“Oh, I wouldn’t get all worked up about this one,” Cory said. “She may act like she’s something special but she’s not.” Caden stood there grinning like a dumb sidekick. “Ain’t that right, Nora? You know I only asked you out because I felt sorry for you, right? It would have been a pity fuck. Pussy is still pussy, after all.”

Something instinctual inside of me must’ve known how Jim would react, and if it hadn’t been for my fast reflexes, Jim would’ve been on Cory before I’d even blinked. As it was, I moved as Jim sprung forward and used all my strength to wrap my arms around him to pull him away.

“Forget him. He’s not worth it.” I gently nudged Jim toward the car, throwing Roddy a “help me” look.

Roddy skirted around me and put a hand on his friend’s back to push him while I shot Cory a filthy look over my shoulder. I was used to his abuse, but it was humiliating to hear him say that stuff in front of my new friends.

“Use her, fuck her, and run, man, that’s my advice,” Cory said. “That bitch will only leak loser all over you.”

Jim swung back around but he was too late.

Roddy had already dropped our food on the lot, took three strides back to Cory, and punched him so hard, Cory’s knees buckled. There was silence as Cory lay flat out on the lot, rolling his head from side to side, dazed, as blood trickled out of his nose.

Caden put his hands up as Roddy glared at him. “Hey, man, I didn’t say shit.”

Without saying a word, Roddy strolled back to us, glowering. He grabbed the bags of food, opened the car door, and got in.

I looked from Cory on the ground to Jim, a mean look of satisfaction on his face.

“What just happened?”

“Get in the car so we can eat!” Roddy’s muffled yell sounded.

Jim broke out into a wide grin. “He likes ye.”

My gaze flew back to Cory, who Caden was finally helping to his feet. “Apparently so.”

We were parked outside the guys’ motel room on the outskirts of town. Roddy sat on the sidewalk, finishing his burger, while Jim and I sat on the hood of the Mustang eating ours.

No one had mentioned Cory or the fact that Roddy had come to my defense. In fact, no one had said much of anything while we ate. There was an awkward, heavy silence.

“Well,” Roddy crumpled up his now empty brown bag and stood up, “as scintillating as this conversation is, I’m goin’ tae hit the sack.” He walked over to the car and stopped right in front of me. “Get off the hood.”

I did so instantly. Roddy was more than a little intimidating.

And then to my shock, I found myself wrapped in a bear hug. He lifted my feet right off the ground and I had no choice but to hug him back, a surprised giggle bursting from between my lips.

When he put me back on my feet, he gave my waist one last squeeze. “Ye’er a sweetheart, Nora. Dinnae let any bastard tell ye different.” He winked at me, and I blushed.

“Thanks, Roddy.”

“Aye. Well.” He gave me a stoic nod and then walked off toward the motel room.

Realizing that was his goodbye, I called out, “Bye! Have a great trip!”

He threw his hand up in a wave without looking back and then disappeared inside the room.

When I finally turned back to Jim, he wore a wounded look that caused a pang of pain across my chest. I shimmied back onto the hood beside him. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” He raised an eyebrow. “I’m leaving, that’s what’s wrong.”

“I know.” Glum, I pushed the rest of my burger away and looked at the open road in front of us.

“Ye never told me about Melanie,” he said suddenly.

I tensed, my shoulders hunching toward my ears at the unexpected subject change. “She never came up.”

“I’m sorry ye lost yer friend.”

“Thanks.”

“Ye haven’t told me much about yer parents, either.”

I looked at him out of the corner of my eye and found him studying me with a scowl. “What do you want to know?”

“If they’re good to ye. What I’m leaving ye to if I go.”

“If you go?” My head whipped around to stare at him, bewildered. “Jim … you don’t have a responsibility to me.”

His dark eyes smoldered suddenly. “Believe me, responsibility is not what I feel for ye. At least it’s not the major thing I feel for ye. I …” He ran a shaky hand through his hair. “Fuck, I don’t know what I’m trying tae say. It’s just, ye’er special, Nora. Ye’er fuckin’ special and when that asshole said those things tonight, I wanted tae kill him. That’s why Roddy did it, punched him, not only because he didnae like hearing that guy say that stuff about ye, but because he knew I would have done a lot fuckin’ worse tae him if I’d gotten near him.”

“Cory is an idiot and not worth your time or your concern. He asked me out senior year and expected me to swoon at his feet like every other empty bimbo who was stupid enough to sleep with him. It hurt his macho pride when I turned him down.”

“That’s not … I’m no’ worried about him. I’m worried about you. Ye deserve more than to be stuck in this dinky wee town, in a shit job.”

“I’ll be okay,” I gritted out. I knew the reality of my situation. I didn’t need Jim pointing out how crappy it was.

“I don’t want ye tae just be okay.” He grabbed my hand, pulling me toward him. “I want yer life to be fucking fantastic, Nora. I think I want that more than I want it for myself.”

I tugged against his hold as he overwhelmed me again. He was always overwhelming me.

Jim wouldn’t let go of my hand. “What does that mean?” he whispered to himself.

“I don’t know,” I whispered back.

And then he was kissing me.

I knew from the fumbling around I’d done with my one and only boyfriend, Steven, when we were in the tenth grade that Jim was a million times better at kissing. His lips were soft yet commanding, and his kisses were nice. Steven’s had been wet and sloppy. Not nice. Not that I had to put up with his fumbling for long. We broke up once he realized how little free time I actually had.

Thoughts of Steven died as Jim slid his arms around me and he pulled me against his chest. As we kissed, one of his hands caressed my hip, while the other drifted upward to gently squeeze my right breast.

I liked when he did that. It caused a fizzle of something low in my belly. But my mind was much too at play still, and as Jim’s kisses became rougher, harder, I worried that Molly was right.

I broke away from him, pressing against his chest to push him back. Embarrassed, feeling young and inexperienced, and concerned there may be something lacking in me, I couldn’t meet his eyes. “I can’t have sex with you.”

Jim was quiet for so long, my heart hammered.

Finally, his fingers slid under my chin and he forced me to look up at him. In his expression, I found hunger but I also found kindness. “I’m not expecting sex, Nora. I told ye … ye mean more tae me than just a quick shag. And anyway,” he glanced around, smiling ruefully, “we’re out in the open and Roddy took the room.”

I laughed softly as relief moved over me. “I’m sorry. I’m not ready.” Or there was something wrong with me, and it would take a miracle to turn me on enough to want to have sex.

“Of course.” He cuddled me into his side. “Let’s hang out and talk. Tell me more about yer mum and dad.”

And because he’d been so sweet to me, always, and I’d never see him again, I gave him a little more of me than I had before. “We’re not close.” I relaxed against him. “My dad and I used to be, but he changed when he got …” I hadn’t told Jim about my dad’s leg and weirdly felt like it wasn’t my story to tell. My dad was so touchy about it, like he was ashamed of it. I didn’t know if that was to do with losing a limb or because if he’d been more careful, he might have been able to prevent its loss.

“Yer dad got…?”

“Sick,” I decided on. “When my dad got sick, he pushed us away.”