This Is Falling(56)

“That’s because you left prom—and your prom date—after fifteen minutes, to sleep with some college chick waitress you met during the dinner,” I fire back.

“Oh yeah, that’s right,” he laughs. “Ahhhhh prom. A’right, go make your own memories.”

“Shithead,” I say as I tuck my wallet into my jacket. Ty blows me a kiss when I leave.





It was so much like prom—the knocking on the door, and standing in the hallway, feeling like an * while I listen to the girls giggle on the other side. I was actually sweating, I was so nervous. That all stopped the second Cass opened the door though and Rowe walked around the corner.

Her dress was white—innocent and delicate and incredibly girly. It fell down the side of one of her shoulders and soft layers of fabric hugged her body, but then ended in a blunt cut along the top of her legs. It was the shortest thing I have seen her in, and I know her legs are the only things anyone who comes in contact with us tonight are going to see. I can’t take my eyes off of them right now.

“Daaaaamn,” Rowe says, putting her fingers in her mouth to whistle. My tomboy, always trying to beat me to the punch line, steps back and holds her hand to her chin admiring me, like I’m the one out of the two of us worth admiring. “You wore a tux,” she says, and a genuine smile curves on her lips.

“All part of the Nate Preeter Prom Experience, babe,” I say, holding my arm out to escort her.

“Ewww, don’t call me babe. It feels so…I don’t know…Goodfellas!” she says, reaching for my arm and letting me guide her through the door and down the hall.

“Got it, babe,” I say with a wink, just to be an ass.

“You have her home by morning, you hear Preeter?” Cass yells down the hall after us. I just hold my hand up with an okay.

When we reach the elevator, I hold the door with my back as she steps in, and that’s when I see how far down the material scoops on her back. Ohhhhhh f*ck me! The silk sways along her lower back with every shake of her hips, and I find myself rooting for it to sway just a little more, because I swear if it does I’m going to see her bare ass.

Two more guys get in the elevator with us along with a few girls, and I notice everyone looking at the back of that dress—at Rowe’s bare back. Most guys would get all kinds of protective from this and want to cover their woman up, but not me. I know what it means to Rowe to be out in something like this, to show parts of herself she normally keeps hidden. And I never want her to feel ashamed again. Rowe is hot as hell, and I want everyone to get a good look at the girl that will be with me all night, and the rest of the weekend, and the rest of the semester and…well, pretty much as long as she’ll have me.

“You seriously rented a limo,” she says when we walk up to the parking lot curb where the driver is waiting for us.

“Damn straight I did,” I say, opening the door for her to step inside. “Oh, and I almost forgot.” I reach into my pocket and pull out the small yellow wrist corsage I picked up from the town florist. It was a last-minute order, so she didn’t have time to make me anything fancy—but seeing the way it makes Rowe’s face light up when she lets me slide it over her hand, and she smells it along her wrist, makes me think this simple flower was the perfect choice.

Putting together a prom night wasn’t easy, and there really wasn’t a way I could get her to a formal dance, so I did the next best thing and put together all of the silly things that go along with the prom. Our first stop was the Olive Garden, because that’s the kind of place you think is a fancy restaurant when you’re in high school. Two pasta bowls and two basketfuls of breadsticks later, Rowe and I left to climb back into the limo, sleepy from the carb overload.

“Okay, I’ll admit it. That was pretty fun,” she says, crossing her long legs in the car and completely putting me in a trance. “So, what’s next?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah…” I shake my head.

“You were gawking,” she says, pulling the edge of her skirt up a little higher on her thigh just to tease me.

“Don’t start something you don’t intend to finish, Rowe. I can put up that privacy glass anytime I want,” I say, my eyes moving quickly from hers back to the newly exposed flesh on her leg.

“Well, isn’t that part of the Nate Preeter Prom Experience, too?” she teases. I slide my arm around her to tug her close to my body, and I spend the rest of the short drive torturing her while I kiss her neck and slide my fingertips along the temptingly high hem of her dress.

I knew the next stop would get to her. I had to come up with something that would serve as a prom, so when I saw the Friday-night square-dancing notice posted at Sally’s this week, I jumped all over it.

“Uh, Preeter? I’m pretty sure this is not what a high school prom is like,” she says as I hold her hand and help her from the car to the curb.

“Really? ‘Cause I was trying to be authentic to Arizona, and that’s how y’all dance there pretty much, ain’t it?” She slaps at my side with her small handbag, and I swing my arms around her and lift her into me, spinning her around until she giggles. God I love that sound.

“Wow, you really did your research on my home state. I suppose after this we’re going to meet up for a shootout, and then take our horses down to the waterin’ hole?”