Fumbling Perfect (Raymere Grove Series Book 1) Read online

  “He was only messing with you because of me,” Kyler admitted.

  “Care to explain?”

  The path dropped down on one side and Kyler hopped to walk below while Lilah teetered on the stones along the side, giving her about a three-foot or more height advantage over Kyler, depending on the slope of the wall.

  “We don’t get along,” he began.

  “Why?”

  She made him nervous, stepping one foot in front of the other across the rocky ledge, so carefree. “Just be careful,” he grumbled. He tried his best not to reach out every time she looked a little wobbly. She was completely out of character and it took him a moment to get used to her not being the same uptight brat that he had grown to know.

  Lilah rolled her eyes and ignored his warning. “Are you going to explain?”

  “I don’t know why he doesn’t like me. He thinks I have it so easy, that I have this perfect life just handed to me. I guess he’s just jealous, especially when it comes to the attention at school.” He shrugged. He knew why he disliked Sean. He was a rude and unlikeable person, but he had no idea why Sean ever tore into him in the first place.

  “You do get a lot of attention,” Lilah admitted.

  Kyler glanced up at her and found that she wasn’t looking at him, only staring at her feet slowly making their way across the stones.

  “Well, so do you.”

  Lilah chuckled. She was aware as to her reputation. It wasn’t as favorable as Kyler’s, but she didn’t feel the need to mention what he already knew.

  Changing the subject, “Honestly, why didn’t you say anything to me at Dawson’s?”

  The fact that she was constantly around her friends had little to do with it. Something about when she walked in made him feel nervous and uneasy. For the first time in a long time, he was actually afraid to walk up and talk to a girl.

  It was at that moment that a realization hit him. He shouldn’t have followed her to the park. He shouldn’t be walking with her, alone, at sunset. He needed to find an excuse to leave.

  Lilah continued to press for an answer. “Why?”

  “You can be a little intimidating,” he finally responded.

  “Wow.” She thought for a moment. “I guess you’re right. I’ve been told more than once that I’m a bit on the unapproachable side.”

  Kyler didn’t know what had gotten into him when he asked, but he did it anyway. “Did you want me to approach you?”

  Lilah stopped in mid-step and turned on the rocks to face Kyler. For once, he was the one looking up at her.

  As soon as she looked into his eyes, her stomach flipped. She wasn’t sure if it was flutters or knots, but it was stronger than she had ever felt, and it sent a dizzying feeling shooting through her.

  “No,” she ultimately answered, knowing it was a lie.

  She attempted to continue on and that’s when her balance failed her. The slick bottoms of her flats didn’t connect well with the smooth stones lining the path, and though she attempted to veer toward the path on the left, that was only a few inches down, she found herself falling to the lower one, the one Kyler was walking on. Instantly, she prepared herself for the embarrassment.

  Only, when she opened her eyes, her predicament was far worse than landing in the dirt on the path.

  Her whole body became engulfed in a warmth she had never known. Panic ran through her as her eyes shot open, only to meet a strong and hard chest inches from her. She didn’t dare look down. She could feel his hands, one on her back and one along her hip.

  Kyler gradually loosened his grip, realizing that Lilah was still suspended against him, and allowed her to slip downward so that her feet were on firm ground.

  The warmth from her skin seared through the palms of his hands. Why couldn’t she have been wearing a sweater down to her knees? Though he was terrified of making any sort of movement, he couldn’t help but let his thumb slowly massage its way along her hipbone. He never thought he’d have her this close and he had to touch her as much as she’d allow. Currently she hadn’t said a word, hadn’t objected, hadn’t pulled away, which only caused the pounding in his chest to quicken at the thought of what he might do if she didn’t.

  It wasn’t until their eyes finally met that something happened, something deeper. Without saying anything, each was certain that the other had to feel it.

  Holding Lilah firmly into place, Kyler brought one hand upward and pushed a lock of chestnut hair behind her ear, only for it to sway back and forth across her shoulder with the breeze. She closed her eyes briefly and let out a small breath, and in that short bit of time, he wanted to remember every detail about her face, even something as silly as the way her bangs danced across her forehead.

  He slid his fingers along her face until they were softly wrapped around the back of her neck, only for his thumb to remain, lightly grazing her cheek.

  Lilah felt helpless. She couldn’t pull away and a part of her didn’t want to. She could no longer think. All she could do was feel, and Kyler’s touch felt amazing, like nothing she had ever expected from a boy, and though she knew how clouded her mind was, she wanted more.

  “Lilah,” he whispered, all but begging her to look up at him. He needed to see her eyes again. He needed to know that she wanted this as much as he did.

  As if awakening from a dream, Lilah blinked up at him, her doll-like emerald eyes full of a mixture of wonder and fear.

  Just as Kyler was about to pull Lilah forward, he felt her step closer into him and his heart began to race. As if she was unsure what to do with her hands, she placed them against his chest. Her eyes widened as she allowed them to trace upward, skimming along the ridges concealed by the fabric of his shirt.

  Kyler couldn’t take the anticipation any longer, and with the heat radiating from her skin, he figured that the same went for her. He tipped her head slightly until he could easily meet her.

  Their lips met softly and hesitantly. It was a simple kiss, one to test the waters, as both were not only unsure of the person before them, but they were unsure overall about what was happening.

  Kyler was the one to pull back, not quickly, and not immediately, and he still didn’t dare let Lilah slip from his arms.

  Lilah wasn’t sure what she was doing, or even if what she did was close to being right. All she did know was that she didn’t want it to end, not yet. Nervously, she ran her hand upward along Kyler’s chest until she clasped him around the shoulder. Applying the gentlest amount of pressure, she silently begged for him to continue.

  This time when their lips met, there was a deeper hunger and desire, as though it had been something they wanted since the first day in that library.

  Lilah felt herself stumbling backwards and realized that Kyler was delicately walking her into the path’s stone wall. It was for the best, as the cold stones on her back eased the fire burning inside her as well as steadied her from blissfully falling into space.

  Without thinking, Kyler deepened the kiss. For a moment, Lilah’s whole body tensed against him, and just as he thought about pulling away at having pushed too far for her first kiss, she let out a delightful moan and softly dug her nails into his shoulders.

  There was an electricity running between them, one that increased and heightened every normal human feeling.

  Lilah’s phone must have rung several times before Kyler was able to pull away from her, the sound finally registering to his ears.

  “Your phone,” he managed while trying to catch his breath.

  Lilah barely looked at the screen before answering with shaky hands.

  “Miss McCallister, I’m outside of the park. I don’t see you,” Antonio’s voice came through. Though it wasn’t on speaker, Kyler was still pressed against Lilah, steadying himself on the wall behind her, and caught every word.

  Antonio’s voice brought Lilah back to reality, and every portion of the day before now flashed through her mind.

  Trying to control her breathing, “I’ll be right
there.” After ending the call, Lilah directed her words to Kyler, who had now managed to put the slightest amount of distance between them. “I have to go,” she said, turning to hoist herself on the stones to the path above.

  “If you want, I can take you home,” were the first words that flew out of his mouth. Something about what had just happened made him want to have a few more moments with her.

  “No. My ride is waiting.”

  He tried helping her up, but she coldly brushed him off and managed herself. When she was on the path above him, all she could allow was a quick goodbye, leaving him stunned and confused. With that, she quickly rushed away, never turning back.

  Kyler didn’t go back to Dawson’s, but he didn’t go home right away either. Instead, he found himself wandering through the park, his head and heart a complete mess.

  If anyone would have mentioned kissing Lilah McCallister a few weeks ago he would have thought they were insane, but in that one moment that passed between them, he had no choice. Even now, after she had completely run away from him, all he could think about was her taste, how soft her lips felt, how her body melted into his.

  He wanted to pull his hair out just thinking about her. There was no way that he could be falling for Lilah McCallister. Is that even what was happening? Was he falling for her? He honestly didn’t know; however, he did know that after more than half an hour, he couldn’t ignore the pounding and aching in his chest.

  Chapter 14

  Lilah managed to make it through the rest of the weekend by avoidance. Alice and Jolee knew that if she were to get wrapped up in a book or her studies, they’d never get in touch with her, so after a couple texts, they had given up; however, judging from the messages, they would be all over her come Monday. Oddly, Kyler had not text her, and she had made it a point to do the same to him.

  “Don’t even try saying that nothing happened,” Alice began.

  “I can’t believe you two spied on me,” Lilah teased, as they made their way from a picnic table toward the school upon hearing the first bell.

  “We just wanted to make sure you were okay,” Jolee chimed in.

  “Ugh. Then we saw Sarah. We were like two seconds away from heading out there, fists swinging,” Alice playfully growled.

  Jolee rolled her eyes. “No, we weren’t.”

  They grew quiet. Lilah knew there was more; there had to be more. However, upon hearing Sarah’s name, she felt sick to her stomach. Sarah’s words continued to echo in her head. That, combined with the kiss, made her feel like such a disgusting person.

  She was even more upset with Kyler. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he was her first kiss, and as amazing as it was, it now seemed tainted. How could he kiss her if he and Sarah were dating?!

  Alice’s words woke her from her thoughts. “Now we’re just curious about what happened with Kyler.”

  “What do you mean?” Lilah had no choice but to play dumb. They hadn’t been there; they had no idea. This was something she’d like to keep a secret, especially should a wandering ear hear and send it back to Sarah. She wasn’t afraid of her, but she didn’t need the drama that followed Sarah.

  “He looked really upset after talking to Sarah and we assumed he followed you…”

  Jolee, not caring about boys and Lilah’s love life, or lack thereof, turned down a separate hallway. “Sorry guys! See you at lunch.” She then waved goodbye.

  For the first time since school started, Lilah hated that she had calculus with Alice. It meant that there was no dismissing or letting up about Saturday.

  “You have to tell me something. You’re super jittery, like you’ve drank a pot of coffee,” Alice quietly asked as they took their seats next to each other.

  Lilah wanted her to stop talking about it. She had fought for more than twenty-four hours to get Kyler’s kiss and the feeling of his hands and body out of her mind, and Alice bringing up his name wasn’t helping.

  “Oh. My. Gosh,” she hissed, glaring at Lilah as if she could see right through her.

  Lilah looked around to see if there was something that she was missing, but no, Alice was looking right into her soul.

  “You kissed him,” she exclaimed a little louder than she wanted, which only drew the attention of a few students passing through the aisles. When Lilah could not keep her cheeks from turning blood red, “You did! Tell me everything? How did this happen?”

  Thankfully, Lilah was partially saved in the form of a substitute teacher.

  “Alright class, settle down,” he began in a monotone voice which showed his complete lack of care for the job. “Your teacher is out today, obviously. She left some notes that I’ll be writing on the board for you to copy. I guess just try to keep up.”

  “Excuse me,” a dainty voice came from the back. Lilah turned to see Sophie flailing her hand in the air. “You didn’t take attendance.”

  The sub, who hadn’t even bothered to introduce himself, stared her down for a minute and then quickly glanced about the room. “All the desks are full.” He then turned to the whiteboard and picked up one of the markers.

  Lilah knew that it was too good to be true as soon as Alice slid a piece of paper on top of her desk. It was going to be a long class period.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  “What’s up,” Miles asked once they took their seats at the lunch table. He had a variety of tones when he said those words, but this was most definitely his more serious one as if to say, I know something is wrong, spill.

  As soon as the question was asked, Kyler went to one encounter that plagued his thoughts. He thought working a twelve-hour shift at the hospital on Sunday would help wash it away, but the solitude only left him to overthink the matter.

  He glared at Miles as soon as he heard him chuckle with a mouthful of burger.

  “I’m not a therapist, so if you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to,” he began after swallowing. “But I was right there.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Your little tutor,” Miles now whispered. He had no intention of airing his best friend’s business.

  “What do you want me to say,” Kyler grumbled. He allowed his gaze to glance to where Lilah was sitting, and he wished that he wouldn’t have. Just looking at her caused his insides to twist.

  “What happened between the two of you?”

  It wasn’t a big deal. It’s not like he needed to have a sleepover and paint his nails with Miles to get it off his chest.

  With a shrug, “We kissed.”

  “That bad?”

  Kyler couldn’t describe it in the way he wanted. The last thing he needed was his best friend teasing him about being some romantic sissy. He also didn’t want to point out that it was one of his more real kisses as well.

  His first kiss hadn’t been all that great. He was fourteen and his twelve-year-old neighbor had the biggest crush on him. When she and her family moved and they all said their goodbyes, she took it to be the end to an overly dramatic movie, probably one in which half of the couple dies. It ended up being Kyler’s first kiss.

  Since then, well, football took priority over girls. It’s not that he didn’t notice girls; he most certainly did, but something about high school, and the girls in high school, always seemed to contain a lot of drama.

  “It was good,” he finally corrected.

  “Then what’s the problem?

  Kyler scoffed. “She’s not the kind of girl I’m into.” He felt bad about saying those words, but he didn’t bother rectifying them.

  Miles laughed. “And Sarah is?”

  “Absolutely not!”

  “If you want me to be honest,” Miles began, now back to a hushed voice. “Would you catch hell from every guy on the team for pursuing the little ice princess? Definitely. Do their opinions matter when it comes to that? Hell no. Personally, I don’t care who you date or don’t date, as long as your passes are better than this morning,” he concluded with a nudge.

 
Kyler groaned.

  “Hurry up and get it out before Gavin and Dawson get here,” he quickly spoke, nodding in the direction of the lunch line for pizza.

  “I think I might have scared her. She just took off after it happened.”

  “I thought you said it was good,” Miles cautiously asked, his mind now beginning to wander.

  “Yeah, but…I don’t know. I probably shouldn’t have shoved my tongue down her throat the first time kissing her.” Kyler refrained from letting it slip that he knew he was Lilah’s first kiss.

  “Whoa,” Miles gasped. The tomato from his burger fell to his tray, but he was so shocked by what Kyler admitted to that he didn’t even notice. “I thought you meant kiss, like a kiss, as in singular. Maybe spur of the moment, you were in the same breathing space, I don’t know…But you made out with her? Wow. Now I do have to ask, what’s the deal?”

  “There is no deal,” Kyler growled, quickly ending the conversation as Gavin and Dawson approached. Miles shot him a look that meant he still had a great amount of explaining to do.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Lilah sat in the library and waited for Kyler. Like always, she knew that he wouldn’t be there immediately after the final bell, as his eighth period was athletics; however, she was shocked when she received a text from him.

  Kyler: Doing afternoon practice today.

  Lilah: Test in Hughes’ tomorrow. You can have my notes.

  Kyler: You don’t need them?

  Lilah was thankful that Hughes’ announced on Friday that the test had been postponed until Tuesday. She wouldn’t tell Kyler, but all she did was prepare for the test on Sunday.

  A part of her was disheartened to learn that she would not be studying with Kyler that afternoon. She thought he might ask to meet at the public library later that evening, but when he didn’t, there was also a small amount of relief that came along with that. Up until now, she hadn’t spoken with him since the kiss, and she hadn’t figured out what she would say when they should eventually meet in person.