Before Sunrise Read online

  “How old are you, rich girl? Heath says you’re nineteen, but you….” Liam looked her over. “You look younger.”

  “I am nineteen.” She lied again.

  “Are you in college?”

  Kennedy bit her bottom lip. She hadn’t thought the story through. What was she to say? She decided to go with the truth. “No.”

  “So what’s up, then? Why you keep sweating me?”

  Kennedy flinched. She frowned at him. He continued with that sly smirk on his face. She didn’t like the arrogant way he sounded. “You the one sweating me. I see you staring at me when I come around. Don’t front.”

  Liam laughed at her. She’d put a little sass in her urban speak but even to her own ears, it sounded as strange from her lips as Celine Dion trying to rap like Notorious B.I.G.

  “True,” he chuckled. “I think you’re hot. Not stuck up and slutty like most of these spoiled Hampton witches.”

  Kennedy smiled. So it wasn’t her imagination. He was checking her out, too. Sierra said she wasn’t sure, but Kennedy got this tingly feeling in her stomach whenever he was close. There was something in the way he stared.

  “I should have brought us some beer.” He returned his gaze to the ocean. “Wait, I forget you don’t drink.”

  “And you drink too much,” she blurted out.

  He laughed again. “True.”

  “Do you have any brothers or sisters?” she asked.

  His face didn’t change but she felt him stiffen, pull away, even though he hadn’t been touching her. He sat there for a beat, unmoving. Then he nodded. “I got a kid sister. Name is Mackenzie. We call her Mac. She’s…she’s gone.”

  “Gone?”

  “Dead.”

  “Oh.”

  “Right. Oh.”

  Kennedy kicked her feet out, back and forth. “Mackenzie. Aww, that’s pretty. I like that name. I’m sorry she’s gone.”

  “Mac was cool. Thought I was her hero. But I…she was wrong, there are no heroes. Just a lot of pretenders.”

  “Hero, hunh?” Kennedy found that sweet. Little sisters loved big brothers, she supposed. She wanted to ask more questions about this Mackenzie, but it changed him when he spoke of her. The tone of his voice sounded tight and bitter. “So you miss Chicago?”

  “Nah, wait. How do you know where I’m from?” he asked.

  He stared at her now. She liked that. She liked when his attention focused on her and not the sea. When he looked out to the sea he seemed sad. “I know all about you.”

  Again he laughed. Kennedy did too. She found the ease between them a bit surprising. All the rehearsed words of seduction that Sierra had pumped into her head slipped away. She figured she’d just do it her way.

  Still, Liam hadn’t touched her. To be truthful, she had envisioned their encounter all week. She’d practiced everything down to the details, how she would talk, how she would respond. Sierra had given her a condom, which she’d tucked away in her sweater pocket. Sierra had also told her it would hurt a little, but if she relaxed it would pass, and then she’d asked if Kennedy were sure she wanted Liam to be the guy. Kennedy squared her shoulders. A girl got to choose who was her first, and she chose him. He was cute, smart, tough, and he didn’t grope on her or say nasty things to her the few times she’d been close enough to strike up conversation.

  Now he just sat at her side, as if all he wanted to do was talk.

  “I like you,” she said.

  To this, he turned his head and fixed her with a hooded gaze. “Why? You barely know me.”

  “I told you I did. I know you’re from Chicago, and you stay with your cousin for now. I know you like beer and not that nasty punch everybody drinks and I know you don’t have a girlfriend.”

  “Right, princess, and those are qualities you like?”

  He was teasing her. She bit down on her bottom lip. She wasn’t sure of the comeback. She looked up and saw he waited for her to respond. “Yes. Those are qualities I like in a boy.”

  Liam stood up. He stepped in between her legs and leaned into her, with his hands flat on the wooden table on either side of her hips. The brim of his cap bumped her forehead, but not in a hard way. “First, Kay, I’m not a boy. I’m a man. A twenty-two year old man.”

  “Okay.”

  “Second,” he paused. “I like you too.”

  “Really? I mean, um, cool. Why? Why do you like me?”

  “Because every time I look at you it makes me wonder.”

  “Wonder what?” She gulped.

  “If you’ve ever been kissed.”

  Kennedy’s eyes went wide. It was true. She’d never gotten to first base. The only freedom she ever had came when she hung out with Sierra, and it had usually been weekend trips. Besides, she hadn’t necessarily warmed up to the idea of kissing a guy until she’d seen Liam. The swapping of spit seemed a little overrated to her.

  “Can I kiss you, Kay?”

  His eyes could barely be seen under the shadow of his cap. Kennedy got that tingly feeling over her skin, but this time it was accompanied by a butterfly that seemed to be trapped within her chest. She felt wild flutters in her heart.

  “Yes, if you take off your hat,” she said, wanting to see his face.

  “Take it off for me,” he whispered.

  Kennedy removed his cap. She set it behind her. His hair was pressed down on his head. She touched the damp strands. Liam just stared into her eyes. She wasn’t afraid. Maybe she should be. She had built him up in her head to mythical proportions. Her first real crush, this was a guy she could see herself with. Her mom would flip out. Not only was he white, but he wasn’t country-club material, either. Maybe that’s what she liked about him. Her daddy had grown up in Brooklyn. He told her that he had been arrested as a kid, and that’s when he turned his life around. Though her mother had been born into privilege, her daddy had not. He’d become the handsome, rich and successful banker through hard work. Kennedy thought she saw some of her daddy in Liam. Her mind rambled over these things and more, as if to prepare herself mentally for what was to come next. After all, she had set this up. She was going to see it through.

  His face drew closer. Kennedy lowered her gaze. All she could see were his full lips and the thin mustache that reached the corners of his mouth. He had the mouth of a man, firm lips that seem to lift at the corners with a sly smile. That excited her. She remained perfectly still. Her eyes crossed when his lips softly brushed hers. That tender press became sweeter than anything Sierra’d ever described. Liam eased his tongue in and she parted her lips. The taste of his barley-laced breath and a hint of tobacco hit her first. His tongue moved around hers and she did the same to him. It was easy. Better than easy, it felt nice.

  She lifted her arms to his neck and tilted her head to an angle, which allowed her to perfectly control the rhythm of their kiss. Other than that, Liam didn’t touch her. He kept his hands flat to the table. But the kiss went on and on. He flicked his tongue at the roof of her mouth. He swept it deep, then he drew it out to run over her lips. There were so many different ways to enjoy his kiss. She panted, struggling to breathe.

  Then he stopped. He licked his lips, and his gaze dropped to the front of her sundress. Her breasts weren’t uncovered but her nipples tightened from the way he stared.

  “I think I better take you back, Kay,” he said, but made no move to step away.

  “No. I don’t want to go back. I-I want to stay with you.”

  Liam glanced up at her, then looked out behind her. She almost turned to follow his stare when he glanced back over his shoulder. What was he searching for? He seemed relaxed when his eyes returned to hers. He wanted the same thing she did. Kennedy scooted back on the blanket that covered the wooden planks of the picnic table. She removed her sweater. She set it aside. Her sundress had spaghetti straps, and stopped barely mid-thigh, but she reclined. Liam came forward. His hand eased up the skirt of her dress, and Kennedy closed her eyes.

  Liam bent to kiss her expose
d skin. She tried not to giggle. Lying down made the alcohol swirl in her veins, bubbling a flurry of thoughts to her head. She felt him tug at her panties and tensed. But she didn’t remove his hands. Opening her eyes, she saw him ease the yellow satin off her legs.

  Sierra had pounded into her head not to forget the condom. That no matter what happened, to make sure he used it. Kennedy sat up and reached for her sweater but it fell off the picnic table to the bench below.

  “I, um, we need protection,” she said, embarrassed.

  Liam paused, looking from her to her sweater. He sighed. “Relax. I’ll take care of it.”

  “No. I want you to use a condom. I mean, we have to.”

  “We will,” Liam assured her.

  He kissed her again and she did relax. Liam reached in his pocket and removed his wallet. She saw he, too, came prepared. Kennedy closed her eyes, kind of disappointed. If he carried condoms in his wallet, then that meant he did this with a lot of girls. The idea of him and another girl made her chest tight with anger. Her raw emotions were soon soothed when he kissed her, below.

  Kennedy’s eyes flashed open. She closed her thighs but he pushed them apart and licked her there. When he reached her clitoris, she shivered. Then he swirled his tongue in ways she never imagined, never could have imagined, until she felt the prickle, tingle, all of it build, and pull and stir pleasure that enveloped her. She squeezed her eyes shut, embarrassed, but the feeling grew intense, more persistent. She tried to push his head away. He grabbed her thighs. His hands were so strong. There would be no release from his hold. Kennedy thought to warn him, but she only grunted as her body went rigid and to her horror, she released. The starburst of sensation and warmth flooded her core and left her gasping in shock. She scrambled back, trying to recover. An orgasm! He’d actually made her come…with his tongue. Sierra had neglected to mention this part.

  Kennedy’s thighs shook. She wanted to curl up and carry that feeling between her legs with her forever. But she heard him ripping the condom packet and imagined he already had his penis out. Before she could catch her breath, he was on her. He was so heavy that she pushed on his shoulders. Then his hips shifted and the thickness of his penis bumped at her, seeking depth.

  She stared at the roof of the pavilion with her eyes so wide they felt cold. This was it. They were going to make love. Liam licked her neck, then sucked the tiny diamond in her earlobe and she grabbed his shoulders. He thrust into her.

  “Wait!” she cried. “It—” It hurts, she screamed inside her head, unable to form the words.

  Liam lifted his head and looked at her, confused, more than a bit dazed. He pushed in a little more and she dug her long fingernails into his arm. “Kay, what is it?”

  She blinked away her tears.

  “Are you—are you a virgin?”

  Kennedy shook her head no.

  “Damn it, don’t lie. Are you?”

  She nodded yes, completely embarrassed.

  “Do you want to stop? Because I swear, Kay, I don’t think I can.”

  “No, Liam, I want you to do it. I want it.”

  He stared at her for a moment, as if in disbelief. He’d barely pushed in at all—even she knew that—and it burned something awful. But she rose up and kissed him to convince him to continue.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” he groaned, coming down on her so their torsos were perfectly aligned. He thrust into her twice and she swore she felt like she was being ripped apart. But then his hard length breached her hymen and he was all the way in.

  “So good, Kay. Mmm, you feel so good. You’re so tight…fuck.”

  Kennedy laid there, waiting, listening to him take tense, shallow breaths. He started to move. It didn’t feel good at all. In fact, she was seconds from saying she’d changed her mind when he lifted his face and the shadows cleared. She could see his eyes. They were such a clear blue, like the sea under moonlight. He grabbed her arms in one hand and pinned them above her head. With the other hand, he reached up to caress her cheek. He began pumping in and out of her with swift, sure strokes.

  “Put your legs up around my waist, Kay.”

  She did as she was told and it helped, but not much. It hurts so bad. Kennedy stared into his eyes, focused on the way he looked at her. It couldn’t go on forever. And he really seemed to be enjoying it.

  “Damn, Kay. You’re good, so beautiful. Amazing,” he said between kisses.

  Her hands were clutched into fists, her arms still tightly pinned down at the wrists. Her knuckles rubbed against the wood planks with each thrust. She stretched her fingers long, wondering if he planned to free her arms. He pumped harder and faster and she heard the table creak. He started talking so dirty in her ear, about her pussy being the best, the hottest, that she almost giggled. She would have if spasms of pleasure hadn’t begun to ripple through her, stealing her breath.

  Suddenly, he went stiff. He grunted hard and nipped her earlobe. Kennedy gasped beneath him, finding her own rhythm. Liam groaned and then shuddered. He started to beat his cock in and out of her with such fury tears clouded her vision and then it ended.

  He lay on her, breathing hard against her temple. Her arms were still stretched above her head. She waited and waited, until he pulled away. His withdrawal burned as much as his entry. Kennedy hoped the pain would subside quickly. She sat up and touched herself. When she brought her fingers up to the minimal light, she saw blood.

  “It’s normal, Kay. It um, gets better. I…um, you okay?” Liam panted. He tossed his rubber over to the trash, and then looked at her. His face crumpled in concern for her. Kennedy wondered what her face must look like. “Kay? Talk to me. Are you all right?”

  “Yes. It just…it burns.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me? Damn, I’m so stupid. How old are you for real? Jesus, please tell me you’re at least eighteen.”

  “I told you—”

  “Don’t lie to me!”

  His shouting scared her. Her eyes watered. She wanted to run back to Sierra and get the hell away from him. He’d fucked her and now he was hollering at her? Screw him. Asshole. She crossed her arms and glared.

  “Okay, I didn’t mean to yell. But be honest with me. Please. How old are you?”

  “I’m seventeen.”

  “Holy fuck!” he cursed. “I’m so fucking stupid.”

  “Liam, wait.”

  He turned from her with his hands to his head. Was he angry? She prayed he wasn’t. She was too scared and confused for him to be angry with her now. He walked over to her and touched her face, repeating his intimate gesture of just moments before. The raw beauty of his eyes took her breath away.

  “You shouldn’t have done this. We shouldn’t have. You understand? I could go to fucking jail.”

  “No you can’t. And I won’t tell anyone.”

  “What is wrong with you? You don’t know me. I could have been some psycho, you could have gotten in over your head. Do you understand how stupid this was?”

  She nodded. Then it happened. She burst into tears. He hugged her to his chest, held her tight to him. She cried for reasons she didn’t understand. When her tears stopped, he lifted her chin and kissed her. Suddenly, she felt better. He kissed away her tears and stroked her face.

  “You are one brave, crazy girl. You know that?”

  She smiled, sniffled, and wiped her cheeks. “You don’t hate me?”

  “Nah, I think I love you.” He laughed.

  Kennedy grinned.

  “I’m kidding, Kay,” he said, his eyes widening.

  She shook her head. “No, you’re not! You like me, and now you won’t be able to leave me alone. Will you?”

  Liam picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. She squealed as he turned her around. Kennedy laughed. She hurt between her legs, but not as bad as before. Things felt normal again, right. He lowered her to her feet, and then stooped to pick up her panties. When she went to get her sweater he spoke behind her. “You got, um…there’s…on the back of you
r dress.”

  “What?”

  Kennedy looked over her shoulder, extending her skirt to reveal spots of blood. “Oh, no.”

  “Come on.” He took her hand and led her into the public restroom. The light buzzed on when they walked inside. “Take it off.”

  “Huh?”

  “Take off the dress, let me scrub it out. You can wrap the sweater around your waist when we walk back.”

  Kennedy’s gaze swept the room. It looked kind of grimy. He stood there in the light, with a smirk. They’d had sex, but he hadn’t seen her body. Seeing her body was different. And he was holding her panties.

  “Well?”

  Kennedy nibbled her bottom lip, considering her next move.

  “Look, I’ll turn around….”

  “It’s okay.” She zipped the dress down and stepped out of it, then held it out to him. Liam didn’t speak. He just stared at her body. Did he think she was fat? Her hips and breasts were overly developed but her waist was tiny and her stomach flat. Her thighs were shapely but slender. “Something wrong?” she asked.

  “Wow, you’re sex—um, beautiful. I knew it, but damn.” He pulled his Green Day T-shirt off and handed it to her. Kennedy took her time pulling it down over the front of her breasts, realizing it barely slipped to the curve of her thighs. She smiled when she saw him trying not to stare at the vee of her sex. “Thank you, Liam.”

  “I must be out of my goddamn mind,” he took the dress to the sink. She watched him scrub the stain under cool water. It just turned into a wider pink stain on the white linen fabric. There wasn’t much more he could do.

  “Here, put it on. Looks like you sat in punch now.”

  “Thanks.” She reached for the dress. He stopped her. He pulled her toward him.

  She went up against his chest. He ran his hand down her spine and cupped her bottom. “I don’t want another man to ever touch you. You’re mine now. Do you understand?”

  Kennedy smiled. “Yes. I understand, Liam.”

  “Cool, now get dressed. Let’s take you back.”

  “Okay.”