Her Rider His Rebel

Chapter 8

She sobs into the pillow, every so often she breathes in and his scent flows over her, breathing him in is intoxicating. A knock causes her to jump and her heart to race.

The recent dating game of his goes to the door and peeks through to see him standing there, smoothing his hands up and down his thighs, so nervous and worried about Ali. She would always be the girl he loves more than anyone else. Terror comes when he realizes the thoughts that just entered his head.

"I gotta take you home." He murmurs as he tugs on a shirt and his coat, grasping her arm and leasing her out of the room. He loads her into the truck and drives her the ten minutes to her apartment.

"I don't see why I have to go, it's not like I--" he shuts her up with a lustful kiss and a quick, "see you babe." Before she winks, hopping out and sashays away. He presses his hands to his face, exhaling deeply.

Alison Hunter Monroe, the girl who at ten kicked his ass when he said he was stronger than her. The girl who-at sixteen-after being taunted to punch him- pulled back a fist and clocked him right in the jaw. The girl, who at seventeen, held him and promised him he was going to live.

The girl who stayed by his side as he recovered from a sprained arm, concussion, and two broken ribs. The girl who held him while he cried when he found out about their fathers. He soaks it all in before he realizes he is back at the hotel and parked in a spot.

Hopping out, he locks the truck and walks in. Stopping at the café, he orders a black coffee and a French Vanilla cappuccino with a good squirt of Irish Crème for a little extra flavor. That had been her favorite since she was young and he could not remove that from his memory no matter how hard he tried.

After grabbing the two drinks, he nods to the young Latino woman from the desk and gives her a little wink before taking a left and walking to their room. She had been willing to give up a lot for him; privacy, her own room, her bathroom, her bed, and her patience. He had taken it all for granted.

Kicking on the door with his boot, he hears shuffling feet and then the click of the lock and bolt. She cracks the door and crawls back into his bed; just her head peeking out from under the large white comforter. He tries to fight it, but the chuckle escapes him. Making his way towards the bed, he places the two drinks on the table.

"Please talk to me." He whispers, carefully placing a hand on her back.

"I'm not having this conversation." She mumbles sleepily. Perching lightly next to her, he kicks his boots off and relaxes back onto the pillows. "What are you doing?" She asks quietly, almost whispering.

"We have to talk about this sometime." He croons, ignoring her groan of protest. Rolling over, she sits up and yanks the large blanket over her shoulder.

"Okay, so after I get this year--and hopefully World Finals--under my belt, I'm going to a college in either California or N-Y-C. I've already been accepted by the school in New York. There. Happy now?" She asks, seeing a hurt expression meld his features.

"You're moving to New York? After this?" He asks, still letting words sink in.

"Yeah, I'm going into nursing. I'm gonna get a degree in nursing and probably come home and find a job. But I'm not sure." She shrugs, looking at her knees to avoid his eyes. Lifting an arm, he loops it around her and pulls her into him. His warmth washes over her; shivering, she she cuddles in against him, letting herself melt into him. Fingers playing with the hem of the blanket and her eyes trained on her fingers.

"Well I sure hope you come home. What about your house?" He asks, fingers catching her hair and dragging it from her shoulder.

"I'm going to ask your momma to hold onto it. You can move in, if you want." She giggles, giving him that look he had seen once earlier; bright, eyes shimmering, soft dimples rising into her checks as she smiles wide.

"So you're really doin' this?" He asks with bewilderment, not knowing how to soak in the fact that when he got home she would be leaving. Tears start to fill his eyes, he sucks in his bottom lip and chews on it, nerves causing him to start to breathe heavier.

"Lee, look at me." She croons, sliding her hand over his clothed chest, up the column of his throat, and capturing his cheek; she pulls him to face her. "I promise I'll call you. You better call too. I expect house updates. I'm not running away, I'm not hiding, and I'm not dying. Okay?" She asks, giving him a look of hopeful understanding.

"Yeah." He nods, the corner of his mouth turned down. "Alison Hunter Monroe, you best come home for holidays, or I'll just come and kidnap you." He chuckles, trying desperately to kill his pain with laughter.

"I will. Every break I get I'll be home before you know it. And then when I graduate, you and mama better come out to see me." She orders, dissolving the heartbreaking tension between them.

"I will. Nothing could stop us. Thank you. I never said it, but I'm saying it now. Thank you for putting up me and my shitty actions and for taking care of me when I was sick, and when daddy died, and when I broke my ribs, and when you didn't ride because I couldn't, and for putting up with this whole week of me being a monumental prick, because I never said it before." Tears fill her eyes as she buries her face into his chest. "Ali?" He asks, voice soft.

"Look LB I love you. You're one of the only friends I had as a kid and still have. I trusted you with my life; sometimes it was to your advantage. I'm going to New York in two weeks and there's nothing you can say that's gonna change that. So stop, please." She begs, looking up at him.

"You think I'm just saying this because you're moving?" He asks, giving her a hurt expression.

"Well-" he shakes his head.

"I'm saying this because I'm afraid." He whispers, looking at his lap.

"Afraid of what?" She asks, voice just as soft and her brow creased.

"Never seeing you again. Dammit, don't leave. Please. Stay in Cupertino! You can go to school in San Fran! You don't have to go across the country. Trust me." He begs, feeling his heart start to pound at the sickening thought that she would be across the country. Alone. Without him. It terrifies him.

"Look. I will be perfectly fine. Alright? Now quit worrying and enjoy the fact that I'm letting you sit here." She giggles, smiling at him with a childish grin that sets his heart on fire. Thinking up a grand scheme, he slips from her grip and stands near the edge of the bed.

"It's too hot for all this." He states seductively, signaling to the clothing hiding his body.

"Oh god." She groans, splaying her hands over her face. Peeking through her thin fingers, she locks her eyes on his hips. His thumbs sink into the waistband of his jeans, fingertips flicking at his belt. As if he were a magician, the belt comes unhooked and he unbuttons his jeans. Agonizingly slow, he unzips them, pulling them down as if they were cold honey in a jar.

"Hey baby." He gives her a sexy look only he could muster up and it burns through the walls she tried so desperately to keep up.

"Lee Brett Warren, so help me if you don't put your clothes on." She threatens, sounding playful to him. This little speech eggs him on.

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do? Huh?" He growls, stepping closer to her. Pure embarrassment chases the lust from her veins so she pulls the comforter over her head and erupts into a fit of giggling. "Ali, baby, don't hide that beautiful face from me." He croons, pulling the blanket from her loose grasp.

"Oh my god! LB! Stop it!" She giggles, pushing him back playfully. This look washes over his face, taking away his smile and replacing it with a hard, lustful look.

"Ali--let me-" he chokes on his words, unsure of what to say. No words come to mind so he figures actions would be appropriate. Swinging a leg over her, he straddles her lap and his hands sink into the mattress.

"LB." She breathes, afraid to make eye contact. The whisper sparks a fire in the pit of his stomach. Lifting her chin with his nose, he leans back to lock gazes and both quit breathing.

"Alison. Please." He whispers, running a finger up the column of her throat only to capture her jaw with his strong hand.

"No." She whispers shamefully, sad to stop this charade.

"Why? I lo-" He stops mid word and shakes his head, tossing a leg back over and standing at the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry." He murmurs at her ear, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. With that, she falls asleep with a sigh.