Free When To Let Go by J.M. Sevilla Page B

to punch the kid every time he touched her).
    “She's catching a lot of attention,” Violet added, tilting her head to better view Parker working on the go-kart. He purposely flexed his biceps. He had no shame.
    “From who?” If she said from other guys he was going to start homeschooling her.
    “Wes's fans, scouting out who finally caught his attention,” she mocked, not understanding the way girls flocked to the popular jocks.
    “Are they being mean?” His jaw clenched while he waited for her response.
    “Not yet. Maggie and I are keeping an eye out. We won't let some bitch bully her.”
    Parker smiled, wanting to go over and kiss the hell out of her for watching over his shy, would-remain-sweet-and-polite-to-the-devil sister.
    He went for another tool even though the one he had was better for the job. This time he had the side of his body connect to hers.
    Out of his peripherals he saw her trying to hide a smile.
    He took back thinking her eyes and legs were her best feature. It was most definitely her lips: the perfect shade of pink that turned rosy from his kisses. That color change drove him insane.
    He wanted to kiss them. No, he needed to kiss them. Right now.
    Turning his body just enough to angle his face towards her, he lightly brought his mouth to hers.
    She sighed along his lips and it went straight to his cock.
    They'd kissed more times than he could count, yet he never got over how soft they were. He'd never felt lips so soft (and he'd had a lot of lips).
    The tip of her tongue teased his. She knew how crazy that made him, in the best possible way.
    Parker would never let it go past kissing and innocent touches. He needed her friendship and wouldn't risk it over his desires. It wasn't worth losing her. Besides her dad never allowing it, Parker knew he'd fuck it up and lose her in the process. He needed her too much to ever let that happen. Losing her would destroy him.
    It wasn't love though, he didn't believe in that.
    Right?
    He ended the kiss first and she let out a noise of frustration. Now he was the one hiding a smile as he went back to work.
     

Chapter 12
A Man This Lonely
    Twenty-three-year-old Ryder sat on his motorcycle across the street from the high school.
    He immediately recognized Maggie Baxter's car as it screeched into the same spot it did every school day.
    Wesley was the first to get out, hurrying around the back to get to Ava's door and helping her out.
    Ryder still couldn't believe that the girl holding Wes's hand was the same one he’d met all those years ago. She was no longer a scrawny kid, but had grown into a curvy young woman.
    It had him thinking about the years spent apart.
    After he’d gotten out of juvie he was left on the streets, addicted to drugs he no longer had access to. The detox that followed was a blurred memory, but the agony his body had gone through was more than he was able to handle. It made him never want to touch anything that could cause harm to his body or mind ever again.
    He lived on the streets for quite some time; work was hard to find when you're homeless with no clothes besides the ones on your back.
    He eventually made his way back to Rocco and the auto shop, except this time around it wasn't the welcoming family he had remembered. It was mostly due to the fact that Ryder refused to do anything illegal – there was no way he could ever be in a cell again. He would rather die. They brushed him off, not having any use for him otherwise. It didn't bother him; at that point, nothing did.
    He got lucky one day when he was leaning against the wall where he lived. A man came and offered him money if he'd help him with some construction work. Ryder was a hard worker and a fast learner. The guy was so impressed with Ryder's work he helped him find a more permanent job building a new subdivision.
    It ended up being the best kind of job for a guy like him. It paid in cash, nobody tried touching him, and he was left alone. The best part was it was outside