The Seacrest by Aaron Lazar

in the world are you talking about?”
    I caught her wrists and pulled her tight against me. “I’m talking about you, and me, forever. Together. You know, like in the movies.”
    “We’re already going steady, Finn.” She smiled in spite of her stern tone. “You can’t propose to a girl two days after she agrees to go out with you.”
    “Why not?” I slid my arm around her waist and drew her hips as close to mine as possible. “How old are you, anyway?”
    “I turned sixteen back in May. Same as you, right?”
    “Right, but I’ll be seventeen in November. Guess we’ll mostly be a year apart forever. But that’s cool.”
    She turned her eyes up to mine. “Forever’s a long time, Finn. You don’t know anything about me.”
    “Sassy, honey,” I kissed her lightly. “I don’t give a damn about where you live or who your father is or whatever you’re trying to keep from me. Seriously.”
    “You’re so sweet,” she said. But she didn’t reveal any more. “Why don’t you kiss me properly now?”
    I didn’t need encouragement. I pressed my lips to hers, savoring the sweet saltiness of her taste. As we pressed closer together, kissing deeper and growing more heated, I pulled her away from the shore that surged and spread around our bare feet. “Come on.”
    We headed up the beach away from the high tide. The parking area at the top of the cliffs was reportedly a great place for necking, but I’d heard Jax say he brought girls down below to the private coves hidden from either side of the beach.
    “Where are we going?” she asked, panting from running beside me.
    “Not far,” I said. “See that curvature over there? It’s a nice quiet spot.”
    She dug her heels into the sand and pouted. “Wait a minute. Do you bring all your girls here?”
    “All my girls?” I laughed. “Heck, no.” I pulled her to me. “You’re my first and only.” I wasn’t sure about telling her the truth about me, but it just spilled out.
    “Honest?” she asked, dancing beside me. “I’m your first?”
    “First kiss. First love. First everything.”
    She looked away. “Will you think less of me if you’re not my first?”
    “Of course not,” I fibbed, feeling a little jealous of whomever she’d known before me, quickly realizing I was being stupid. “You could have lied about it. I want us to be open and honest. Always.”
    “There was another guy…” She shook her head. “But I’d rather not talk about him. He’s a real jerk. And he dumped me last spring.”
    “Would I know him?” I asked. Jealousy crept up on me again. I didn’t want to act like an idiot, but burning curiosity hit me square in the chest. “Who was he?”
    “Just a guy from Yarmouth. You wouldn’t know him.”
    “How’d you meet him?”
    “Through my dad. His family came over to our place. We had a barbecue, sort of.”
    “How long were you together?”
    “Just a few months, Finn. It wasn’t serious.”
    “No?”
    “No.”
    “How far did you go with him?”
    I figured she’d hit me for that one, and she did, hard on the chest with both fists.
    “It’s none of your damned business, mister.”
    I stepped back. “Okay. It’s just…I don’t think I could stand it if another guy touched you in places like…in places I want to touch you. Just me. No one else.”
    A flush crept up her neck, and now she pulled me toward the cliffs. “Let’s talk about it,” she said. “But we’ve only got another hour.”
    I checked my watch. “I’m keeping track, don’t worry.”
    She shivered. “I’ll worry. I can’t help it. If Dad finds out, I’m toast. And you’re history. He’ll put a lock on my door and never let me out again.”
    I lifted her chin. “Then we’d better get you home on time.”
    She wrapped her arms around my neck and lifted her lips. “Okay.”
    “So kiss me already,” I said.
    And she did.
     

Chapter 13
    July 14 th , 2013
    10:00 A.M.
     
    E d Sawyer sat back in his leather chair, chewing on