Free Old Enough to Love... (Just One of the Guys) by Kristi Pelton Page B

and boil over my lids. Zach held my arms now and the rubbing had stopped. I felt his head rest against the back of mine or maybe it was his chin. His breathing was heavy in my ear. I stood abruptly never taking my eyes off Ryan. He’d always been there to protect me and there was nothing he could do. Nothing.
    “Em.” He mouthed slowly before his lip pulled into a fierce snarl. “Zach!” Ryan shouted and spit the name off his tongue like it was poison.
    Before he could utter another word, I sprinted from the circle. Away from them all.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

ELEVEN
     
     
    “Emma!”
    I could faintly hear Zach holler.
    I wanted to turn and run straight back into his arms but I knew I couldn’t. I also knew, without a doubt, that I could out run him long distance—but damn my short legs—I didn’t stand a chance in a sprint. But I tried. My feet dug into the cold sand and burned with each step, tears falling freely. Hurry and get them cried out before he sees. Never cry in front of a guy.
    I knew it. I knew it. I knew he had been with her. I felt sick and dizzy and thought for a second I would vomit. Crap! I heard his footsteps behind me.
    “ Em! Wait!” he shouted gasping for breath.
    My chest was tight and my lungs felt ablaze as I sucked in the cold air. I stopped running as I approached the foot of a rocky cliff where I couldn’t pass. Tide was in and salt water sprayed against the rocks then splattered my face as I got too close. With the dangerous rip tides, it was not passable.
    When I spun around, he had decelerated to a walk. My tears were dry, thank goodness, and my breaths were manageable, but I could hear the whistle coming from my weak lungs. He bent down, his palms resting on his knees, his back arched. “I am sorry.” he puffed.  “So sorry.” His labored breathing concerned me worse than mine.
    I stared at him my eyes unable to hide the hurt. My brow creased, then I tried to step around him. I couldn’t do this. He’d chosen her over me and not even given me a chance.
    “Don’t run, please,” he begged, his breathing still uneven. He gently gripped my arm. 
    “Let me go, Zach.”
    “No. I won’t. Because you’ll bolt up the beach.” He released me anyway, I guess taking his chances, and intertwined his fingers behind his head, still trying to catch his breath.
    The bitter wind whirled around me, and I wiped my runny nose on the shoulder of my shirt. “You and Estelle? You were with her all summer?” My voice was faint; I wasn’t sure he could hear me over the roar of the waves. It wasn’t even clear to me what I was asking—maybe clarification. Though my eyes stung—I refused to cry again. That would just make him want me less.
    His cautious, measured steps in my direction sent me backward without hesitation. The frigid water rolled over my heels reaching the arch of my feet, then receded, but not without stealing my breath. He held his hands up, surrendering, and stepped back.
    “Answer me.” My small voice sounded weak even to me. My teeth came down hard on my lip. I wasn’t sure I could handle the truth.
    “ Please, let me hold you. I know you’re freezing.” The butt of his fist rested against his mouth.
    “Zach—answer me, please.” The water this time surrounded my ankles causing me to gasp as a shiver rippled through me.
    He pressed his hands together and rested his chin between his thumb and index finger. He was stalling.
    “Yes,” he conceded. “Estelle and I were together this summer.”
    Childishly, I swirled around and headed down the beach, my feet splashing carelessly in the icy water as I kicked at the waves soaking my legs.
    “Baby, please talk to me.” 
    Damn it. There was that baby thing again. I couldn’t sort my racing thoughts. I wanted to hold him, to kiss him, but at the same time I wanted to slap him and be mad at him. I resisted both impulses.
    “What does that