls in tow.
“We’re heading down to the lake. You coming?”
Kingsley looks at me, and I find myself nodding. “That sounds great.”
SIX
We arrive at the lake and park our bikes by a tree. Kingsley secures the lock and hangs our helmets on the handlebars.
While Kingsley talks to Mylo and Adam, I remove my shoes and socks and wander down to the shore. It’s a small circular lake lined by trees. The sand is warm after a full day of sun. We’ve had a good summer this year, which is unusual for our small town.
I dip my toes in the water. It’s cold but pleasant.
“I’m Morgan, and that over there is Paige and Elle,” a brown-haired girl with cute freckles says.
“I’m Katherine.”
She smiles. “I haven’t seen you around before. How do you know Kingsley?”
Well… “We go to school together.”
She brushes away a strand of hair stuck to her lipgloss. “I live in the next town over.”
“That explains why I haven’t seen you at school.”
She nods. “I know Kingsley through Mylo.”
“Have you known him long?” I’m not probing. Not at all. What I really want to ask is if she’s fucked him?
“A couple of years now.”
No, Katherine. Do not ask!
“What’s your school like? Any cute boys?” I’m really terrible at socializing with girls I don’t know.
She smiles, dipping a toe in the water, looking at me through her lashes. “I think you would like some of the boys.”
I laugh. “Oh yeah?”
“Oh yeah!” she nods, grinning. “So, what about Kingsley? Are you trying to reign in the notorious womanizer?”
I shake my head. “No, we’re just friends.”
Morgan looks over at Kingsley. “I’ve never known him to bring a girl to hang out with before. He usually just fucks them.”
I cough to cover up a surprised laugh. “What about you then? Dating anyone?”
“Adam is my boyfriend.”
“Oh.” I feel a confusing internal floodgate of relief.
“Let’s go for a dip.” Morgan pulls off her top.
I open and close my mouth. “But I didn’t bring a bikini.”
Unbuttoning her jeans, she says, “Just swim in your underwear.”
I stare at her neon pink bra. It’s unfair how big her tits are.
Kingsley waves a hand in front of my face, his eyes shining with amusement. “I see you’ve met Morgan’s titties. Morgans titties, this is Katherine Hamilton.”
“Shut up!” Morgan laughs, throwing her jeans at him.
He catches them one-handed and grins just as Adam comes running over to us in his boxer briefs. He picks up Morgan fireman style and runs for the water. It’s followed by the sound of squealing laughter and a loud splash.
Kingsley pulls the back of his t-shirt over his head and throws it down on the sand. My eyes bug out. I try not to gawk, but it’s impossible. The hard ridges of his muscles are mouthwatering, and I marvel at the contours of his cut, tanned chest.
“Are you not getting undressed?”
“Err? What?” I tear my gaze away from his dark happy trail.
Kingsley chuckles. “Strip, or I’ll carry you in with your clothes on. It’s your choice.”
His cheeky threat makes me pull my t-shirt over my head. When I lower my arms, I catch him watching me as I throw my top next to his in the sand. His hands go to his buttons. I shimmy out of my jeans and kick them off. “Speechless, Kingsley?” I smirk as I walk backward to the water.
He tears his eyes away from my white lace balconette bra and swallows thickly.
I know my nipples are visible through the lace, and once I go in the water, there will be nothing left to the imagination. But this was his idea.
“Fuck,” he mumbles under his breath as he joins me in the water. His eyes roam my body, so I splash him and run for my life when he grins and starts chasing me further out. I don’t get far. Kingsley catches me around the waist, and my loud squealing laughter echoes over the lake as we hit the surface with a splash. I pop back up, spitting water and laughing until my stomach muscles cramp from exertion.
He moves in close, brushing my wet hair off my face. His own dark hair lies plastered to his forehead, and water drips off his nose. “Got you!” he whispers in a tone that makes my heart race.
Water bobs around my chest as the sun beats down on us.
“I can’t be caught, Kingsley.”
His eyes fall to my mouth. He lowers himself down in the water until it’s up to his chin. “Maybe not.”
I lower myself down, too, until we’re eye to eye with only inches between us. Kingsley’s blue eyes flick up, searching mine. There’s something in the air between us. Electric energy I haven’t felt before.
Water skims my tingling lips. “What about you? Can you be caught?” I whisper.
Kingsley swipes his tongue over his bottom lip, shaking his head. “No.”
He’s so certain.
“We’ll see about that.” I wink, then splash him and fall back in the water. I float on my back. The clouds overhead move slowly across the sky. “Have you ever been in love, Kingsley?”
I feel his hand skim mine. He’s floating on his back too. “No. Have you?”
My breath hitches as he interlaces our fingers in the water. “No.”
We float in silence for a while. Morgan and the others laugh some distance away, but right here, right now, it’s just Kingsley and me.
“I never knew my mom. She left when I was a baby, so my dad raised me. He passed away last year.”
Why am I telling him this?
“You were wrong,” he whispers after a moment of silence.
A bird flies up ahead. I follow its trajectory across the sky.
“Wrong about what?”
His thumb strokes circles on the back of my hand. “You said your family is a topic I don’t want to discuss. You were wrong.”
I close my eyes. My chest feels like an open, bleeding wound. “He was sick. Prostate cancer. By the time it was discovered, it was too late. He only lived for another three months.”
Kingsley squeezes my hand.
I open my eyes and search the sky overhead. “I miss him every day.”
“It’s okay to be sad, Katherine. You can’t be strong all the time.”
My eyes sting. “He would want me to be strong.”
Kingsley’s hand on mine feels like an anchor right now, like it’s the only thing stopping me from sinking into the depths of this lake.
“You can be strong and feel sad. One doesn’t have to cancel out the other.”
“He was the strongest man I’ve ever met.”
The sun warms my skin as it reappears from behind a cloud.
“You’re strong too. Far stronger than you think.”
A tear travels down my skin and into the water. “Thank you, Kingsley,” I whisper. I don’t know how he does it, but he’s slowly mending the parts of my soul I thought were lost in an ocean of hurt.
Just then, a splash of water hits me in the face.
Mylo is watching us with a shit-eating grin on his face. “You guys up for some water games?”
“Fuck off,” Kingsley growls as Mylo laughs like he knows he interrupted something he shouldn’t have but doesn’t care.
“What are we playing,” I ask, attempting a smile.
“The girls said for you to choose between a chicken fight or Marcos Polo.”
I scrunch my nose. “How about a handstand contest?”
Mylo looks at me like I’ve sprouted a third head.
“You know… handstands but underwater.”
“Girl, you’re crazy. Let’s try it.”
They all gather around, and I explain the rules. “The object of the game is to hold an underwater handstand longer than your opponents. The last person to tip over wins.”
“I’ve so got this,” Adam says, rubbing his hands together. Next to him, Morgan rolls her eyes.
“Dream on.”
Paige and Elle both giggle.
“I’ll judge,” Elle says. “Okay, are you ready? On three! One. Two. Three.”
I dive underwater, plant my hands on the sandy bottom, and push my legs up in the air. Doing a handstand underwater is far easier than on land, but despite my best efforts, I soon topple over. I pop back up and take in a lungful of air. Kingsley and Adam are both out of the game too. It’s between Morgan and Mylo. Morgan’s feet are straight in the air while Mylo’s are bent at the knees, but his feet aren’t touching the water, so he’s still in the game.
Adam pretends to tickle his feet.
“No cheating,” Elle laughs, splashing Adam, who dips down underwater, swims over, and pulls her down by her ankle. She shrieks, splashing wildly.
Mylo finally topples over. He pops back up and flicks his head. “Hey, motherfuckers. Second place ain’t bad.”
Morgan surfaces, rubbing water out of her eyes. When she realizes she has won this round, she fist-pumps and does a little victory dance.
“How about if we add in a little challenge? Make it a one-finger handstand,” I suggest, wiggling my eyebrows.
“I’ll beat you this time, babe,” Adam says to Morgan, who flips him off with a smile.
“I’ll judge,” I say. “On your marks. Get, set, go!”
They all dive in the water, and soon their feet are in the air, some straighter than others. Well, almost all. Kingsley wades over and slams his lips to mine, stealing my breath and sanity. My head spins. He tastes of lake water and debauchery. Our teeth clash, his hands are in my damp hair, and my hands explore the planes of his wet muscular chest. I feel his hard length against my stomach, and it makes heat pool low in my belly.
Just as suddenly, he’s gone.
Mylo topples over. He pops back up and grabs Kingsley in a headlock, oblivious to the state I’m in or the sexual tension in the air. I can’t get enough air. My lungs feel constricted.
Mylo finally looks over at the others. “Who’s winning?”
Kingsley pounces from behind, and they wrestle some more.
The others soon topple over, and the gloating winner this time is Paige. She hollers loudly as she jumps on Ella and wraps her legs around Ellas’ hips.
“It’s good to know that I can beat you at something,” Mylo laughs, throwing Kingsley over his head. Kingsley hits the water with a splash but not before grabbing hold of Mylo’s arm, pulling him in too.
“Come on,” Morgan says, dripping water as she steps up to me. “Let’s start a fire. We brought hotdogs and marshmallows.”
I follow her out of the water, suddenly very aware of the fact that my nipples are on full display. Morgan doesn’t seem to care as she starts collecting firewood, still in her dripping wet underwear.
“I guess no one brought towels,” I mumble to myself as I sink down to my knees and start building a fire with the wood that’s already here.
Morgan comes back with an armful and helps me out. We soon have a crackling fire.
I can’t help but smile to myself. I don’t think I’ve ever done this sort of thing before. Shouldn’t all teenagers have experienced bathing in a lake with friends and grilled marshmallows?
I’m rotating my stick in the fire when Kingsley sits down next to me. The sun has finally set, and it’s dark. The firelight reflects in his brown eyes.
“Your marshmallow looks burned.”
I smile. “I like it burned.”
He looks skeptical before rummaging through the grocery bag. He pulls out a marshmallow and pierces it on his own stick. “Are you having a good time?”
I take my stick out of the fire and inspect my marshmallow. “I am, thank you. Are you?”
I feel his eyes on me. “Yeah, it’s been a good day. I think you’re ready to learn a bunny hop.”
I take a bite of marshmallow-heaven and moan. “Easy there, tiger. I’ll be a pro in no time, and then you’ll really be in trouble when I start beating you in competitions.”
He snorts a laugh. “Dream on, lady.”
I gasp in mock outrage. “You shouldn’t underestimate me, Kingsley. It might awaken the beast in me.”
His eyebrows hit his hairline. “The beast?” He asks, his eyes shining with amusement.
I suck sticky pieces of marshmallow off my finger and feel a sense of satisfaction when his eyes fall to my mouth. “I can be very stubborn, Kingsley. If you don’t think I can achieve something, I might feel inclined to prove you wrong.”
He turns his attention to the fire and rotates the stick in his hand. His cap is back on. It hides his tousled hair but wisps still peek out at the sides.
Mylo plops down on my other side and wraps his arm around me. “So, Kingsley tells me you’re going after Wood?”
I can smell beer on his breath, and because I feel at ease, I snatch the bottle out of his hand and take a large sip. “That I am.”
“I know he’s a pornstar and all, but aside from his huge dick, what do you like about him?”
I nearly choke on the beer. “A huge dick, you say?” I wipe droplets of beer off my chin.
“Well, yeah. Isn’t that a requirement or something? You can’t work in porn with a tiny wiener.”
I shrug, smiling. “I suppose you’re right.”
“What’s there not to like about Hunter?” Morgan chips in as she takes a seat next to Mylo. “He’s blonde, tall, fucking chiseled, and he fucks like a god.”
I point to Morgan and grin. “What she said!”
Morgan hands me a beer. I take a sip, glancing at Kingsley.
He’s watching me. “So, you like him because of what? His blonde hair?” he asks.
“Well, no…”
“Then why? His chiseled muscles? Is that it?”
I go to answer, but he beats me to it. “Or because”—he makes air quotes with his free hand—“he fucks like a god.”
I furrow my brows.
“What’s wrong with liking a guy because he fucks like a god?” Morgan asks. There’s a challenge in her voice.
“Nothing,” Kingsley says, trying for blasé. “Katherine just doesn’t strike me as the shallow kind.”
“Girls are manipulative. They want you for what you can do for them. Popularity. Money. It attracts women like moths to a flame. It’s shallow.”
His words from a couple of days before echo in my mind. “I don’t just like him because of his looks or his skills in bed.” My voice is low. Defensive.
“No?”
I shake my head. My hands are trembling. I take another sip of beer, ignoring his dark eyes that seem to want to pick me apart.
“Then tell me one thing you like about him that isn’t shallow.”
I meet his eyes. “Why do you care, Kingsley?”
He shrugs. “I don’t.”
Mylo whistles under his breath.
“Great! Then I don’t have to justify myself to you!” I throw my stick in the fire. “I need another drink.” I stand up and leave them staring after me.
“Don’t let him get to you,” Morgan says as she joins me, grabbing another bottle of beer.
I pop the cap on mine, side-eyeing her. “I just don’t see why he cares.”
Morgan watches me over the rim. She shrugs and wiggles her toes in the grass. We’re near the treeline, away from the small beach. “I don’t think Kingsley always understands his own emotions.”
“Oh, please,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Spare me the spiel. Kingsley and I are friends. Nothing more.”
She searches my eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Very fucking sure!” Why do I swear so much these days?
Morgan lifts her left shoulder and lets it fall. “If you say so.”
