Strong & Wilde Read online

  His face lit up when he saw Mandi. His lips lifted into a breathtaking smile.

  “Here’s the list, Bianca,” he said with an accent I’d never heard before—at least not in a small town like Koppe. “You get started. I’ll catch up with you later.”

  “Aww, come on, Nic. I don’t want to get everything myself. I’m telling mom.”

  “I’ll be there in a minute. I have business to take care of.”

  “Oh my stars,” the old woman whispered. “I can see why your friend’s more jumpy than a long-tailed cat in room full of rocking chairs. He’s—what do you kids say nowadays?—a stud muffin.”

  “Yeah, he’s kinda cute,” I said.

  “Close your mouth, dear,” the woman said to Mandi. “Your suitor is coming over here.”

  I chuckled as I watched Nic make his way toward us while Mandi frantically looked for a way to escape without having to pass by him to get to the front door.

  “Miguelito. Where are you?” She whisper-shouted. “We need to go home.”

  “With the double coupons that brings your total to $27.50,” I said turning my attention back to the woman.

  “Here’s $30. Keep the change,” she said, taking the small bag of groceries. As she left, she passed by Nic. Patting his hand, she said, “Don’t worry, dear. She likes you. Don’t give up.”

  He looked at her bewildered. “Okay?”

  “Oh my god. Oh my god.” Mandi was frantic now, running up and down the aisles. “Miguelito! I swear if you don’t get over here right now I’ll—”

  There was a loud crash. I ran in the direction of the sound with Nic close behind me. Standing in the middle of a stack of brightly colored cereal boxes that were on sale was Miguelito.

  “Miguelito, put that box down! I’m so sorry, Cassie,” she said, placing Selina down. “I’ll clean this up.”

  “Here, let me help you.” Nic took the cereal boxes from her hands and started to stack them. “Babysitting?”

  “They’re my brother and sister.” She busied herself by continuing to pick up boxes.

  “Hi, Miguelito,” he said to the little boy. “And who is this cutie?” He tapped Selina’s chubby cheek.

  He was so nice. Why was Mandi fighting so hard not to like him? I could tell by the way she avoided his eyes that she did like him...a lot. She could stare down anyone in a contest and here she was barely able to look at him.

  “Selina,” she mumbled. “And that’s Cassie.” Her dark eyes begged me to distract him.

  I sighed. Mandi was acting way too strange. I made a mental note to ask her about it when we got home.

  I stretched out my hand. “Nice to meet you, Nic. I’ve heard a lot about you from Mandi.”

  She threw me a dirty look.

  He arched an eyebrow. “Oh really. So what did Mandi say?”

  “She says you’re from New York.”

  “Yeah, my father got a job at Texas University.”

  “Oh, what does he do?”

  He hesitated for a moment, then looked down as he busied himself with the cereal boxes. “He’s the president.”

  Mandi turned to me with an I-told-you-so expression, as if Nic had said his dad was the head of the mafia or something like that.

  I rolled my eyes at her.

  “That’s cool. So, why don’t y’all live in College Station?”

  He looked up. “My mom wanted us to live in the country.”

  “Must be a big change for you.”

  He smiled, throwing a glance at Mandi. “I don’t mind. Bianca hates it though.”

  “The cheerleader you walked in with? She’s your sister?”

  “Yeah, she’s a sophomore. According to her, her life was ruined the moment we stepped foot into Texas. So what else did our friend Mandi tell you about me.”

  “That you’re the starting quarterback at Friday’s game.”

  “Yep, that’s the plan. You two will be there, won’t you?” Hopeful hazel eyes glanced at Mandi. “I could use a cheering section.”

  I elbowed Mandi. She threw me another glare. I could see the wheels turning in her mind, debating whether or not to take back her offer to drag me to the game. Finally, she let out a breath. “Sure. I don’t see why not.”

  He stood up and grinned, flashing a perfect smile. “Then it’s a date!”

  “No. That’s not what I meant. It’s not a date.” She looked at me as if it was my fault that a nice, good-looking guy wanted to go out with her.

  “Uh, huh,” he said as he walked down the aisle. “I’ll see you at our not-a-date.”

  Mandi watched him leave, her mouth hanging open with disbelief. It was actually quite amusing to see her speechless like that. When she turned to me glaring, I gave her my sweetest smile. “Hey, look at the bright side. At least his shirt had a little alligator on it instead of the pony.”

  She huffed, picking up Selina and taking Miguelito’s chubby hand. “That’s so not funny, Cassie.”

  I giggled. It was hilarious watching Mandi act like this. Suddenly, I was actually looking forward to Friday.

  TEN: Cody

  Shivering, I walked down the hall, thankful that it was finally our lunch break so that I could go to my truck to get a jacket. I passed by a crowd of students dressed in the school colors of red and white, excited about tonight’s football game against West Jasper High.

  You’d think living in Texas people would get used to the intense heat and humidity. Guess not. Some moron decided that ninety-degree weather was too hot and kept the classrooms like a freezer.

  I looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Cassie. She typically had lunch in the courtyard with Mandi. I usually ate my lunch in the truck where I could be left alone. But ever since Cassie came back, I found myself hanging around the courtyard. Don’t know why I couldn’t just go up to her and talk. I wanted to. We were good friends growing up. Cassie was cool. She wasn’t like the bubble-gum-chewing, Aqua-Net-spraying girls that seemed to crawl the halls of Koppe High.

  When her father died and she left, I felt empty. Mike even took me camping once. I think he was hoping that it’d make me feel better. It didn’t. It just wasn’t the same without Cassie and Dale.

  I wanted to explain to her how I felt and why I couldn’t write to her, but whenever she looked my way, my heart pounded in my ears and I forgot what I wanted say. Then the one time I finally got the courage to go to her table, Lynette showed up. If I could figure out a way to keep Lynette away, my life would be so much easier. Ever since I got back from Utah, there wasn’t anywhere I could go, where she didn’t follow. The only good thing about it was that at least Seth laid off me some. Still, I did what my dad had told me. I kept away from Seth and his brothers as much as I could. But when I’d seen Seth messing with Cassie, it took everything I had and a dozen silent prayers to keep me from ripping his arm off. And even though he didn’t do anything to me other than glare, I knew it was a matter of time before he paid me back for what I had done.

  I stopped when I heard Chase Baker’s voice. Chase wasn’t someone worth worrying about. He pretty much left me alone, unless Seth was with him, which was most of the time. I was about to double back and go back into the building when I heard Cassie’s name mentioned. I ducked behind one of the pillars that lined the walkway and watched them.

  Chase was leaning against a tree, trying to look like he knew what he was doing when he took a puff of his cigarette. “Did y’all get a look at Cassie’s new ta-tas?”

  “Who’s Cassie?” Dillon twirled a football on his long fingers as he eyeballed a group of cheerleaders. They giggled, sneaking glances at the golden-haired football player.

  “Cassie Strong. You know ol’ Deputy Strong’s daughter.” Chase coughed then took a second puff.

  “The dude who got killed in that domestic violence incident last year?” Seth asked, cleaning beneath his fingernails with a hunter’s knife.

  I eyed Seth’s knife. He was definitely up to something.

  “Yeah,
him. He’s the moron that got himself shot.” Chase laughed, his pale blond hair falling into his eyes. “Hell, Cassie was flat as a board last year. You should see her now.”

  “You’re just noticing now you freshman ass wipe?” Seth knocked him in the head with the handle of the knife.

  Chase scowled. “I ain’t got any classes with her. I didn’t see her until this mornin’. She was wearing some tight white blouse. Hard to miss them nipples.”

  “Really?” Dillon suddenly looked interested. “Might need to check her out.”

  “She’s off limits.” Seth placed the knife back in its sheath.

  Dillon smirked. “Why? You nailin’ her?”

  My jaw tensed and my hand gripped the pillar. There was no way in hell I was letting Seth go near her.

  “Maybe.” Seth snatched Chase’s backpack.

  “Hey!”

  “Shut the fuck up, Chase,” Seth growled as he placed the knife in the bag and flung it back to him. “Cassie’s comin’.”

  I turned in the direction they were looking. Cassie walked swiftly through the parking lot, her shoulders hunched over, clutching books to her chest.

  Seth nodded to Chase, appearing to give some kind of signal to him.

  Shit! I stepped around from behind the pillar ready to take on Seth and his brothers if they dared touch her.

  Walk away, Son. My father’s voice whispered in my head.

  I paused, confused: wanting to protect Cassie, wanting to live up to the promise I made to my father.

  As Chase and Dillon approached Cassie, they bumped into her, knocking the books out of her arms.

  “Oops!” Dillon smirked, staring at her chest.

  Cassie’s face turned a cherry red. She muttered something to them and quickly bent down to get her books. Seth placed himself behind her, pressing his groin against her backside in a vulgar manner.

  My vision blurred as I stormed toward them. Thoughts of my promise were pushed aside as I balled my hands into fists with the full intention of beating the shit out of Seth Baker.

  Before I reached them, Cassie stood up and slapped him.

  In that brief moment, it was as if the world stood still. I heard the collective gasps of the students nearby followed by an eerie silence. No one moved as they all stared at Seth, watching and wondering what he’d do next.

  The first and last time anyone had ever dared to hit Seth was me—and that was when I was ten.

  Seth froze, appearing just as shocked as the others around him. Then realization hit. His nostrils flared and his gray eyes narrowed.

  When he raised a muscled arm, I propelled myself forward, catching it in mid-swing.

  “Leave her alone,” I growled.

  There was a tense moment as we glared at each other. We stood there, my hand clenching his arm, his eyes cold. There was a series of shocked, hushed whispers from the students who grew closer to us, appearing to wait with baited breath.

  Seth’s arm trembled and the veins on his neck jutted out when he tried to release his arm from my grasp.

  I gritted my teeth as I kept a death grip on him. There was no way in hell I was letting him go until I was sure he’d leave her alone.

  He leaned in closer to me. His lips curled into a wicked smile. “Chase get me your pack.”

  “Seth, the teachers,” Dillon warned, pointing to two teachers walking across the parking lot, heading in our direction.

  “Who gives a fuck? Chase, the pack!” he roared.

  “I don’t know, Seth. I don’t want to get in trouble,” Chase said warily.

  “Come on, Seth. We can do this later.” Dillon’s green eyes darted nervously as the teachers came closer.

  Seth grunted and pushed me aside. I was about to lunge after him when I felt a soft hand on my arm.

  “Cody, don’t,” Cassie pleaded.

  I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I focused on the gentle touch of her hand. It was the only thing that was keeping my temper from exploding all over Seth’s face. Not that he didn’t deserve what I wanted to give him. But if I did, I’d get in trouble for attacking him, and there was no way I was going to leave Cassie alone today. Seth would probably come after her again. I took her hand in mine. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  We hurried toward my truck and Seth voice’s bellowed across the parking lot.

  “Where ya going, Wilde? Gonna get yourself a quick titty-fuck?”

  Cassie gasped, looking mortified.

  I dropped her hand and froze, heat rising up again. He’d gone too far this time.

  I looked to Cassie as her eyes darted from my clenched fist, to Seth, and back to me again. She looked scared...not of Seth but of me.

  I unclenched my hands and took another breath. Placing my hand gently on the small of her back, I directed her to my truck. As long as I could feel her near me, I knew I could keep myself under control.

  “What a pussy!” Chase yelled.

  The students began to laugh. I walked faster, trying to get away before I did something that I’d regret. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, I found a surprise at my truck.

  I kicked the flat tire, letting out a slew of curses. It was Seth. It had to be.

  I could hear some of the nearby students’ snickering. The sound grew until it seemed like the entire student body was laughing.

  I squeezed my eyes shut. The tension in my head was pressing down on me. I swear at any moment it would explode. It took all of my strength to not grab the tire iron from the back of the truck and turn Seth’s skull into pulp.

  Remember your promise. Remember your promise. I repeated the phrase to myself. Make Dad proud.

  A hand lightly touched my back. “Are you okay?”

  I opened my eyes to Cassie’s worried face. She wasn’t laughing. Her soulful brown eyes gazed into mine, and I felt a warming clam flow through me. Blowing out a breath, I nodded. Then, I looked down at the slashed tire and started to chuckle. Cassie looked at me as if I’d lost my mind.

  “Thank God for small favors. I was gonna take off that tire after school.” I ran a hand over the smooth tire. “See, it’s bald already. It needed replacing anyway.” I went to the back of the truck and pulled out the new tire from the truck bed. “I’m glad I stopped by Roscoe’s Garage on my way here and bought a new one. Let me slap this on, and we can get the hell out of here.”

  As I reached for the tire, she placed a hand over mine. Then, those big brown eyes of hers looked at me in the way that my mom used to look at my dad. A delicious shiver went through me. “Thank you, Cody.”

  ELEVEN: Cody

  After changing the tire, I put on my hat and opened the passenger door for Cassie. “Where are we going?”

  “Mandi’s house. I’m staying with her,” she said, rolling down the window.

  “All right.” I jumped into the truck and pulled out of the parking lot. We sat in silence for a moment and I tried to think of something to say.

  I peeked over at her, and my mind went totally blank. She looked so pretty with her pink cheeks and her hair blowing all over the place. I was tongue-tied.

  Maybe I should stop looking at her.

  “Think it’ll ever cool down?” I asked when I finally found my brain.

  “Uh, probably.” She gave me a funny look, and I quickly focused my attention on the road.

  That was so lame, talking about the weather. Gotta do better than that Wilde!

  “I didn’t see Mandi in school today. She sick?”

  “Her sister Selina had a fever this morning,” Cassie said. “Her parents couldn’t get off work so she had to take her to the clinic. I was on my way to the house to change.”

  I glanced over at her. “Why? You look fine.”

  I felt my face heat up. I couldn’t believe I just said that.

  She blinked, looking surprised. Then those pink lips curled into a smile that took my breath away. I rolled down my window, cursing myself for not fixing the truck’s AC last weekend when I ha
d the chance.

  “You didn’t notice?”

  “Notice what?” I fiddled with the radio, afraid to look at her again.

  She sighed. “My mom sent me this white blouse for my birthday. I was in such a rush this morning I didn’t notice how thin it was until I had my first class.”

  “Uh, okay?”

  “Well, you know they keep it freezing in the classrooms.”

  I thought about the way she held the books to her chest and how Dillon ogled her when she dropped them. My face reddened again. “Oh.”

  Hell’s fire! It was getting hot. I took off my Stetson and placed it in the space between us.

  “Yeah. Well, everyone noticed...except you.” She leaned forward, catching my attention.

  I swallowed and braved a look at her. Doe-like eyes gazed at me as she spoke. “You’re not like the other guys. You always look me in the eyes.”

  I wanted to tell her that the guys at school were idiots if they didn’t see how beautiful she was inside and out. I wanted to tell her that I missed the talks we had whenever we went camping. So what did I say?

  “We’re here. Want me to wait for you?”

  Real smooth, Wilde. Real smooth.

  When her face fell, I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. Before I could say something, she forced a smile and said, “Come on in and I’ll make us a quick lunch before we go back.”

  After she changed into a pink t-shirt, she chattered away about what it was like living in Houston as she slapped together a couple of bologna sandwiches. I nodded politely doing my best to carry the conversation. It was hard to focus on what she was saying because every time I looked at her all I could think about was her soft wavy hair and the way she smelled like sunshine. So instead, I looked around the house. Mandi’s house was almost as small as the trailer Mike and I shared. The only difference was that it was spotless with everything in its place.

  Cassie handed me a bottle of Big Red and was about to sit down, when she suddenly squealed and jumped right back up. “Oh, I forgot something.”

  She went to the kitchen counter and opened a white box. “Close your eyes.”

  “What?”