Mockingbird (A Stepbrother Romance #2)(16)

God, my mother can be such a teenager sometimes. She grabs a clutch purse (that I've also never seen before) and heads downstairs.

Around seven thirty, I get bored. The Honda is still in the garage. Charity will have night shift tonight, until the store closes, anyway. I can go hang out with her.

Main Street is pretty dead when I park at the end, feed the meter and walk down to Hermitage's. I'm a little surprised when there is no Charity in evidence, and her uncle is manning the counter. I'm doubly surprised that the guy from yesterday is back, sipping coffee from a styrofoam cup and nodding patiently as the old man tells one of his stories.

"So then Dave pulls down her top and starts yelling, and everybody at the swimming hole turns around to look. These two wads of tissues go floating down…"

"Where's Charity?" I break in.

I'm getting a little annoyed. My world is melting around me and my best friend is missing in action.

The old man waves his hand. "She asked for the night off. First time in three years, I figured I'd give it to her. Her and some boy were going to the party at that little shithead's house. What's his name, Luke or something?"

"Lucas. She's going to Lucas' party. You're sure?"

He nods. "Reasonably so. I was just talking to this young man here about-"

"Whatever, I need to go get her."

"Hey." Apollo says, and sips his coffee.

My knees buckle a little. Good God he's hot. He makes jeans and a t-shirt look good. I mean, model good. The cotton molds to his body with impossible precision, even lining those muscle channel things that dip into his belt. Charity came up with an obscene name for those, but I think the technical term is adonis belt.

Anyway.

"Hi. I've got to run."

"Where are you off to?"

"I need to find my friend. I can't let her go to Lucas' party."

I have no idea why I would divulge that information to this guy.

"Why?"

"Because he's bad news. There will be drinking and drugs."

"Sounds like fun," he smirks.

His smirk makes something flutter in my chest, but I can't let myself be distracted.

"I'm going to go find her."

I turn on my heels and head for the door.

"Alone?"

I stop and turn back, one eyebrow quirked up. "Uh, yeah. Why?"

"If it's dangerous, why don't you let me go with you?"

The old man nods, as if it sounds like a profoundly good idea. Apollo shrugs, that smirk widening a little until it threatens a grin.

"Why?"

"Why not? I wanted to see a bit of the town. I just moved here with my father."

That should ring a bell, but why doesn't it?

It doesn't matter. This is crazy. A complete stranger is offering to go rescue Charity from Lucas' den of scum and villainy, and I'm thinking about taking him up on it. I'm thinking about quite a lot of things. Like his lips. He has very kissable lips. I spend so much time thinking about schoolwork and colleges and My Future I sometimes forget that boys exist. Now I'm looking at a boy and forgetting that Charity exists. Lucas would put one of his jackass friends up to asking her out and lead her into some kind of vile prank to humiliate her or something. Or worse.

I'm wasting time here.

"I'm wasting time here," I announce, and turn on my heels.

Apollo follows me out the door. He downs his coffee with a wince and drops it one of the big wrought iron garbage cans that line the street.

"What are you doing?"

"Following you."

"Why?"

He shrugs. "I like the view."

I stumble a little. "Excuse me?"

"You going to go get your friend, or what?"

"Yeah. In my car. By myself."

He continues to follow me.

"Look, this may seem a little forward of me, but I know the guy you're talking about. From yesterday, right?"

"Yeah," I sigh.

"I'm not just going to let you go confront this person by yourself."

I blink a few times. "Uh, why?"

"Because I'm suave and debonair, and when you're as hot as I am you can be chivalrous without it coming across as creepy."

It takes every ounce of my willpower not to laugh at that.

"Fine. Follow me or something."

"I'm on foot. Can I catch a ride?"

"If you insist."

It feels a little cramped in the Honda with him in the front seat next to me. He has long legs, and puts the seat all the way back.

"You really think she's in some kind of trouble?"

"If she's not, she will be. Charity can't handle her liquor and half the town will be at this stupid party. Lucas knows people at the academy, but he knows people at both of the high schools, too. When the party hit Facebook I'll bet every teenager in town swarmed his place. His parents are at Cape May for the weekend."

He nods, and folds his arms across his chest. Wow, he's got big arms. It makes it look like he's doubled in size. I have to force myself to keep my eyes on the road. I see a hint of some tattoos where his shirt tightens against his skin. I'm almost curious to ask, and chew my lip. He glances over at me and shifts in the seat, visibly uncomfortable from the close quarters.