Out of Line (Out of Line #1)(15)
Author: Jen McLaughlin

I relaxed again. For a second, I thought he knew something more about me than he should have. “Did any of your girlfriends’ fathers like you?”

He shrugged. “I haven’t really had any. I’ve been married to my work for the past five years. Not much free time.”

“Oh.” I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. “I can’t imagine you being single. I figured a guy like you would have numerous women in his life.”

“Now who’s making assumptions?” he asked, giving me a pointed look.

“I’m sorry,” I quickly said. I hated when he did it to me, and I’d gone and done it to him. “I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“Apology accepted, but it just so happens you might be right.”

My jaw dropped open. He didn’t make any sense. “You said you’ve been single.”

“I’ve been single.” He grinned at me. “Not celibate. Two different things.”

I rolled my eyes, disappointed by his honesty. I’d been hoping…what, exactly? That he’d spent his whole life waiting for the right girl to come along? As if.

He shifted on the bench and stole a glance at me. “Are you going to see this guy again?”

“I’m sure I will. We do have classes together.”

He sighed. “I meant outside of school.”

“I don’t know.” I looked up, watching the clouds move lazily across the blue sky. One of the clouds looked like the Washington Monument, and it made me miss home and my mom. Heck, even my dad.

“What’s his last name?”

I eyed him. “Why?”

“Just curious if I knew him.”

“Oh. Pinkerton.” I watched the monument cloud until in merged with another, making it unrecognizable. “I’ll probably see him again. He seems nice.”

“Nice,” he muttered. “That’s a word for a puppy, not a man. Nice won’t make you scream out in bed.”

I choked on a laugh, but something inside of me responded differently. Finn would probably be able to make me scream his name. Too bad he didn’t want to. “I can’t believe you said that.”

He lifted a shoulder. “If the shoe fits…”

“Well, I like puppies and nice guys like Cory,” I added. Even though I was lying. I much preferred Finn.

“You’re a dog person?” he asked.

“Some dogs.” I smiled and pictured Mom’s dog running through the yard with a pink bow around its neck. “I like the little terrier my mom has. She’s cute.”

“Do you miss home?”

“Yeah.” I nodded and swallowed hard. “I mean, it’s been less than a week, but I definitely miss certain things. Although it’s nice being on my own. Making friends. Surfing. Riding a motorcycle.” I hesitated. I wanted to tell him more about myself. Wanted to trust him. “I couldn’t do that stuff at home. There were too many eyes on me all the time.”

“Too many eyes,” he said softly. “That doesn’t sound fun.”

“It kind of sucked,” I admitted. “My dad is kind of…important in his company. He’s in politics, and with politics…people are always watching.”

He cleared his throat. “You didn’t mention that before.”

“I didn’t trust you before.” I met his eyes and bit down on my lip. “I do now. I’m hoping it’s not a mistake.”

“It’s not,” he said, but his eyes looked shaded with something I couldn’t name. “I won’t tell anyone.”

“Yeah, I’m trying to keep a low profile. I look a lot different than I used to, and I was lucky enough to be out of the media for the last year. Hopefully it stays that way.”

“So, you’re like a Kennedy?”

I laughed. I wasn’t nearly so high up on the political food chain, nor did I want to be. “Hardly so glamorous.”

He elbowed me in the ribs. “I like the idea of being friends with a Kennedy. It sounds impressive, don’t ya think?”

“No,” I managed to say with a straight face, but then I ruined it by laughing. “I’m not as cool as them.”

“I think you’re just fine the way you are,” he said. “How did you manage to come here without security?”

My breath caught in my throat, but I refused to read into that too much. “Dad wanted to send private security with me, but I refused. He probably sent some out here anyway, knowing him.”

He tugged on his hair. “Do you think he’d do that?”

“I know he’d do that.” I played with the string on the side of my bikini bottoms, not wanting to look at him when I told him this part. “They’re probably watching us right now.”

He gave an uneasy laugh. “If so, they’ll probably kick my ass for taking you surfing.”

“If they’re smart, they’ll never show their faces.”

He snorted. “Should they be scared of you?”

“Scared of how I’ll react? Yes.” I stood up and held out my hands. “I want to be normal. Have normal fun and kiss normal boys. Study late at night and party occasionally. Is that so wrong?”

“Whoa.” He stood up and grabbed my hands. “I didn’t say it was.”

“I know. Sorry.” The righteous anger seemed to disappear, leaving me as deflated as a leaky balloon. “I get all worked up when I think of those sickos out there, following me around. Watching everything I do. I mean, get a life. Who in their right mind takes a job watching someone else 24/7? It’s like being a glorified stalker if you ask me.”

He gave an uneasy laugh. “Come on. Let’s get some coffee and forget all about the men possibly watching us.”

“All right.” I took a deep breath and dropped one of his hands. “This time, it’s on me.”

He stiffened. “I’d rather—”

“And so would I. We’re not dating. We’re friends, and friends split bills.”

He hesitated. “They do,” he admitted. “I have to ask. Why is it you never had friends?”

“Uh…” I nibbled on my lower lip. “Well, not many of them passed by Dad’s scrutiny. If their parents had even a whiff of scandal attached to their names, we were done hanging out. The few who did pass were major bitches.”

“Ah.” His fingers flexed on mine. “What about boyfriends?”