Forever (Cruiser & Lex, Book 3) Read Online Free Page A

threatened by them or can he put this behind him? And what about…us? Can there be an us? But now’s not the right time. All that matters is that he’s alive and well and that our hands are clasped together.
    “Ditch school,” he says, his voice sleepy. “Stay with me all day.”
    “How tempting.”
    “Mmm.”
    I reluctantly glance at the clock again. I need to get going or else I’ll be late. “Cruiser…”
    He puts his finger on his lips. Then he taps them. Closing his eyes, he lifts his finger off his lips and motions for me to come closer. Then he taps his lips again. I look at the door to make sure the nurses aren’t around before standing. With my heart hammering in my chest, I move closer to him and bend over. I hear him intake a breath as I move my mouth closer to his. His lips part. Slowly, I lower my mouth to his.
    I mean to give him a quick peck on the lips because his face is all bruised up and I don’t want to hurt him. But Cruiser seems to have another idea. He captures my bottom lip in his teeth, forcing them to remain on his. When he knows I’m not going anywhere, his lips start moving over mine, first slow and gentle and then harder, faster. I feel my entire body melt at the familiar, amazing touch. I’ve missed this so, so much. A few days ago, I didn’t know if I’d ever feel his lips on mine again. My body begs to push myself closer to him, to meld into him, touch every part of him. But he’s lying in a hospital bed.
    “No,” Cruiser whispers when I start to pull away.
    I lean my forehead against his. “You’re hurt.”
    “I need you.”
    “I’m not going anywhere, Cruiser. I’m going to stay here for as long as you need. Well, except for school.”
    A soft chuckle rumbles in his chest. “Fuck school.”
    “I wish.” I lift myself off him and look into his eyes. There are so many emotions buried in there, but the one that stands out most is the love he has for me. I see it so strongly, as though it has a huge arrow pointing to itself. “I’ll come by as soon as school is over. I promise.”
    He moves his hand until it takes hold of mine. “I’ll count down the minutes.”
    Leaning forward, I give him a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving. As soon as I’m down the hall, a sudden chill passes through me. Now that I’m not with Cruiser anymore, I feel empty. It’s like he and I are on a whole new level in our relationship. We’re not together—yet—but we’re not strangers, either. And we’re more than just friends. It sucks that Cruiser getting into an accident caused a change in our relationship. I wish I wouldn’t have given up on us. I wish I would have rushed over to fix things up with him, just as he was doing when he got attacked.
    The bus ride is long and annoying. It’s moments like these where I wish I had a license. Maybe one day. When I get off and enter the school, I nearly collide with Coach Lewis. I cringe when I see the look on her face.
    “Lex Woods.”
    I swallow. “Yeah, Coach?”
    She folds her arms over her chest. “Where were we on this fine morning?”
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to miss practice. My boyfriend is in the hospital and—”
    “Is he on his death bed?”
    “What? No, but—”
    “Then there’s absolutely no reason for you to skip practice. You’re letting me down, you’re letting your teammates down, but more importantly, you’re letting yourself down. The meet is only a week away.”
    My gaze drops to my shoes. “I know. I’m sorry.”
    She doesn’t say anything. I look at her. She doesn’t have a pissed-off expression on her face anymore. Her eyes are soft. She steps closer to me, putting a hand on my arm. “Lex, you never know who might show up at a meet. You don’t want to lose your chance at the scholarship.”
    I know I need the scholarship—it’s the only way for me to attend Juilliard. But when I found out Cruiser was in the hospital, I felt like my world was coming to an end. Nothing else mattered