All That Remains Read online

  “Mmm, no,” Jules finally moans breaking their kiss. “We’re in the middle of a match. Play with us,” she invites as he sets her down for the second time.

  “No couples on a team!” Katie calls from across the net.

  West smiles at Jules and looks around at the others playing. It’s a mix of football players, frat boys, Jess, Katie, and a few other girls he doesn’t know who stare back at him curiously.

  “Do you mind?” he asks nobody in particular.

  “Come on, Rutledge, get over here so we can finish kicking their ass.”

  “Oh? So I’m going over to the winning team then? Cool,” he teases, winking at Jules as he ducks under the net and puts himself opposite of her spot.

  “Not for long, Spike.”

  He chuckles at her game face and gives her back a good gamely ribbing. “Yeah, babe. All five foot four inches of you at the net totally intimidates me.”

  “Game on, Twelve.”

  The ball is served from behind his head, flying across the net where a tall blonde sets it for Jeff who jumps and tries to use his power to spike it. Unfortunately for him, West is there to jump up and block his aim.

  “Denied!” he taunts as the ball deflects to the sand and West’s team wins a point.

  West’s team rotates and Katie is up to serve. The ball barely makes it over the net where Jess is stationed.

  “Gah!” she yells as she brings her hands up to volley, missing the ball completely causing a shirtless frat boy to dive into the sand at her feet. He catches the ball before it hits the sand, sending it flying backwards and straight into Jeff who is ready and waiting for it.

  “Jules!” he shouts as he hits it up lightly in her direction and West grins as he watches Jules move.

  Her tan legs spring from the ground, and her long arm shoots forward, the slap of her palm making contact with the ball ringing out. The volleyball slices through the air and SMACK! knocks West right in the head before he even thinks to move. The move causes his team to groan and Jules’ team to laugh and high-five.

  Jules gasps, covering her mouth, but not before he sees a smile.

  “You all right there, QB?” asks Scott, a tight end for A&M, as he picks the ball up and tosses it to Jules’ side.

  Jules mouths ‘sorry’ while he shakes the sand from his face and nods ruefully. “Yeah, just got distracted by a sexy little number, won’t happen again. Sorry, guys.”

  The game goes on, West’s team is clearly the more superior team with more ballplayers on their side. For the most part, the game is a contest between the guys to serve aces or spike the ball. The girls, on the other hand, tend to shuffle in the sand; set the ball; or, in the case of Jess, scream when it flies at them. Jules impresses him, though. Each time she’s in position she sets, spikes, or volleys perfectly. Her serves are strong and she never cowers when going for a play. He’s had to restrain himself twice as he’s watched her throw herself to the ground to save a point. When Jeff knocks her to her knees hard as they both go for the ball he finally breaks.

  “Dude, save it for the NFL!” West yells, ducking under the net and pushing Jeff aside as he tries to help Jules up.

  “Chill out -” Jeff replies, throwing his hands up and taking a step back.

  “Chill out? You want my ass to plow into Katie and see how you feel?”

  “West!” Jules snaps.

  She’s helping herself up since he was too busy arguing with Jeff to actually offer her a hand. Her face is red and angry. Very, very angry. Brushing the sand from her legs, she pushes at West’s chest with a grunt.

  “Get on your side.”

  A smile breaks on his face at her feisty attitude and he moves to argue back at her, but thinks better of it when she narrows her eyes at him. Grateful the rest of the players are cutting up with each other and paying little attention to the skirmish, he moves back to his side of the net. Jeff taps Jules’ hip and West watches her turn, her brows raised as Jeff speaks a few low words to her. She nods with a smile, turning back to the game.

  Three more points are scored for his team with little fuss and the match is won.

  “Drinks on JP!” one of the veteran players calls out as they high-five each other and make their way to the large bar set up under a newly constructed pavilion on the property.

  West stops Jeff before he leaves the court. “Hey, I shouldn’t have jumped on you. Sorry, man.”

  “She’s tough, bro. It’s all good.”

  * * *

  West hangs back as Jules talks with two girls from her team and waits for them to leave before he approaches her. She hasn’t looked his way since she snapped at him and, while her anger is adorable, he doesn’t want to fight. He’s tired, more so after playing half a volleyball match, and wants to bring her to the nearest empty bed, snuggle up, and sleep.

  “Hey, tiger. Quite a performance there. Sure you don’t want to go out for the team?” he teases, hoping to bring back her smile. He’s rewarded with an icy glare. “Okay… clearly you’re not amused.”

  She looks about, stepping into the grass and brushing her feet off to slip on her flip-flops. He follows her closely, causing her to bump into his chest when she turns back to him. His hands grasp at her wrists as she sighs heavily and steps back looking up at him.

  “Clearly, you think I’m made of porcelain.”

  “No. Clearly, I worry about you too much. I’m sorry; I was a prick to Jeff. I apologized.”

  “And to me?” she asks pointedly.

  “Baby -” he looks down at her with his hands pulling her wrists into his chest. She shakes her head as a small grin appears.

  “Oh no you don’t, West Rutledge. You do not get to ‘baby’ me. I’m a big girl. I don’t need you going all caveman on me because a friend bumps into me. Your best friend, I might add.”

  “I know.”

  “I’m not made of glass and I can take care of myself, you know. I’ve grown a lot. I’m not the -”

  She rambles and West swoops down, stopping her words with his mouth. He doesn’t linger or try to kiss her deeply; he presses one hard, long kiss to her firm lips and then pulls away. She’s still glaring at him, but the angry bluster is gone and he gives her a little smile before speaking again.

  “Jules, it is two in the morning, I’m worn out and I do not want to stand here fighting with you, baby.”

  “Oh my gosh. I sound like such a shrew. I’m sorry.” Jules pouts, propping her chin on his chest and looking up with her big puppy dog eyes. “You came to surprise me and I sound so ungrateful.”

  She rubs her cheek against his shirt and allows him to move her arms around his back before he lets go and hugs her with his own. Glancing around, she sees that the majority of the party has moved to the pavilion now. There are a few groups sitting around in chairs and a small group of guys shooting hoops, but for the most part they are alone where they stand.

  “God, I missed you. I’m so glad you came.”

  “I was kinda banking on you letting me stay with you tonight. I’d never make it home.” Uncertainty flicks across her face when he mentions staying the night and he quickly amends his statement. “I can stay with Jeff, it’s fine.”

  “No. I don’t, that is… I want you to stay with me, it’s just that -” she stops and he chuckles.

  “Buff, I’m talking sleep. That’s it. Remember we are taking this slow. I wouldn’t have the energy anyway.”

  She giggles, “Really?”

  “Hell no, not really! Do you know how hard it was for me to not jump across that net and drag you into a dark corner? Every time you went for that ball, you were sexy as hell. I’m amazed you only nailed me once,” he complains, and Jules laughs again, the sound music to his ears. “My point is, I want you, but we aren’t ready for that. We’re doing everything right this time.”

  “Let’s put you to bed, Number Twelve. You look ready to fall.”

  West agrees whole heartedly, letting her go and rubbing his sore neck muscles as his b
ody starts to protest from the few hard hits he took today on the field.

  “I’m so excited. I get all these extra hours with you.” Jules smiles as they start for the front of the house. “Oh! Let me run and tell Katie, though. Maybe she could bunk with the girls or Jeff.”

  “No worries, babe. I already cleared things. She’s staying with Jeff tonight.”

  Her face scrunches up, one smooth and perfectly arched brow lifting. “You totally planned this out, huh?”

  “Maybe.” He shrugs. “It was an eight hour bus ride, I had a lot of time to think about you and how much I miss you during the week.” He tugs her back into his arms lightly and hovers near her ear. “I spent a lot of time thinking about kissing you for hours and hours, and hearing your little gasps when I touch this spot right here,” he teases, lightly touching the sensitive spot under her ear with his tongue.

  She doesn’t disappoint him as she sucks in her breath and lowers his hand, pressing against her lower back tightly. “So yea, gorgeous, I made some plans. I hope you don’t mind my being so presumptuous.”

  “You can be presumptuous all you want if it means I get to be with you,” she whispers hotly against his cheek.

  “I’m never letting you go again, Jules,” he murmurs and rubs up against her. “Damn it, we need to go.”

  Jules laughs at the tension in West’s voice. “Yes, I think we definitely should.”

  Twenty-Eight

  West

  They’re barely out of the elevator before West picks her up and carries her towards her room, her legs wrapped around his waist and her lips leaving trails of hot kisses along his jaw, neck, and collar bone.

  “Keys?” he orders, his fingers digging into her backside.

  “Oh no!” Jules sits back and West has to throw her against the door before she falls backwards. “I didn’t bring a key. Katie had her purse.”

  He jiggles the handle to verify it’s locked and bites his lip to keep from laughing at their predicament. His shorts are sporting a very noticeable bulge, his girlfriend’s heavenly body is wrapped around him and begging for a little attention, and he’s locked out of the only room with a bed he can get into unless they want to drive thirty minutes.

  “Well, damn.” he mutters, meeting her hot gaze and laughing.

  Her face brightens and she slaps his arm. “Cassie! Next door. She should be here.”

  “I should probably put you down then,” he teases and presses her back to the door, kissing her soundly before letting her legs slide to the ground. “Stay in front of me though, unless you want Cassie to get a look at my excitement.”

  Jules’ face goes crimson as she glances between them; the corners of her mouth turn up into a smile as her hands adjust her skewed shirt.

  “Proud of yourself, huh?”

  “Maybe a little,” she shrugs playfully. She moves to slide out from between him and the door and West pulls her back against his chest. One hand presses against her lower abdomen while the other wraps around her shoulder across her chest.

  His face skims her neck and he takes a deep breath of her scent in. She’s a mixture of sweat, flowers, beach, and the same strawberry shampoo he smelled on her in the seventh grade. “You just wait until I get you in that bed, Buffy. Payback is hell, baby.”

  He feels her body go limp against him as she tilts her head to the side, allowing his lips access to kiss on her neck.

  “Just sleeping, huh?”

  “Well, maybe a little fun.” He flicks his tongue on her neck once and lets her go, smacking her butt as she hurries to Cassie and Jess’ door.

  Jules knocks on the door as West comes up behind her and pulls her back in front of him. As tired as he is, he can’t stop touching her and he props his chin on the top of her head as Jules knocks again.

  “Cassie, it’s Jules,” she whisper shouts, her lips close to the door.

  A moment later, Cassie opens the door. West had met her briefly three weeks ago at his game, but since then he hasn’t seen her. She’s wearing an oversized tee shirt and yoga pants. Her dark hair is piled on the top of her head the way Jules wears hers when she’s hanging out and West can see a computer sitting on the bed in the room behind her.

  “Um, hey?” she says awkwardly, looking at them standing before her at two-thirty in the morning.

  “Did we wake you? I didn’t have a key, so sorry,” Jules apologizes, stepping into the room and pulling West with her.

  “No. I was just, um…” she glances at her computer. “I was watching a movie. By myself on a Saturday night.”

  “Is that a Bourne movie?” West asks when he spies a paused scene he recognizes.

  “Yeah. I might have a thing for kick ass movies.”

  “That’s cool. You know, I think the first was my favorite, but the fight scenes in the second, man-”

  “West, hun. You want to stay and watch the movie?” Jules asks, tugging on his hand as she crosses the room.

  He flashes a smile at Cassie before heading through the bathroom and into Jules’ and Katie’s room. Behind him, Jules apologizes to Cassie for bothering her again and he hears the click of a door. She pokes her head into her dark room as West fiddles around for the switch on her bedside lamp.

  “Hey, I’m gonna wash up real quick.”

  The light clicks on and West finds himself standing in Jules’ room alone. He looks at the items on the table next to her bed and smiles when he sees her notebook and pencil sitting there, recalling how she kept the same one by her bed back home. She’d told him once that she was a doodler and her mind would wander at night and drawing or writing would help calm her so she could sleep. The toilet flushes in the bathroom and he hears the water turn on; he figures he only has a minute, but he wonders if it’s still there.

  Picking up the flower covered spiral notebook, he flips through the first few pages, smiling at her pictures and bold writing. A few pages in he finds what he’s looking for and the reaction he has surprises him.

  The click of the bathroom door opening startles him and he drops the notebook like a guilty thief, stepping back.

  “My turn.”

  “What were you doing?” she asks, looking at her desk and then him as she pulls out her ponytail.

  “Nothing. Just standing here, looking at your room.” He shrugs and she tells him to feel free to shower off if he wants.

  “I don’t want sand in my bed.”

  West nods and cleans up quickly, stripping off his clothes and shaking his boxers and shorts in the shower before rinsing off. After he squeezes a bit of toothpaste onto his finger and runs it over his teeth, he opens the door with his shirt in his hand and finds her sitting cross-legged on the bed.

  She’s changed into a small tank top that clings to her curves in the most appetizing way and a checkered pair of shorts. The copper hair he loves so much is pulled to the side leaving one shoulder uncovered and begging for a kiss; suddenly West starts to think it was ridiculous for him to assume he could sleep with her and not sleep with her. He’s about to suggest he sleep on Katie’s bed for her own safety when he realizes she has her notebook sitting in front of her.

  “Jules?”

  “You were looking at my notebook?” she asks, looking up at him with those crystal blue eyes.

  “Busted,” he confesses.

  He drops his shirt on the chair and gets into her bed. Moving to lie against the wall, he props his head on his elbow and looks at her. “Sorry?”

  “Oh, I’m not mad at you. I just, why did you lie to me? It’s only my random stuff.” She flips to the back of the almost full notebook and points at the little stick drawings, happy faces, and flowers she’s drawn. “I did these when I got back the night we made up.”

  She flips the page to one covered in hearts with arrows and his name scrolled everywhere. He sits up next to her and smiles at her pictures.

  “You want to know what I was looking at?” he asks, pushing her hair off her shoulder so he can see her face. She nods and he fli
ps to the front of the notebook; back to the page he was looking at previously.

  Her head snaps to look at him. He’s turned to a page with a loose piece of paper tucked in place. The paper is covered with three words that evoke immediate pain in him. ‘Who Am I?’

  “Remember the night we went out for your birthday? You were getting ready and I felt so bad because I’d lost my phone and you told me to leave Carson’s number in your notebook?” he asks and her eyes register the memory.

  “It… you left it in here. It’s in the front,” she tells him.

  “Yeah. When I did, this paper fell out. Look at it, Jules.”

  She frowns sadly. “I was being eaten by guilt over Tanya and I felt as if I’d lost myself.”

  “I know, baby. Look at it,” he says again, handing her the sheet. Her fingers tremble as they reach for the paper and she studies it. A tear eases down her cheek and he forces himself to not hold her.

  He doesn’t have to watch her search the page to know when she sees what he is showing her. Her gasp gives her away and her hand covers her mouth in a small sob.

  “When?” she asks, turning to him, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

  “That night,” he admits, taking the paper from her and looking at it.

  In one corner of the paper she had written in large print ‘Who Am I?” and underneath it he’d responded:

  You Are Mine

  ~W

  He tucks the paper in the notebook and tosses it gently to the floor.

  “I never saw it. I wish I had.”

  “Me too. I wanted you to know exactly who you were, but I was wrong.”

  “How so?”

  “You’re not mine, Buffy. I don’t own you any more than you own me, and I think that’s where we went wrong the first time. We were bound to erupt eventually. We were too hot, too loaded with guilt and regret… and pain.” She smiles, scooting down and pulling him with her so they were lying side by side.

  “You’re not that girl anymore. You are the strong, confident Jules Blacklin from before the storm. The one I fell in love with after I kissed her in the closet at a party. And I sure as hell am not that scared boy, not most of the time anyway.”