Falling Down Read online

  “How do you know I’m not?” Zach was laughing. She could feel it when she pressed back against him, urging him down the steps with her body. Her stepfather’s face was twisted between fear and rage, and she rather liked the look—not that she hadn’t seen it before or anything. She grabbed Zach’s hand, and noticed how it swallowed her own as she pulled him toward the car parked on the curb.

  “Nice ride.” She laughed out loud when he opened the passenger side of the black Camaro for her, glancing back and waving at her parents, still standing shell-shocked in the doorway. “You don’t have to lay it on that thick! They’re not going to like you, no matter what you do.”

  Lindsey tossed her purse in and followed it, flipping down the visor and putting on lip gloss as Zach went around to his side. The car smelled like oranges and sandalwood, and was absolutely spotless. He put the key in the ignition and started the car and cold air blew over her face. When he pulled his seatbelt over, he glanced at her.

  “Strap in.” He nodded toward her belt.

  Lindsey made a face, rubbing her full, glossy lips together. “I live dangerously.”

  “Not with me, you don’t.” Zach reached over her for the seatbelt. His body was warm, and his breath sweet, she noticed, as he clicked her belt into place.

  “I thought a Navy boy would be a little more adventurous!” she scoffed, flipping the visor up as he put the car into gear. Her parents were still standing in the doorway.

  She wondered for a moment what they were saying—but really, she already knew. It thrilled her.

  “Gotta draw a line somewhere.” Zach pulled slowly away from the house, glancing in his rearview mirror. “So, tell me—what percentage of you decided to go out with me tonight based on the fact that I’m black?”

  Lindsey shook her head, giving him a sly smile as she fished a pack of gum out of her purse. “Don’t flatter yourself. It was the Shepard tickets that hooked me from the start. The black thing was just a nice bonus.”

  “And here I thought it was my witty charm and incredibly good looks.” He snorted, flashing a bright smile.

  “They didn’t hurt ya.” She winked as she crumpled the stick of gum into her mouth, wadding the wrapper and putting it in the little bag hanging from the cigarette lighter.

  He glanced over at her as she pulled her shirt out of her skirt. “Neither did yours.”

  “Gotta accentuate the positive.” Lindsey unbuttoned the bottom buttons of her black lace shirt, tying the ends up tight under her little breasts, making them look fuller. Her bra was black under the sheer blouse and she considered taking it off and stowing it in her purse, but thought that might be too risqué, even for the Palladium. “So what do you think?”

  Zach’s eyes moved over her as she turned to him, holding out her arms as if to say, “taa-daa!” He shook his head, smiling. “Isn’t that skirt a little long for you?”

  She tugged at the hem, which didn’t come to her slim mid-thigh. “Are you kidding?”

  “Well, if those shorts you were wearing when I met you are any indication of your usual taste in clothes…”

  She grinned. “Yeah, well… those are my ‘come-fuck-me’ shorts.”

  “Is that so?” Zach slowed the car to a stop at a red light, turning to look at her more fully. “So since you’re not wearing them tonight…?”

  “Oh, don’t worry.” Lindsey moved toward him in her seat. “You’ll get compensated well for the tickets, I promise. This might not be as short, but it is easier access… see?” She put her knee up, flashing him a view of her sheer black panties.

  “Is that why you think I asked you out?”

  She smirked. “Why else? I’m not stupid.”

  “Do all your dates go quid pro quo?” Zach frowned as Lindsey swung her legs forward again.

  “More like quim pro quo.” She gave a short, sharp laugh, putting the pack of gum back in her purse. “Oh… did you want some?” He shook his head, his eyes on hers in the dimness. Behind them a car horn honked and Lindsey glanced up, noticing the light had turned green. “Um… I think you can… ya know, go?”

  Zach sighed, pulling away from the light, his eyes back on the road. “I want you to know that I didn’t ask you out to have sex with you.”

  The silence that filled the car made Lindsey feel like she couldn’t breathe. She wanted to open the window and stick her head out. Instead, she snapped her gum and pressed her warm forehead to the cool glass, watching the buildings whiz by. He didn’t say anything else, and she had the feeling she was supposed to respond, but she didn’t know how.

  “You really want to know why I asked you to come with me tonight?” His eyes flicked over to her—she felt his gaze but didn’t turn. Instead, she fogged the glass further with her breath, drawing the outline of a face sticking its tongue out, and didn’t answer him. “Because you still put money in those little machines when you go into the grocery store.”

  She laughed—she couldn’t help it. “You’re weird.”

  “We’re here.” Zach parked and pocketed his keys. “Still wanna go in?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?” She made a face, wrinkling her nose at him. “This is Kenny Wayne Shepard we’re talking about!”

  “Yeah, okay.” He grinned. “Come on, let’s go.”

  She took his hand as they worked their way through the crowd, and he smiled down at her, giving her fingers a squeeze. The bald guy who took their ticket stub raised a studded eyebrow at her skirt, or lack thereof, giving her a wink as she edged through the turnstile. Zach saw the exchange and stepped quickly through the gate, taking her hand again and leading her into the venue.

  “You want anything?” He nodded toward the concessions and Lindsey shook her head, so they went down the stairs toward the stage.

  “How close are we?” They just kept getting nearer and nearer to the stage and Lindsey glanced back, amazed at the amount of seats behind them.

  Zach checked the tickets. “Front row, nearly center.”

  “You’re kidding me!” Her jaw dropped and she gripped his hand in hers. “They must have cost you a fortune!”

  He shrugged, showing the tickets to a security guard before steering her down the front row. “They were worth it.”

  Lindsey couldn’t believe how close they were and she turned to Zach, feeling his warmth as they sat, their thighs brushing. She knew her intuition was right, even before she asked the question. “You didn’t have these tickets when you asked me out, did you?”

  “No.” He grinned and winked. “But I do now.”

  “Last minute, front row center seats…” She gave a low whistle. Then she frowned up at him, her eyes narrowing. “And you’re telling me you didn’t ask me out for sex?”

  “Yep.” He squeezed her hand again, his eyes on hers. His gaze made her feel warm, and every time he looked at her like that, it felt like something broke open in her chest. “That’s what I’m telling you.”

  “Why should I believe you?”

  “Why shouldn’t you?”

  Lindsey’s eyes rolled. “I can think of about a million reasons.”

  “Can you think of one reason to trust me?”

  She thought of the way he looked at her, how he was with her parents, and what he said tonight in the car. “Maybe.”

  “Hang onto that one.” He squeezed her hand again and smiled.

  In spite of what past experience had taught her, that’s just what she did.

  —

  Zach turned down the radio, talking over the whistle of the wind coming in through the t-tops that Lindsey had insisted he take off on the way home. Her hands were dancing in the breeze, her body still swaying to the music.

  “Do you have I.D. on you?” He nudged her, getting her full attention.

  “I’m not twenty-one,” she reminded him and then grinned. “But I think I still have a fake I.D. in my wallet from last year that says I am.”

  He shook his head, smiling. “No—real I.D. Something that says you’re eighteen
?”

  “Driver’s license do?” She fished her purse off the floor.

  “Yep.” He took a sharp right turn, away from the direction of her house. She smiled, shaking her head. In spite of what he’d said, she was pretty sure they were headed somewhere private. During the concert, he had looked at her the way all guys do, with the heat of lust in his eyes when she ground her hips back against him as she danced. She had felt his response against her behind, in the way he gripped her hips, and she loved it.

  But she thought she’d at least play along. “Why do you ask?”

  “I want to show you something.” He steered the car down a long, curving road. There were no houses and not even much foliage exposed by the low headlights sweeping around a turn.

  “I bet you do.” She couldn’t help her smile, and felt a familiar warmth in her lower belly. She didn’t mind that they were going somewhere—she’d been a little disappointed when he claimed he didn’t want to have sex.

  He smiled back, shaking his head. “It’s not what you think.”

  “Uh-huh.” She tossed her gum out the window and found her wallet in her little purse, taking out her I.D. “Is this what you wanted?”

  “Thanks.” He took her license and slid it above the visor, using one hand to steer while he dug into his back jean pocket for his wallet. Lindsey frowned, seeing a sign flash by on her right that she just missed reading. She didn’t miss the next one though: Air National Guard Base.

  “Uhhhh…” Her belly felt even tighter now, and she swallowed hard. “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see.” Zach stopped at a white, well-lit booth with a long crossbar in front, keeping cars from entering without stopping first.

  Lindsey stared, wide-eyed, at the gun strapped to the man’s hip as he leaned his uniformed head down to the window. “How can I help you tonight?”

  Zach handed their I.D.s over. “Visiting a friend. Colonel Pullman.”

  The uniformed guard looked at their I.D.s one at a time, and then leaned in to take a look at Lindsey. She felt his eyes moving over her in the darkness, something she would usually relish, but tonight she found it disquieting.

  “All right, lieutenant.” The man handed their I.D.s back with a nod, writing something on a clipboard. “Have a good night.”

  “Thanks. You, too.” Zach waited for the crossbar to go up, and then edged the car slowly forward.

  “We’re visiting a friend of yours?” Lindsey frowned, craning her neck back to look at the guard. She had goose bumps on her arms in spite of the warmth of the night.

  “Not really.” He shrugged, turning the car down a side road that ran next to a tall fence topped with high, barbed wire. “Just an excuse.”

  “Where are we?” Lindsey leaned forward, trying to see into the darkness past the reach of the headlights. There wasn’t much to see, just a bunch of small, blue lights, close to the ground.

  “You’ll see.” Zach smiled over at her, steering the car around a curve to the right. The ground sloped upward here, and he pulled off the road itself onto the grass, parking there. She smiled as he turned the key off, listening to the engine ticking as it cooled. It was so quiet she could hear crickets chirping somewhere in the darkness.

  “Pretty.” She breathed deep, stretching her hands up through the open top of the car, looking up at the stars. “Is this what you wanted to show me?”

  “Almost.”

  She smiled, sliding as close to him as she could with the gearshift between them. “Am I getting warmer?”

  “Actually, no.” He grinned, his teeth gleaming. She slid her hand up his thigh, leaning into his shoulder. “But I am.”

  “Good.” She kissed his neck, the soft spot right under his ear, licking in little circles. Her fingers danced over the zipper of his jeans, just lightly, feeling for a response, some sign of encouragement.

  “Not warm enough in here for you already, huh?” Zach swallowed and she felt it against her lips as she kissed her way into the dark hollow of his throat.

  “Nowhere near, to tell you the truth.” Lindsey breathed, trying to move closer, but she couldn’t because of the gear shift, so she settled for leaning over, one hand on each of his denim-clad thighs. Their eyes met briefly before she kissed him, moaning against the softness of his mouth, the tenderness of his lips on hers. His hand moved slowly through her hair, tilting her head sideways as he sought her tongue with his.

  She had been kissed a hundred times, but this was different. Something thrummed through her, and she knew her own warning system well enough. That part of her wanted to bolt out of the car and never look back—but another part of her wanted even more of him. The latter won out, and she let the kiss deepen, twining her tongue with his, feeling the spread of his hand against her lower back as he tried to press her closer.

  She felt a low rumble in her belly, as if the whole car were shaking, and she gasped into his mouth as he shifted her across the console, pulling her into his lap. She felt his response clearly enough now, throbbing against her behind. He moaned into her mouth when she wiggled there, wrapping her slender arms around his neck and giving herself over to his lust.

  It was then that she realized the tremor running through her was real, the feeling growing to sound in her ears as they fumbled together in the little seat. She gasped, her eyes opening in surprise to meet his as the thunder grew, vibrating the gearshift against her thigh.

  “Zach!” She clutched him, turning to look out the windshield, her eyes wide. “What is it?!”

  “This is what I wanted to show you.” He said the words against her hair, pulling her hips into him snugly. “Watch.”

  The sound crackled like a fire in the distance, something roaring in the night. It was too dark to see much, but a light grew brighter amidst the small blue ones on the flat ground a little ways below. The sound grew, too, the force and power of it making the whole car tremble. She clung to him, not even realizing it, her mouth dry and a heat growing in her middle.

  It wasn’t until the fire lit behind the F-16 that she realized what she was seeing. The plane barreled toward them like a rocket then, the sound making Lindsey cover her ears and cry out. It was coming right for them! She turned her face to hide it in Zach’s shoulder and felt him shaking with silent laughter.

  “It’s okay, baby.” The term of endearment softened her and she looked up at his bright eyes in the dimness. “I wouldn’t let anything hurt you, I promise. Just watch.”

  Lindsey gasped, looking up through the t-tops as the plane passed high overhead, gaining altitude fast, the sound still so loud it shook her to the core, the afterburner a streak of fire behind the plane for a moment before fading to a low, orange glow. It made everything in her body vibrate and her breath catch in her throat. The low rumble moved through her with building excitement and she laughed out loud, reaching her hands up to the plane as if she could touch it.

  “Another one’s coming.” He nodded toward what she knew now was a runway.

  “Another?” She leapt off his lap and stood on her seat, poking her head up through the sun roof. Zach did the same, grinning over at her as the second F-16 came howling toward them. Lindsey stretched her arms to the sky as it began to take off, gaining altitude, burning fire behind. It was high above when it passed over them, and she screamed out loud in competition with the noise, her hands spread wide to the stars.

  “Like it?” He smiled over at her, almost shyly.

  She laughed, sliding up on the edge of the sunroof and swinging her legs over the side. “I love it! Are there more!?”

  “Should be.” He followed her out of the car as she went to stand in front of it, hugging her arms. “Three more.”

  “Hold onto me.” Lindsey slipped her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek against his chest as the next one came growling toward them, the sound reverberating under her feet. His hands pressed her lower back, a little damp from dancing at the concert and now from the heat of the night, pulling her belly again
st his. She turned her face up to him, slipping her hand behind his neck and reaching up on tiptoe to find his mouth.

  Their kiss grew hungry, and she squirmed in his arms, wanting more as the thunder of the plane grew closer, trembling her body against his. Her whole being burned, on fire, more alive than she had ever felt before. She grabbed his hand, the one pressed to her back, and urged it between her thighs, pulling it up under her skirt.

  “Lindsey—” He broke their kiss, moving his hand away, but she insisted, guiding his fingers, pushing her panties aside. He groaned when he felt her smooth wetness, her lips swollen and parted in her excitement.

  “Please.” She gasped, her voice lost in the sound of the plane roaring overhead, but she knew he felt the urgency in her body as she pressed herself against him. The fire trailing behind the F-16 glowed for a moment like a beacon in the night, and she couldn’t see anything else. His fingers moved between her legs, slowly exploring the soft folds, and he caught her mouth again, kissing her back toward the hood of the car.

  “Yes, yes, yes!” She spread for him in excitement, letting him push her skirt up over her hips as she slid onto the hood of the car, pulling her own panties down. When she reached for the crotch of his jeans, aching to feel him, see him, taste him, he let her rub there for a moment. The outline of his cock straining against the denim was almost too much for her to bear, and she unsnapped his jeans, wanting to set him free.

  “No.”

  She only heard the word he spoke because the next plane was still far off, a low rumble in the distance, a crackling fire, like the heat between her thighs. Then she couldn’t hear anything but the wailing sound of the F-16 heading down the runway toward them as Zach spread her legs and sank to his knees before her.

  His mouth covered her mound and he kissed her pussy like he had kissed her lips. He drank her, breathed her, and she couldn’t hear the sounds he made, but they vibrated her flesh, sending delicious pulses of pleasure through her body. She threw her hands above her head, her own soft moans lost in the growing roar of the approaching plane.